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[MUSIC PLAYING]
MIKE SPINELLI: Hey, welcome to "Road Testament." Today we
have our brand new set in effect.
I've got JF Musial here today.
We're talking about a bunch of things having to do with the
performance car industry and the auto industry in general.
And JF, good to see you.
JF MUSIAL: I like this set.
MIKE SPINELLI: You're very nicely backlit.
JF MUSIAL: Thank you.
MIKE SPINELLI: I was going to say.
JF MUSIAL: It's the apartments back there, for them to see
what we're doing.
MIKE SPINELLI: Yeah.
There's no--
I don't see any naked chicks today.
JF MUSIAL: Not today.
MIKE SPINELLI: So we don't to worry about that.
JF MUSIAL: I like this environment of sitting next to
each other.
This is much more comfortable.
MIKE SPINELLI: This is kind of cool.
And I'm much more comfortable.
And we're going to run this until--
we're not going to--
we're not going to cut for things like what I just did,
where I just kind of started, ga-ga-ga--
JF MUSIAL: This is the uncut of "Road Testament" now.
MIKE SPINELLI: Right, this is uncut.
What am I now, so like, again, I went to the wrong camera?
We don't care.
It's "Road Testament, damn it.
So what are we talking about today, JF?
JF MUSIAL: I don't know.
You tell me.
I literally just got here five minutes ago.
MIKE SPINELLI: I know you did.
You were a little late.
That's why we're a little bit frazzled today.
Don't forget--
@drive on Twitter.
What is it, DriveTV--
how many times have I said this?
DriveTV on Facebook.
And driveshirts.com, if you want a Drive shirt.
JF MUSIAL: Yes, we're shipping internationally now.
MIKE SPINELLI: Yes.
That is very cool.
JF MUSIAL: Yes.
People don't know that, because we kind of didn't want
to say it, but they are shipping internationally.
MIKE SPINELLI: Why didn't we want to say it?
JF MUSIAL: 'Cause that's a lot of work from our end.
MIKE SPINELLI: Because we have to do a lot of mailing.
You know, and our--
we have to lick the packages.
Not because of the glue.
Just because we like to lick the packages.
JF MUSIAL: Like the back of a frog?
Do you get high off the--?
MIKE SPINELLI: Yes, it's frog skin.
You've been reading "The Anarchist's Cookbook" again.
Anyway, so what are we talking about today?
Corvette C7.
JF MUSIAL: That's a good topic.
MIKE SPINELLI: Right?
So we don't know a whole lot, other than the speculation on
what it's going to look like, but we do know what the engine
is going to be.
JF MUSIAL: Cool.
I know they've been teasing some of the details of a car
that really doesn't matter.
MIKE SPINELLI: Yeah, they're doing the little tease detail
thing ahead of the launch.
JF MUSIAL: A wheel.
A badge.
MIKE SPINELLI: Hey, whoa!
A fender.
But the really interesting stuff, if you're an engine
nerd, is that they are sticking with the pushrod V8.
And I know our international viewers really think that
American engineers are a bunch of *** for doing that.
And I have a theory, and I actually have a case for
Corvette and a theory about this.
So in Germany, the engineering is kind of the show over
there, right?
So they throw a lot at making kind of shock-and-awe
engineering.
In America, it's all about the accountants.
So it's the accountants that get revered as much as the
German engineers do.
JF MUSIAL: Well, I think it becomes a situation of, the
engineers know what they want to do, they understand how to
make better things.
MIKE SPINELLI: They're good engineers, by the way.
JF MUSIAL: Exactly--
MIKE SPINELLI: And that's, I think, what a lot of people
don't know, but they are very good engineers.
JF MUSIAL: Exactly.
I think there are engineers within Ford, Chrysler, and GM
who are very good at what they do.
But then it comes down to a situation of talking to the
guys above them and the accountants above them.
No.
No.
MIKE SPINELLI: Right, so this is the analogy I use.
They're like the flight engineers on Apollo 13, right?
