JUNE 3, 2020

Editor's Note: In what is becoming an interesting sidebar during this pandemic, Americans seem to be reevaluating their relationship to the automobile, and even embracing it anew as a true safe haven and symbol of freedom of mobility. Peter talked about it in last week's column, and in that spirit - with this issue marking the 21st year of Autoextremist.com - we thought we’d re-run an excerpt from one of our favorite pieces of automotive prose, which poet, critic and Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist, James Agee wrote for the September 1934 issue of Fortune. - WG

The characters in our story are five: this American continent; this American people; the automobile; the Great American Road, and the Great American Roadside. As an American, of course, you know these characters. This continent, an open palm spread frank before the sky against the bulk of the world. This curious people. The automobile you know as well as you know the slouch of the accustomed body at the wheel and the small stench of gas and hot metal. You know the sweat and the steady throes of the motor and the copious and thoughtless silence and the almost lack of hunger and the spreaded swell and swim of the hard highway toward and beneath and behind and gone and the parted roadside swarming past. This great road, too; you know that well. How it is scraggled and twisted along the coast of Maine, high-crowned and weak-shouldered in honor of long winter, how like a blacksnake in the sun it takes the ridges, the green and dim ravines which are the Cumberlands, and lolls loose into the hot Alabama valleys . . . Oh yes, you know this road….All such things you know….God and the conjunction of confused bloods, history and the bullying of this tough continent to heel, did something to the American people -- worked up in their blood a species of restiveness unlike any that any race before has known. Whatever we may think, we move for no better reason than for the plain unvarnished hell of it. And there is no better reason. So God made the American restive. The American in turn and in due time got into the automobile and found it good. The automobile became a hypnosis, the opium of the American people...Whatever we may think, we move for no better reason than for the plain unvarnished hell of it. And there is no better reason.

(Ford)
Ford is bringing the Mustang Mach 1 back as a 2021 model. “Mach 1 has a special place in Mustang history, and it’s time for this special edition to claim the top spot in our 5.0-liter V8 performance lineup and reward our most hardcore Mustang enthusiasts who demand that next level of power, precision and collectability,” said Dave Pericak, director, Ford Icons. “Like the original, the all-new Mustang Mach 1 will be true to its heritage, delivering great looks and as the most track-capable 5.0-liter Mustang ever.”

(Chevrolet)
Chevrolet has launched Bolt EV Academy, a series of fifteen videos to help educate current and future Bolt EV owners on the advantages of living electric and how to get the most out of their electric vehicle. The online series explains several of the Bolt EV’s unique features, driving tips and how-tos. For future Bolt EV drivers, the series will illustrate just how fun, easy and convenient it is to live with an electric vehicle – all explained by the engineers and experts who brought the Bolt EV to life.
The video series includes topics such as:

• Home charging basics
• Road trip charging
• One pedal driving and regen on demand
• Driver’s display screens
• Personalizing active safety features
• Cold weather driving tips

Videos can be found on many of Chevrolet’s channels, including: YouTube, Chevrolet.com, the MyChevy app and the Chevrolet owner center.

(Buick images)
The 2021 Buick Envision will arrive in the U.S. market early next year. The 2021 Envision is lower and wider, and Buick's premium Avenir trim will be available for the first time. The 2021 Envision will be powered by a 2.0-liter, four-cylinder turbo engine with a nine-speed transmission. More details to come later this year.
 

