The Carmudgeon Show

There aren’t many, but there are some SUVs that Derek and Jason love. And they have one thing in common: authenticity. They’re all trucks in the traditional sense — Land Rover Defender, Range Rover Classic, Lamborghini LM002, Mercedes G-Class, Suzuki Sidekick and Geo Tracker, and of course the TJ Jeep Wrangler.

[NOTE: This episode was recorded in early March 2020 before the Coronavirus Social Distancing measures went into effect. We're glad to help stave off boredom while you #ShelterInPlace — anything to keep you home and keep you safe. Stay well, all of you. Love and distant kisses from all of us at ISSIMI.]

In this episode, we discuss why real-world buyers prefer SUVs — and even theorize that their desirability comes from a concept discussed in the movie The Devil Wears Prada. We also discuss how we know the Ferrari Purosangue (which means “pureblood” in Italian) is the exact opposite of its name, even without having seen it; why the Lamborghini Anus (Urus) is insulting on the face of it, and why Derek didn’t love his Porsche Cayenne Turbo S, even though it did everything well.

The Carmudgeon Show is a comedic, information-filled conversation with Jason Cammisa and Derek Tam-Scott, two car enthusiasts who are curmudgeonly beyond their years. Proving you don’t have to be old to be grumpy, they spend each episode talking about what’s wrong with various parts of the automotive universe. Despite their best efforts to keep it negative, they usually wind up laughing, happy, and extolling their love for cars. Which just makes them angrier and more bitter.

Jason Cammisa is an automotive journalist, social-media figure, and TV host with over 250 million views on YouTube alone. Jason’s deeply technical understanding, made possible by a lifelong obsession with cars, allows him to fully digest what’s going on within an automobile — and then put it into simple terms for others to understand. Also, a Master’s Degree in Law trained him to be impossible to argue with.

Derek Tam-Scott still tries. He’s a young automotive expert with old-man taste in cars, and a Master’s Degree in Civil Engineering — which means he knows how to be civil to Jason. Or at least he tries. With a decade and a half’s experience buying, selling, driving and brokering classic and exotic cars, he’s experienced the world’s most iconic cars. And hated most of them.

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Derek finally drove two modern sedans, the Alfa Giulia Quadrifoglio and the Tesla Model 3 Dual Motor Performance. They both blew his mind, but he only wants one for himself. That said, he thinks everyone else should buy the other. 

In this episode, Jason and Derek stumble across an idea of how to save Alfa Romeo in the U.S. — and why Tesla Model 3 has proven so popular. The basic idea: the rest of the supposed “sports sedans” have gotten so homogenous and boring that there's no reason to buy them.
Also, Jason thinks California is a decade ahead of the rest of the country, and in related news, he likes the smell of his own farts. Smug jerk that he is. 

The Carmudgeon Show is a comedic, information-filled conversation with Jason Cammisa and Derek Tam-Scott, two car enthusiasts who are curmudgeonly beyond their years. Proving you don’t have to be old to be grumpy, they spend each episode talking about what’s wrong with various parts of the automotive universe. Despite their best efforts to keep it negative, they usually wind up laughing, happy, and extolling their love for cars. Which just makes them angrier and more bitter.

Jason Cammisa is an automotive journalist, social-media figure, and TV host with over 250 million views on YouTube alone. Jason’s deeply technical understanding, made possible by a lifelong obsession with cars, allows him to fully digest what’s going on within an automobile — and then put it into simple terms for others to understand. Also, a Master’s Degree in Law trained him to be impossible to argue with.
 
Derek Tam-Scott still tries. He’s a young automotive expert with old-man taste in cars, and a Master’s Degree in Civil Engineering — which means he knows how to be civil to Jason. Or at least he tries. With a decade and a half’s experience buying, selling, driving and brokering classic and exotic cars, he’s experienced the world’s most iconic cars. And hated most of them.
 
Don't forget to visit: https://www.issimi.com/
ISSIMI Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/issimiofficial
ISSIMI Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/issimiofficial/
 
Podcast available on: 
ISSIMI Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/issimi-official
ISSIMI Google Podcast: https://podcasts.google.com/?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5idXp6c3Byb3V0LmNvbS82OTU5MjYucnNz
ISSIMI Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1FcYevGiXYFvfqhjg6noyP
ISSIMI Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-carmudgeon-show/id1489576059

Who invented the sport sedan? — The Carmudgeon Show — Ep. 16

Here’s a hint: it ain’t BMW. Derek and Jason postulate that Alfa Romeo invented the sport sedan at about the same time that BMW was making things like the Isetta bubble-car. 