It's like, all right, here's a length of tubing, here's a
down jacket, here is a cup of coffee, and
here's a flare gun.
Now give me 450 horsepower.
JF MUSIAL: And they say, that's not possible, but OK,
we'll do it, because--
MIKE SPINELLI: And they sit in the room with their
short-sleeve button-down shirts and their crappy ties--
that's not what they look like now, but it's what they looked
like in 1971 or whatever--
and they make it work.
And they make it happen within the boundaries
that they're given.
So the pushrod V8--
the new LT1 pushrod 6.2-liter V8--
is going to be in the--
it's close in displacement to the previous LS3.
JF MUSIAL: Which says a lot, because that also is kind of
how they've designed the C7.
It's not quite an entirely new car.
It's not quite an entirely new chassis.
The C7 is only an incremental improvement over the C6.
MIKE SPINELLI: Right.
JF MUSIAL: And it kind of translates
to their power platform.
And what I know that they're going to be focusing a lot of
time on, from the spy shots, is the interior.
So when you get into the car--
oh my god, this is a whole new car, to any customer.
But then when you're really big into the details--
especially as we now know these details
of the pushrod V8--
same crap.
MIKE SPINELLI: So what?
Well, and Corvette takes a lot of heat
for having leaf springs.
But let's face it.
They're not leaf springs like in a Jeep.
They're transverse leaf springs.
JF MUSIAL: True.
MIKE SPINELLI: And actually, even the German engineers will
concede that it's actually a very clever packaging decision
that saves weight, and it actually causes less roll so
they can use a smaller bar in the back.
So it actually is a very good, clever decision within the
boundaries of what they were working with.
The interesting thing about the new V8 is it's finally
direct injection, so they can up the compression.
The other interesting thing that GM talked about is that
they're up to 50% more torque within the
2,000 to 5,000 RPMs.
JF MUSIAL: Really?
MIKE SPINELLI: Yes.
Which means that we might actually see a sub-four-second
base Corvette, from 0 to 60.
JF MUSIAL: That is impressive.
MIKE SPINELLI: That's pretty impressive.
When you think about it, it's 450 horsepower, under four
seconds to 60.
If that's the case--
JF MUSIAL: Well, and I think they'll get the traction
control system and everything sorted out so that they can
get that power to the ground, too.
Because that much torque low-end could spell for
disaster for a lot of people who don't know how to drive.
MIKE SPINELLI: Well, true.
But you know that the torque profile on the new engine is
very similar to the torque profile in that range of the
ZR1's engine.
What is it--
LFA, the Cadillac versus--
it's the supercharged 6.2 liter.
LFA versus LSX or whatever.
OK.
So direct injection obviously benefits in inefficiency also.
JF MUSIAL: Fuel economy and when you especially have a
muscle car of that sort and that kind of demographic,
that's certainly a selling point.
You need to have direct injection at this point to
even get anywhere close to the CAFE standards.
MIKE SPINELLI: Well, and on top of that, the interesting
thing is they're using something that they've been
using in the other similar engines that
they've had, is the--
what is it?
Active fuel cutoff--
the cylinder deactivation.
JF MUSIAL: Yeah.
Exactly.
Yeah.
MIKE SPINELLI: So you can actually--
you'll run at low loads on four cylinders, and that's
worked in their trucks and it's worked in some of their
other cars.
JF MUSIAL: The marketing department in my head is
saying, OK, if this is the information the releasing
months out before the car gets revealed--
because it's Detroit, right, we're going to see it for the
first time?
MIKE SPINELLI: I think so.
JF MUSIAL: I think there could be some very cool
things on the way.
You know, they're not giving away everything at this point.
I have high hopes for the C7.
I want it to be good.
I think that as we progress--
and in two years we'll see a new Mustang as well-- and I
think that this muscle car category is going stray away
from the retro-ness into cool stuff.
Let's hope that there's much more in the--
MIKE SPINELLI: Yeah.
I mean, we would love to see a little bit more, a little bit
sexier engineering from them.
