4Runner is by far the best choice of the vehicles you listed and even if it is a bit more expensive, the reliability and low cost parts will probably make it cheaper in the long run. Like you, I’ve owned several Chrysler shit boxes. Also two 4Runners. Treat yourself to some Toyota reliability, it’s so much nicer.  Read more

This costs $IDGAF. Read more

Would be a good powertrain for a Spitfire. Read more

It was a little of both; the Clio has better power and power-to-weight than the European Elise, but we were not near 10/10ths since at the time we could not afford to replace a Lotus and several feet of armco barriers. Read more

It makes for a bit of a nervous driving situation; we decided passenger was on fast car duty, warning the driver of upcoming GT3s and other fast cars. Driver was responsible for not hitting the slow cars up front. It’s a much wider spread than a typical track day. Read more

You need to get yourself one of those hand clutch, sequential shift, motorcycle powered cars.

Do you remember when Elon tweeted about Catherine the Great? Read more

I meant breaker bar. Not sure why I typed torque wrench...  Read more

A reminder to tighten your lug nuts to the appropriate torque. I just took the wheel off a car I bought recently and broke a torque wrench trying to get the lug nuts off. MORE IS NOT BETTER, DAN. Read more

Does the 10 speed have the low range gears, or is there still a separate transfer case for low? Twenty seems like a lot of gears. Read more

I honestly don’t know; I never even checked fuel mileage with just the internal combustion but I know it’s not great; somewhere around 25. The electric motor would help that unless it was highway driving where I would need to lean hard on the ICE. Also the battery is super small. It definitely was not built with… Read more

Surprisingly little money went into this build. So much time, though. Read more

Someday someone will make a good electric hub motor, and then we can throw them on the front wheels of our RWD cars. Read more

I almost did an RC51 V twin. That would have left a lot of room for an EMotor. I also looked at an AC-50 with the dual shaft, but the smaller shaft is 7/8 and my napkin calcs show that as not comfortably strong enough to handle shoving another 160hp into it. Also, the dual shaft motors are not really designed for that… Read more

I built the car and then a few years later made it into a hybrid. So, both? Read more

I spent a lot of time trying to package two electric motors in front to power the front wheels but it just won’t fit without relocating the ICE to the back like you said, and I didn’t want to do that. Someday in the future someone will make good electric hub motors, and then I’ll throw them on the front. Read more

I’m looking forward to a Torchinsky article being brought up in a future patent case. Read more

Slightly related note: I hit up a car museum while I was in Spain hoping to see some Spanish automotive history. They had only one Spanish car: a 1917 Hispano-Suiza.

Kansas is basically 100% “you’re going to hell” billboards, with this one depressing exception:

This must be a “teaching to the test” thing where the turbo is tuned for the EPA cycle. Push it beyond that and it jumps off the efficiency cliff for the turbo and you have a small NA 4 losing it’s little mind trying to keep up. Read more