APRIL 30, 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 

(Photos by Tom Pease)

A FEW MINUTES IN ELECTRIC HEAVEN.

By Tom Pease

Beverly Hills. The Cadillac Celestiq has finally made it to the place that perhaps is the best home for it: Beverly Hills. More specifically, Cadillac of Beverly Hills, with its spiffy new showroom in a new building on Wilshire Boulevard that is within blocks of the building that housed Beverly Hills Cadillac (note the difference) that was sadly demolished several years ago.

Cadillac and Beverly Hills have a history, of course: Hollywood stars drove them. Shelly Winters was so jealous of Elizabeth Taylor's white convertible that with her Oscar in hand she treated herself to a brand-new black one (and had a 70's Eldorado ragtop at her Oakhurst Drive house at the time of her death). The rat pack had them and cruised to Mocambo and the Luau in the 50's and Ciro's and the Daisy in the 70's; and Cadillac staged photos of their cars in the Porte Cochere of the Beverly Hills Hotel for print ads.

So, when I found out the car was going to be in town, I had to pop over. 

Now, since I am not Jay Leno, I knew I wasn't going to get to drive it. I also knew that if I crashed the afternoon reception that had booze, food, and invited guests, I would barely get near it. But they were nice enough to just let me in and play around with it for a bit when I showed up two hours before the 'do.

First off, yes, it's a big car. Big in a very retro and very Cadillac kind of way. The new Escalade IQ (with a paint job that I was told is $6k) was parked near it, looking like a blue whale to the Celestiq's shark. The Caddy is low-slung and broad-shouldered in a way that simply doesn't photograph. The Celestiq has presence; the Escalade, bulk.

The other thing that struck me is that there is absolutely nothing on this car that doesn't look expensive and luxurious, inside or out. For a very long time Cadillac managed to make interiors that either were expensive to produce but looked cheap, or ones that would have expensive and luxurious pieces but fell down in other areas. Now, I didn't crawl under the dash to see how that looked, but everything I touched either had reassuring heft or plush softness to it. It looks like every penny of the asking price goes into this machine. You aren't going to think "gussied up Lyric" the way that bitter people like me with Caviar taste and Cadbury budgets might sniff at the BMW-ness of the Rolls I was recently in.

All in all, I was impressed. It has the swagger and that slight touch of vulgarity that is very American and to me anyway, very Cadillac. Now please, build the Sollei.

The Concours on Rodeo is coming up and if Cadillac doesn't hack out some prime space to park the Celestiq, the IQ, Lyric, Optiq, and a couple of Blackwings, then they need to send their marketing people back to business school.

(Porsche images)

In their never-ending quest to extract as much ca$h-ola from its faithful as possible, the Greed Merchants in Stuttgart are at it again. Porsche is introducing what they call the 911 Spirit 70, "the third 911 in a series of limited-production Heritage Design models that pay tribute to the past," according to Porsche PR minions, specifically the 1970s and early 1980s. Following the introductions of the 911 Targa 4S Heritage Design Edition and the 911 Sport Classic, the 911 Spirit 70 uses the 911 Carrera GTS Cabriolet with rear-wheel drive as its basis. Thus, it shares the same standard equipment as the new 911 GTS models, including the high-voltage system, eTurbo, electric motor and 3.6-liter flat-six engine developing a total system output of 532 HP and 449 lb.-ft. of torque. “The limited-edition collector's items are particularly desirable for our customers worldwide,” says Alexander Fabig, Vice President Individualization and Classic. “The first two models in the Heritage Design strategy generated a great deal of enthusiasm and we were delighted with their success. Today we are  proud to present the third, highly exclusive model.” (Translation? Ka-Ching! -PMD) What do you get? Olive Neo paint with a black top and windshield frame and Sport Classic center locking wheels (20-inch in the front and 21-inch in the rear) are accented in Bronzite, a gold-grey color that complements the body. But, wait, of course there's more. A trio of stripes run parallel with the hood with elongated “911” letters reminiscent of decals used in the 1970s. The contrasting stripes are on the cabriolet top as well. Decorative side graphics with Porsche lettering and a Lollipop in satin black with an individual start number nod to Porsche motorsport heritage. Customers who prefer not to have the decals may also specify their vehicle without those elements. (Please delete them -WG) A special version of the Porsche crest nearly identical to the version used in 1963 decorates the hood. Meanwhile, Gold plated “Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur” badges on the front fenders help distinguish this as a special model within the limited-edition Heritage Design product portfolio (Oh, that's special -PMD). At the rear, a Porsche Heritage badge rests on the engine grille at the rear of the vehicle where both the gold-plated PORSCHE lettering and model designation are visible.

Porsche used special fabric upholstery to characterize the first two Heritage Design models. That theme continues with the 911 Spirit 70, where the seat centers and several other interior elements are finished in a black and Olive Neo Pasha pattern. Different sized, intentionally arranged rectangles in the upholstery is a combination of textile and flock yarn for comfort on long trips. The instrument cluster combines historic design with state-of-the-art technology. The high-resolution 12.65-inch display has white pointers and scale lines in analog format. Green digits are reminiscent of vintage Porsche sports cars, and the model lettering is integrated into the fully digital tachometer. White pointers and green digits also characterize the special version of the Sport Chrono stopwatch.

