MARCH 26, 2025

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 

(Mercedes-Benz images)

The 2025 Mercedes-AMG GT 63 PRO 4MATIC+ is "the most dynamic model in the AMG GT portfolio, offering an even sportier driving experience on the street and the racetrack," according to Mercedes-Benz PR minions. The new coupe features a specially tuned engine, enhanced cooling, further developed aerodynamics and extensive standard equipment optimized for performance. Features include a handcrafted AMG 4.0L V8 biturbo with 603HP and 627 lb-ft of torque; standard AMG ACTIVE RIDE CONTROL suspension with active roll stabilization, active rear axle steering and AMG Performance 4MATIC+ fully variable all-wheel drive. The AMG GT 63 PRO also features active cooling for the AMG Performance 4MATIC+ all-wheel drive system, as well as special measures for the underbody and brake cover plates to optimize airflow to the standard AMG High Performance Ceramic Composite Braking System. Other stuff? A unique front fascia with additional carbon fiber air deflectors, along with the AMG Carbon Fiber Package, AMG Aerodynamics Package and AMG Extended Night Package. Customers can personalize the vehicle's exterior with a variety of paints, including the exclusive new hue MANUFAKTUR Green Hell Magno. 21-AMG Forged Split 5-Spoke Wheels are available in two optional finishes, in addition to the standard new Matte Grey finish exclusive to the AMG GT 63 PRO. Inside, standard AMG Performance Seats in Nappa leather are included. Customers can add "+2" folding rear seats at no additional cost. A range of additional upholstery choices are optionally available, including new MANUFAKTUR Signature Nappa leather in conjunction with the MANUFAKTUR Interior Package. An AMG PERFORMANCE steering wheel is standard in Nappa leather/microfiber; an Nappa leather or Nappa leather/carbon fiber design is available. The 2025 Mercedes-AMG GT 63 PRO 4MATIC+ arrives at U.S. dealerships this spring, with prices starting at $195,900.

(Audi images)

Audi of America has released full pricing and specifications for the 2025 Audi RS 3, the compact sport sedan in the Audi Sport portfolio. The 2025 RS 3 has improved cornering performance and driving dynamics compared to the previous model year with a specific RS torque splitter and optimized chassis setup. It also receives a host of visual enhancements, including a new singleframe grille design, enlarged air intakes, redesigned RS specific diffuser, and new flat top and bottom RS steering wheel. The 2025 RS 3 set a new lap record for the compact vehicle class on the Nurburgring-Nordschleife with a time of 7:33.123 minutes. The RS 3 is powered by Audi’s highly-developed five-cylinder engine with 394HP and 369 lb-ft of torque. it accelerates from a standstill to 60mph in 3.6 seconds. When equipped with the Dynamic plus package, drivers can unlock an increased top track speed of 180 mph (+25 mph from standard 155 mph top track speed). The 2025 Audi RS 3 starts at $63,400.

 

The AE Song of the Week:

Well, I've been out walkin'
I don't do too much talkin' these days
These days
These days I seem to think a lot
About the things that I forgot to do
For you
And all the times I had the chance to

Well, I had a lover
I don't think I'd risk another these days
These days
These days I seem to be afraid
To live the life that I have made in song
But it's just that I have been losing so long

These days I sit on corner stones
And count the time in quarter tones 'til ten, my friend
And now I believe I've come to see myself again

These days I sit on corner stones
And count the time in quarter tones 'til ten, my friend

Please don't confront me with my failures
I'm aware of them
So aware of them

"These Days" by Jackson Browne from the album "For Everyman" (1973).* Written by Jackson Browne, Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind. Watch Jackson Browne before "These Days" live on "Austin City Limits" here. 

*This song was originally written by Jackson Browne when he was just 16-years-old in either 1964 or 1965. It appeared on a Browne demo in early 1967 under the title "I've Been Out Walking." Later in the same year it gained its first release when Andy Warhol's protégé Nico recorded it on her Chelsea Girl album, with Browne playing acoustic guitar. Other artists covered it over the following few years, including the Nitty Gritty Junk Band on their Rare Junk album and Tom Rush on his 1970 self-titled set.

Browne himself recorded the song on his 1973 For Everyman LP, with an arrangement written by Gregg Allman (who also covered it around the same time on his Laid Back debut solo set). Browne's version differed from Nico's both in style and lyrics. In the latter case several lines were changed or omitted, such as a couple of lyrics about "rambling" and "gambling." This song has continued to be covered by a number of acts including Fountains of Wayne who used it as the B-side of their 1999 single "Troubled Times."

Browne was very young when he wrote this song, but even then, he had a feel for heartbreak. Talking in a radio interview about the first breakup one endures, he said, "That came be the most formative time in your life. Trying to get through your early years is a harrowing experience for a lot of people."

Nico's version of the song has the original lyric:

I've stopped my dreaming
I won't do too much scheming

When Browne released his version, he changed it to the much more hopeful:

I'll keep on moving, moving on
Things are bound to be improving these days

"Over the rest of my teenage years and into my 20s I developed a kind of optimism, a kind of resoluteness, so I changed it to 'I'll keep on moving, keep improving,'" he said. "That's more to me what life is made of, the idea that I'll get through this, I'll continue looking."

Nico's version featured in the 2001 film The Royal Tenenbaums. Browne later recalled on KGSR Radio Austin that he'd forgotten that he'd licensed them to use this song. He explained: "This is one of those things that comes to you in the mail and you don't know what they're talking about and you simply give them their permission. You're sitting in the movie theater and there's this great moment when Gwyneth Paltrow is coming out of a bus or something like that. I'm thinking to myself, I used to play the guitar just like that. And then the voice comes on and it's Nico singing 'These Days,' which I played on." (Knowledge courtesy of Songfacts.com) 

Editor's Note: Click on "Next 1 Entries" at the bottom of this page to see previous issues. - WG