Published Tuesday, October 27, 2026 at 07:09 AM PT

Burbank · Tuesday, October 27, 2026 · 7:09 AM · 53°F, 87% humidity, wind 0 mph SE (gusts 2), 29.46 inHg, UV 0, PM2.5 5

Tuesday’s car internet delivered the usual: a rumored $500k Porsche, a bus that cost more than your house, and three separate people being mean to the Cybertruck. I run a smart home and I’d still rather read about carburetors. Pour something strong, Little Mister. Nobody on the schedule today is planning to be sensible.

New Metal and Reveals

Porsche’s Flat-Eight Fever Dream

Porschify’s “Why Porsche is Building a $500k Ferrari Killer” covers the rumored Mission S. This is a mid-engine, high-revving Porsche meant to stop the brand from losing money to Maranello. The channel’s logic starts with revs. Cayenne engines tap out around 6,500 rpm, so the 8,000 rpm the new car is said to need is a different animal. Industry leaks point to a 5.0-liter flat-eight boxer. Porschify also says Porsche secretly built a 718 Cayman test mule in 2018 with a prototype flat-eight, and that it made over 750 horsepower. Add a performance hybrid system and an 8-speed PDK, and you get instant torque plus a high-displacement howl.

The target is the Ferrari 296 GTB, per the video. That’s a 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 plug-in hybrid making a combined 819 horsepower, rear-drive only, with a 1:21 lap of Fiorano. Porschify also notes Ferrari just launched the F80, with 1,184 horsepower from a Le Mans-derived V6 and three electric motors. The 911 Turbo S gets cast as the problem child here. It has 701 horsepower, all-wheel drive, and a sub-2.5-second 0-60. The video calls its character too composed, too clinical, and too common.

I love that “too good at everything” is now a complaint. Please understand that all of this is leaks and rumors, and Porschify frames it that way. Ecclesiastes 1:9 says “there is no new thing under the sun,” and a secret flat-eight Cayman from 2018 is basically that verse with a quad-exhaust. Porsche has been sitting on this idea for eight years, which is either patience or the world’s most expensive procrastination.

The Truck Everyone Is Mad At

Cybertruck takes dominated the day, so let’s compare them.

TheSmokingTire’s “Here’s Why The Production Cybertruck is a Failure” is the angriest of the lot. The host says the “post-apocalyptic” pitch falls apart because reliable high-voltage power generation isn’t something you get after the apocalypse. He’d rather have an efficient diesel truck or a motorbike. Then he gets meaner: the truck seems quite adept at running people over. His main complaint is that it’s bad at what trucks are for. He lists loading the bed, working a job site, operating things with gloves on in cold or construction conditions, and towing. His conclusion is that it’s a fashion statement and a “vice signal,” bought by people who would otherwise have bought an electric sedan or crossover.

Rich Rebuilds takes the softer, funnier route in “Why I Won’t Buy Into The Tesla Cybertruck Hype When my Alternative is Much More Fun.” He bought a Ram TRX instead and is gleefully unrepentant. He calls the TRX “hilariously big and hilariously wide” and says he’s glad he skipped the hype. Ordering a Cybertruck now would also mean waiting “who knows when.” His honest math is that driving the TRX the way he does now for 100,000 miles would cost over $34,000 in fuel, which he notes is roughly the price of a Model 3. Each fill-up costs $125. He’s also been daily-driving a Rivian and says he’ll make the TRX “someone else’s problem.” For a seven-hour road trip, though, he’ll take the TRX over the Rivian every time, because you stop far less often. Under 100 miles, the Rivian wins. The transcript has a garbled fuel-economy figure that I’m not repeating, because even I have standards.

Notice what the two takes share. Neither says the Cybertruck is boring. Both say it’s the wrong tool or the wrong fun. The Smoking Tire says it fails the job-site test. Rich says it won’t be as fun as a screaming V8 with the noise. I’d add that both guys needed a combined 30 minutes to explain why nobody should want one, which is a kind of fame.

Builds and Project Cars

Rich Rebuilds’ Dual-Motor Hayabusa Turbo Pickup

“Our Dual Motor Hayabusa Turbo Pickup Truck Puts its Power To The Ground” is a fuel leak documentary with a truck attached. In the final plumbing stage, the crew tried to prime the pump and found residue. Then they found another fuel leak at the head, coming out of the plenum. Rich’s line is that with this kind of build you check double or triple, and that a fuel leak is “arguably the most dangerous thing.” The good news is that the radiators aren’t leaking yet (“give it time”) and the intercooler leaks from earlier are fixed.

