Collecting Addicts Episode 38: The LS is Dead, Long Live The LM!

[@APAC_Sport_Media]

2 Car Garage suggestion. Secret Santa has come early, but with a twist. You need to purchase two cars for a randomly selected Collecting Addicts colleague with a budget of 250K. One of the cars is a car that you know that they will love. The other is a car that you know that they will absolutely loathe. Both cars must be retained and used. What two cars do you choose? If you let them know in advance - can can they guess who selected their vehicles.

[@timahl6037]

Loved the 2 car garage choices, loved the fact you all glossed over the 100k budget in the set parameters 😂

[@motoringmatt]

2 Car Garage suggestion: You're in your thirties and you work in a successful start-up. You're a true petrolhead, so you hate compromised vehicles, as they often marketed as "more powerful and faster-accelerating" but usually come with weight penalty. You want to do occasional track days and sometimes even take some laps at the Nordschleife, SPA, Zaandvort and other finest circuits. You're considering getting yourself a comfortable workhorse, because a family car is a must for you to carry your two kids, but you also think to build a lightweight race car and bring to to these fantastic locations on a trailer. What would be your 2 cars garage for 50k in total? - One must be a comfortable vehicle to carry family, do all the daily tasks as well as tow the trailer, and listen to finest tunes on longer trips. - Another vehicle should be tons of fun, easy to modify and, most importantly, shouldn't be a lot heavier than 1100kg.

[@camryt]

One thing you forgot about the Lexus LS is that it isn’t the top of the line luxury sedan in Japan - Toyota Century is, and has been since the ’60s. First gen LS400 was sold there as a Toyota Celsior. So while it was a luxury product, there always have been one above it. Hence why in Japan top management (and diplomats) tend to gravitate towards Centurys, and people below them tend to choose luxury vans (Alphards and such) to blend around in traffic. The idea of not showing your money around is still very present in Asian markets. Leaving the LS in a weird position, trying to conquer western markets. What Mr. Harris said said about Toyota’s perception as being simple or more utilitarian is a westerner-centric perspective. In Japan Toyota was the top of the line if you wanted a car, be it a Century, Crown, Alphard or whatever, all these were (and still are) considered above what Nissan or Honda produced. That is why what we knew as Lexus products, the LS, GS, IS, RX, ES, were sold as Toyotas (up to 2004 i think?) there, the Celsior, Aristo, Altezza and so on. There was no need to differenciate the Lexus brand, because Toyota was upmarket enough in the old country.

[@Carrera-gp9od]

World at War is probably the greatest documentary series ever . Superb narration by Lawrence Oliver , I was very young when I first watched it but I was totally taken in by it . It gave you a clear understanding of the horror of ww2.

[@jameswhitehorn6432]

To answer Manish's question, the Lexus LS400 was sold as the Toyota Celsior in Japan. Lexus as a brand was created for two reasons; 1) because of Toyota's reputation outside of Japan and 2) to get around US sanctions. US auto unions pushed the US government to restrict the number of cars that could be imported into the US or sold in the US under separate brands. It's why Honda in the US is Acura, Nissan is Infinity, and Toyota is Lexus, because it was a way around the cap. LEXUS = Luxury EXport United States.

[@ManishPandey-ju1vn]

Thank you. Duly noted and educated!

[@energymc22]

According to Lexus, the name has no significance. It was the result of much study with a third party marketing company involved who narrowed down a long list to "Alexis" but then it was decided that it was more of a person's name so they changed it to Lexus, also sounding more luxurious in the process.

[@S18DMW]

2 things, I might be alone with this in the UK. But the Lexus LM is infinitely more desirable to me than any SUV. JDM vans will always be cool in my mind anyway Also, you need to know the right girls, my wife isn't a big fan of a 356 but she does own a modified DC5 Integra Type R...

[@ColinCarFan]

Great conversation about the Japanese and Chris is spot-on regarding their business culture that does extend to their society. It may not come across but they are incredibly proud of their past achievements, however, they choose to focus on the future.

