The Carmudgeon Show

Hagerty Media
  • 4.8 (259)
  • AUTOMOTIVE
  • UPDATED WEEKLY
The Carmudgeon Show Podcast

Part of the Hagerty Podcast Network, the Carmudgeon Show is a comedic, information-filled conversation with Jason Cammisa and Derek Tam-Scott, two car enthusiasts who are curmudgeonly beyond their years. Proving you don’t have to be old to be grumpy, they spend each episode talking about what’s wrong with various parts of the automotive universe. Despite their best efforts to keep it negative, they usually wind up laughing, happy, and extolling their love for cars. Which just makes them angrier and more bitter. Jason Cammisa is an automotive journalist, social-media figure, and TV host with over 300 million views on YouTube alone. Jason’s deeply technical understanding, made possible by a lifelong obsession with cars, allows him to fully digest what’s going on within an automobile — and then put it into simple terms for others to understand. Also, a Master’s Degree in Law trained him to be impossible to argue with. Derek Tam-Scott still tries. He’s a young automotive expert with old-man taste in cars, and a Master’s Degree in Civil Engineering — which means he knows how to be civil to Jason. Or at least he tries. With a decade and a half’s experience buying, selling, driving and brokering classic and exotic cars, he’s experienced the world’s most iconic cars. And hated most of them.

  1. 6 DAYS AGO

    Driving the Ferrari F50 and Pagani Zonda

    Reviewing two V12, manual-transmission masterpieces — the Carmudgeons drove a Pagani Zonda Nero and a Ferrari F50, thanks to DK Engineering. === Click here to join the Hagerty Driver's Club: https://bit.ly/Join-HDC-Cammisa-Rev Jason's Hoodie & Merch: https://closed-course-productions.printify.me/ === DK Engineering slid into Jason's DMs with an offer to drive an F50, a car he hadn't driven. Derek is already on record praising the F50 — but neither had driven a Zonda.  They drove the cars, but didn't talk about it with one another until now. So here's the unfiltered truth about these two cars. In reality, they couldn't be more different. Disappointing. Derek called the Pagani disappointing — the worst thing you could ever hear from your parents. Especially after Jason had just ridden in the Gordon Murray GMA T.50. Perhaps this Zonda, which had been federalized for U.S. emissions, was quieter than most, but it was an acoustic nonevent: it sounded like a Toyota Camry V6. Which isn't an insult (that's the best sounding V6 in production today) — but it was out of bounds with their expectations. Where the Zonda surprised, however, was that it's a nice GT. But one perhaps that's not what the boys expected. On the other hand, the Ferrari F50 was a complete experience. Its V12 sounds nothing like any of the other 3 Ferrari V12s (Colombo, Lampredi, or F116/F140.) It's not a particularly beautiful sound — more a yell than a scream — but it's fully enveloping and wonderful. The rest of the experience matches up, with linear controls, beautiful steering, and a chassis that feels natural and wonderful. With one of the best clutch/shifter/gas calibrations ever, despite the V12 having almost no flywheel weight. Also, we include a video of Jason shifting the F50 about 2.2 million times in a minute.  All this and more on this episode of the Carmudgeon Show, which is part of the Hagerty Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    56 min

  2. SEP 16

    Can An Electric 911 Be Any Good?

    We drive the Sacrilege Motors 911 "Blackbird" — a fully electric-converted 964-chassis Porsche 911, and answer the question: can an EV be fun? === Click here to join the Hagerty Driver's Club: https://bit.ly/Join-HDC-Cammisa-Rev === The name of the company says it all: it is sacrilege to rip out a flat-six from the back of a 911 and replace it with batteries and a motor. But calling it out as sacrilege takes the wind out of that argument, and so Derek (a 964 owner and 911-weenie) and Jason each spent some time with this $850,000 (ish) Porsche to answer the question on whether it makes sense. The answer might surprise you. It surprised both of the boys, who hadn't discussed their opinions until we hit record in the studio. Derek was, of course, violent at the idea of a Restomod 911. Called it an abomination, at least conceptually. Especially because it's a 964, the least numerous of the air-cooled variants — and the best-driving according to Derek. This is the same basic car that companies like Singer also modify, because you can backdate the styling — which isn't possible on a 993. Jason, meanwhile, loved the memory structure of the Tesla Roadster blowing his mind — the other electric convertible sports car with great steering.  But did the boys like it? Love it? Hate it? Want to burn it at the stake? Only one way to find out! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    50 min