(Porsche images)
Editor-in-Chief's Note: It is no secret that Porsche has the most usurious pricing strategy/option list in the business, and it never hesitates to exploit its fan base to extract every last dollar possible. The operatives at Porsche are the preeminent greed merchants in this business, and that's saying something when there's an industry full of them. The latest evidence? The 2021 Porsche 911 Targa 4S Heritage Design Edition, which will be the first of four special Heritage Design models. Limited to 992 models worldwide, this model is supposed to evoke memories of Porsche models from the 50s. “We are evoking memories of the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s and 1980s in customers and fans with the Heritage Design models. No brand can translate these elements into the modern day as well as Porsche, and, along the way, we’re fulfilling the wishes of our customers. With the exclusive special editions, we are also establishing a new product line which represents the ‘lifestyle’ dimension in our product strategy,” says Oliver Blume, Chairman of the Executive Board of Porsche AG. Let's stop right there, because when Porsche starts talking about "lifestyle" dimensions the brand is in serious trouble. I am not going to bother to regurgitate all of the "exclusive" details, because they're too tedious and contrived to mention, but suffice to say, this brand direction is a new low for Porsche. How much? The 2021 911 Targa 4S Heritage Design Edition has an MSRP of $180,600, not including a $1,350 delivery, processing and handling fee. It is expected to reach U.S. dealers in late 2020. Along with the introduction of the special edition, certain interior elements will be available as part of the Heritage Design package for all current 911 models. But wait, if you really want to be The Biggest Tool in the Shed, Porsche Design has created a high-quality chronograph, also a limited edition, which will be offered for sale exclusively to customers purchasing the special model. The 911 Targa 4S Heritage Design edition chronograph will set you back another $14,000, and it can be purchased at authorized Porsche dealers exclusively by owners (aka The Biggest Tools) of the 911 Targa 4S Heritage Design Edition. Nicely done Porsche, you unmitigated hacks. -PMD

 

(BMW images)
Editor-in-Chief's Note: This is the all-new, second generation BMW 4 Series Coupe. This is what BMW's PR minions say: "The vehicle’s design and engineering teams wanted to deliver the ultimate driving experience in a beautiful and low-slung package that ensures the 2021 4 Series Coupe stays at the top of its segment." This is what I say: This is such a design abomination from the front - even though the photographers tried their damnedest to conceal the sheer ugliness of it - that it is nothing short of an unmitigated disaster. It comes down to Stubbornness. Arrogance. And Hubris. The Trifecta of Not Good. I have nothing more to say about it. -PMD

(Photo: Deremer Studios, LLC.)
Sunrise at The Amelia: The Corvette Mid-Engine prototypes were brought together to celebrate the arrival of the new 2020 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray at the 25th Annual Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance. To celebrate the launch of Chevrolet's mid-engine Corvette, Bill Warner and his team assembled an inspiring class of nine mid-engine (and one rear-engine) Corvette prototypes. Vehicles in the class included the "alpha" 1960 Chevrolet CERV I (Chevrolet Experimental Research Vehicle), developed by engineer Zora Arkus-Duntov as a platform to develop and refine Chevrolet body, chassis and suspension systems, to the "omega" 1990 Chevrolet CERV III. The latter debuted at the 1990 Detroit Auto Show and paved the way for a future generation of mid-engine concepts while influencing the design architecture of the C5 Corvette.
(Photo: Deremer Studios, LLC.)
The 1960 Mid-Engine Chevrolet CERV I. Corvette engineer Zora Arkus-Duntov developed the CERV (Chevrolet Experimental Research Vehicle) as a platform to develop and refine Chevrolet body, chassis and suspension systems. An open-wheeled vehicle with a single seat, the fiberglass body designed by Larry Shinoda in the clandestine "Studio X" weighed only 80 pounds. Zora envisioned the CERV 1 competing in the Indianapolis 500 and even tested it at The Speedway. The Mid-Engine, AWD CERV II is in the background, which Zora wanted to enter in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. 

