The 6-speed swapped Mercedes-Benz CLK63 AMG Black Series is finally here, and Jason drove it! Derek’s – or rather OTS’s – OEM-grade 6-speed manual CLK63 Black Series by Kwiek Classics is done, and Jason and Derek get behind the wheel to review the car that AMG should’ve built all along. 

Enthusiasts around the world have never had a chance to interact directly with AMG’s only clean-sheet engine, the M156 – a monster 6.2L, 32-valve, DOHC, cross-plane V8 making 500 horsepower for the CLK63 Black Series. But now, thanks to Matt Kwiek at Kwiek Classics, we finally can! And it’s why Derek and his business partners at OTS bought one for Matt to manual swap using OEM Mercedes-Benz parts. The swap is done, and the car is here in the Bay Area where the Carmudgeons got to row the gears in AMG’s widebody beast of the noughties.

By junking the recalcitrant automatic transmission, the car is transformed into the athlete its flared fenders promise it to be. Combine the manual trans with the factory triple-adjustable dampers (which feel like they’re full of sand in its current track configuration, though according to Jason are magical with the settings Mercedes used at the launch event) and the CLK63 Black Series becomes a car that even the most curmudgeonly enthusiast will struggle to come up with an excuse not to buy. As familiar and confidence-inspiring as the best M cars like E36 and E46 M3, and with an engine more engaging and experiential than the likes of the E39 M5. Even better to drive than a V8 Vantage and a Lexus LFA. Unlike typical 3-pedal swaps that lend themselves to terrible throttle mapping (see: Pagani Zonda), this one is a 9 out of 10, and an easy “marry” over a plethora of Ferraris: Testarossa, 355, 550 – even a Porsche 997 GT3.

After the AMG, we dive into Jason’s recent dyno day at Chuckles Garage in NorCal, where Jason managed to take 3 spots on the dyno’s leaderboard for least horsepower (not including Jason, who can put down 500 watts). Jason got power numbers on his E31 BMW 850CSi, the Rover SD1 3500 V8, and the Honda Beat. Plus a friend brings along a Euro-spec 850CSi for comparison. Using some Turner Motorsport chips for the dual-ECU S70 850CSi motor, in conjunction with some Ferrari 599 mufflers, Jason’s CSi managed to beat the Euro car at 304 rear wheel horsepower. But even with Ferrari exhaust, the 850 still needs help in the sound department. Luckily, @czechmate_e30 is working with a fabricator to make a set of stepped headers for BMW V12s!

Then, with fresh dyno numbers in hand, Jason combines the data with the power figures from the rest of his fleet, and indexes them by percentage of peak power versus percentage of peak RPM. The resulting graph provides an excellent visualization as to where and how each of his car’s engines makes their power. Science!

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The Cizeta-Moroder V16T was the world's first sixteen-cylinder supercar, beating Bugatti by more than a decade. From its Gandini-designed Lamborghini origins, to disco-backed financing via Giorgio Moroder, a star-studded launch party with MC Jay Leno, and a cavalcade of lawsuits that continued up until the death of company founder and creator Claudio Zampolli in 2021.

Brian Wiklem’s "16" book is available here:

https://www.cizeta-v16t.com/

This is the true story of the Cizeta-Moroder V16T. 

The Cizeta’s mysterious engine has left many guessing when it comes to its origins. Turns out, it has 2 cross-plane crankshafts from a Lamborghini Urraco P300 V8, a block design taken right from Ferrari’s 308 V8, and heads dissimilar to each — looking more like Cosworth’s contemporary DOHC designs. We even learn – thanks to Iain Tyrrell's Classic Workshop – that there appears to have been a flat-plane crank version in the works too! 

Lots of nerdy engineering talk in this one: the torsional forces acting on crankshafts that make V16s (and straight-8s) not work so well, and how Claudio solved for them with a central power takeoff unit in his transverse V16 with a longitudinal transaxle – as opposed to the McLaren F1 (which debuted not long after) which did the inverse with a longitudinal engine (albeit with 4 fewer cylinders) and transverse transaxle. There were only a handful of V16 engines in the early 1900s, early examples fitted to Cadillacs and Marmons, with the Cizeta and other esoteric oddballs filling the gaps until present day, but now we’re getting a new one in the form of the Bugatti Tourbillon – whose predecessors used a much shorter “W” layout for their 16-cylinder powerplants. In any case, the cross-plane crank in the V16T elicits a raucous, lopey idle, and a Ford Mustang Shelby GT350R Chewbacca-grade WOT bellow accompanied by a cacophony of gear and induction noises. Build quality is exceptional throughout, and puts the Bugatti EB110 and Countach to shame. 

