Is there such a thing as a car so perfect that it doesn't need any modifications?

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Jason and Derek have modified many of the cars in their personal collections, which makes Jason wonder: is any of those cars so good that any modification would make it worse?

The discussion begins with a look at both Jason’s and Derek’s personal fleets and the modifications (if any) they did to them: Jason’s daily driver Mk7 Volkswagen e-Golf, his beloved but heavily modified Mk2 Scirocco 16V, the bat-shit bitch basket Mk1 Cabriolet, and even his OEM+ E30 wagon.

Derek divulges his vast 964-chassis Porsche 911 mod list, and talks W124 wagon mods before they both look back at some of the cars they’ve sold: MKIII Golf, Elise, Isuzu Pup, E39 BMWs, and more!   

But were the modifications they installed necessary fixes for factory deficiencies, or simply a matter of personal preference?

Then they get down to business – what car(s) left the factory perfect? Candidates up for debate range from:

Cadillac’s CT4 and CT5 Blackwing

Alpha-chassis Chevrolet Camaros

Chevy SS sedan

Aston Martin V12 Vantage S 7-speed

Honda S2000

Nissan 240Z

Ferrari 308 GT4

Mercedes W201 (190E)

Mercedes W202 C43

Mercedes R129 500SL / SL500

E39-chassis BMW 5-series

Various Porsche 911 models

And more!

What do you think? What car(s) were perfect from the moment they left the factory floor?

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Derek and Jason own many cars and once in a while, many of them break. Or receive really cool upgrades. It's time for a car-nerd fleet update!

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See: https://www.vredestein.com/

And: https://www.radwood.com/socal-2024

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The boys start with discussing "de-advanced" ignition timing on the Rover SD1 — and Jason did his first-ever brake master cylinder rebuild. But the big issue is that Jason wants to downsize his fleet (he still has 10 cars) but loves the different experience that each car offers. The Rover has a big (ish) lazy V8 and is unlike anything else Jason has.

Derek wants to be done with his Citroën CX because it sprung a hydraulic leak, but then found the Citroën community — and, hopefully, someone to work on it. And so maybe it'll stay. 

Thanks to Derek's guilt, 9 of Jason's cars have fresh brake fluid — which doesn't seem like a big deal, but doing 9 brake-fluid bleeds is time consuming. And worse, Jason discovered that his E30 Touring still had ATE Super Blue in his car. Which confirms that it was at least a decade old.

Derek's Porsche 944 no longer has a 14-year-old timing belt, which means it can be driven to Radwood SoCal (hopefully on new Vredestein tires, no less!)

Jason and Derek talk about today's ridiculous trend of people changing timing belts at 3, 4, or 5 years, with no mileage on them. This is an epidemic in the Ferrari community — when mechanics happily double the recommended replacement interval. 

Jason has been suspecting that his VW Cabriolet is suffering from SMS: the dreaded transmission self-machining syndrome that kills many 020 transmissions. But after some exploratory surgery, it really now seems like a bad wheel bearing.

That would figure, since Beatrice the E30 (the 1989 325i) also needs a wheel bearing after completing a track day (with Randy Pobst as an instructor on Sonoma Raceway.) These tend to come in pairs. Just not on different cars!

Derek suspects his S124 E320 wagon (with the dogleg 5-speed and 3.6-liter swap) has bad wheel bearings, too.

More urgently, Derek is having a Motronic Month: he's finally troubleshooted some strange running on his Porsche 964, which has gotten progressively worse over the last decade. He also found that one ignition module had failed, so it was running on half of its spark plugs.

A new idle control valve didn't fix it, but swapping a DME (engine computer, or ECU in non-Porsche speak) from his dad's 964 fixed everything. Jason's buddy's 993 is doing the same thing — so Derek might have just inadvertently found that car's problem.

