Daily Podcast Lieberman Edition: Who Buys Ferrari Sweatshirts?
By Justin BerkowitzOctober 7, 2008 - 220 views
I was stumbling around the Milan airport after a red-eye flight last January when I came upon a Ferrari store. I have absolutely no idea what kind of sales a store like this might rack up (or really, not rack up). Even the insanely wealthy would no doubt feel strange about wearing a $58 Ferrari t-shirt if they didn’t actually own a Ferrari. If I bought one, I’d just feel like a … well the word I’m thinking of rhymes with “bouchebag.” The rest of the merchandise, from $600 parkas to $250 silk ties was equally stupidpriced. The best explanation I can think of for the store is to keep the Ferrari brand nestled among other exotic luxury brands. But all in all, I have to say it makes my head hurt. The exception to me would be any type of event-oriented clothing (i.e. Ferrari day at the beach 2003) or something commemorative (a picture of a Ferrari 250 California, in which case you’d look like a dork rather than a poseur).
Posted in Daily | Daily Podcast | News Blog | Podcasts | 10 comments 
Daily Podcast Lieberman Edition: Alfa 8C is Sold Out for U.S.
By Justin BerkowitzOctober 6, 2008 - 664 views
Duh.
Have your volume up for the vid.
Posted in Daily | Daily Podcast | News Blog | Podcasts | 5 comments
Daily Podcast: Jalopnik’s 10 Best Fall Weekend Trip Cars. Or Not.
By Justin BerkowitzOctober 6, 2008 - 977 views
Originally posted (without my snarky italicized comments) at Jalopnik.
10. Mazda MX-5 Retractable Hardtop
Starts off well. If you pack very light.
9. Jeep Wrangler Unlimited
Oh, this’ll be just great on the highway. I thought they said weekend trip, not off-roading camping expedition.
8. Maserati Gran Turismo S
Might as well add a Bentley while we’re at it.
7. Volkswagen Tiguan
Nope.
6. MINI Cooper Clubman
Do you have so much stuff it won’t fit in a Cooper with the rear seats folded?
5. Ford Ranger FX4
This is a joke, right?
4. Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X
I’m sure my girlfriend would love a 5 hour drive with me keeping one of these on a rolling boil.
3. BMW X6
I’d rather not send the villagers running.
2. Subaru Outback Limited 2.5 XT
Makes the most sense out of any car on the list.
1. Porsche 911 Targa 4
Sure, and do me a favor, fill the trunk with diamonds.
The Berkowitz list (and they’re all under $50k): Subaru Outback 2.5 XT, Dodge Challenger SRT8, BMW 335i, Ford Explorer, Ford Flex, Mazda MX-5, Volkswagen Jetta TDI or 2.0T, Saab 9-3 Convertible, MINI Cooper S, and Suzuki SX4.
Posted in Daily | Daily Podcast | News Blog | Podcasts | Whiskey Tango Foxtrot | 32 comments
Daily Podcast Lieberman Edition: eBay Motors is Like Crack
By Justin BerkowitzOctober 3, 2008 - 1,181 views
Hours, days, weeks. I can’t even begin to tally the time I’ve wasted - flushed away, evaporated, murdered - because of eBay Motors and Craigslist and even Hemmings. I know that half the listings are frauds, and the other half are overpriced. I know that “excellent condition!!1″ means well beaten and abused. And that “shows signs of wear and tear” means it was previously used to haul broken toilets. I don’t care. It’s just the ultimate window shopping, tire kicking, fantasy dreaming experience. That’s why Murilee Martin (Jalopnik) puts up those wonderful project car hell posts. Because they inevitably will be hell. Just ask Stephan Wilkinson (or to save him precious time, read his book). But I don’t have to worry about that when I’m on eBay Motors. Once I see that the engine has been replaced with a hamster on a wheel, I can just move on. “What would it be like to own a stick shift Land Rover Discovery?” Surf eBay, find one, sift through the pics, and imagine yourself in that ridiculous ride. Car picture porn online? Nothing comes close. Don’t know much about a model? Pop over to Wikipedia for some misinformation, then hit up YouTube to hear how it sounds. Best of all, the auctions last just long enough for my passing tastes to expire. Oh sure, I like the idea of a Peugeot 405 wagon this week. But next week it’ll be gone. And I won’t care, because I’ll be looking for a Buick Grand National. Or a Mercury Marauder. Or maybe an Olds Rocket 88! It doesn’t matter what your poison is, because between eBay, Craigslist, and Hemmings, they’ll cover it all. In today’s podcast, Lieberman and I have another silly argument about the wonders of Italian sports cars, among other delights from Autofiends.
Why put an 800 horsepower Koenigsegg CCX on eBay? Why not. »
Posted in Daily | News Blog | Podcasts | 21 comments
Daily Podcast: Startup the Future
By Justin BerkowitzOctober 3, 2008 - 416 views
Detroit’s Big Three are in serious trouble. That’s not news to anyone. Toyota and Honda, while suffering sales decreases last month, are still in the black. But the big question is where the future of the American automotive industry is - if there is one. Even if the Big Three don’t completely vanish, their continued downsizing will leave boatloads of engineers and mid-level execs without a job. Is the Silicon Valley model of business the future for the automotive industry for the next twenty years? Tesla seemed to raise plenty of dough despite immense production issues. And Carbon Motors is attempting to crank out a custom-built police car. There’s no way tiny companies like these could build enough cars for the entire US population. Nor could they compete with big boys like Toyota. But we might see a boom in purpose-built vehicles coming from smaller companies. Dodge Vipers from whoever buys the program. Electric sports cars from Tesla. An electric sedan from somebody. Carbon Motors’ police cars. Single-purpose taxicabs. And so on. Even after the small companies consolidate, it would be a clean start for the American automotive industry. Is it going to happen? No. But I’m just sayin’.