Claudio would find himself in very public spats with Jay Leno, the author of the V16T book itself, Brian Wiklem, and countless others at car shows, on Ferrari forums, on Facebook – just about everywhere. He may have been paranoid and a little delusional, but he was an incredible engineer and mechanic, and we’re grateful to have been able to experience the Cizeta-Moroder V16T! Huge shout-outs to owner Brendan Gallaher, Jay Leno, and Brian Wiklem.

At the start of this episode, we’ll also talk Golfs! Specifically MK7s, and the one Jason just bought for his niece. Believe it or not, despite decades of VW-dom, Jason has never owned a real GTI until this car. Now he’s turning the youth into car people one relative at a time, starting with the purchase of a 2006 Infiniti G35 Coupe 6-speed for his nephew a few years ago, and then sending him to driving school with it. His niece got to attend the same driving school in Jason’s E30, Beatrice. And, if Jason leaves the surprise 034Motorsport tune on this new GTI, his niece will inherit a car much quicker than her older brother’s (and Derek may have to buy one too). But should we trust 18-year-olds (or Dereks) with 300 hp cars?

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We dish the VW/Audi dirt with tuning company 034Motorsport’s Director of Sales and Marketing, Nick Mercadante. We’ll discuss 40 years worth of VAG foibles, from mismatched rotors, calipers that can’t handle the heat, 1980s ABS tech, wandering shifters and shattering engine mounts – but don’t worry, 034 has you covered! 

Nick brought out his Audi 90 for us on this episode, and we’ll start by discussing its 6-level, buttock-melting heated seats (the relay for which is on its deathbed). Jason’s dad had this same car back in Germany in the 90s – featuring cloth seats, crank windows, and no AC. It made for a significantly improved Autobahn experience compared to his previous car, an FJ60-Series Land Cruiser. However, in stock form, the little Audi inline-5 hotrod of the 80s is no match for Jason’s modified 170 hp VW Scirocco. The Audi 90’s 7A engine just doesn’t have the oomph to make up for the drivetrain loss and general heft of the AWD drivetrain. If it had the turbocharged 3B motor from the S2, it may be a different story… Speaking of stories, Jason wrote one for Automobile Magazine some 15 years ago on this exact car that now sits in our background. Did you know it has a carbon fiber driveshaft and an anti anti-lock button? Yes, ANTI anti-lock. 

We learn about the delightfully colorful California vehicle titles of the last century: both rainbow and pink (which is where the phrase “pink slip” comes from). And Derek is deeply distraught to learn Nick has removed the original California 2-number plate (and to learn just how easy it is to register cars outside of California).

We’ll cover Nick’s various vehicles: his college runabout Audi 90, UrS6 wagon, his BMW M2 (F22), Porsche Cayenne GTS (958.2), Audi SQ5 (w/ nearly 700 hp), his Kei truck Subaru Sambar (w/ nearly 20 hp), his Porsche 944, Audi TT RS, and his first-gen Audi R8 V8 with a NASCAR-grade 034Motorsport exhaust. 

Speaking of Nick’s cars, we’ll also cover another 034 Nick’s collection – friend of the show, Nick Sgambelluri, who so generously provided (and abused) his monster-turbo Audi 200 sedan, as well as his pristine first-gen Ford Probe Turbo for the Dark Horse ICONS episode – where its axle unalived itself in the middle of a reverse donut (sorry, Nick!).  

We talk 034Motorsport (which is singular and starts with a “zero”), including their 7 lbs aluminum flywheel for the Audi 90, their dogbone engine mounts, their origins making ECUs for 5-cylinder cars 20 years ago, and their new arm, 034Tradition, which will make classic parts to fill in the voids left behind when parts manufacturers discontinue them (they will even take requests!). 

Other fun tidbits: Jason’s secret new turbo car, the classic RV anal-prefix name game, washing titles in Alabama, Derek the felon, trash Kumhos, Derek advising against too much stroking, the Rover gets a makeover (suspension and tires), and possibly a full Vitesse-style engine build via Redline Rebuilds!

