I don’t quite buy the torque argument—Porsche’s PDK can handle quite a lot. But the cost argument is easy to buy. Variants of the 8HP are now handling up to 1000Nm of torque. It would probably be cost prohibitive for brands like BMW or Audi to develop a whole new DCT to handle that sort of twist when all they have to…

We should maybe add Maserati, Fiat, and Alfa Romeo to the list...

I think what’s a little confusing is that she’s saying the S4 *no longer* competes with M or AMG.

Audi claims it’s a torque issue. The DCT is good up to 400Nm, but for 500Nm+ applications it’s the 8HP that works best. And I think BMW has made the same decision.

You are correct... Audi’s S cars have always been M-lite fighters. The M340i is very close to the S4 in terms of spec. And Audi does still make the M-fighting RS4, it just chooses not to sell it to the U.S.

Yep. I think the M6A was the first one to carry the papaya orange, though, so it makes sense as a tribute. Bruce raced several other cars in the early to mid-60s, with colors like green, black/silver, and gold/white.

Agreed, but it’s just the livery that pays tribute to Bruce’s winning 1967 Can-Am season in the M6A. There’s also a livery that pays tribute to his 1964 season.

Exactly. In fact, it’s impressive the ‘vette is able to pretty much match or exceed the GT500's track performance, despite giving up 265 horsepower.

I personally like the look of the OEM 996 Turbo front clip. It’s very sharp, looks factory, and is not a really expensive conversion.

You can configure the seats: 2, 7 or 8-person seating. The options seem mostly a la carte, so the passenger version is a decent shuttle option if you need the badge or want something nicer to drive than a Chevy Express.

Can you get an Odyssey in panel configuration? With barn doors? A rated 2,400-lb payload capacity? 5,000-lb towing? No.

Haha, it’s Chevy that sells us a 1970s van.

Nice! My first car was a ‘73 Hornet hatch with the 232 and 3-spd. It was actually a decently fun car and pretty easy to repair. Rust and the fuel system were the biggest issues. It’s definitely the best handling Hornet! I was never a fan of the M roadster’s looks, so I’m not too sad this exists. Still CP.

But in the summer you can still sear your hands on the door handles.

Thanks for pointing this out. $14.5K is right around the price of a nicely maintained, fairly low-mileage M roadster. This mongrel represents a lot of work, but even an unmolested AMC is typically a rattle-trap. Also the Hornet’s steel body is quite heavy for its size.

It’s amazing to think of all the times Mercedes got close to building a production mid-engine supercar but never quite did.

According to some sources, AMC took out its own licenses from Curtiss-Wright for developing its own Wankel. But that was after the AMX project was sold off to Bizzarini. Still, given Mercedes’ longtime interest in Wankels it’s possible AMC was thinking about it for the AMX/2 concept.

Starred for making me think of Mean Girls after soiling my mind with a Pauly Shore reference.

I love how these look in person. They really do have great styling balance. For me, it’s better than the Mondial. But it has to be a GT (no slushbox), and what I really would want is the early carbureted 365 with six taillights. 

I’m fairly sure the original 206/246 Dinos have always been desirable and valuable. The Bertone 308 definitely tanked in value, though.