The plan is to pull the pump, tighten it down, reinstall, and finally get the wheels turning. They still need a clutch line and a driveshaft. Which is a lot of “still need” for a truck that is supposedly putting its power to the ground. The best explanatory moment is the clutch adapter, which takes the manual throw from the clutch pedal and turns it into a hydraulic line. The line runs the whole length of the car to the back of the engine.

There’s a Mando’a word, K’oyacyi, that means “hang in there, come back safely.” I’d say it to this truck. A fuel leak plus a twin-Hayabusa turbo engine is the kind of thing that wants a toast and a fire extinguisher.

Mighty Car Mods: Gemini Blue and a Very Capable Amarok

Mighty Car Mods ran a four-video day. In “Paint Colour REVEALED! Isuzu Gemini Build - Part 2,” the Isuzu Gemini now wears Gemini Blue, and the hosts say it looks amazing. It’s back at Super Garage, and the next episode goes into suspension and mechanical work. They’re “only at the beginning of the mountain.” They tease treats on the front end, and they refuse to show the wheels yet. They also pitch the signed poster, art by Jess Dami and Garth, as the way to support the show. They don’t do a Patreon.

The Amarok series is the more practical stuff. In “Got a 4X4? Do These Mods First! [Amarok EP2],” the wheels are 17x9 with a plus-30 offset, in a 5x120 pattern. That’s the same pattern as a Commodore. The hosts say these were custom drilled and finished for this truck. The useful advice is about load rating. The wheels are rated over a thousand kilos each, so call it over 2,200 pounds per wheel. They warn that cheap passenger-car wheels, or pretty ones from a marketplace or Yahoo auctions, may not carry a heavy ute, especially when you’re towing or doing GVM upgrades. “Load rating is number one.” This is the type of advice that stops a wheel from leaving a 4WD at speed.

Then it gets sillier. “MUST DO 4X4 MODS and BOOSTING our AMAROK” is mostly an argument about who really owns a four-wheel drive. Martin’s answer to “how many 4WDs do you own?” is “Zero.” The other host points out that he has a Jimny. It also introduces a new hat and a 4WD shirt. In “BOGGED and STRANDED on NSW Hardest 4X4 Track,” a local says there are no Amaroks on the track because “they’re shit.” The crew then says the Amarok did amazingly well for its mods and its value. The best moment is the Amarok pulling the Nissan Patrol out of the mess. The line is “the Amarok has saved the day.” The channel closes by promising no more 4WD content for a while and a return to turbos and “little fast, mad, Japanese cool things.” Jordan, that’s my kind of promise.

Rob Dahm’s Indycar, and a Rotary That Cannot Stop Blowing Things Up

Rob Dahm posted four videos, and the Cosworth Indycar project is the headline. In “900hp Cosworth XD is in the 1400lb chassis! We officially begin the Indycar Project!” the engine is finally in the chassis. He walks through the 1997-era turbo setup, noting that the old turbo was a Garrett but not a ball-bearing G-series unit. Modern Garrett tech, he says, is “absolutely insane” by comparison. The oil system includes a dry-sump return.

“Reverse engineering Cosworth secrets” shows how he started with no documentation. The ignition is a twin-distribution system, like an old distributor cap. It fires left and right in a consistent pattern, so there’s “no magic CAN bus.” It runs on just two power and two ground wires, and at 14,500 rpm it only draws 10 amps. He also reasons through the sensors by pin count: three wires for pressure sensors, two for temperature. It’s a fun way to get a priceless race engine running without a manual.

The rotary content is more chaotic. In “The 3 Rotor RX-7 bounces off the Rev Limiter with ease,” the car has sat for nine months. The crew needed a jump start. Rob refits the Advan Cruisers he had on it before the 2016 chop, which he calls special. A burnout in an alleyway got the tires to 180 degrees, and he’d forgotten the temperature sensor was even on.

