OCTOBER 2, 2024

The original - and still our favorite - Autoextremist logo. 

The AE Quote of the Century: Everybody loves The High-Octane Truth. Until they don't. -WG 

(Goodguys/Fuelcurve.com.images)

In the inaugural year of the Goodguys BASF Most Bitchin’ award, Dave Kindig and his team from Kindig-It Design and the TV show “Bitchin’ Rides” swooped in and stole the show with the amazing TwelveAir, a scratch-built custom coupe crafted for Dave and Tracey Maxwell that’s based on a ’53 Corvette concept and powered by an innovative and exotic LS-based V12 engine. The BASF Most Bitchin’ honor is the latest incarnation of a long-running Goodguys Top 12 award. Originally named America’s Most Beautiful Street Rod, the award evolved several years ago to America’s Most Beautiful to broaden its appeal and participation. That appeal was broadened even further this year when the name morphed to BASF Most Bitchin’, and the award became a target for Kindig and his team after securing the Ridler Award earlier this year at the Detroit Autorama, in addition to the Street Cruiser of the Year at the Triple Crown of Rodding. (The pictures and commentary are courtesy of Fuelcurve.com. One of our favorite car sites.)

Built in secret over a nearly five-year period at Kindig-It Design, the TwelveAir is the culmination of Kindig’s many years of design, fabrication, and custom car building experience. It’s based on a clean-sheet design inspired by the Chevy Corvair concept car – a fastback version of the first-generation Corvette that never saw production. Kindig’s version also incorporates other innovative design elements from the era, like a double bubble roof similar to those found on vintage Ferraris and other Italian sports cars. And while it shares some design cues with Kindig’s CF1 production roadsters, the Twelve Air is a true one-off design with a hand-built aluminum body and monocoque structure.

The car is not based on a conventional frame, but instead uses a floor and base structure built from reinforced 6061 aluminum sandwiched together to create a monocoque/unibody structure to which the drivetrain components are directly attached. The front and rear suspensions are inspired by Formula 1 designs, with single horizontally mounted coil-over shocks and custom control arms. A C7 Corvette transaxle serves as the foundation for the rear suspension. Modified Wilwood brake calipers and custom stainless steel rotors are used at each corner, and everything rolls on one-off 20×8- and 21×12-inch aluminum wheels designed by Kindig, machined and assembled by EVOD Industries, and plated by Ogden Chrome.

Seeking a power plant that’s as innovative as the rest of the car, Kindig worked with Australia-based Race Cast Engineering on the 9.2-liter (561c.i.) V12 engine, which is based on the GM LS engine platform. The engine is capable of 1,000HP but has been tuned to about 650HP, which is more than enough for this very special lightweight Corvette. It features an elegant-looking 12-stack intake, one-off valve covers, custom stainless-steel headers, and other obsessive details. An extended torque tube connects it to the rear transaxle.

The car’s hand-shaped body was crafted from 3003 aluminum shaped over a custom buck. Virtually everything is one-off, from the custom bumpers, grille, headlight bezels, and trim, to the mirrors, lenses, and exhaust outlets. Even the windshield and back glass were custom built to Kindig’s specifications. The body was ultimately bathed in a gorgeous ruby red finish called “Infrared” from Kindig’s Modern Classikk line of paints from Akzo Nobel.

Dave Kindig and his masterpiece. Again, thank you to Fuelcurve.com for the pictures and commentary. 

(Mercedes-Benz)

The Mercedes-AMG ONE had already been the fastest production car on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife since October 2022. Now, Mercedes‑AMG brand ambassador and DTM driver Maro Engel has significantly improved the lap time he set previously. With an officially measured and notarized time of 6:29.090 minutes for the 12.944-mile (20.832-kilometer) track, the hypercar with Formula 1™ technology beat its own record for production vehicles by over five seconds. This makes the Mercedes‑AMG ONE the first road car to beat the magic mark of 6:30 minutes. It is also the only series hybrid hypercar to date to have taken on the world's most demanding racetrack and is the undisputed leader in the super-sports-car class. The Mercedes‑AMG Hypercar brings Formula 1™ hybrid drive technology from the racetrack to the road for the first time. With one combustion engine and four electric motors, the E PERFORMANCE hybrid delivers a total of 1,049HP (782 kW), with the top speed capped at 218 mph (352 km/h). The other motorsport technologies range from the carbon monocoque and carbon body to the engine/transmission unit as a stressed member, and active aerodynamics to the pushrod chassis. The two-seater Mercedes‑AMG ONE features fully variable AMG Performance 4MATIC+ all-wheel drive with a hybrid-driven rear axle and electrically driven front axle with torque vectoring. "Two years ago, the conditions were not ideal, and some sections of the track were still a little damp. We knew we could do more, and we wanted to show that. Today we were able to demonstrate the maximum potential of the AMG ONE. Many thanks to the whole team from Affalterbach for the trust they've placed in me. It was a great pleasure and honor to be able to drive this record lap with such a unique car," commented Maro Engel, Mercedes‑AMG brand ambassador. Watch the video here. Editor-in-Chief's Note: The bragging rights at the country or motor club will be HUGE. -PMD