Jason had never heard of rebuilding an ECU (except on Honda Beats) but thats' it. Jason's cars mostly don't have DMEs, and he's been fighting with ignition timing on both of his 16-valve Volkswagens (the Scirocco and Cabriolet) and wonders if he just should upgrade all the old cars to a Holley EFI or Megasquirt.

Derek found a hard top for his R129 Mercedes SL, in Florida, but shipping was too expensive. So he found a local one in the wrong color . Jason has once done that, with the wrong color hardtop on his 996 for track use, and Derek also bought a very expensive new softtop for that SL.

RIP by the way to Bruno Sacco, to Mike Valentine, and almost to Jeremy Clarkson. 

The R129 SL500 / 500SL is the best deal in the collector-car world, period. 

Jason did another (for a total of three) Power Acoustic CP-71W Single-DIN wireless Apple CarPlay head unit. He loves them. And that's before the $140 (+ tax) pricing.

Except that he won't put one in the Mercedes 190E 2.3-16 because the Becker is too iconic. Or the Beat, because of the Gathers (Honda) head unit in there. Or the e31 850CSi. Continental and Blaupunkt make retro-looking radios, but Becker's original units can be retrofitted with Bluetooth or Aux In.

Porsche Classic PCM unit is amazing, but it's far too expensive for non-Porsches. Says Jason.

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If you put someone from 1985 in a modern car, what would they be most surprised by? Hint: Why is it so much easier to get a speeding ticket today?

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The Carmudgeons chat briefly about Jake's Honda CR-Z — a manual, hybrid, very good-looking car — and why it doesn't have a K20 or K24 instead.

The main point of discussion, though, was started by Jason's drive in his Scirocco looking at how high 1980s cars rev on the highway. And he explains why '80s cars are geared so short (it's to achieve their relatively low top speeds at their relatively high-rpm power peaks.)

In discussing this, Jason explains how German car companies chose their top-gear ratio. (Hint: it's to maximize top speed.)

But there are, of course, other major changes since the 1980s — and not just things like keyless-start and infotainment. Or just power. 

NVH, mostly as a function of torsional rigidity, has changed dramatically. And with it, safety. Including things like ABS, ESC, AEB, FCW, and then of course all the other driver aids we take for granted today. 

Including the ones like BAS — brake assist — which several times accidentally almost caused Jason to have a crash. (Or make someone else crash.)

But... Jason does describe a few times he experienced modern automatic braking systems have actually avoided an accident that WOULD have happened. One in a VW and one in a Mercedes, that could have caused him to hit pedestrians. It was a triumph of modern safety technology.

Also, cars have grown tremendously in size and weight. And the total area of the glass has shrunk considerably, so visibility has changed for the worse. 

So has ride quality — today's cars have far stiffer suspension, coupled with large wheels and small sidewalls. 1980s cars often rode more smoothly than today's cars.

And much more!

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Behind the scenes filming of the comprehensive ICONS episode on the U.S.-spec 2025 Volkswagen ID.Buzz (including full review.)

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This is a 100-minute discussion about the story of VW's ID.Buzz, the making of Jason Cammisa on the ICONS episode about it, and why this minivan is so important to Volkswagen's success in America.

Full ID Buzz Review Here: 

https://youtu.be/CEun1OLyq90

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The Esprit Origin Story!

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On this episode of the Carmudgeon Show, Derek fills us in on the origins and engineering behind Colin Chapman’s last Lotus – the Esprit. DTS gives us the run-down on its connections to both past and contemporary Lotus’, as well as its journey from lithe and naturally aspirated 4-cylinder sports car to twin-turbo V8 giant killer.

Meanwhile, Jason comes up with a new t-shirt and covers proper water heater maintenance.

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Jason tows the wrong car, Derek goes to England, and the boys have a conversation about the new USPS Delivery Vehicle.

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Jason's Hoodie & Merch: https://closed-course-productions.printify.me/

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Jason's Honda Beat proves it speaks English by responding to Jason saying "my Honda doesn't leak oil" by leaking oil. 