And, if you want to be The Biggest Tool in the Shed, Porsche Design has created a high-quality chronograph, which is available exclusively for buyers of the latest collector's item. With numerous details, it is visually reminiscent of the 911 Spirit 70. For example, the shiny black Pasha pattern on the dial is inspired by the seat centers of its motorized role model. (Wow. -WG)

How many and how much? A total of 1,500 examples will be offered globally, and the 911 Spirit 70 is expected to begin arriving in U.S. Porsche Centers in late summer 2025 with an MSRP of (gulp) $240,000 excluding $2,250 for delivery, processing and handling. The Total MSRP excludes taxes, title, registration, other optional or regionally required equipment, dealer charges, and any potential tariffs.

(Honda)

From the "It Won't Be Long Now!" File, the Next Generation Honda Fuel Cell Module will make its first appearance in North America at the Advanced Clean Transportation (ACT) Expo starting April 28. Set to enter production in 2027, the new module will reduce production cost by half while doubling durability and tripling volumetric power density, as compared to the Honda Fuel Cell (FC) module currently in use.


(Mercedes-Benz images)

This modular, flexible, and scalable Van Electric Architecture (VAN.EA) "marks the beginning of a new era for Mercedes-Benz in 2026," according to Mercedes PR minions. This architecture reimagines spacious, privately positioned vehicles elevating them into the luxury segment with a focus on the "Private Lounge." The future model portfolio "will cater to a range of customer needs offering a versatile, spacious vehicle designed to provide exceptional space and comfort," according to the manufacturer. Designed for exclusive VIP and high-end limousine transport to luxurious family vehicles, the new model will deliver on both the flexibility customers require and the refined luxury they desire. By expanding the top-end of its model portfolio, Mercedes-Benz Vans "is defining a unique segment of its own that bestows true greatness to automotive luxury," according to Mercedes PR minions. Editor-in-Chief's Note: I'm glad to see the traditional Mercedes-Benz arrogance is alive and well. Bestowing "true greatness to automotive luxury" - ? Please. It's a frickin' minivan. -PMD

 

The AE Song of the Week

Hate New York City
It's cold and it's damp
And all the people dressed like monkeys
Let's leave Chicago to the Eskimos
That town's a little too rugged
For you and me, you bad girl

Rollin' down the Imperial Highway
With a big nasty redhead at my side
Santa Ana wind blowin' hot from the north
And we was born to ride

Roll down the window, put down the top
Crank up the Beach Boys, baby
Don't let the music stop
We're gonna ride it till we just can't ride it no more

From the South Bay to the Valley
From the West Side to the East Side
Everybody's very happy
'Cause the sun is shining all the time
Looks like another perfect day

I love L.A. (We love it)
I love L.A. (We love it)

Look at that mountain
Look at those trees
Look at that bum over there, man
He's down on his knees
Look at these women
There ain't nothin' like em nowhere

Century Boulevard (We love it)
Victory Boulevard (We love it)
Santa Monica Boulevard (We love it)
Sixth Street (We love it, we love it)

I love L.A.
I love L.A.
(We love it)

"I Love L.A." by Randy Newman, from the album "Trouble In Paradise" (1983).* Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind. Watch the Official Music Video here. 

*Randy Newman was asked to write a song about Los Angeles as a theme to the 1984 Olympics, which were held there. Instead, he wrote a tongue-in-cheek "homage" to the car-cruising, sun-worshipping Los Angeles culture, complete with mentions of a "Big nasty redhead" and a "Bum down on his knees." LA officials didn't think this was the image they wanted, but Newman released the song anyway. Despite the unsavory references to the city, the song became an anthem for Los Angeles, as most people didn't listen far beyond the chorus. This is typical of Newman's songwriting; he often writes lyrics that mean more than what's on the surface. "I don't want to sing everything out of the side of my mouth," he once said. "There is an aggressive ignorance to the song - ignorant and proud of it," Newman told Rolling Stone. "There's nothing wrong with the Beach Boys and open-top cars. But the guy talks about the bum and is still shouting, 'We love it!'" It was Don Henley, a transplant from Texas, who suggested Newman, a native, write a song about Los Angeles, as many of the songs about the city were written by people who weren't from there. Henley's song about the city is "Hotel California," the Eagles classic that sees the city through a haze. Randy Newman's cousin, Tim Newman, directed the video (Tim is an old friend of mine; we worked together on many TV commercials -PMD). Tim had lots of experience directing commercials, but had never done a music video. For most of the video, we see Randy driving around Los Angeles, taking in the beautiful sights along the way. Tim said it was the most fun he ever had at his job. For a while this was the adopted theme song for the Los Angeles Lakers basketball team. It is also played after every LA Dodgers home victory. In 2025 the Grammy Awards opened with an all-star performance of "I Love LA" in celebration of Los Angeles, which had been devastated by wildfires. Brad Paisley, John Legend, Sheryl Crow, St. Vincent and Brittany Howard were joined on stage by Taylor and Griffin Goldsmith of the band Dawes, who helped raise money for victims of the fires despite losing Griffin's home and their childhood home in the blazes. Taylor sang lead and inserted this line: "Look at these firefighters... ain't nothing like them nowhere." (Knowledge courtesy of Songfacts.com)

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