[@S18DMW]

Funnily enough, pretty much exactly opposite to the UK. And look at the difference in industry alone between the 2 countries

[@ButteryBiscuitss]

2 Car Garage suggestion: You're an international photographer working in NYC, you just had a great year shooting a plethora of fashion campaigns, brand shoots and personal projects. You've hit a bump of success, its not oil money but for an artist its been a good run. You've been spending your vacations in Portugal for a few years and decided to buy a second home out there and are faced with the need for a car in both countries. 1. In NYC you need a car that is comfortable in traffic, isnt precious and can take a little abuse from the inevitable wreckless cabs and uber that will bump into you while parked but still respectfully stylish enough. It should be at least moderately compact, yet hold some gear. You've put 40k aside for this car. It cannot be a vw GTI even though that probably is the answer. 2. In portugal you're buying the car of your somewhat modest dreams under 100k. The one you want to photograph after a spirited drive in mountain ranges and coastal drives. It should speak to the most primal feelings of a car enthusiast and you are not afraid to import something from anywhere in the world.

[@townsjim]

One of my neighbours has a pimped out Lexus LS400 and it's absolutely immaculate, it's a 30 year old car and looks as fresh as a daisy. It even has light blue tinted side windows.

[@martynpotter21]

Tonight, Chris struggles with Porsche's latest hat Mr Cooper holds up some pictures Manish "lays her down on the moss" Ed plays with his pen and Neil is in Mexico, but not for the Grand Prix Also, thanks for squeezing in the music at the end.

[@fransb8543]

There's a brilliant documentary somewhere on KZbin about the development of the ls 400, it really was a very ambitious project. As a recent convert to the lexus brand, I really enjoyed it.

[@drippincolors]

You have recently retired to the beautiful Tuscan village of San Gimignano with your wife. No kids. You have always had a soft spot for 60’s Italian cars and being a spanner, you are well equipped to deal with the impending breakdown. You want a dolce vita car with a 150hp maximum limit to go down to the local vineyard to buy a few cases of rosso plonk and to pootle about in. You also have a bucket list to compete (not necessarily finish) in the Targa Florio in a red car with a horse on the badge. Your budget is £150,000 saved up from the recent sale of your house located on the South Downs. Good luck x

[@ferrarikangaroo9271]

My little, immaculate, very-low km ST-150 gets no use and sits under a car cover all week... until you guys upload a podcast, then I go for a small run around my area and have a hoon in one of Ford's secret best cars while hanging out with my virtual mates for an hour. Thanks so much for the great content. I look forward to it every week.

[@BMWVX]

Thank you for bringing up Alpina. Still a mostly unknown manufacturer here in North America, yet so special. Certainly glad Alpina have decided to offer more of their models here.

[@pistonburner6448]

Well, that era is over now since BMW bought Alpina.

[@tomneil6830]

I worked as marketing manager at a Japanese vehicle manufacturer and this quote from my Japanese counterpart in one of our planning meetings says it all about the culture, “Tom-san, you do not understand, we own the company.”

[@martinlaver007]

Top quality music choices! So glad you managed to squeeze them in!

[@StinkStronq]

2 car garage: From the perspective of the folks on the western side of the pond. Present-ish day. Family of 3 wants to tour Europe. The guy is a keen car enthusiast but with no means until recently. Always fantasized about getting an M3 through a brilliant European delivery program for the trip in a personal car to keep for memories. But now when the mortgage is paid they are depressed that these programs from BMW, Mercedes Benz, Audi and such are closed due to COVID and Americans being fixated on SUVs which are made in the US. Porsche still offers it but the offspring is in her teens and needs to fit in the car for the long journey. Still dreaming of touring Europe in a grandiose way. The ambition is - 2 trips. Car 1: drive from the southernmost point of continental Europe (southern tip of Spain at Strait of Gibraltar) to the northernmost point (northern tip of Norway). Memorable car for the awesome trip to cherish for the rest of eternity. Would be great if it was a droptop for the weather in warmer parts of the trip. The catch: Car 2: second trip is from the westernmost point of continental Europe to the easternmost point. The aim here is to not trigger too many people along the way and survive. Family has legal entry into all needed places. Budget is 150K.

