The Carmudgeon Show

• Alfa 164, Saab 9000, Lancia Thema — The Carmudgeon Show w Jason Cammisa & Derek Tam-Scott — Ep 181

  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. === 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! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  --------  

  1:23:05
• We Roast Each Other's Cars — The Carmudgeon Show w/ Jason Cammisa & Derek Tam-Scott — Ep 180

  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! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  --------  

  1:48:32
• Toyota Land Cruiser's Complicated Past — Carmudgeon Show w/ Jason Cammisa & Derek Tam-Scott — Ep 179

  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! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  --------  

  1:01:27
• Lancia Stratos: Original Rally Icon — The Carmudgeon Show Jason Cammisa & Derek Tam-Scott — Ep 178

  Jason and Derek drive and discuss the legendary Lancia Stratos – its origins, its parts-bin interior, and its unhinged handling. === Click here to join the Hagerty Driver's Club: https://bit.ly/Join-HDC-Cammisa-Rev === 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! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  --------  

  1:16:22
• Driving A Rare Lamborghini Diablo GT — The Carmudgeon Show Jason Cammisa & Derek Tam-Scott — Ep 177

  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.   === 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? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  --------  

  1:09:52

More Leisure podcasts

Trending Leisure podcasts

About The Carmudgeon Show

The Carmudgeon Show: Podcasts in Family