Z3 also hot for sure! S54 —- I don’t know how bad the maintenance is - mine only has 40K on it and so far the crank seal & belts are the only non-regular-maintenance thing to be touched on the engine - and they’re just old. I know rod bearings are a thing at 60K miles as well, so I’m waiting for that. But the…

Ty - Disclaimer: I’m biased, I have an ‘07 Z4MC, and enjoy it immensely. The coupe is more collectible, and has a unique aesthetic, but as a summer car, I wish I had the convertible.

Is that why comments have to be manually triggered to load now? What a PITA.

Get yourself a BMW E85 Z4M convertible! Classic inline-6 S54 - one of the world’s most loved engines, stick shift only, drop top, Bangle’s best work, affordable. It has the classic motor, the hydraulic steering from the celebrated M3, the brakes & suspension bits from the M3 CSL, etc.

Seems like she’s got a very good wrongful dismissal case ready to go.

Yeah - that’s exactly what I was thinking. David’s looks like its hanging pretty low over the axel - below the frame rails even? Vulnerable to getting pinched, or just getting moved around and breaking a weld.

Here’s a dumb question - is the rear suspension articulation limited enough that the rear axel won’t contact the pipe?

Was that center mounted mirror really the best thing they could come up with? Also - why call this a concept? Its a production car w/ a goofy cover over the passenger seat. There’s nothing experimental or conceptual about it - maybe I’m nitpicking, I guess its a “design concept.” But - in my mind at least, if they’d…

The thought of using a diesel generator to charge a BEV piece of equipment is pretty funny, I’m not going to lie!

Depending on the job and job site, charging this might be a challenge. i.e.: new neighborhood build w/ high capacity charging service built.

Yeah, I’m pretty sure this is one of the fraught conversations that Jalop editorial guidelines would encourage you to not engage in.

Doug Demuro’s walkthrough, which I believe Justin is referencing in the above quote, is a great examination of all of the interesting features...

It doesn’t feel like a $1K change is going to impact the buying decision of either their consumer target demographic, or business buyers.

You know what they’ll do? They’ll have a manual / RWD option, but it will be frustrating base spec w/ missing content and a turbo 4. If Mazda actually offered a Good manual spec, I would be very impressed and give it serious consideration. But I’m not getting my hopes up.

Where’s the kickstarter link? SRSLY - you could prototype this under 6 figures.

Its so breathless and overwrought that perhaps its self-aware satire?

Hmmmmm - Corolla is on the TNGA platform - so IIRC, that means it has all-wheel drive in its quiver and might be something more than a torque-steer-n’-striping special. 

It probably does. Going from 335 hp to 490 is a 46% increase in power — I don’t think there’s too many motors that can absorb a bump like that w/out needing other supporting upgrades.

Its interesting that there’s not a single element of personalization or personality - I mean, I guess its been staged for sale, but I can’t imagine Tom Brady selecting or liking most of the mundane, boring furniture in there. It would be like living at the Four Seasons, or Pottery Barn, forever.

OMG WHO GIVES A CRAP ABOUT THE VENTS