  3. SEP 9

    The Ferrari Market Crashes at Pebble Beach

    Car Week Update, including: the Vintage Ferrari market nosedives at Pebble Beach. Jason sells his Lotus Elise. === Click here to join the Hagerty Driver's Club: https://bit.ly/Join-HDC-Cammisa-Rev === Neither of the Carmudgeons went to Sunday's Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, but both boys were at Car Week for the rest of the week.  And then left to shoot an episode of "Jason Cammisa on the ICONS" and "Ultimate Drag Race Replay." Which was even hotter than it was in the studio, where it was over 100ºF recording the Lexus LFA episode.  Sreten from M539 destroyed Jason's house, warehouse, and life, but resurrected an E60 M5 (that OTS & Co will be selling!) They discuss some Behind-the-Scenes on what it's like to try to close a road — Jason means it when he says "professional idiot on a closed course." Hint: it doesn't always work. Derek's company, OTS & Company, sold Jason's 2009 Lotus Elise SC, which was a pleasant surprise for Jason, who's never sold through an agent before — and who is generally terrible at selling cars. Jason is now a convert — and wants OTS&Co to sell everything! OTS & Co also won an award at the Quail with the Ferrari 365 "Croisette" shooting break at the Quail!  That coach built Ferrari might be the Ultimate Car Week Car! But it could be M539's Ring Taxi homage E60 M5 manual! But the real surprise at Car Week was how poorly the Blue Chip Ferraris did at auction. There were some other cars that were soft (including two Mercedes 190E 2.5-16 Evo II that sold below Derek's expectations) but the multiple-million-dollar 1950s and 1960s Ferrari market was the big shock. At the same time, a Ferrari F50 hit a new record at $5.5 million with fees — so there's probably not some major bubble bursting. Maybe it's just a generational shift? Lots of philosophical discussion ensues. You should listen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    1h 8m

  4. AUG 26

    GMA T.50 Passenger Seat Review & LFA

    Jason rides in the left seat of a T.50 and declares it the best sounding engine he's ever heard — dethroning the Lexus LFA. With which he and Derek have experience. === Click here to join the Hagerty Driver's Club: https://bit.ly/Join-HDC-Cammisa-Rev === First of all, Jason calculates his cars' brake fluid age and is mostly okay with it, but also slightly horrified at how old the brake fluid is in several of his cars — one of which is 13 years old. Whoops. Secondly, GMA allowed Jason a ride in the leftmost (passenger) seat of Gordon Murray's T.50, with Dario Franchitti in the center seat. There's video — and audio. And it's enough to have moved Jason to dethrone the LFA, which he had just pronounced the best sounding engine of all time. The LFA's V-10 sounds amazing — far better in the car than the Porsche Carrera GT, the other best-sounding V-10 of all time (with honorable mention given to the BMW S85 — and every other V10 short of the Viper's.) The boys also speak about the LFA Revelations Episode — and the history of the Lexus LFA. And of cars that ride poorly, like the LFA does. Like the Mercedes AMG GT. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    55 min

  5. AUG 19

    Sreten from @M539Restorations and E60 M5

    In this episode, Jason and Derek interview Sreten, a friend and YouTuber who stars in his channel M539 Restorations. Sreten bought a salvaged, rare 6-speed manual-transmission E60 BMW M5 — and resurrected it to attend Monterey Car Week. === Click here to join the Hagerty Driver's Club: https://bit.ly/Join-HDC-Cammisa-Rev === M539 Restorations specializes in resurrecting abandoned and neglected BMWs from around the world. Based in Frankfurt, Germany, Serbian-born Sreten creates entertaining videos where he approaches huge repairs without ever skimping on anything. This time, on his honeymoon, Sreten bought a salvaged E60 M5 that was located in Fresno, California — and Jason had it shipped to his warehouse. Sreten sent boxes of parts, and showed up a week before Car Week and started the process of getting the E60 running again. If you've now seen Sreten's posts, you'll know he performed a miracle (or got incredibly lucky with a really nice E60) and the car runs again. But that all happened after we recorded this episode. Get to know the real Sreten. And why he loves the S85 V-10 and the E60 5-series in which it's installed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    58 min

  6. AUG 12

    Bad Mechanics Leave a Lasting Legacy

    Jason just solved a nagging problem on his car that he paid to have fixed 26 years ago. Turns out, the mechanic charged him for a repair he didn't make. === Click here to join the Hagerty Driver's Club: https://bit.ly/Join-HDC-Cammisa-Rev === Jason just solved a nagging problem on his car that he paid to have fixed 26 years ago. Turns out, the mechanic charged him for a repair he didn't make. === Click here to join the Hagerty Driver's Club: https://bit.ly/Join-HDC-Cammisa-Rev === It's well known that Jason Cammisa's Volkswagen Scirocco 16V is his favorite car. What's not so well-known is that he hit a curb while driving it back in the late 1990s, and bent a control arm. After saving for over a year, he finally had the money to replace the arm, and commissioned a local repair shop to perform the work. The Scirocco came back from the alignment shop with bad news: Installing the new control arm didn't put there wheel back where it belonged. The Scirocco's frame was bent.  After living with the guilt of having damaged his favorite toy for more than a quarter-century, Jason finally got up the gumption (and money) to have the car's frame straightened.  The frame shop had some interesting news: there was nothing wrong with the car — the control arm was merely bent. Turns out the shop that charged Young Jason to replace the arm... didn't. And last week, Jason finally replaced it himself, solving a decades-long alignment issue.  This made Jason think about his first three bad experiences as a young man with a VW shop (who tried to charge him near as much in diagnostics than he'd paid for the whole car for a simple bad ground wire) a VW dealer who disconnected his headlights and tried to extort him out of hundreds... and the aforementioned shop — all of whom are responsible for encouraging Jason to do all the work on his cars himself. Derek has a similar story about a local mechanic to tried to charge him $4500 for a simple ignition coil.  Fun times. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    1h 2m

