“Will Marchionne be remembered as a genius, a hero, an iconoclast or a failure—or some mix of those things?”

Steph’s ‘WTF’ look on his face is priceless.

“Slightly used TVR for sale. Ran when parked.”

‘“TSTI” is too complicated’

Water cooling sounds like another failure point. Since the usual failure modes for alternators are fried diodes and shot bearings, I don’t see the point. Keeping the diodes cooler might extend their lifespans, but bearings—and brushes—are gonna go at 100-150K miles or so (yeah, I know, some don’t, but it’s not a bad…

It’s a potential issue with Modular engines. The 4.6L in my Bullitt Mustang is known for breaking guides; one cause can be too thick oil which doesn’t get to the top end quick enough on startup, allowing the chains to flop around (the owner’s manual specifies 5W-20 oil for these engines). I had a bunch of 10W-30…

“The Milan is a dramatically, emphatically anonymous car. It’s a safe choice, arrived by a demanding regimen of reading Consumer Reports and lacking a soul or the ability to feel excitement.”

“... a dozen pattons...”

Plus, you need at least a Private Pilot’s license with a Rotorcraft rating. Beyond the reach of your average citizen for a number of reasons.

“There are plenty of places inland even in CA where 4 bedroom homes still go for $400k.”

“... why would a person not lease?”

Ah, another expert who doesn’t know the difference between ‘silicone’ and ‘silicon.’

Good point not often mentioned: WHERE the weight savings were made would affect handling. If the upper body is lighter, and the frame is the same weight or made heavier for strength the center of gravity will be lower.

Also too, I think the Russians are on to us buying their titanium through a CIA front company.

“... Would love to see some titanium used...”

Stop making sense.

My ‘54 and ‘67 Austin-Healeys are about half aluminum (front and rear shrouds; wings and doors are steel). After the war, the Brits had more aluminum—from scrapped Spitfires(sigh), Lancasters and Hurricanes —than they did steel. Galvanic corrosion is an issue, but even some of the early bodies have held up if the…

“this is a perfect example of how republicans have twisted language to fuck with how we think”

I see pretty much all makes and models with failing paint. Usually, it’s splotchy clear coat. I speculate it’s because the clear coat isn’t applied properly (has to be within a certain time after base, methinks).

3rd Gear: Fixing The Plug Problem