But let's face it.
The pushrod V8 is also lighter than BMW's 4.4 liter, all the
cams and the fussy this and that.
JF MUSIAL: And it's simpler.
MIKE SPINELLI: And it's simpler.
And so they can sell it down the line to drag racers.
Don't forget, Americans love to drag race, so
they can sell it--
JF MUSIAL: That's a valid point.
That's a very valid point.
MIKE SPINELLI: It's a simpler motor to work on.
JF MUSIAL: And then runs into maintenance, reducing
maintenance costs.
It's actually, when you think about it, it's probably a very
clever method of actually--
because it's easy to produce, easier to maintain, and then
you go into the whole crate motor business.
MIKE SPINELLI: Yeah.
Well, that's a big--
JF MUSIAL: These people are going to throw this motor into
a lot of different things.
So it makes sense.
MIKE SPINELLI: So they're not going to get bragging rights.
The Germans are still going to snicker at them, but I think
it's going to be a pretty capable engine.
JF MUSIAL: I still want to bash accountants though.
MIKE SPINELLI: We could bash them.
JF MUSIAL: We should just do--
they suck.
MIKE SPINELLI: Well, I mean, what good is it doing?
I mean, obviously, like they're a giant company and
the accountants have a lot of--
JF MUSIAL: Right.
MIKE SPINELLI: I think we should move on.
We've beaten the Corvette to death.
I just can't wait to see it.
JF MUSIAL: OK.
Me too.
MIKE SPINELLI: 'Cause I think it's going to be cool.
I think there are a lot of things that are going to be
said about the Corvette that are very, very positive.
JF MUSIAL: You know, at the beginning of this
conversation, the motor was--
I was a little hesitant--
there it is for the first time.
MIKE SPINELLI: Oh, hey.
Yeah, there's the motor.
Yeah.
JF MUSIAL: I was-- and that doesn't really show that much.
MIKE SPINELLI: Well, you could see the direct injection pump
back there somewhere.
There's your pushrod.
There's your cam profile.
Honestly, it's not--
it is what it is, right?
It's a very efficient engine, and they can get good decent
gas mileage out of it, and screw it.
Whatever.
It is what it is.
JF MUSIAL: Next topic.
MIKE SPINELLI: OK.
Next topic.
We're going to--
oh, the VW Phaeton returns.
JF MUSIAL: Oh, really?
MIKE SPINELLI: Yeah.
JF MUSIAL: Returning to the US?
MIKE SPINELLI: Returning to the US.
JF MUSIAL: They didn't learn from their
first mistakes, I guess.
MIKE SPINELLI: Well, here was the thing, right?
The problem was selling a $100,000 Volkswagen, which
means car of the people.
JF MUSIAL: Exactly, the people's car, the car that
anyone can have, but you have to spend $100,000 on this
special one.
That's why it only lasted one year in the US.
MIKE SPINELLI: And also--
JF MUSIAL: One year!
MIKE SPINELLI: Right.
And also here--
it's not that it's not a great car, because it is.
JF MUSIAL: No, And it looks great, and
I've been to the factory.
I love the way it's produced.
I think it's a beautiful thing.
MIKE SPINELLI: The Dresden Transparent Factory is
state-of-the-art stuff.
I mean, we're talking about the Germans.
You can't mess with the Germans when it comes to that
kind of mechanical engineering, assembly.
Like just sexy.
JF MUSIAL: We should do a "Driven" episode.
MIKE SPINELLI: It's definitely the sexiest
factory in the world.
Wood floors.
JF MUSIAL: Moving wood floors.
MIKE SPINELLI: Moving wood floors, right.
Exactly.
JF MUSIAL: We should do a "Driven" episode there.
MIKE SPINELLI: Oh, we definitely have to.
And cool stuff from there also.
Like the walls, the glass walls outside, emit a sound
that tells the birds, that keeps birds away.
Like birds go, oh, this isn't my territory.
Like, they actually speak in bird language.
