May 16, 2022
If Eight is Enough, Ten is too many: Jason just bought his tenth car, and it’s a problem. It’s also slow. Japanese Kei cars are limited to 660 cc and 64 horsepower — but the Honda Beat is an 8500-rpm 3-cylinder with ITBs and sounds like a Porsche 911’s flat-six. Just without any chance of a speeding ticket.
Jason also just drove an Autozam AZ-1, which has Gullwing doors and is surprisingly fast — so the boys wonder if a Suzuki Cappuccino is just as good?
This leads a discussion of slow cars, which invariably means diesels. And a Fiat Cinquecento. Its 2-cylinder, 11-hp just gave Derek some anxiety this past weekend. More so than the underpowered Land Rover Defender 110 diesel that actually managed 70 mph — after miles of full-throttle motoring.
Jason once had a W123 300TD Turbo wagon that started, but didn’t run. How is that possible? Starting fluid. But the OM617 diesel’s loping idle is among the best sounds in the world. And some later Mercedes diesels — like the W124 1995 E300 diesel and OM606 24-valve straight-six. Which is smooth, but slow.
Somehow the conversation then turned to Derek’s hatred of the Ferrari F355 and 550 Maranello. It’s always fun to see Derek miserable, at least for Jason.
We suspect the same will be true for you.
The Carmudgeon Show is part of the Hagerty Podcast Network.