The Carmudgeon Show

Just three days ago, Jason celebrated 20 years in an automotive journalism!

The industry has changed in a number of ways - most noticeably, with video taking over as the primary consumed content medium over print. Jason’s career started at the beginning of the end of the print heydays - a time vastly different than the one we’re currently living in.

Jason’s story starts in Ann Arbor, MI in 2007 - where actually, it almost stopped completely. Very quickly, he’s thrown into the middle of a pyramidal power struggle between the domain name-owning agency Automotive.com, and his in-person editorial team. From getting a speeding ticket on his first day with a press car, to getting fired by one internal team and immediately re-hired by another, to living in a place he struggled to call home, Jason nearly threw in the towel.

But automotive legend Jean Jennings - his (real) boss at the time - is one of the reasons you see him with us today. And a trip from New York to New Orleans in a $250 Cadillac Fleetwood Limo cemented - but almost shattered - their relationship.

This episode, amongst other parts of Jason’s career - is primarily about that perilous journey. Jason recounts his time in a broken-frame Cadillac limo with Jean and another automotive legend - Sam Smith - with nearly 100 breakdowns, bruises, burns, pink tutus and tuxedos, rubber ducks, and unbearable heat.

But somehow, they made it - and you can read more about it here from the original airing of the article in Automobile Magazine in 2007: http://bit.ly/4vqFvhw

(Also, a link to the 1983 Car And Driver Mexico Torture Test - you’ll understand why later in the show: https://www.caranddriver.com/photos/g17857487/escape-from-baja-mexican-sports-sedan-torture-test-archived-comparison-test-gallery/ )

All this and much more on this special episode of The Carmudgeon Show.
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On today’s episode of The Carmudgeon Show - Jason and Derek compete against each other in a Price Is Right-style game show! Rather than going over the price, the objective is to get as close as possible whether being under or over the result. The winner does not, in fact, get a new car - but is instead continuously ridden with car problems of many sorts, which of course means more opportunities for Carmudgeoning.

Our discussion points include:

2003 Bentley Arnage R

1989 Volkswagen Best Seller Wolfsburg Limited Edition Cabriolet

1988 BMW M3

2005 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon Sahara 4x4

2007 Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 Roadster 6-Speed Conversion

1984 Rover Vitesse SD1 TWR Group A Spec

1977 Fiat Bertone 850 T Visitors Bus

1990 Porsche 911 Targa

2002 Ferrari 360 Spider 6-Speed

1995 Mercedes-Benz E300 Diesel

Jason also gives us an update on his Rover SD1 and his Volkswagen Cabrio VR6 swap - including the good, the bad, but not the ugly! The Rover returns to California after more than 15 months of being away, but alas - it’s not quite finished. The Cabrio, while also not quite finished, is finally CARB legal! 

All that and more on that process in this episode of The Carmudgeon Show.
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On today’s episode, Jason and Derek get some exclusive seat time: both with the new Rivian R2, and with Rivian’s Chief Designer Officer Jeff Hammoud and Chief R2 Engineer Max Koff!

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The show hits the road, traveling to Rivian’s beautiful flagship space in San Francisco, where Jeff and Max face their worst nightmare: being peppered with questions and feedback about the new R2 - a make-or-break vehicle for the company. After Jason and Derek’s collective ~200 miles, they cover a host of issues - new design + UX features (halo wheels, rear drop glass, to name a few), acceleration times, uphill burnouts, R1 vs. R2, and most importantly (to Jason only) - the absence of Apple CarPlay. And of course, no episode is complete without a mention of Sacco Mercedes-Benzes and old Volkswagens (Mk1 Scirocco and Mk3 Corrado VR6).

Will the R2 allow Rivian to continue its planned trajectory as a manufacture? And what’s going on with R3?? Time will tell, but we have a suspicion the Tesla Model Y better watch its back…
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This week, we drive an icon that’s been electrified - the Kindred EV Bus, based off of the Volkswagen Microbus. While most of us typically mourn the conversion of many classic cars to EV, this particular conversion may change your mind…

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While most EV conversions strip away the character and soul of a gas car with a great engine, the Volkswagen Microbus is one of those vehicles that was never really defined by its engine. Well, actually - if it was - it was defined by its acceleration, or rather the lack thereof. Many VW Buses had no more than 50 horsepower to work with, making them virtually undriveable above 50 MPH.

The Kindred EV Bus, however, rewrites the rulebook - accelerating from 0-60 in just 7.6 seconds. While that may not seem particularly notable when many modern EVs are twice as fast, this changes the game for this 23-window Microbus - making it genuinely usable in everyday driving. And when the rest of the vehicle was already defined by its iconic styling and form within function, is it now even better than original?

All this and more on this week’s episode of The Carmudgeon Show. Special thanks to Kindred Motorworks for lending us this bus for testing! Check them out at https://kindredmotorworks.com/
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You know the saying - the grass is always greener on the other side. Well…that same grass might be covered in diesel soot - but we don’t care! 

Many American car enthusiasts will forever desire the forbidden European diesels we were never offered here in the US. Derek decided he’d had enough - and went some lengths to acquire his new unicorn wagon - a 1998 Mercedes-Benz C250 Turbodiesel (S202). And the level of unicorn doesn’t stop at diesel station wagon - this one is also has a 5-speed manual, a slicktop, cloth seats, AND a Bruno Sacco design - making it 100% Carmudgeonation-proof.

Our hosts Derek Tam-Scott and Jason Cammisa discuss why the S202 Mercedes-Benz C-Class is such a desirable package even 30+ years after it debuted. Moreover, Derek and Jason discuss why diesels are much more enthusiastic than others may think - citing examples like the euro-only BMW M550d and Audi S6 TDI Avant. Also discussed are the endless variants of Mercedes diesels and their tune-ability, primarily discussing the OM605 and OM606 “superturbo” builds found on a variety of different Mercedes-Benzes from the 1980s to the early 2000s, from W123 to W210 and beyond.

All this and more, on this episode of The Carmudgeon Show.
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