The Alpine A110 isn't a French Lotus; it’s a Mini McLaren — Carmudgeon Show Cammisa & DTS — Ep. 202
A French forbidden fruit enters the studio on this week's episode - none other than the Alpine A110. But hang on...how did this non-25-year-old import end up on US soil? And WHY is it here?
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The Carmudgeon Show Sponsor, Vredestein Tires:
https://www.vredestein.com/
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Manufactures keep telling us that lightweight sports cars for the masses aren't possible to produce anymore due to rising safety standards. And yet, here we have the Alpine A110 - an incredible mid-engined, sub-2500-pound sports car you can buy brand new that can do far more than just be cute and French. In Jason and Derek's rigorous testing, they find it's compact, athletic, fast, comfortable, and premium-feeling - disappointing, it certainly is not. Derived from the original A110 which dominated various stages of motorsport throughout the 1960s and 70s, it's no surprise that Renault-Alpine knew where to reference their framework when developing this car for the European market.
Jason and Derek discuss throughout the episode how the little Alpine compares to the likes of the Porsche 718 Cayman range, the Lotus Emira & Lotus Evora, the Alfa Romeo 4C, and even the McLaren 570S. It's a shame Stellantis still hasn't found a way to bring this wonderful machine on sale stateside after announcing an estimated 2027 arrival via the Nissan USA dealer network - but given current complications with tariffs, we're not all that surprised.
And before you ask - yes, it's the same one you saw buzzing around Monterey Car Week and featured on The Smoking Tire w/ Matt Farah and Zack Klapman. The man who brought it here is our hero for a variety of different reasons - more on that during this episode of The Carmudgeon Show.
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Car Week Kickoff At Motorlux — The Carmudgeon Show w/ Jason Cammisa & Derek Tam-Scott — Ep. 201
Jason and Derek escape the studio this week to record from Hagerty's Motorlux event, the kickoff to Monterey Car Week 2025. We join them at this year's highlighted Bruno Sacco display, featuring designs that defined Mercedes-Benz in the 80's, 90's, and 2000's. The legacy of Sacco certainly lives on - but maybe not quite in the ways you might have originally thought...
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The Carmudgeon Show Sponsor, Vredestein Tires:
https://www.vredestein.com/
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Rumor has it, Sacco never designed a single car himself. But how is that possible?
In this episode, Jason and Derek discuss the ways in which Sacco's design philosophies defined Mercedes-Benz's image and technological growth over several key decades. We celebrate his achievements as a individual designer, but in reality, it took a village to build his legacy. Sacco was a "manager of minds" - one who is attributing for communicating and executing his vision across an entire team of designers, eventually building a department that had not previously existed but would eventually become a key in Mercedes-Benz's corporate function.
The display includes Jason's W201 190E 2.3-16 Cosworth and Derek's Bornite Metallic S124 E320 Wagon. Also featured is a 40th Anniversary R129 Mercedes-Benz SL500, a C124 300CE Convertible, and two C126 560SEC Coupes. But of course at Motorlux, that's just the tip of the iceberg, with a slew of other incredible cars and airplanes on display.
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Go Rallying With Your Friends — The Carmudgeon Show w/ Jason Cammisa & Derek Tam-Scott — Ep. 200
In celebration of 200 episodes of The Carmudgeon Show, Jason Cammisa and Derek Tam Hyphen Scott debrief their recent weekend-long Pacific Coast Rally with friends.
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The Carmudgeon Show Sponsor, Vredestein Tires:
https://www.vredestein.com/
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Indecisive between his BMW 850CSi and his two BMW E30 325is, Jason chooses Beatrice the Bronzit 325i sedan as his rally companion. Derek, leading the pack, brings along his newly acquired Porsche 911SC stuffed with a Euro high-compression 3.2L. They are joined by friends in a Mazda FD RX-7, Mercedes-Benz R129 300SL, Volkswagen MK5 GTI, BMW Z3 2.8, and a Mazda NC Miata - all of whom compete for the worst fuel economy achieved over the weekend. The final answer may or may not surprise you…
Jason and Derek also discuss expectations of Monterey Car Week 2025, which is happening this week! They cover parties such as Motorlux, upcoming auction hammer prices from Broad Arrow, RM Sothebys, and Bonhams, plus a comparison of what to expect vs. other international car events such as the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este.