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We talk with SCCA Hall of Fame race car driver Randy Pobst. From his racing origins in a Mk1 VW Rabbit, to his 2 wins at the 24 Hours of Daytona, and his personal car collection – including his Smokey and the Bandit Trans Am and Flyin’ Moose Volvo 740. 

To start, we’ll dive into Randy’s racing experience: factory contracts with Porsche, Mazda, Volvo, and Toyota. Winning the 24 Hours of Daytona not once, but twice, and his 2015 induction into the SCCA Hall of Fame. We’ll cover his exploits at Thunderhill, VIR, Road Atlanta, Laguna Seca, Daytona, Pikes Peak, Sonoma, Lime Rock, Willow Springs, and more! 

From humble origins in a Mk1 VW Golf (no, not a GTI), to a factory-backed FX16 Toyota Corolla, to setting a Laguna Seca lap record in a McLaren Senna. Randy even worked on the set of 2 Fast 2 Furious as a driving instructor for the film's stars: Paul Walker, Tyrese Gibson, and Devon Aoki – to name a few. 

Randy eventually met Jason while filming an uncooperative Cayman GT4 for Motor Trend, and, despite a rocky start when Jason unexpectedly flung a Range Rover off track while racing Randy in an Alfa Romeo 4C, the two teamed up again to film multiple Ultimate Drag Race, Lap Battle and ICONS episodes for Hagerty.

The whole gang laments some of the most irritating modern car tech: excessively bright headlights, lights that are somehow off at night, ABS systems that fully shut down when traveling backwards, AEB overreach, and EPAS systems that completely ruin a car’s limit handling by curtailing the driver’s ability to quickly catch a slide (like the Shelby GT350 Randy repeatedly spun and Jason crinkled at Willow Springs – not to mention the Unplugged Performance Tesla Model 3 Randy famously wrecked at Pikes Peak). 

Speaking of handling, Randy divulges his dislike of twitchy cars like the Jaguar F-Type R and XJ, the KTM X-Bow, and Ariel Atom. Jason on the other hand loves an ass-y car like the V12 Vantage S, but says the Lotus Exige V6 Cup was so tail-happy it was uncontrollable. The Porsche Carrera GT is somewhere in the middle with mixed reviews and experience all around. While on the topic of handling dynamics, Randy tells us his secret plan to invent a fix for the C8 Corvette’s trailing throttle oversteer. He also gives praise to Porsche’s Lars Kern for his work on the latest crop of RS products – which may or may not be Randy’s favorite track cars of all time out of the box, alongside the 2014 Porsche 911 50th Anniversary Edition. All of which receive top marks on Randy’s understeer spectrum, and are polar opposites of the likes of a 1960s Cadillac. 

We’ll touch on Randy’s personal car collection as well, which includes a Volvo 740 sedan and wagon, his 1977 Pontiac Trans Am “Randit” (and its oil starvation woes), Toyota Tundra tow vehicle, VW Karmann Ghia and early Tesla Model S. 

Plus, Derek invents a new phrase for “road rage”, Randy bitch slaps cars out of his way, and also beautifully sings Primus’ Wynona’s Big Brown Beaver.

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Many enthusiasts don't realize that the Alfa Romeo 164 and Saab 9000 share their underpinnings — with the Lancia Thema and Fiat Croma. They all ride on the Fiat Tipo Quattro (Type 4) platform, and in this episode, we discuss the their history and drive the three most powerful, quickest, and fastest FWD sport sedans of their era.

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WATCH THE FULL REVELATIONS EPISODE HERE:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G71uIVvnzvw

==

This is a history less about their initial development, to the plethora of engine options, posh and/or aerospace-inspired interiors, styling, power, handling dynamics, and the pros and cons of platform sharing. 

We kick things off with the platform’s predecessors: the Tipo Zero, Tipo Uno, Tipo Dua, and Tipo Tre – go figure – all of which underpinned a variety of Fiats. Meanwhile, Saab had effectively been building cars on the same platform since the 40s before finally making something new for the Saab 99 during the late 60s, and then the 900 in late 70s (which was really just a revised 99). But when it was time for a shift upmarket in the late 80s, Saab needed financial help to create the 9000 after a merger deal with Volvo fell through. At the time, Lancia was in need of a full-size family sedan and jumped into the mix as well via an existing relationship with Saab (see the Saab Lancia 600).