They say to birds, no, no, no, this is off-limits.
JF MUSIAL: Get out.
No, no.
MIKE SPINELLI: And they're like, oh, all right.
[WHISTLES]
[LAUGHTER]
MIKE SPINELLI: It's like, you know.
JF MUSIAL: For that car.
MIKE SPINELLI: For this car-- and now they've taken--
Bentley was using it for a while--
to make the Silver Spur, I want to say?
JF MUSIAL: Flying Spur.
MIKE SPINELLI: Flying Spur.
I'm getting my--
JF MUSIAL: Silver Spur?
MIKE SPINELLI: That's--
I'm confusing Rolls Royce and--
[LAUGHTER]
MIKE SPINELLI: All right, so Phaeton's back.
What does it mean for Volkswagen?
JF MUSIAL: In the US market, or in general?
MIKE SPINELLI: In the US market.
JF MUSIAL: Because this car did sell very well
outside the US market.
MIKE SPINELLI: Because don't forget, we've got Audi.
It's competing with Audi.
JF MUSIAL: Well, it sold well outside the US market, because
most of those other markets have looked past the
Volkswagen Bug as the only thing Volkswagen is known for.
Now, coming to the US, I still think--
there must be a reason internally that they're saying
it's going to work now.
Maybe they know stuff, maybe they're going to price it
differently.
Keep in mind, this is the flagship, much like the A8 or
the S-class or the 7 Series.
So maybe they've figured out a way that they can price this
more like a 5 series.
MIKE SPINELLI: I think you're right.
So it's exactly what they did with the Passat and, to some
extent, to the Jetta.
JF MUSIAL: They moved it up.
MIKE SPINELLI: They've dropped the cost of it.
They've made them a little bit less premium quality.
I mean, touch-and-feel kind of stuff.
JF MUSIAL: Yes.
MIKE SPINELLI: And they dropped the price, and they
made them more competitive with--
and they make them in America now, so they get the--
which is the sort of dubious currency connection now, which
they're not getting the benefit as much as
they used to have.
JF MUSIAL: Maybe that's an element of this too.
MIKE SPINELLI: It's possible.
JF MUSIAL: Yeah.
Because at this point, I think it's good to mention that
these car companies are actually, they're playing very
corporate or very high-level games of currency trading, and
building things to reflect where they think the
currency's going to go three to five years down the road.
Which is why, as you said, the Passat is much cheaper.
It's closer to a Jetta now than it ever was before.
MIKE SPINELLI: Right.
JF MUSIAL: This, though--
I'm worrisome about how the US market will adhere to buying--
MIKE SPINELLI: Oh, you're worrisome.
JF MUSIAL: I'm--
MIKE SPINELLI: Nah, just kidding.
Sorry.
[LAUGHS]
No, you're talking about that you don't think Americans are
still not going to buy a Volkswagen for--
JF MUSIAL: I still don't think they're going to get it.
It still don't think they're going to get a high-end
Volkswagen.
I think the Touareg was the only thing that got away with
it, the V10 Touareg was the only thing that got away with
it, because it was so badass.
MIKE SPINELLI: Yeah.
JF MUSIAL: This isn't badass factor.
I don't know what the new one looks like.
MIKE SPINELLI: I think it--
all right, well, I disagree.
I think it has enormous badass factor.
It has, you know, like, Ronin badass factor.
JF MUSIAL: But Ronin is aluminum S8--
MIKE SPINELLI: I know, I know.
I know.
JF MUSIAL: Driving over French--
MIKE SPINELLI: Yeah, but somehow the Volkswagen, just
having the VW badge on it is more down-and-dirty to me.
But the thing is that they're still going to use the same,
the platform that they share with the
Audi A8 and the Panamera.
So they do have their platform stuff down.
The modular platforms that they're using are--
it's probably going to be a lot easier for them to cut the
price by decontenting a little bit, maybe.
I don't know if they're gonna do that.
Is it still going to be that much of a badass if it's
decontented?
I don't know.