(Photo: Deremer Studios, LLC/Marty V Photography)
The design of the Chevrolet Corvette Astro II (XP-880) was tasked to Larry Shinoda's Chevy 3 Studio and designers George Hubbach, Randy Wittine and Allen Young. Their concept proposal aimed to comfortably carry two passengers and their cargo with the engine and radiator placed in the rear of the vehicle, freeing the front compartment for storage.
(Photo by Deremer Studios, LLC.)
The 1990 CERV III was inspired by the 1986 Corvette Indy. The body - designed by Jerry Palmer's team in Chevy 3 Studio - was a combination of carbon fiber, Kevlar and aluminum honeycomb. The scissor-type doors pivoted up from the fenders. Power came from a twin-turbocharged 5.7 liter V8 producing 650HP. With a drag coefficient of 0.277, the car had a calculated top speed of 225 mph. It featured full-time four-wheel drive and active suspension.

 

AE Song Lyrics of the Week:

Well I won't back down
No I won't back down
You could stand me up at the gates of hell
But I won't back down

No I'll stand my ground
Won't be turned around
And I'll keep this world from draggin' me down
Gonna stand my ground
And I won't back down

Hey baby there ain't no easy way out
Hey I will stand my ground
And I won't back down

Well I know what's right
I got just one life
In a world that keeps on pushin' me around
But I'll stand my ground
And I won't back down

Hey baby there ain't no easy way out
Hey I will stand my ground
And I won't back down

Hey baby there ain't no easy way out
Hey I won't back down
Hey baby there ain't no easy way out
Hey I will stand my ground
And I won't back down
No I won't back down


"I Won't Back Down" - by Tom Petty from the album "Full Moon Fever"* (1989). Watch the video here. 

*Before recording Full Moon Fever, an arsonist burned down Tom Petty's house while he was in it with his family and their housekeeper. They escaped and spent much of the next few months driving between hotel rooms and a rented house, but Petty was badly shaken. It was on these drives that he came up with many of the songs for the album, and the fire was a huge influence, especially on this song. Petty felt grateful to be alive, but also traumatized - understandable since someone had tried to kill him. "I Won't Back Down" was his way of reclaiming his life and getting past the torment - he said that writing and recording the song had a calming effect on him. The arsonist was never caught. This was the first single from Full Moon Fever, which was produced and co-written by Jeff Lynne. Petty and Lynne worked on the album at Mike Campbell's house. As guitarist for the Heartbreakers, Mike has written and produced many songs with Petty. He told us what happened when they brought the album to MCA Records: "We thought it was really good, we were real excited about it. We played it for the record company and they said, 'Well, we don't hear any hits on here.' We were very despondent about the whole thing and we went back and recorded another track, a Byrds song called 'I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better,' thinking at the time that maybe they'll like this one. In the interim, they changed A&R departments and a whole new group of people were in there. We brought the same record back like six months later and they loved it - they said 'Oh, there's three hits on here.' We were vindicated on that one. It was the same record. We played the same thing for them and they went for it. I guess it's a situation of timing and the right people that wanted to get inspired about it. At the end of the line, if the songs are good and if the public connects with certain songs, that really is the true test, but you've got to get it out there." This was Petty's first single without the Heartbreakers credited as his backing band. Members of the band did play on the album. The video, directed by David Leland, features Ringo Starr on drums, with George Harrison and Jeff Lynne on guitar. Harrison did play on the track and contributed backing vocals, but Ringo had nothing to do with the song itself - a session musician named Phil Jones played drums on the Full Moon Fever album. In some shots, Mike Campbell is playing George Harrison's Stratocaster guitar, which he called "Rocky." It was Harrison's suggestion for Campbell to play it. Around this time, Petty was active in the group The Traveling Wilburys with Lynne, Harrison, Bob Dylan and Roy Orbison. This is perhaps Tom Petty's most personal song. In a 2006 interview with Harp, he said, "That song frightened me when I wrote it. I didn't embrace it at all. It's so obvious. I thought it wasn't that good because it was so naked. So I had a lot of second thoughts about recording that song. But everyone around me liked the song and said it was really good and it turns out everyone was right – more people connect to that song than anything I ever wrote. I've had so many people tell me that it helped them through this or it helped them through that. I'm still continually amazed about the power a little 3-minute song has." (Knowledge courtesy of songfacts.com)