  7. AUG 5

    The E31 BMW 850CSi and other 8-series

    E31 Syndrome: The explanation of why the E31 8-series is widely regarded as a beautiful failure. This is the full history of the BMW 850i, 850Ci, 850CSi, and 840Ci. === Click here to join the Hagerty Driver's Club: https://bit.ly/Join-HDC-Cammisa-Rev === The BMW 850i had the first post-war German V12. It made 300 hp and was installed in a pillarless, Ferrari-esque coupe almost universally praised for its beauty. After its debut at the 1989 IAA Frankfurt Motor Show, its first 3 years of production were sold out. But many of those orders were cancelled once the press got a hold of the 850i. Was it a bad car? In no way. The problem was that its Ferrari looks were married to an uninspired driving experience. The E31 had been conceived by BMW's R&D department (not its marketing department) as a rolling showpiece for its capabilities. And so BMW's priorities were perhaps not in line with market expectations. In other words: E31 Syndrome. A car that looks one way but drives differently. The discrepancy was solved when BMW's Motorsport Division made an M8 out of the 850i... but the marketing issue remained because BMW didn't badge it an M8. It was called 850CSi, which wasn't enough of a differentiator. And was made worse because the 850i was renamed 850Ci for no explicable reason. The 850CSi was a success — it landed to rave reviews, and sold out almost immediately. But its lack of M Badging has cost it enthusiast recognition. Even though it's a full M car with a WBS VIN prefix and the same treatment that the E36 got becoming an M3 out of a 325i. Learn all about this car on this episode of the Carmudgeon Show — a part of the Hagerty Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    1h 14m

  8. JUL 30

    Cars: Travel Is Fatal To Prejudice

    Single-brand car fans don't know what they're missing. Mark Twain once wrote that “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts." The sentiment holds true for cars, too. **SORRY FOR BEING A DAY LATE, FOLKS!** === Click here to join the Hagerty Driver's Club: https://bit.ly/Join-HDC-Cammisa-Rev Jason's T-Shirt: https://closed-course-productions.printify.me/ === In this episode, the Carmudgeons proceed to rip into one of their friends — light-heartedly. It all started when GG brought his R129 Mercedes 500SL to a shoot involving Jason's E31 850 CSI, and the two started a mock-argument about which car was better. Anthony Esposito, our favorite cinematographer, said GG's Mercedes-fanboyism reminded him of the Twain quote. In fact, GG's automotive tastes are actually quite well-rounded, but the experience served as the perfect impetus for a conversation about car fans who only experience one brand, or one marque, or one era, or one type of car. Turns out that nearly every car Jason and Derek have experienced has created fascination and interest in something they didn't previously know enough about to be interested.  Travel — i.e. experiencing new things — often creates unforeseeable interest in people and places you'd never have realized you were interested in. So, umm, Never Stop Driving... new-to-you cars! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    1h 4m
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Hosts & Guests

4.8
out of 5
259 Ratings

About

Part of the Hagerty Podcast Network, the Carmudgeon Show is a comedic, information-filled conversation with Jason Cammisa and Derek Tam-Scott, two car enthusiasts who are curmudgeonly beyond their years. Proving you don’t have to be old to be grumpy, they spend each episode talking about what’s wrong with various parts of the automotive universe. Despite their best efforts to keep it negative, they usually wind up laughing, happy, and extolling their love for cars. Which just makes them angrier and more bitter. Jason Cammisa is an automotive journalist, social-media figure, and TV host with over 300 million views on YouTube alone. Jason’s deeply technical understanding, made possible by a lifelong obsession with cars, allows him to fully digest what’s going on within an automobile — and then put it into simple terms for others to understand. Also, a Master’s Degree in Law trained him to be impossible to argue with. Derek Tam-Scott still tries. He’s a young automotive expert with old-man taste in cars, and a Master’s Degree in Civil Engineering — which means he knows how to be civil to Jason. Or at least he tries. With a decade and a half’s experience buying, selling, driving and brokering classic and exotic cars, he’s experienced the world’s most iconic cars. And hated most of them.

Information

  • Creator
    Hagerty Media
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2024
  • Episodes
    116
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Show Website
    The Carmudgeon Show

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