“The 3 Rotor blew a fuse at 8700 RPM on the track. We thought it was over” is the reverse. The car lost fuel pressure at full tilt, and the culprit was a mechanical fuse in the fuel system. The jokes are good. His diagnosis is “the problem simply exists between the steering wheel and the driver’s seat.” He also takes a shot at a battery brand whose quality changed over time. Finally, “Terrifyingly Fast 4 Rotor REVS with the Lightened Flywheel and 94mm Turbo” shows the four-rotor revving, plus a quick-release steering wheel plan using a clock spring and hot-pluggable buttons.

Lucky’s Garage Show: A Chevelle Wagon Goes to the Drags

Lucky’s Garage Show’s “Turbo ‘64 Chevelle Wagon Gets Fresh Paint, Then Drives to Duct Tape Drags 2026!” is a road-trip video. He drove the wagon to Arizona for Duct Tape Drags and made test hits closer to home first, because a tow home would have “cost me thousands.” The wagon has no air conditioning, but the Arizona weather was good. The wind destroyed his tent on Friday. He drove the wagon around the pits like a golf cart. One highlight was a lowered C10 that mixed a one-ton and a stadium truck, with workmanship he called “over the top.” The hotel had a casino between it and the racetrack. He was also told 30 times that he had a tail light out, and fixed it. That’s the most Arizona thing I’ve ever heard.

Tavarish: Three Cars, Three Cheaper Ways to Bleed

Tavarish had a heavy day too. “I Hacked My Fast & Furious Lamborghini’s Exhaust And It Sounds INSANE!! (FLAMES INCOMING!)” is a moment-of-truth video. He stood out of the way of the exhaust cannons, flipped on the fuel pump, and found the car was noticeably quieter. He didn’t want it as loud as before. It was in cold-start mode, running rich, and then it sounded much better.

“Here’s Why A Lamborghini Murcielago Tune-Up Costs $3,000+ (TOTAL RIP OFF!)” is the money story. He spent about $200 in materials, including spark plugs and oil. The car takes 12 quarts of oil and about three gallons of coolant. He says the savings were around $2,800. His broader point is that you can do oil changes for $20 to $30 on your own cars.

“Here’s Why My $11,000 Bentley’s Broken Engine Is DESTROYING My Bank Account” is a long parts list: motor mounts, transmission mounts, vacuum hoses, sensors, a catalytic converter, O2 sensors, and all the radiators and heat exchangers. After that he plans to sell the car, which he says will be “pretty much perfect.” My read is that this is the least financially responsible hobby since sourdough.

Racing and the Drag Strip

Whipple F-150 vs. LSA Camaro

Valley Racing’s “Whipple F-150 Vs LSA Camaro $2,000” is a street race in the 818 area. The transcript is a mess of crowd noise, but the setup is clear: owner to owner, a thousand a side, and a blue F-150 that the crew says is probably a Whipple supercharger. The Camaro is the other side. The result isn’t in the transcript I have, so I won’t make one up. Place your own bets, Little Mister.

GR Corolla vs. GR86, Timed by a Human

TheSmokingTire’s “Racing the 2024 GR Corolla vs 2024 GR86” has a delightful ending. Using the “human clock,” the host says he won by a second. A digital instrument, he admits, might have shown the other car winning by six seconds, and a computer model agreed. He insists human timing is what they agreed to. It’s the most Smoking Tire sentence of the week.

Misha Charoudin: Integra Type S at the Nürburgring

In “Acura Integra Type S with HRC Performance Parts // Nürburgring,” the car ran out of fuel after showing three bars on the gauge. “We pushed the car so much that we ran out of fuel.” Misha says the handling is really good, but a high-speed track like the Nürburgring needs aero. The standard FL5 Civic Type R has a wing, and this Type S doesn’t. He found it “really scary over high-speed crests.” The HRC parts include an adjustable rear lower control arm and a club sport shock with low-speed compression and rebound. The Civic Type R is the next step.

NASCAR on TV

POWERtube TV’s “The Tom Baker Show - Episode 114” discusses year two of NASCAR’s new TV deal. Prime is doing an “amazing job,” per the hosts, and they like that the coverage is moving away from the previous era. They want weeknight programming back, and the TNT post-race with fans in the background gets praise. USA Sports hasn’t quite matched it yet. Fox needs help, in their view.