[@jasonfolley]

Dear Group, just wanted to share my joy this Sunday morning when the analogue clock on the dash of my e class coupe wound itself to the proper time...ooooh, yes, seen it before but the little moment of private théâtre...regards J

[@tronfromdacityyy6889]

Nothing better than having a Friday off and hitting the porch with some coffee and the podcast.

[@andrewspittles841]

In the lounge at Gothenburg airport waiting to fly home and have planned today so I can catch this while I’m waiting!

[@chrislee1059]

Really enjoyed this series to start with . Intelligent and clever chat . I’ve followed the journalists for 30 years now and rate them highly. But having spent a week watching through the re runs I do feel that they have lost connection with many people. I gave up counting the number of Porsche and Ferrari references . Real world petrol heads appreciate the beauty of these machines but they are becoming more like 1980 merchant bankers sat in a pub after there annual bonus has been paid ! Really sad because I don’t think 4/5 of them are like that !

[@fpieracc]

2 Car Garage: you have been in financial struggle for the past years and had to sold your cars to pay for the bills, but now things are looking good and you can finally afford to have a car (or two) again. You want to buy a cheap (to buy and run) daily for transporting you, the wife and the dog to wherever and a project car for you to work on weekends that you hope will end up being a great driver and also a good investment of your time and money (you can buy it as a non-runner if the daily is reliable enough). Budget is 50k pounds.

[@fpieracc]

Chris Cooper's 2 car garage was SO out of the ordinary this week, it was actually brief

[@evtimtrenkov1800]

Loving this new format, chaps, and learning loads! Keep up the great work! Two car garage suggestion: You are a 45-year old roofer. No kids. Just a wife. You run ur indie business and your 2009 Ford Transit, that you park on the road infront of your house, has just been totalled by a teenage yobbo who took his mum's Qashqai Mk2 for a joyride on a late evening. You know its a Qashkqai MK2 cuz u saw that on ur Ring doorbell, but you couldn't catch the bastard's reg plate. He could drive away because he'd backed into the side of your van and smashed it bad while performing a U-turn. So he didn't get his car too badly damaged. Anyway. You get £15K from the insurer for your van. You also won a radio competition earlier that day by picking up the phone with a particular greeting and got yourself a £85K cash reward. You now have £100K. You need to buy a new van to keep running your business. You fancy an upgrade, newer model. Bit higher spec. And also always wanted a roadster to drive down the Southern coast with the Mrs too. You don't have a garage for the roadster however, so it will have to sit parked on your driveway. You know f-all about what is a reliable roadster and what isn't. You just want to enjoy the sun when the summer is back with the roof down. What van and roadster do you go for? Go! PS: To avoid the plot hole of why ur van wasn't parked overnight on the driveway in the first place, lets say that you own an Audi A3 and it was parked there. You are planning to sell the Audi and buy a new telly. PS2: This is not based on a true story as far as I am aware lol. Neither have I got a van that was smashed into, nor have I smashed into a poor sod's van.

[@YellowPinkie]

Chris’ 2 car garage is spot on!

[@jep1912]

I'd like a section every week about 'a car journey you'd have with anyone, anywhere, who and where and why'

[@simonorr594]

Glad you like the Catskills. Listening in from Tannersville!

[@pretsas]

I remember being in a taxi in Singapore about 3 months after one of the Prius's had just been launched, and being a bit confused as to how the odometer was on 150,000km. "I share it with 2 other guys. We do 8 hours a day each, we don't take a day off, and we almost always do airport runs down the motorway". Fair play to it.

[@johnking9754]

Incredible car week for me- drove my Lancia Stratos replica/restomod for the first time!!!

[@Jim_Urquhart]

The corporate culture in Japan is fascinating and you only need to look at the current situation in MotoGP to see how it can hamper rapid development.

[@itsberto7334]

Absolutely the best podcast right now. Finally realized as a red neck from the middle of the US that I’ve been pronouncing Caterham wrong all these years.