This episode is an information-packed, hour-long discussion about the origin of the sports sedan — and what that term even means. There’s a difference between a sedan that’s fast in a straight line (Mercedes 6.3, 6.9, Maserati Quattroporte I) and a sedan that handles like a sports car (Alfa Giulietta). Giulietta really started the trend — even though sporting Jaguars like the Mk1 and Mk2 were already being regularly raced. But Alfa continued with the Giulia Super before BMW stumbled on the 2002 by accident — though it was a two-door sedan. But then BMW started to perfect the recipe with the E12 M535i - where it put its biggest engine in a sporty sedan, and then cemented success with the E28 M5. So while Alfa Romeo invented the sport sedan with the Giulietta, BMW perfected it with the M5.

Today, every serious car company makes a sporty variant of its cars, but only some really qualify as sport sedans: the Maserati Quattroporte V, the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio, Aston Martin Rapide, the Mercedes 190E 2.3-16, the BMW M3 and M5. The Cadillac CTS-V was a true sport sedan, albeit 50 years late to the party, as was the Chevrolet SS, the true successor to the E39 M5, which is perhaps the best sports sedan of all time. Has Japan ever made a true sports sedan? Nissan thought so with the Maxima 4DSC, but Lexus made a true contender with the IS300 and with today’s ISF and GSF. Infiniti nailed the second-generation M45. VW’s had the Jetta GLI since the original Mk1. But the sport sedan that both Carmudgeons lust after is the Opel / Vauxhall Lotus Carlton. 
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The Carmudgeon Show is a comedic, information-filled conversation with Jason Cammisa and Derek Tam-Scott, two car enthusiasts who are curmudgeonly beyond their years. Proving you don’t have to be old to be grumpy, they spend each episode talking about what’s wrong with various parts of the automotive universe. Despite their best efforts to keep it negative, they usually wind up laughing, happy, and extolling their love for cars. Which just makes them angrier and more bitter.

Jason Cammisa is an automotive journalist, social-media figure, and TV host with over 250 million views on YouTube alone. Jason’s deeply technical understanding, made possible by a lifelong obsession with cars, allows him to fully digest what’s going on within an automobile — and then put it into simple terms for others to understand. Also, a Master’s Degree in Law trained him to be impossible to argue with.
 
Derek Tam-Scott still tries. He’s a young automotive expert with old-man taste in cars, and a Master’s Degree in Civil Engineering — which means he knows how to be civil to Jason. Or at least he tries. With a decade and a half’s experience buying, selling, driving and brokering classic and exotic cars, he’s experienced the world’s most iconic cars. And hated most of them.
 
Don't forget to visit: https://www.issimi.com/
ISSIMI Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/issimiofficial
ISSIMI Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/issimiofficial/
 
Podcast available on: 
ISSIMI Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/issimi-official
ISSIMI Google Podcast: https://podcasts.google.com/?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5idXp6c3Byb3V0LmNvbS82OTU5MjYucnNz
ISSIMI Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1FcYevGiXYFvfqhjg6noyP
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In the 1970s and 1980s, the hottest cars had turbochargers: things like the BMW 2002 Turbo, Saab 99 and 900 Turbo, and the 930 Porsche 911 Turbo were the pioneers. Then, supercars like the Ferrari 288 GTO and F40 changed our perception of what “fast” really meant.

But today, it’s the cars without the turbos that stand out — among others, the Porsche 911 GT3, the Ferrari 812 Superfast, the Lamborghini Huracan and Aventador. Today, na is the new turbo.

What happened? In this episode, Jason and Derek are all about the turbos — talking of their personal experience with turbocharged cars, from Derek’s 1991 Audi 200 Avant 20V Turbo Quattro to Jason’s childhood Saab 900 Turbo. They discuss how a turbocharger works, why it’s superior in some ways — and inferior in others. They also use the word stoichiometric.

And of course, discuss the origins of the Turbocharger — World War 2 planes, because Derek was there — and how military aircraft technology trickled down into consumer automobiles, first in the Oldsmobile Jetfire and Chevrolet Corvair Monza Turbo. 1980s turbos are appealing because of their on/off boost nature, but the lag was as frustrating as it was exhilarating. And without sufficient computer-controlled engine management, many of that era’s turbo engines grenaded. Hello, Lancia Delta Integrale — one of our favorite turbocharged cars, but one that’s prone to engine failure.

Is the turbo worth it? Jason says no. Derek says sometimes. But even he admits he hated his 930-chassis 911 Turbo. This makes Jason smile because he thinks turbos should be reserved for diesels and daily drivers.

The Carmudgeon Show is a comedic, information-filled conversation with Jason Cammisa and Derek Tam-Scott, two car enthusiasts who are curmudgeonly beyond their years. Proving you don’t have to be old to be grumpy, they spend each episode talking about what’s wrong with various parts of the automotive universe. Despite their best efforts to keep it negative, they usually wind up laughing, happy, and extolling their love for cars. Which just makes them angrier and more bitter.