I still think the Phaeton is the most
badass car in its segment.
JF MUSIAL: Would you buy one?
MIKE SPINELLI: Yep.
JF MUSIAL: Really?
MIKE SPINELLI: Yes, especially now that they've depreciated
to, like, a third of their value.
JF MUSIAL: (LAUGHING) Well, see, you're not, you're not
helping yourself.
MIKE SPINELLI: No, if I had the money--
JF MUSIAL: Because you're thinking about buying a D3
platform Phaeton.
MIKE SPINELLI: Oh, if I had the money, I
would buy one new.
Sure, absolutely.
No doubt.
JF MUSIAL: Over a 5 Series?
MIKE SPINELLI: Yep.
JF MUSIAL: Over--
MIKE SPINELLI: No, over a 7 Series, over--
JF MUSIAL: What's in that coffee over there?
No--
crack.
But notwithstanding the crack in my coffee, no.
I think--
I'm the buyer.
There aren't probably a lot of luxury buyers like me, who
don't really care about the brand name.
I just think the car is badass.
I would buy $100,000 Volkswagen in a minute, but
obviously I'm not in the majority.
JF MUSIAL: I have nothing else to say about this.
MIKE SPINELLI: So let's move on to a car that we actually
do care about a lot more.
JF MUSIAL: Ah, 918.
MIKE SPINELLI: Yeah, Porsche 918 Spider.
$1 million.
JF MUSIAL: You gotta do it with the--
what was the--
Dr. Evil.
MIKE SPINELLI: I just didn't want to go there, because I
thought it was a little cliche.
JF MUSIAL: OK, all right.
MIKE SPINELLI: No, I'm sorry.
Go ahead.
JF MUSIAL: That's a lot of money for this car.
MIKE SPINELLI: A lot of money.
JF MUSIAL: But don't you get a 911 Turbo with that?
MIKE SPINELLI: For $1 million?
JF MUSIAL: Well, I'm just saying that I remember there--
MIKE SPINELLI: Maybe two cup cars.
JF MUSIAL: No, no, what I'm saying is that the first
buyers, the first people who put deposits down on this car,
actually, I want to say they got 911 Turbos
to hold them over.
MIKE SPINELLI: Oh, oh yeah, they got free ones.
JF MUSIAL: Yeah, the Special Edition 911 Turbos.
MIKE SPINELLI: I forgot about that.
JF MUSIAL: With the 918 badging and whatnot.
I don't know if you had to pay for that in addition, if it
was just a special edition that you had the luxury of
buying if you wanted, to hold you over--
MIKE SPINELLI: For a million bucks, you should get a 911 to
drive during the day.
JF MUSIAL: It's just a $80,000 Carrera with turbos on it.
Of course.
MIKE SPINELLI: Indeed.
The thing about the 918, though, is it's an enormously
complex undertaking.
JF MUSIAL: Yes.
Concord moment.
MIKE SPINELLI: Concord moment.
JF MUSIAL: Yeah.
Absolutely.
MIKE SPINELLI: Yeah.
So I mean, yes, $1 million for an early adopter of the kinds
of packaging an electron-- all right, so let's run it down.
580 horsepower, 4.6-liter V8 hooked to 215 horse-powers'
worth of electric motors.
JF MUSIAL: Battery's up front.
MIKE SPINELLI: Right.
So 795 horsepower?
JF MUSIAL: Yeah.
MIKE SPINELLI: Battery's up front, you said?
So 50/50 weight distribution.
It could run on electric only, hybrid mode, and
just gasoline powered.
So fairly badass.
JF MUSIAL: And it's running the same carbon tub as what we
saw in the Carrera GT--
and actually, in fact, the car before it, the GT1.
MIKE SPINELLI: Right, right.
Not that it's really light, though.
So it's still, with all that, it's still about 3,700 pounds.
Between 3,700 and 3,800 pounds.
JF MUSIAL: Yes.
So I will say that I had the luxury of shooting a few the
prototypes in Nevada.