(Polestar) 

Editor-in-Chief's Note: Automotive journalists have decided what the next cool thing is, and it's the 2025 Polestar 3 EV. Auto journalists and others were flown-in to Jackson, Wyoming, for the Polestar 3 media ride & drive, and, gathering from the glowing reviews, the Polestar 3 is the latest and greatest EV available. There are just a few tiny little problems, however. The Launch Edition Long Range Dual Motor Polestar 3 starts at $73,400. But, the loaded-up versions the journalists seemed to go ga-ga over stickered for around $91,000. I don't care how good this midsize luxury EV is; this pricing is flat-out absurd for a brand that no one knows or can muster the energy to care about. In the immortal words of Vince Lombardi, "What The Hell Is Going On Out There!" If these auto journalists now think that this pricing is acceptable at this juncture, then the whole EV "thing" has gone so far off of the rails that all rational thought has left the building. What a frickin' joke. -PMD

(Toyota images)

The GR Corolla lineup is expanding for model year 2025 with the addition of an available 8-speed GAZOO Racing Direct Automatic Transmission (DAT) with paddle shifters. The manual gearbox is still standard, of course. The GR Corolla has been tested by rally and racing drivers on some of the most complex courses in the world, like the Fuji International Speedway. Through their development efforts, the GR team increased engine torque on the GR Corolla from 273 lb.-ft. to 295 lb.-ft. – matching that of the 2023 Morizo special edition. For 2025, the suspension has also been retuned for sharper handling and more stability. Other stuff? Changes have been made to the front bumper to accommodate new available cooling components like an optional sub-radiator and an Automatic Transmission Fluid cooler (only on the DAT). These additions help provide additional cooling performance while simultaneously retaining aerodynamic performance. A new Premium Plus grade is also available for 2025. The 2025 Toyota GR Corollas are expected to arrive at Toyota dealerships this fall with a starting MSRP of $38,860, excluding a Dealer Processing and Handling fee of $1,135. Editor-in-Chief's Note: There's still plenty of interest in these kinds of fun-to-drive machines, thank goodness. If you're hankering for fun-to-drive that is somewhat affordable, add this to your list. -PMD

 

The AE Song of the Week:

He was born on a summer day 1951
And with a slap of a hand
He landed as an only son
His mother and father said what a lovely boy

We'll teach him what we learned
Ah yes just what we learned
We'll dress him up warmly and
We'll send him to school

It'll teach him how to fight
To be nobody's fool

Oh what a lonely boy
Oh what a lonely boy
Oh what a lonely boy

In the summer of '53 his mother
Brought him a sister
And she told him we must attend to her needs
She's so much younger than you

Well he ran down the hall and he cried
Oh how could his parents have lied
When they said he was an only son
He thought he was the only one

Oh what a lonely boy
Oh what a lonely boy
Oh what a lonely boy

Goodbye mama, goodbye to you
Goodbye papa I'm pushing on through

He left home on a winter day 1969
And he hoped to find all the love
He had lost in that earlier time
Well his sister grew up

And she married a man
He gave her a son
Ah yes a lovely son
They dressed him up warmly

They sent him to school
It taught him how to fight
To be nobody's fool

Oh what a lonely boy
Oh what a lonely boy
Oh what a lonely boy

"Lonely Boy" by Andrew Gold, from the album "What's Wrong With This Picture" (1977).* Written by Andrew M. Gold. Publisher: Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd. Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind. Watch the Official Music Vidoe here. 

*The song follows the life of a child who is neglected by his parents after the birth of a younger sister. Many assume this song to be autobiographical of Andrew Gold, yet the artist has denied this, despite great similarities between the lyrics and Gold's own life. The lyric, "He was born on a summer day in 1951" matches Gold's August 1951 birthday, and "In the summer of '53 his mother/Brought him a sister" matches his sister's birthday. Linda Ronstadt sang backing vocals on this track, marking a role reversal for the singers: Gold backed Ronstadt (on keyboards, guitar and vocals) on her albums Heart Like a Wheel, Prisoner in Disguise and Hasten Down the Wind. (Knowledge courtesy of Songfacts.com)

Editor's Note: You can access previous issues of AE by clicking on "Next 1 Entries" below. - WG