Jason Cammisa is an automotive journalist, social-media figure, and TV host with over 250 million views on YouTube alone. Jason’s deeply technical understanding, made possible by a lifelong obsession with cars, allows him to fully digest what’s going on within an automobile — and then put it into simple terms for others to understand. Also, a Master’s Degree in Law trained him to be impossible to argue with.
 
Derek Tam-Scott still tries. He’s a young automotive expert with old-man taste in cars, and a Master’s Degree in Civil Engineering — which means he knows how to be civil to Jason. Or at least he tries. With a decade and a half’s experience buying, selling, driving and brokering classic and exotic cars, he’s experienced the world’s most iconic cars. And hated most of them.
 
Don't forget to visit: https://www.issimi.com/
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In this episode, Jason and Derek contemplate a recent BringATrailer auction where a 1971 Datsun 240Z sold for $315,000 ($310,000 plus fees.)

It’s a well-known thing in the collector car world that rarity is often a multiplier for any inherently desirable car’s value. It’s simple supply and demand. It follows, then, that cars produced in extremely limited numbers, like the Toyota 2000GT, would be expensive, but mass-produced common cars like the Datsun 240Z wouldn’t. 

Except for one factor; cars that were once common and cheap often suffer from high attrition rates; and when they reach collectible age, nostalgia puts a big price premium. In the case of this 240Z, Derek Tam-Scott postulates that the difference between this car’s rational value (at max, $150,000) and its actual sale price (double that) is due to that effect.

Additionally, as Hagerty pointed out in a recent meeting, Japanese cars were largely ignored by Baby Boomers, and as Gen X and Millennials gradually begin to drive collector-car prices, Japanese cars are poised to do well. Jason Cammisa agrees, and adds that cars prevalent in video games (like the Cosworth Mercedes 190E 2.5-16 Evo II and Nissan Skyline) will experience huge values because of their presence there. 

The boys also discuss cars similar to the 240Z, such as the Nissan Fairlady Z432, a Japanese-market Z with the Prince S20 racing engine from the original Hakosuka Skyline GT-R, the Jaguar E-Type and its Lightweight variants. And Jason recounts a recent story of his Scirocco 16V gathering attention on the streets because it once was such a common shape but disappeared so slowly that people don’t realize the hole in the heart — until they see one and the flood of memories come back. 

Long story short: despite this unexpected auction result, a car’s value is still related to rarity. But we can add “scarcity” to that for cars that were once common but are now rare.

The Carmudgeon Show is a comedic, information-filled conversation with Jason Cammisa and Derek Tam-Scott, two car enthusiasts who are curmudgeonly beyond their years. Proving you don’t have to be old to be grumpy, they spend each episode talking about what’s wrong with various parts of the automotive universe. Despite their best efforts to keep it negative, they usually wind up laughing, happy, and extolling their love for cars. Which just makes them angrier and more bitter.

Jason Cammisa is an automotive journalist, social-media figure, and TV host with over 250 million views on YouTube alone. Jason’s deeply technical understanding, made possible by a lifelong obsession with cars, allows him to fully digest what’s going on within an automobile — and then put it into simple terms for others to understand. Also, a Master’s Degree in Law trained him to be impossible to argue with. 

Derek Tam-Scott still tries. He’s a young automotive expert with old-man taste in cars, and a Master’s Degree in Civil Engineering — which means he knows how to be civil to Jason. Or at least he tries. With a decade and a half’s experience buying, selling, driving and brokering classic and exotic cars, he’s experienced the world’s most iconic cars. And hated most of them.

Don't forget to visit: https://www.issimi.com/

ISSIMI Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/issimiofficial

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Jason Cammisa owns his cars just because of how they drive — and yet it occurred to him that several of his cars were designed by some of the most celebrated automotive designers of our time. Derek Tam-Scott does, too — and what follows is a conversation on how some designers have a signature (like Marcello Gandini’s bizarre shapes born out of packaging concerns) and others don’t (Giorgetto Giugiaro’s designs, which often share nothing between them other than being beautiful.) And then there’s Bruno Sacco, the father of a generation of Mercedes designs (including the W126, W201, W124, and R129) that are timeless and elegant beyond perhaps any other. There’s also discussion of the Delorean (it’s rear-engined, not mid-engined!), the Rover SD1, and how some designs just get copied: the Ferrari 308 GT4 and Lamborghini Uracco are the same basic design; the DeLorean, the Volkswagen Scirocco, the Audi Coupe and the Isuzu Piazza / Impulse are, too;  ditto. the VW Golf and Lancia Delta — and of course we can’t forget the Jaguar Pirana, which became the Lamborghini Espada or the Peugeot 405 and Infiniti G20. BMW had its designers, too, including Paul Bracq and Claus Luthe. And today’s Volkswagen design language by Walter Da Silva. 

Jason thinks Italian designers are at their best when they’re working for Germans — who restrain them. Superfluous design elements age poorly, and keeping it simple helps cars age well.