There’s a brief sidebar about weird cars of the time. Select picks include the Citroen DX and GS, as well as the AMC Eagle and Concord. Plus oddball platform sharing in the form of the Dodge Monaco, Renault 25, and Chrysler 300M. Merkur enters the chat, as does Cizeta and the equally prodigious V6 Chevy Cavalier Z24, 4-cylinder Cadillac Cimarron, and, of course, the forever elegant Lumina Euro. 

What’s that? You’d like to know how many V6s were on sale in Europe in the late 80s? One. Or two. Somewhere between 1 and 3-ish. We think. Pretty sure.

In any case, the hottest of the hot Tipo Quattro cars are QUICK. The Saab 9000 Aero being the quickest FWD car of the time, but the Thema 8.32 and Alfa 164Q4 were close behind. As were the Dodge Omni GLHS and the Ford Taurus SHO – the original fast blob.

In This Episode:

The Alfa Romeo 164 Quadrifoglio Verde (230 hp)

The Saab 9000 Aero (225 hp)

The Lancia Thema 8.32 (215 hp)

There’s much talk of Busso V6s, Ferrari V8s (cross- and extra jiggly flat-plane) and their sound profiles. We’ll also cover the delightful smell of rich Italian leather, and our most favorite Pininfarina pen strokes.

Then we’ll blitz through a bunch of badge-engineered bungles like the VW Routan, Acura SLX, Mazda2 and Honda’s new Prologue. When done poorly, platform sharing can kill entire brands, but sometimes we’re left with a small crop of lust-worthy enthusiast cars, and for that we are thankful!

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It's time to be honest with each other and the world: Derek and Jason take turns roasting (or just honestly reviewing) the other's cars in their collections. Plus, they roast their own stuff.

We’ll cover the good and the bad of nearly all of the boys’ various vehicles: 

Derek’s bikes – the Ducati Panigale V4S and Husqvarna 701 Supermoto. 

Jason’s E30s – the 325i wagon and beater sedan track car. 

The mid-engine Italian exotics – Derek's Lamborghini Miura and Jason's 1975 Ferrari 308 GT4.

Then, Jason's mid-engine micro machine 1991 Honda Beat. Naturally, a plethora of Mercedes products will be in the mix – the R129 500SL, W201 190E 2.3-16, W124 E320 wagon and W202 C43. The atypical oddballs: the Rover SD1 and Citroen CX. 

Plus Jason’s new-to-him V12 E31 BMW 850 CSi and Derek’s favorite back-road weapon 964-chassis Porsche 911. And we’ll round things out with Jason’s babies – the VW Scirocco and Mk1 Cabriolet. 

You’ll learn about the Rover SD1’s sketchy, outdated front suspension design, and the 190E’s oversized steering wheel and underbolstered seats. The corpulent hamster styling of the e-Golf and terrible brake balancing on the Beat. The 964 sounds like flatulence, and the VW Cabriolet sounds like imminent disintegration. Recaro-equipped, art deco, cheap, and Zebra-print interiors. Sloppy shifters, burning odors, affordable V12 Ferraris and BMWs, and the Mk1 VWs’ good vibrations versus the E30 M3’s shit ones. 

Join us for some Nikki Glaser-inspired antics, Carmudgeon-style!

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Land Cruiser is one of Toyota’s – and, arguably, the world’s – most haloed marques. In this episode, Jason and Derek discuss its origins and history from its jeep origins, to its enormous family tree, all the way up to the brand new 250-series models, the 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser and Lexus GX550.

Jason and the Hagerty crew traveled to the rugged, mountainous outskirts of Salt Lake City (and the nearby Land Cruiser Heritage Museum) to film an ICONS episode on the illustrious off-roading Toyota. And in this episode, the carmudgeons dive into the origins of the Japanese jeep and its Attila-grade family tree of subsequent series: the 20-series Land Cruiser and then the, 40, 55, 60, 70, 80, 100, 200, 250, and 300, just to name a few! 

The FJs, BJs, the Iron Pig, heavy duties, station wagons, Prados, the Lexus-badged models like the LX600 and GX550 (Motor 1’s SUV of the year!). We’ll even cover the Land Cruiser’s competition along the way: the Jeep Wrangler, Compass, Cherokee, Grand Cherokee, and Wagoneer; the Land Rover Defender, Range Rover, Velar, Discovery and Evoque; even the Ford Bronco and International Scout. 

In addition to the WWII Willys Jeep 4x4, we’ll cover the origin of the “J” in BJ and FJ – an abbreviation for jeep, which itself many believe is a pseudo-acronym for GP or “general purpose,” but a fact-check says otherwise. Even the Land Cruiser name itself was a tweaked version of the Land Rover moniker to make Rando-kurūzā in Japan.  