Posted in Daily | Daily Podcast | News Blog | Podcasts | 7 comments
Daily Podcast: Wheels of Terror
By Robert FaragoOctober 2, 2008 - 669 views
Wheels of Terror is one of the best worst movies ever made– especially if you restrict your choices to the “killer car” genre. Sure, Christine is a classic. Those of us who’ve darkened the door of a body shop (Abandon All Deductibles Ye Who Enter Here) can never forget watching the world’s first self-healing bodywork. Speaking of which, Steven King’s directorial debut, Maximum Overdrive (not to be confused with Peter North’s Maximum Thrust series), must be believed to be seen. But Wheels of Terror features the skinniest wheels I’ve ever seen on an automobile. (If you want some real donuts of doom, check out the donk scene.) No, that’s not it. A drifting school bus? Yes, but no; that’s not it either. Ah yes, the best car-off-a-cliff scene in cinematic history. I mention this because Justin and I have been busy with the cataclysmic visual metaphors lately: train wrecks, perfect storms, cliff divers, etc. Suffice it to say, there will be plenty more carnage before this downturn is done, so we’ll be cruising the nets for appropriate imagery for some time. If you could surf and listen, and provide some link suggestions here, we’d be most appreciative. Thanks!
Posted in Daily | Daily Podcast | News Blog | Podcasts | 2 comments
Daily Podcast: Carmageddon is Upon Us
By Justin BerkowitzOctober 1, 2008 - 947 views
Well we all knew it was coming. Were auto sales going to be great in the month where Lehman Brothers went into C11, Merrill Lynch had to be bought out, the taxpayers rescued AIG, and the government started voting on $1.3 trillion in spending and bailouts? Uh, no. But that didn’t soften the blow. How could it? Sales are awful for all the manufacturers, even the bright spots are dim. What does it all mean? It means the end of the era. But hey, Lamborghini has a new concept car. That makes everything okay, doesn’t it?
Posted in Daily | Daily Podcast | News Blog | Podcasts | 7 comments
Daily Podcast Lieberman Edition: I Hate Teaser Photos
By Justin BerkowitzSeptember 30, 2008 - 808 views
The Citroen GT, new Lamborghini, BMW X1, and Ford Mustang have all been “featured” in a series of teaser photos and videos over at some “other” automotive websites. They show nothing. A wheel, part of a bumper, a section of a taillight. The goal is to get the car into the news and readers’ minds, and it’s successful from a PR standpoint at doing that. But it’s also successful at pissing me off. The teasers don’t really give an indication of what a car is going to look like, which leads me to find them completely useless. I’d blame the manufacturers, but since they all do it, that’s totally futile. Rest assured, however, that when all these cars make their proper and full debuts, we’ll have pictures for you - including many shots from the Paris auto show, which begins in just a few days, thanks to our European correspondent Martin Schwoerer.
Posted in Daily | Daily Podcast | News Blog | Podcasts | 16 comments
Daily Podcast: Meta-Mucil
By Robert FaragoSeptember 30, 2008 - 661 views
Meta media mining can make one a bummed-out blogger. I know I kinda lost it with the AutoWeek/Danbury pimpatorial. But I have this deep-seated sense of fair play that I can’t shake any more than an Amish person and their booty. If you want to know the engine propelling this site’s editorial, it’s my conviction that people deserve the truth. I’m not saying they want the truth. If there was a great hunger for unvarnished automotive editorial, we’d be one of many websites devoted to skewering four-wheeled sacred cows– despite the malevolent influence of automotive PR. Of course, that would also mean that we’d have less meta media mishegos to mine for our… minions? No, the Best and Brightest. We here at TTAC never forget the first part of that title. We know that the majority of our readers are motivated by a personal morality that compels them to do, see, discover and discuss the right thing. In these dangerous times for our economy and society, we must continue to tell the truth about cars, car making, car selling and car buying. And let the chips fall where they may.
Posted in Daily | Daily Podcast | News Blog | Podcasts | 6 comments
Daily Podcast: The Party’s Over
By Robert FaragoSeptember 29, 2008 - 1,744 views
As you’ve no doubt read, your duly elected representatives have rejected the proposed $700b Wall Street bailout plan. What happens next is anyone’s guess. Congress will undoubtably go back to the drawing board and try again. The stock market will either recover, tank some more or stay the same. The U.S. economy will either recess, depress or re-decompress. However this plays out, one thing is for sure: the days of “Zero Percent Financing for Anyone With a Pulse” are done. Dead. Finished. Over and out. Credit’s tighter than a superglued lug nut. At the same time, the market’s awash with used vehicles that no one wants. Millions of “average” people are backwards on their car loans– and scared. Even if residuals rebounded and zero percent abounded, the manufacturers can’t lure them into more debt. So they will do the right (only?) thing:nothing. They will simply pay down their existing car loans and run what they got. Meanwhile, the domestic automakers will deflate, dehydrate and die. The U.S. car market will eventually recover, but it won’t look anything like it does today. And TTAC will be there to chart the changes.
Posted in Daily | Daily Podcast | New Cars | News Blog | Podcasts | 40 comments
POWERED