Does it matter who designed a car? Probably not — but a great-looking car can make Derek Tam-Scott buy it just because it’s beautiful. It’s why he had an Alfa Romeo 164 and a Daimler Double-Six (Jaguar Series 3.) Jason would have a Maserati Quattroporte V because of it — but admittedly that drives beautifully (and Derek would have a QP1 and a QP3, too.)  

The Carmudgeon Show is a comedic, information-filled 25-minute conversation with Jason Cammisa and Derek Tam-Scott, two car enthusiasts who are curmudgeonly beyond their years. Proving you don’t have to be old to be grumpy, they spend each episode talking about what’s wrong with various parts of the automotive universe. Despite their best efforts to keep it negative, they usually wind up laughing, happy, and extolling their love for cars. Which just makes them angrier and more bitter.
 
Jason Cammisa is an automotive journalist, social-media figure, and TV host with over 250 million views on YouTube alone. Jason’s deeply technical understanding, made possible by a lifelong obsession with cars, allows him to fully digest what’s going on within an automobile — and then put it into simple terms for others to understand. Also, a Master’s Degree in Law trained him to be impossible to argue with.
 
Derek Tam-Scott still tries. He’s a young automotive expert with old-man taste in cars, and a Master’s Degree in Civil Engineering — which means he knows how to be civil to Jason. Or at least he tries. With a decade and a half’s experience buying, selling, driving and brokering classic and exotic cars, he’s experienced the world’s most iconic cars. And hated most of them.
 
Don't forget to visit: https://www.issimi.com/
ISSIMI Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/issimiofficial
ISSIMI Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/issimiofficial/
 
Podcast available on: 
ISSIMI Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/issimi-official
ISSIMI Google Podcast: https://podcasts.google.com/?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5idXp6c3Byb3V0LmNvbS82OTU5MjYucnNz
ISSIMI Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1FcYevGiXYFvfqhjg6noyP
ISSIMI Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-carmudgeon-show/id1489576059

We’ve just spent the week in Scottsdale, Arizona for the annual collector-car auction spectacular, visiting the auctions put on by Gooding & Company, Bonhams, Barrett-Jackson, Russo and Steele, RM Southebys, and Leake. In this special episode of the Carmudgeon Show, filmed on location in Scottsdale, Jason Cammisa and Derek Tam-Scott discuss why these auctions are important even to car nerds who aren’t big-dollar collectors. 

Now that the Radwood-era cars are finally getting recognition (how about a Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.5-16 Evolution II selling for $434,000?), are we witnessing a generational shift in the auctions? After all, a Mercedes 6.3 sold for less than a tenth as much. And are the “blue-chip” mega-expensive investment-grade cars like the Mercedes 300SL Gullwing in trouble when things like a GMC Typhoon show up at auction? Why are the special double-washers that hold the seats into a Porsche 911 Carrera 2.7 RS just as important as the yellow-stitched seatbelts? 

We get a look into Hyphen’s massive encyclopedic knowledge on this episode as we take a closer look at a bunch of cool cars, rough cars, beautiful cars, and very expensive cars. But when less than 5% of collector cars are traded in public, live auctions, what do these sale prices really mean? And what do they really mean for the rest of us?

The Carmudgeon Show is a comedic, information-filled 25-minute conversation with Jason Cammisa and Derek Tam-Scott, two car enthusiasts who are curmudgeonly beyond their years. Proving you don’t have to be old to be grumpy, they spend each episode talking about what’s wrong with various parts of the automotive universe. Despite their best efforts to keep it negative, they usually wind up laughing, happy, and extolling their love for cars. Which just makes them angrier and more bitter.
 
Jason Cammisa is an automotive journalist, social-media figure, and TV host with over 250 million views on YouTube alone. Jason’s deeply technical understanding, made possible by a lifelong obsession with cars, allows him to fully digest what’s going on within an automobile — and then put it into simple terms for others to understand. Also, a Master’s Degree in Law trained him to be impossible to argue with.
 
Derek Tam-Scott still tries. He’s a young automotive expert with old-man taste in cars, and a Master’s Degree in Civil Engineering — which means he knows how to be civil to Jason. Or at least he tries. With a decade and a half’s experience buying, selling, driving and brokering classic and exotic cars, he’s experienced the world’s most iconic cars. And hated most of them.
 
Don't forget to visit: https://www.issimi.com/
ISSIMI Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/issimiofficial
ISSIMI Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/issimiofficial/
 
Podcast available on: 
ISSIMI Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/issimi-official
ISSIMI Google Podcast: https://podcasts.google.com/?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5idXp6c3Byb3V0LmNvbS82OTU5MjYucnNz
ISSIMI Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1FcYevGiXYFvfqhjg6noyP
ISSIMI Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-carmudgeon-show/id1489576059