[@camryt]

16:50 sadly untrue Mr. Harris, front wheel drive Corollas had IRS from the beginning (that is 1982 iirc) up to 2002. If you consider mid-90’s Corolla and Civic suspension, Corolla had actually more trick multilink rear, while Civic had massive rear trailing arms. Front suspension was a different story, while Corolla had McPherson strutts, Civic had a double-wishbone system.

[@rhysowen9566]

I can only speak for what I see here in Australia, but the luxury minivan segment is booming in cities here without any of them even offered in the domestic market. I feel like I see 100x more imported luxury Japanese minivans like the Toyota Alphard than I do Lexus LS models of any era.

[@_MasterP]

Resisting to urge gush in the comments.. like the new intro and always loving your group conversations. Fridays aren't the same without it now. 2 car garage is in the pipeline for suggestion. Viva la petrolheads

[@trevorcox4832]

Love each Friday just for this program keep it up

[@TP-3000]

The answer to the 2 car garage is clearly a Maserati Quattroporte 5 and an Alfa spider

[@urbanstrencan]

Top episode. Japanese carmakers are doing one time specials, not like Germans or Italians that are making endless versions of their high-performance models - just look at Lamborghini, BMW, Porsche,... So when Japanese decide to make sports car they make it proper 😊

[@markfox6081]

Owned an LS430 - great car (if not the looks). But to own and drive, superb. A few years faultless ownership. A few things put me off the LS460 - firstly they only really imported Long Wheelbase models, and people were not on board with the hybrid motors at that time. Perhaps ahead of time when most 7 series of S class at the time were still Diesels.

[@gordonsimpson3235]

Neil, so right again. No black glass or black wheels please. I would just say that I like green tinted glass which i class as clear....its the 'privacy glass' I cant stand, . It is dangerous at night when reversing (without rear camera), and makes all SUV's look like a van.

[@dominicharding1435]

Most enjoyable listening on the treadmill in Hudson NY

[@gordonsimpson3235]

Chelsea on Sea in Norfolk is Burnham/Holt/Blakeney....totally ruined now of course. I think Sandbanks (near Poole) is the closest think to the Hamptons....total conspicuous consumption.

[@mikemagoomcgrady]

Blue tint looked(s) amazing!

[@stuartsmith5308]

2 gar garage - Ask your Wifes or Girlfriends what they would choose and why ? Then debate on the next episode how wrong their choices are...

[@The.Fake.Adam.Lulich]

The week after that they can do this two car Garage. you've just been kicked out of the house for insulting your partners car choices. You need one car that you can live in until your Partners (No expense) dream car arrives.

[@Rlee571]

Thanks gentlemen. Another great episode 👍

[@drivingnirvana5164]

Great as always! But you are missing one point about the Lexus LS, it was never meant to be greatest luxury car, it was the greatest bang for buck. The greatest luxury car for Toyota is the Century that makes the S-class look a bit cheap. And honestly the design brief for the LM is to be driven in, sliding doors and big captain chairs always beat a big sedan for that purpose😎

[@Iloveyouallalittle]

I love the way you talked about that Bentley like it was a normal car 😂

[@GazMoby]

Very enjoyable as always 👍

[@applejuice5272]

24:18 | Alpina D10 BiTurbo > 2,926 cc six-cylinder twin-turbodiesel (M57D30) / 180 kW (245 PS) / 500 Nm / 6M or 5A Alpina had the choice between BMW's M57D30 six-cylinder and M67D40 3.9-litre (3,901 cc) V8 twin-turbodiesel (parallel turbo setup)

[@neilspencer3055]

Nerd subject.... headrest of the 70's & 80s, reason, my Dad and a slew of wildly uninspiring Vauxhall's in the period, and this continued, but with a considerable upgrade to an exciting 79 Cavalier GLS Hatchback, exciting because it had headrests, a significant social advancement in our family. The car came home and to me horror there were no headrests........but Dad, the GLS has them.......sorry son, the original owner must have deleted them. My uncle then bought a Mk3 Cortina Ghia, and the Cavalier was left desperately wanting! As observed by so many others, outstanding podcast boys, the best by some margin.

[@MikeOttati]

rn = right now. Another great episode, thanks guys.

