The coolest cars don’t have turbos anymore — The Carmudgeon Show — Ep. 15

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.

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