And it's a very cool car.
Seeing this thing fly by, one way, on its V8, powered by V8,
sounds great.
And then coming back the reverse way on electric power?
Such a cool sensation.
MIKE SPINELLI: Well, and if you've seen Chris Harris's
ride-along that he did with this.
JF MUSIAL: He loved it too.
MIKE SPINELLI: I mean, you can't be a car nerd and not
love what they did with this.
So no doubt.
JF MUSIAL: And it's 70 to 75 miles per gallon, is what
they're aiming for.
MIKE SPINELLI: That's significant.
So how many years of driving to you have to
pay down the $1 million.
JF MUSIAL: But that's the thing.
It has nothing to do with that.
It has everything to do with the fact that it's the first
super-car that's going to be able to achieve
that kind of mileage--
MIKE SPINELLI: But I'm an American.
I think practically about accounting.
JF MUSIAL: But the people who are buying these cars are
going to look at it and say, I was one of the first to adopt
the future technology super-cars.
MIKE SPINELLI: Of course.
JF MUSIAL: Michael Mauer who's the chief designer of Porsche,
said that they needed to build this.
He did an interview.
They needed to build this to prove to the world that
sportscars could exist in the new world.
They could exist in the world of--
they could exist in the world of green.
MIKE SPINELLI: Of 53 mile-per-gallon mandates.
JF MUSIAL: This is proof of it.
MIKE SPINELLI: Yeah.
I mean, look.
If this thing works and if this technology starts
trickling down to other Porsches, it could be a very
significant moment.
JF MUSIAL: Absolutely.
MIKE SPINELLI: Yeah.
JF MUSIAL: Take, for example--
I'm going to go to the Italians.
Look at the Ferrari Enzo, Enzo Ferrari.
When that came out in 2001, 2002, 2003, it was up here.
By the end of the decade, we had the 458, which was putting
down just as fast lap times as the Enzo.
Within 10 years, the technology had trickled down,
in terms of not only--
I'm not just saying technology, but also the way
at which the engineers package the car,
the production methods.
All those things did trickle down, and now you have a
middle-of-the-range Ferrari that's just as good as the
top-of-the-end hyper-car from 10 years ago.
MIKE SPINELLI: Right, and so this is where we wish that,
let's say, GM had a moon shot project like this, where that
technology would trickle down to the Corvette, rather than
kind of roiling technologies that kind of are incremental
in nature, where you've got a little bit of direct
injection, you've got a little bit of this, a little bit of
that, and it's a very kind of practical
application of stuff.
I would love if GM just said, you know what?
Screw everybody.
We're going to do a moon shot car, and all that stuff is
going to trickle down into another car.
Don't forget, America still doesn't have a luxury car to
compete with the Panamera.
So we just decided that we're going to just forget about all
this stuff.
But that's where we were talking
about the German engineers.
That's where the German car makers are--
they really see technology and engineering as a showcase of
the vehicles.
JF MUSIAL: And the thing to remember is that there are
American engineers that are capable of this.
MIKE SPINELLI: Yeah.
JF MUSIAL: It has nothing to do with--
MIKE SPINELLI: And they all go to the same schools,
ultimately, right?
They all have the same programs.
They all bust their *** in the same way.
JF MUSIAL: So something like this would be possible from an
American car company, because the knowledge is there.
I think that what's not there is the experience.
We don't have an American motorsports program that's
enhancing things like this.
MIKE SPINELLI: Well, it's a leadership problem.
JF MUSIAL: We don't have-- well, and the Germans don't
have problems with the accounting and the red tape
that the American car companies have.
I think that-- so at the very base of it, the engineers--
engineers from around the world could produce this if
they were given the right resources.
MIKE SPINELLI: Right.
JF MUSIAL: So if you look at Toyota--
MIKE SPINELLI: Well, I don't know about every country.
JF MUSIAL: Well, sorry, sorry.
The major markets.
MIKE SPINELLI: I mean, I think the--
don't forget, the Brits, the Americans, and the Germans
were always tops in engineering.
