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S 2 : Ep 06

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The ultimate luxury, you ask? It’s a time machine — the ability to go back and do it all over again, knowing everything you know now.

The Lucid Air Dream Edition P isn’t Tesla Model S 2.0, the company itself is Tesla v2.0 since many of the engineers and executives at the company benefited from the experience gained in setting up Tesla as a company. And so the Air is a marvel of efficiency in packaging, powertrain, and aero. But its handling target was the E39-chassis BMW M5. And that’s a high bar. With 1111 hp from two tiny motors, our test results showed the Air Dream Edition P could accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 2.6 seconds and through the quarter-mile in 9.9 sec @ 143.5 mph: meaning it’s quicker than every Bugatti Veyron made, even the 1200-hp Vitesse and Super Sports.

Does that make it a new benchmark of luxury? Or did Rivian do the right thing with the R1T, giving you the luxury of carting around more things and going more places?

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Enjoy Season 2 stories, opinion, and features from across the car world - Hagerty Media

In this episode, automotive journalist Jason Cammisa walks us through the difficult birth and runaway success of the Lotus Elise, both Series 1 and Series 2.

The Lotus Elise isn’t just lightweight — it weighed HALF as much as some contemporary “lightweight” sports cars (like the Porsche Boxster). That’s because it was constructed like no other car ever.

To hit its outrageous weight target — the same as the Seven — the Elise was never meant to have doors or a roof. However, safety regulations made a “step-in car” challenging, and so Lotus’ lightweight mid-engine sports car grew doors. Gullwing doors at first — in theory.

In practice, the Elise is a marvel of simplicity. It’s the first car ever whose chassis is constructed of bonded, extruded aluminum — a practice that’s still not common today. Combined with fiberglass clamshells, the lightest Elises weigh as much as today’s Formula 1 cars. And the heaviest barely touches 2000 lb.

The Elise and its derivatives (the hardtop Exige, Opel Speedster, Vauxhall VX220, Daewoo VX220, and Tesla Roadster) account for more than half of all Lotuses ever built, making this the company’s most successful model.

And at the end of the video, Jason takes us for a drive in the Series 1 — originally outfitted for US sale by a company called Sun, using a Honda B18C5 engine from an Acura Integra. Now with a Honda K-Series K20A (not to be confused with the car’s original Rover K-Series engine), we think you’ll agree: in sound alone, it’s one of the most incredible mid-engine sports car experiences of all time.

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Enjoy Season 2 stories, opinion, and features from across the car world - Hagerty Media

Within BMW circles, it’s a commonly held belief that the U.S.-spec M3 wasn’t a “real M3” because it didn’t have a real M engine.

The 1995 M3 used a 3.0-liter version of the regular 325i’s straight-six — whereas European cars used a special 3.0-liter straight-six with an Independent-throttle-body cylinder head taken from the McLaren F1. The horsepower difference was 240 hp (US) versus 286 PS (DIN.)

To make matters worse, the 1996 and later U.S. M3 used a 3.2-liter that also made 240 hp, whereas the Euro car got a 3.2-liter with 321 PS.

The primary reason for the US engine was financial — the E30 M3 was a sales failure in North America, and BMW NA didn’t want to risk another one. The E36 M3 was a bargain — unlike the E30 M3, which was a buzzy, four-cylinder homologation-special race car, the six-cylinder M3 did everything better than the 325i. And instead of an $8000 price premium over the base car, the M3 cost just $3000 more.

The US car was a huge sales success, selling three times the number of cars BMW anticipated. And BMW NA then convinced Germany to add a 4-door sedan, and it outsold even the coupe. The reason – it was a handling high watermark for BMW, a perfectly balanced sports car with a real back seat and daily usability.

The Euro M3 engines were fizzier than the US — the S50B30 revved to 7280 rpm; the S50B32 3.2-liter revved to 7600 rpm. They made amazing noises — but also suffer from some big maintenance issues that the lower-stress U.S. engines don’t: spun bearings being the biggest.

Most importantly, in a drag race between the U.S. and Euro cars in this video (both 3.2-liters), they were dead even to 60 mph — and stayed that way through third gear, leaving Cammisa to conclude that the more reliable U.S. car, especially in sedan form, is the E36 to own.

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Enjoy Season 2 stories, opinion, and features from across the car world - Hagerty Media

The Miura is the ultimate Delegation Special — it exists only because Ferruccio Lamborghini backed off and allowed his team of young, talented engineers and designers to do what they do best.