Jason also reviews both of the new 250-series Prado trucks: the 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser and 2024 Lexus GX550. We'll talk powertrain, styling, cargo and passenger capacity, comfort, handling, NVH, luxury, and more. 

Now let’s get to it!

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Jason and Derek drive and discuss the legendary Lancia Stratos – its origins, its parts-bin interior, and its unhinged handling.

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Click here to join the Hagerty Driver's Club: https://bit.ly/Join-HDC-Cammisa-Rev

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On today’s episode, things start off by looking at commenters' nominations for elegant mid-engine cars. Most are promptly rejected, but a handful give the Carmudgeons pause: the De Tomaso P72, McLaren Speedtail, Jaguar XJ220, Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale, and Ferrari 296. And two previously overlooked but notably elegant exceptions are: the Ferrari 246 Dino and the first-generation Toyota Previa. 

Afterwards, it’s all things Stratos – starting with Jason’s and Derek’s driving impressions. They discuss the handling characteristics of this mind-bendingly miniature, Ferrari-engined, rally missile. Thanks to its short, upward-swept overhangs and relatively massive suspension travel, it can traverse rough terrain with ease (including massive potholes and steep driveways), setting it apart from your average sports car experience. But, like a fighter jet, it sacrifices stability in favor of maximum maneuverability. 

They also cover its diminutive size (the Stratos is 2 feet shorter than a Mk8 VW Golf!) and its parts-bin interior – including the trunk release it shares with the Lamborghini Countach and Ferrari 308 GT4, exterior door handle from the Fiat X1/9, and interior door pull from the Miura (among others). Not to mention its paper-thin fiberglass “firewall,” and very unique hinged side windows. 

Later on, discussions move to the origins of the car. From the philandering nature of mid-century Italian design houses like Pininfarina and Bertone, which seemed to take turns designing Italy’s newest models at the time. Things like the Fiat Dino Coupe and Spider, and the Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint and Sprint Speciale (not to mention the wild Stratos Zero concept by Marcello Gandini that became the wedge-shaped Stratos) – plus the dubious last-second rally homologation of the Stratos. 

Lancia’s little wedge would go on to race all across the world; from the Acropolis Rally in Greece, to the East African Safari Rally in Kenya, to the Press-on-Regardless Rally in Michigan. The Stratos, which replaced Lancia’s too-fragile Fulvia, would prove itself plenty rugged and become a wildly successful rally car (but a total sales flop). Lancia's parent company, Fiat, wanted it out in favor of its new 131, but the Stratos' WRC wins continued thanks to privateers all the way up until the 1980s, when it was finally replaced by the 037.

The Stratos Stradale, a car you could buy 50 years ago for the price of a mildly-luxurious contemporary GT like the Alfa Romeo Montreal – now goes for several hundreds of thousands of dollars. Probably one of the highest dollar-per-sq/ft ratios in the automotive world – start saving!

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Jason and Derek discuss the origins of one of Lamborghini’s most iconic models: the Diablo. And what makes this 1 of 83 GT edition so special.  

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The Carmudgeon Show Sponsor, Vredestein Tires:

https://www.vredestein.com/

Click here to join the Hagerty Driver's Club: https://bit.ly/Join-HDC-Cammisa-Rev

===

Prior to recording this episode, Jason’s Diablo-experience was limited to a blue VT he drove as part of a V12 Lamborghini story back in 2012 that included a 1972 Miura SV, 1988 Countach 5000 QV, Murciélago, Aventador, and LM002. Luckily for Jason (and all of us,) Derek – who also recently drove a Diablo Roadster – brought along this spectacular orange Diablo GT (one of just 83 ever built), which both he and Jason took for a spin. Their impressions followed after a brief history lesson courtesy of Derek. 

The history lesson will include the origin of Lamborghini itself at the hands of multiple different owners: Ferruccio Lamborghini, Jean-Claude and Patrick Mimran, and Chrysler, which took over just as the Diablo concept was nearly production ready. Luckily for everyone, legendary designer at Bertone, Marcello Gandini, didn’t throw his hands up and walk off the job, and we got the Diablo (and the non-Chrysler-tainted early designs went on to become the Cizeta-Moroder V16T).