And Jason's only British car, the Rover SD1 3500 V8, leaked a cubic meter of brake fluid on the ground, which Jason thought was the VW Cabriolet. Turns out the VW's brakes are fine — but its transmission fluid's color and metal content was highly concerning.

Then, Jason and Derek discuss the Grumman LLV, which is about to be replaced as your local mail delivery vehicle by the Oshkosh NGDV — which is aesthetically challenged (despite it being a huge functional upgrade.)

More importantly, though, Derek flew to England to attend the Goodwood Revival, which he and Jason agree is possibly the best automotive event in the world.

There are many factors. The cars, the total commitment to period dress, the gender balance, the spectators, the vendors, the amusement park fair rides, the picnics, and of course — no bad social media behavior. 

Listen to Derek's rundown of an exceptional event.

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Three cars have caused Jason a journalistic existential crisis: the Alfa Romeo Tonale, the Tesla Cybertruck, and the Tesla Model 3 Performance. 

Two of them have nothing to do with the cars, and everything to do with the internet backlash from passionate enthusiasts. It's war out there.

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The Carmudgeon Show has a new studio! (Or at least a new look.)

But back to the cars:

All of the innovation in the car industry these days is happening at the nontraditional OEMs. Which necessarily means that all of the interesting stories are about EVs. 

And yet every time Jason does a review of an EV, it incites an online war between EV fans and ICE fans. And when Telsa's passionate fans and detractors become involved on X (formerly known as Twitter) it gets personal. Suddenly, Jason is vilified and "loses his credibility."

This reality has caused Jason to take a serious look at the possibility of no longer reviewing new cars. He wonders if his personal interest in them is too small to put up with the backlash — and maybe he should concentrate on the older cars he loves more?

On the other hand, is that letting the armchair warriors win?

Perhaps. But the larger trend, as Jeremy Clarkson pointed out recently, is that new cars are shit. 

And it was the Alfa Romeo Tonale that highlighted Jason's concerns. Not because it's a bad car — it's not — but Jason had a hard time getting excited about a 1.3-liter PHEV compact SUV with an Alfa Romeo badge on it. It has none of the qualities he likes in cars. And specifically none of the qualities (other than gorgeous green paint) that he feels are appropriate for a brand like Alfa Romeo.

Hear all about the dissonance on this episode of the Carmudgeon Show.

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Reviewing two V12, manual-transmission masterpieces — the Carmudgeons drove a Pagani Zonda Nero and a Ferrari F50, thanks to DK Engineering.

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DK Engineering slid into Jason's DMs with an offer to drive an F50, a car he hadn't driven. Derek is already on record praising the F50 — but neither had driven a Zonda. 

They drove the cars, but didn't talk about it with one another until now. So here's the unfiltered truth about these two cars. In reality, they couldn't be more different.

Disappointing. Derek called the Pagani disappointing — the worst thing you could ever hear from your parents.

Especially after Jason had just ridden in the Gordon Murray GMA T.50. Perhaps this Zonda, which had been federalized for U.S. emissions, was quieter than most, but it was an acoustic nonevent: it sounded like a Toyota Camry V6. Which isn't an insult (that's the best sounding V6 in production today) — but it was out of bounds with their expectations.

Where the Zonda surprised, however, was that it's a nice GT. But one perhaps that's not what the boys expected.

On the other hand, the Ferrari F50 was a complete experience. Its V12 sounds nothing like any of the other 3 Ferrari V12s (Colombo, Lampredi, or F116/F140.) It's not a particularly beautiful sound — more a yell than a scream — but it's fully enveloping and wonderful.

The rest of the experience matches up, with linear controls, beautiful steering, and a chassis that feels natural and wonderful. With one of the best clutch/shifter/gas calibrations ever, despite the V12 having almost no flywheel weight.

Also, we include a video of Jason shifting the F50 about 2.2 million times in a minute. 