I mean, look at the American defense industry.
JF MUSIAL: Let's not forget the Japanese, with the Toyota.
MIKE SPINELLI: And the Japanese.
I forgot.
JF MUSIAL: Toyota has the resources beyond belief to do
something this good.
MIKE SPINELLI: But you really want to see the corporate
sector make those investments in this stuff.
JF MUSIAL: And that trickles down from people like
Winterkorn, the top of the VW group, pushing
for stuff like this.
MIKE SPINELLI: Yeah.
Anyway we're--
JF MUSIAL: Sorry, we're going off topic.
MIKE SPINELLI: We're belaboring.
Anyway, $1 million, would you pay for it?
And don't forget, wait a minute.
Here's the other thing.
Magnesium wheels, $38,000.
JF MUSIAL: I don't even know where that is on
the periodic table.
MIKE SPINELLI: I don't know.
Yeah.
M-something?
Special liquid metal paint, $61,000.
JF MUSIAL: Liquid paint?
MIKE SPINELLI: To add on to this?
JF MUSIAL: That's cool.
MIKE SPINELLI: Liquid paint.
JF MUSIAL: I don't know what that is.
MIKE SPINELLI: A liquid metal.
It's like, what is there, like mercury in it, where
you press it, and--
JF MUSIAL: Mercury?
MIKE SPINELLI: No, I'm just joking.
JF MUSIAL: You're adding mercury--
[LAUGHTER]
JF MUSIAL: Well, there is that paint you can rub
that changes colors.
Have you ever seen that?
MIKE SPINELLI: Yeah, or the chameleon paint, like on the
Corvette from, what was it, Miami Vice?
Yeah, sorry, the Corvette Ferrari.
Also, quick charger.
Like, what is it?
The four-hour charger is another $26,000.
JF MUSIAL: Awesome.
MIKE SPINELLI: So don't forget, $1
million and then really--
so just think about a $100,000 car and lop a
couple of zeros off--
so like $6,000 for--
it's like buying a Porsche.
It's like buying a 911.
Thank you very much.
JF MUSIAL: Great analogy right there, Mike.
MIKE SPINELLI: That was an important--
JF MUSIAL: Great analogy.
MIKE SPINELLI: So you got my joke.
What I mean is it's like buying a 911 for $100,000.
You knock off the zeros, and they charge the same amount,
relatively.
JF MUSIAL: I think it's still a very cool car.
MIKE SPINELLI: So one last thing to talk about today.
JF MUSIAL: It was a good episode.
We've done quite well.
MIKE SPINELLI: Yeah, but say, take a look at this--
JF MUSIAL: Hey, there's your buddy.
MIKE SPINELLI: So Ken Imhoff built his own Lamborghini.
It took him 17 years in his basement, building every-- he
built every part of this.
He built the bucks that he did the body panels on.
He built the drive train.
He built the spaceframe chassis himself.
All the details.
And you can't really tell from this, but we've
seen this up close.
The details are really, really good, right?
But it took him 17 years to build this car, on and off.
So some years he would lose interest or he would get
frustrated.
JF MUSIAL: You're forgetting the most important part.
He built it in his basement.
MIKE SPINELLI: In his basement.
Correct.
Now he wants to sell it.
So what do think--
I mean, could somebody--
blood, sweat, and tears for 17 years.
You know, his kids kind of grew up while he was down in
the basement, right?
But he built this thing.
I mean, and it's really good.
And all right, granted it doesn't have a V12.
But it has a very cool 351 Cleveland--
[COUGH]
pushrod [COUGH]-- --pushrod pushrod Ford V8.
But it's basically a Pantera drive train, but
it's a worked motor.
And the motor's insane.
It's got like the 48 IDA Webers in the back and the
giant velocity stacks.
It's really a badass car.
But now he wants to sell it.
How do you sell it?
Would you be able to sell a car that took
you 17 years to build?
JF MUSIAL: I think it comes down to the story.