But it was the 90s, and we demanded more! So the motorsport-focused Diablo GT was born. Featuring widened front fenders, a carbon-fiber rear diffuser, carbon-fiber bucket seats, oil cooler w/ heat extractor hood vent, and a roof scoop to direct cold air into the massive carbon-fiber intake plenum feeding independent throttle bodies – and much, much more!

Like all Diablos, the interior is a little kit-car spec. A flat bezel with holes carved into it for individual gauges comprises the main “cluster.” The suspension is ultra-stiff, but handles exceptionally well on smooth tarmac. And the car can effortlessly break traction at both near-idle RPMs and at near-triple-digit speeds. Rear visibility is non-existent (there is effectively no rear window), but boy are you visible to everyone else on the road. 

Before we wrap things up, we talk crankshafts and who made the first modern flat-plane crank for a production V-8. Perhaps it’s the Urraco and not the Ferrari 308? Ford’s contemporary flat-plane crank Voodoo V-8 from the Shelby GT350 is known to shake itself to pieces. Is that par for the course? Chevy’s C8 Z06 Corvette seems to be doing just fine. As are the AMG GT Blacks Series and Aston Martin Valhalla, but does anyone care? 

Cars like the new Revuelto and Temerario are more common than ever these days. And the number of people who stand a chance of someday affording them seems to be dwindling. Do you care about these million-dollar super cars? Or would you rather see more $35,000 challenges with cars like the Mini Cooper S, Hyundai Elantra N, Ford Mustang Ecoboost, Mazda3 Turbo, VW GTI, Subaru WRX, and Toyota GR86 in 2025?

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Jason and Derek review their top 10 best (and worst) experiences behind the wheel in 2024. Everything from ulta-rare Porsches, to open-air Lamborghinis, manual-swapped Mercedes (and Ferraris), supercars, hypercars, rally icons, and more!

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The Carmudgeon Show Sponsor, Vredestein Tires:

https://www.vredestein.com/

Click here to join the Hagerty Driver's Club: https://bit.ly/Join-HDC-Cammisa-Rev

===

Christmas comes early for us this year (but not quite in time for this episode) in the form of 6 brand new sets of dutch rubber courtesy of our sponsor, Vredestein Tires! 

The Curmudgeon's then continue with a discussion about each Carmudgeon’s Grandmother’s vehicular preferences, which included the likes of the Ford Pinto, AMC Pacer, ‘87 Chevy Cavalier, Saturn SL1, ‘99 Nissan Sentra, Dodge Aries K-car, Dodge Duster 340, and Buick Wildcat. 

Then we briefly revel in some sweet, sweet vindication after Car and Driver named the Tesla Model 3 to their 10 Best list, but rejected the G20 BMW 3-Series (as it had the F30 before it) and specifically the G80 M3. The Cadillac CT4 and CT5 Blackwing both made this list, alongside a handful of perennial stalwarts like the Honda Civic, Honda Accord, and GR86/BRZ twins.

Afterwards, we recount hanging with Jay Leno while filming 3 separate episodes of Jay Leno’s Garage featuring Jason’s Mk2 VW Scirocco 16V, E30 BMW 325i Touring, and E31 850 CSi. 

And finally, it’s time to talk best drives of the year! The boys loved three Ferraris: the 296 GTB, 360 Challenge Stradale (manual-swapped), and F50. Plus one car from Enzo’s nemesis: the Lamborghini Diablo VT Roadster. 

Then, Jason and Derek include wwo Porsches: the 992.1-chassis 911 S/T and 964 Carrera RS 3.8. Both the Bugatti EB110 GT and Veyron made the list, as did another Piëch-era favorite: the VW XL1. 

Speaking of VWs, the 1964 Beetle and new ID.Buzz both made the cut as well. What would a Carmudgeon episode be without a smattering of Mercedes products? The W209 CLK63 Black Series (manual-converted), W201 190E 2.5-16, C126 560SEC, and a W124 300E with a Mosselman twin-turbo kit and Zender body! 

Two EVs even made the list: the incredible Lucid Air Sapphire and spunky Hyundai Ioniq 5 N. Plus some exquisite lightweights: the Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint 1300, Lotus Exige V6 Cup, and Lancia Stratos.

The worst drives of the year? That honor goes to the disappointing Pagani Zonda and 4-cylinder W206 Mercedes-AMG C63.

We end wondering how to rack up miles behind the wheel of our favorite vintage cars safely. One thing we can all agree we need? More time off!  

Happy Holidays!

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