All this and more on this episode of the Carmudgeon Show, which is part of the Hagerty Podcast Network.

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We drive the Sacrilege Motors 911 "Blackbird" — a fully electric-converted 964-chassis Porsche 911, and answer the question: can an EV be fun?

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The name of the company says it all: it is sacrilege to rip out a flat-six from the back of a 911 and replace it with batteries and a motor. But calling it out as sacrilege takes the wind out of that argument, and so Derek (a 964 owner and 911-weenie) and Jason each spent some time with this $850,000 (ish) Porsche to answer the question on whether it makes sense.

The answer might surprise you. It surprised both of the boys, who hadn't discussed their opinions until we hit record in the studio.

Derek was, of course, violent at the idea of a Restomod 911. Called it an abomination, at least conceptually.

Especially because it's a 964, the least numerous of the air-cooled variants — and the best-driving according to Derek. This is the same basic car that companies like Singer also modify, because you can backdate the styling — which isn't possible on a 993.

Jason, meanwhile, loved the memory structure of the Tesla Roadster blowing his mind — the other electric convertible sports car with great steering. 

But did the boys like it? Love it? Hate it? Want to burn it at the stake?

Only one way to find out!

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Car Week Update, including: the Vintage Ferrari market nosedives at Pebble Beach. Jason sells his Lotus Elise.

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Neither of the Carmudgeons went to Sunday's Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, but both boys were at Car Week for the rest of the week. 

And then left to shoot an episode of "Jason Cammisa on the ICONS" and "Ultimate Drag Race Replay." Which was even hotter than it was in the studio, where it was over 100ºF recording the Lexus LFA episode. 

Sreten from M539 destroyed Jason's house, warehouse, and life, but resurrected an E60 M5 (that OTS & Co will be selling!)

They discuss some Behind-the-Scenes on what it's like to try to close a road — Jason means it when he says "professional idiot on a closed course." Hint: it doesn't always work.

Derek's company, OTS & Company, sold Jason's 2009 Lotus Elise SC, which was a pleasant surprise for Jason, who's never sold through an agent before — and who is generally terrible at selling cars. Jason is now a convert — and wants OTS&Co to sell everything!

OTS & Co also won an award at the Quail with the Ferrari 365 "Croisette" shooting break at the Quail! 

That coach built Ferrari might be the Ultimate Car Week Car! But it could be M539's Ring Taxi homage E60 M5 manual!

But the real surprise at Car Week was how poorly the Blue Chip Ferraris did at auction. There were some other cars that were soft (including two Mercedes 190E 2.5-16 Evo II that sold below Derek's expectations) but the multiple-million-dollar 1950s and 1960s Ferrari market was the big shock.

At the same time, a Ferrari F50 hit a new record at $5.5 million with fees — so there's probably not some major bubble bursting. Maybe it's just a generational shift?

Lots of philosophical discussion ensues. You should listen.

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Jason rides in the left seat of a T.50 and declares it the best sounding engine he's ever heard — dethroning the Lexus LFA. With which he and Derek have experience.

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First of all, Jason calculates his cars' brake fluid age and is mostly okay with it, but also slightly horrified at how old the brake fluid is in several of his cars — one of which is 13 years old. Whoops.

Secondly, GMA allowed Jason a ride in the leftmost (passenger) seat of Gordon Murray's T.50, with Dario Franchitti in the center seat. There's video — and audio. And it's enough to have moved Jason to dethrone the LFA, which he had just pronounced the best sounding engine of all time.

The LFA's V-10 sounds amazing — far better in the car than the Porsche Carrera GT, the other best-sounding V-10 of all time (with honorable mention given to the BMW S85 — and every other V10 short of the Viper's.)

The boys also speak about the LFA Revelations Episode — and the history of the Lexus LFA.

And of cars that ride poorly, like the LFA does. Like the Mercedes AMG GT.

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