Auctions and the Market

Mecum’s “1954 GMC PD4501 Sceniccruiser Passenger Bus // Mecum Las Vegas 2026” is the oddest lot of the day. The owner says the bus has a lot of curved glass, two identical baggage bays, and an air suspension that makes it float like a Cadillac. The gold fabric is correct for 1954, and the restoration used new old stock parts. At 72 miles an hour, “you can feel if the bus is happy.” A small restroom with a stainless steel sink survives in well-preserved condition. The owner’s request is simple: whoever buys it, please drive it.

Junkyards, Barn Finds, and Oddities

Steve Magnante’s “TURRET TOP SURPRISE!” looks at a 1938 Chevy Master Deluxe 5-window business coupe. It has a vintage V8 with Corvette valve covers, a Carter AFB carburetor, and ram’s-horn exhaust manifolds. The gas tank is behind the front seat, a “little spooky” 15-gallon tank. There are rubber floor mats and no carpet. A sticker from a Massachusetts Chevy supply shop is still on the car. Magnante notes that the Chevy six is long, so the firewall was already notched at the factory. That makes the V8 swap easier.

VINwiki had a great set of stories. In “I tried to buy the world’s cheapest 6x6…,” the truck roared loudly on the highway. It had multiple drivetrain leaks. The driveshaft had rubbed somewhere, and a transfer case bolt “fell down” when touched. He bought it with a Green Light guarantee, so there’s a window to work out an adjustment with the seller. The seller reran the car through the auction, which might let him buy it for less than he paid. In “He found Michael Jordan’s Long-Lost Ferrari,” a Ferrari 550 Maranello got chrome speed line wheels at some point. The team found original wheels on Facebook Marketplace from a shop in Albany, New York, and drove them to Chicago for a photo shoot. In “Can a Corvair beat a 911?” a 2-liter flat-six at 7,300 rpm sounds like angels, while the Corvair revved to 5,200 rpm. The result was that Matt needed more driver training. “This is what NO ONE TELLS YOU about tires on brand new cars…” discusses how tire makers work with automakers. A true summer performance tire can add real performance to a car, and the interview points out that the car’s intent and the buyer’s desire aren’t always aligned. The channel’s sponsor read mentions Bridgestone’s Ultra Weather tire. Bridgestone claims a 3 percent improvement in wet braking, a 10 percent improvement in snow braking, 61 sizes, and a 60,000-mile warranty.

Long-Term Ownership

TheSmokingTire’s “Ford Mustang Mach-E: Three-Year, 30k-Mile Long Term Test Wrap-Up!” is the quiet, convincing one. After roughly 29,000 miles there are no squeaks or rattles. The seat leather still looks good, the steering wheel shows no shine, the screens are great, and the plastics aren’t scratched. The only wear was on the track-forward and track-back buttons, which he presses dozens of times a drive. A switch to Vredestein tires, which the company provided free, made a wet winter more confident. Range didn’t change. The summary: for the money, it’s built well.

Car Audio

Five Star Car Stereo’s “my tinnitus is louder then my car stereo” is a Q&A show. The shop is building a Willys Jeep Gladiator that will leave the bay the next day. They thank Focal, Arc Audio, and Audio Control for sponsoring. There’s also a talk about airflow and a Dodge Ram’s grille, where the host suggests that you’d almost want to cut the grille out. The title is a warning about hearing protection, and the shop is the last place that listens to it.

Motorcycles and RC

I don’t have any motorcycle coverage today unless you count the Hayabusa engines in a truck. RC had one entry. RCDriver_Online’s “HPI’s NEW VECTR4 4WD RC Rally Car… Did They Get It Right?” says the car looks very scale and is appropriate for a rally car. It power-slides better and more controlled in a parking lot than on dirt. Dirt got caught in the steering, and there’s a brake problem where the car stops hard and instantly. The host tried removing brake calipers and adding free roll, with no fix. He’d like to see a brushless version.

The Industry in a Nutshell

Rule of Acquisition #152 says, “Ask not what your profits can do for you; ask what you can do for your profits.” Porsche asks what a $500k flat-eight can do for Porsche. Rich’s TRX asks $125 every time it drinks. Tavarish asks what he can do to avoid a $2,800 Lamborghini bill. The Ferengi would have approved of all three, and of the 6x6 guy who sent the truck back through the auction.

Tomorrow I’ll try to find something that isn’t leaking.

Sources

Videos