A finicky mid-engined supercar is the opposite of the Rolls-Royce-like GTs that Ferruccio wanted to build, yet it’s the Miura that singlehandedly elevated Lamborghini to the likes of Ferrari.

The four men chiefly behind the car were all in their twenties when the Miura debuted:

Giampaolo Dallara, 29, senior engineer
Paolo Stanzani, 29, assistant engineer
Bob Wallace, 27, chief development engineer
Marcello Gandini, 27, designer

The Miura used the 4-liter Bizzarrini V-12 designed for the 350GT and 400GT, rotated by 90º and mounted transversely in a casting that included the transmission and differential. Power claims were all over the map, but Road & Track’s test car banged off a 0-60 in 5.5 seconds, through the quarter-mile in 13.9 sec @ 107.5 mph, and achieved a top speed of 168 mph, making it the fastest car in the world, at the time.

Performance numbers are only a small part of the Miura story. Learn the full backstory here — and see why delegation is so important. To quote Marcello Gandini: “To make exceptional things, you must have complete freedom.”

The proof is in the Miura.

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Enjoy Season 2 stories, opinion, and features from across the car world - Hagerty Media

The Mercedes W194 300SL racing car was a recipe for failure, using heavy components from the S-Class luxury car.

And yet, in the summer of 1952, it took to the podium in the Mille Miglia, Bern Grand Prix, Le Mans, the Nürburgring, and then, that fall, the Carrera Panamericana, humiliating Porsches and Ferraris and everything else.

The 300SL became a legend in just a few months.

Convinced there was nothing left to win, Mercedes killed off the racing program, and the 300SL was set to be relegated to the history books.

Except that the brilliant Max Hoffman knew a legend when he saw it and convinced Mercedes to make a roadgoing version. The W198 300SL was a barely modified version of the race car, with an even nicer, “Bordello on Wheels” interior and even more horsepower — thanks to the world’s first direct-injected gasoline engine.

The 300SL’s swing-axle rear suspension came straight from the S-Class but was tuned for oversteer at the input of the talented race-car drivers who could control it. For less-skilled drivers, the 300SL’s handling was fearsome — but those who survived were treated to what was unquestionably the best-driving sports GT of the 1950s. And of all time.

Only Mercedes, a company whose tagline is “The Best of Nothing” could start out with all the wrong parts and turn nothing into the best.

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Enjoy Season 2 stories, opinion, and features from across the car world - Hagerty Media

Everyone’s running to buy Safari 911s, but if you haven’t just cashed out your Bitcoins you might find those a little out of your price range. Enter the Baja Bug.

VW is still Baja Bug bombing

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Enjoy Season 2 stories, opinion, and features from across the car world - Hagerty Media

The Isuzu Impluse never got the attention of a Supra or Integra, but it’s a reminder that there are still ’80s and ’90s Japanese cars out there that aren’t outrageously expensive and over-hyped. Magnus Walker takes a trip in a clean Impulse RS Turbo with Paul Kramer.

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Enjoy Season 2 stories, opinion, and features from across the car world - Hagerty Media

The 2021 BMW M3 has caused quite an issue for enthusiasts. It’s faster and it’s better in almost every quantitative category, but opinions differ on how it looks and how it drives. Pro drifter Dai Yoshihara and Zack Klapman test the drift mode and try to cut through the noise.

BMW M3 Reveal
Camissa on the Icons M3 and M4

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Irv Gordon put 3 MILLION miles on his Volvo P1800, setting a Guinness World Record for the most driven non-commercial vehicle. In this exclusive first drive, Magnus Walker becomes the first person outside of Volvo to drive the car since Irv’s passing and goes on a very special ride with Irv’s friend and mechanic Nino Gambino.
Volvo P1800 Valuation Tools
Irv Gordon’s 3-Million-Mile Volvo P1800

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Enjoy Season 2 stories, opinion, and features from across the car world - Hagerty Media

The McLaren 720S Spider represents the best of what supercars can do, offering incredible performance from an exotic body with a dose of extreme technology. Zack Klapman tests the McLaren on the road and Dai tests drift mode on the track.

The McLaren 600LT Spider is a track terror, but the topless 720S is a sweeter treat
McLaren Automotive History

Enjoy Season 2 stories, opinion, and features from across the car world - Hagerty Media

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