Derek also gives us a collector car market update, including some rather frustrating changes to import duties and other new tax implications being laid down by the federal government.
All this and more, on this week’s episode of The Carmudgeon Show.
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Ask Us Anything: Part 4 — The Carmudgeon Show with Jason Cammisa & Derek Tam-Scott — Ep. 199
We've finally run out of questions to answer! As we come to an end of our AMA series, Jason and Derek continue to tackle the remaining questions from the last Q&A
Some topics you asked about (and some you didn't), including but not limited to:
- Opel Manta(?)
- Nissan Altima Drivers / Big Altima Energy
- Most fun new car on sale
- Best "classic" BMW M chassis up to E39 M5
- Pros and cons of putting $7K into a MK1 Volkswagen Cabriolet
- MK7 e-Golf vs GTI
- NA vs ND2 Miata
- Electric turbos and aftermarket hybrid systems in classic cars (cc: Vonnen 911)
- Cars Jason and Derek regret selling
- $200K vs. $30K Porsches (992 vs 996 vs 997 911)
- Favorite trucks (Ford F100, F150 Raptor R, Ram Cummins Turbodiesel)
- Jason's favorite video series to produce for Hagerty
- MK1 VW Scirocco - still Jason's favorite car?
- Are Porsche GT products overrated, or the best on the market?
- Best driving shoes (cc: Piloti)
- BMW 335d as a daily driver
- G80 M3: xDrive auto or RWD manual? Or.....E90 M3?
- Jason's take on motorcycles
- Best NYC daily driver?
- The extinction of Porsche 964 911s (cc: Singer Vehicle Design)
- R53 Mini Cooper S - underrated?
- Worst cars Jason and Derek have owned
- Bentley Turbo R
- The future of Hagerty and Willow Springs Raceway
- Why the C8 Corvette gets so much hate
- Semi trailing arm - most smile-inducing rear suspension?
- Coolest understatement car
All this and more, on this week's episode of The Carmudgeon Show.
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Return From Summer Break Shenanigans: The Update — The Carmudgeon Show Ep. 198
Jason and Derek return to the studio amidst a summer of cheap (and expensive) vehicular thrills.
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This episode is sponsored by Vyper Industrial — America’s #1 rated shop chair, tool carts, and creepers, proudly made here in the US. Visit vyperindustrial.com and use code CARMUDGEON for $50 off.
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Uncle Jason completed a cross-country road trip with his niece in her newly acquired 2017 Volkswagen GTI Sport (MK7). From traversing the desert to experiencing the agony of old Subaru Outbacks climbing up mountain passes, the dynamic duo had a bonding experience of a lifetime.
In an arduous journey to revisit a past daily driver experience, Derek contemplates selling several cars in his fleet. In theory- this would include his 964 Porsche 911 and his 3.6L-powered S124 Mercedes-Benz E320 Wagon, making room for the acquisition of a Porsche 911SC, a W140 Mercedes-Benz S500 Grand Edition, and (yet another) S124 Mercedes-Benz E320 Wagon.
Jason reconciles with some fleet updates of his own, contemplating the sale of his 2019 Volkswagen e-Golf (Mk7) to be replaced by a 1996 Volkswagen Golf Cabriolet (Mk3) in efforts to supplement the experience(s) of his Mk1 Golf Cabriolet and Scirocco. He also dives into more detail on the progression of his 1980 Rover SD1 restoration, and the recent acquisition of a 1973 Volkswagen Super Beetle-turned art installation poised to wreak havoc on his neighbor’s property values.
All that and more on this week’s episode of The Carmudgeon Show.
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Part of the Hagerty Podcast Network, 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 300 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.
Canada - english