If you were to build a replica, you take an MR2 and
you make it into a--
I know you have-- sorry.
I'm not--
MIKE SPINELLI: Are you saying, like--
JF MUSIAL: I'm not bashing the Missus.
MIKE SPINELLI: But you mean like put the Ferrari
360 body on an MR2.
JF MUSIAL: So if you were to do something like that, and it
was just, I just want a Ferrari, and whatnot, there's
no story there.
This is a story.
I think the fact that that car was built inside of a house in
a basement for 17 years--
MIKE SPINELLI: And you can see, this is where--
JF MUSIAL: And he had to dig it out.
MIKE SPINELLI: He had to knock the wall down to get it out of
his basement.
Which, by the way, he told me he knew he was going to have
to do that, and he measured and made sure that he could
get the car out.
So it wasn't like, hey, I've built a car, now I
can't get it out.
No, he actually knew that he was going to get it out, so he
figured that out ahead of time.
But go ahead.
JF MUSIAL: If the story's good enough, I think that
you could sell it.
And I think that this is one of those
stories where it is possible.
MIKE SPINELLI: No, I mean for him to let it go.
JF MUSIAL: Oh, could you sell it?
MIKE SPINELLI: Could--
I mean, yes, he could sell it.
I think some people--
I think collectors would want to buy it, there's a story
behind it, it's got great provenance.
But would you be able to sell a car that took
you 17 years to build?
I mean, that's something that I think--
JF MUSIAL: No, I don't think I'd be able to.
MIKE SPINELLI: So I did the piece for "Jalopnik," and
people are arguing-- and I'm amazed to see how many people
are taking the practical line and saying, if he had only
waited and saved up for 17 years, he could have just
bought a real one.
JF MUSIAL: I don't think so.
MIKE SPINELLI: And I just--
I just don't believe that people really believe that
building something doesn't have value, like building your
own thing, creating something where there was nothing
before, has as little value as people are saying it has.
JF MUSIAL: Well, that's his life story.
MIKE SPINELLI: I know.
JF MUSIAL: That's one of the pinnacle moments of
his life, is that.
And I think that the first time that saw daylight must
have been a very emotional experience.
MIKE SPINELLI: Oh yeah, I couldn't even imagine.
At this moment, basically, he took this picture.
JF MUSIAL: I would not be able to.
I wouldn't be able to do it.
MIKE SPINELLI: I mean, the first time you see the paint
in the sunlight, and you actually--
and you go, oh my god, I did this.
And this isn't--
and the thing is, it's not like 17 years it took him to
build a kit car.
This is totally from scratch.
He built every part of this.
JF MUSIAL: Everything.
Minus the wheels and tires, right?
MIKE SPINELLI: Minus the wheels and tires, engine
block, all that stuff.
Engine stuff, obviously, the Webers, he didn't build.
But it's an amazing car.
And if you want to buy it, you can go to his website.
It's kiengineering.com.
JF MUSIAL: It's cool.
MIKE SPINELLI: And you could buy it, if you want it.
And just make him an offer.
And take a look at it first, because it is really, really,
really, really, really good-looking.
And it's solid, too.
It's not a crappy car.
It's got a great tubular spaceframe that he built.
And the interior looks pretty nice.
It's kind of spartan, but it looks very race car.
And he--
just all the parts fit really well.
He just did a really nice job.
JF MUSIAL: Very good job.
And hopefully we'll see a "Jalopnik"
episode on this soon.
MIKE SPINELLI: Yes, yes, we will soon.
We'll let you know.
Cool.
And that's "Road Testament." Yes, for this
first brand new set.
Look at this.
We're awesome.
Got my coffee.
JF MUSIAL: I'm pushing up the carpet a little bit.
I feel--
MIKE SPINELLI: @drive on Twitter, DriveTV on Facebook,
and driveshirts.com.
If you want your shirt, you can get one.
Oh, are you doing like Super Friends?
Oh, wait.
[LAUGHTER]
[MUSIC PLAYING]