[@jonathan102]

Those LMs with a Toyota badge (Alphard or Vellfire) are insanely popular in Asia, usually driven by a chauffeur. Many rich people often prefer them over Mercedes/BMW/Audi. Once you been in one it's not bad to see why. They are enormously spacious inside, with chairs that reminds you of business class lounge chairs. It's quiet and smooth as you would expect. Plus it's a Toyota so much cheaper to run. Don't get me wrong I think they are hideous. But it's not hard to see why people prefer them in this day and age where everyone just want a big SUV. It has the benefit of an SUV (space and luxury), with the reliability and running costs of a Toyota. Once you get over the minivan looks and the fact that it is not a BMW/Merc, these LMs starts to become a real consideration I would think.

[@gordonsimpson3235]

I think you would need to be happy about having the p*ss taken out of you here within Europe though.

[@simbo52bn22]

Talk Tonight I can play on guitar - great tune, great choice

[@ACW2850]

2 car garage - you have other daily drivers, your two garage has an iconic British car, which always gets a smile and will do long Alpine trips, the other is a capable fast saloon, your budget is 80k - your test is too see who gets closest to this two car garage (if you take the challenge, I’ll send Mr Harris the actual answers )

[@JBOsurf]

I was forced to tint the front side windows of my new Type R to at least try and match the ruinous privacy glass on the back and rear sides. Its come out quite well and I'm happy, but my preference would have been no tint on any windows at all. Having said that, I am in Australia, so tinting is probably a good thing. Thankfully the GT4 has no tint whatsoever, but its not my daily.

[@Miggy2j]

Non-tinted windows during Summer in Australia is pure torture.

[@Olly-c6t]

What about the Civic Type R!?!? Another great podcast, please can you talk about favourite racing cars ever?

[@albertperks3476]

Just on the point of the LM - is it possible that we're about to see the arrival of the Carriage class? I think as an autonomous-drive vehicle I'd be quite happy in the Pullman dining carriage equivalent : ). Yes to blue tinted glass - can we pass a law on that?

[@thepinkknight1455]

2 Car Garage suggestion... A 68 year old stylish and cultured divorced mother has lost her sh*t at ULEZ encroaching on her patch in Edinburgh. As a PHD holder from Cambridge, she wants to deploy all of her IQ points towards avoiding ULEZ in a stylish and cultured way, as is her manner. She is not that fussed with flash cars but has enjoyed in the past, a Mercedes 190E as well as a Jag XJS V12 in period. She has dogs, so needs a reliable daily to take the dogs to the vets. Her other car needs to be utterly insane as she currently lusts after a Citroen Traction Avant and loves the idea of rolling to Morrisons in it. She has 60,000 GBP to spend and a now defunct Jaguar E-Pace to part-exchange. Allez.

[@rustyabandoned5561]

Look forward to each Friday

[@energymc22]

Being pedantic now but the fast E39 Alpina diesel was the D10.😉

[@legaltechinnovations1594]

Thank you 🙏🏻

[@thomasbarton795]

Highlight of the week is here 🎉

[@tahirsaid6993]

I own an Alphard as a family van. It's very versatile. Carries the family and you can throw in a couple bikes and many of the random stuff we need for the kids. Kenya is toyota country and yes the landcruiser rules here. And Tinted windows are anti carjacking tool as the bustards can't see who's inside.

[@simoncohen19]

Didn't the 2 car have a £100k budget?

[@jetset8888]

Lexus LM, same alphard love them.

[@StinkStronq]

Also on Lexus. They catered to US market mostly, right? Noone in US buys sedans anymore. It's all X5s, GLEs, Grand Cherokees, Durangos with Lexus's GX and LX. S-classes are mostly in limo fleets. So they decided instead to target a larger marker in China. Makes sense.

[@80six30]

I have a real soft spot for Lexus , my father in law had an original LS400. Unfortunately they haven’t done anything great since the LFA and the IS500😢

[@collectingcars]

What about the LC 500? A prettier LFA body for a GT experience!

[@TroyHR123]

Only good thing about the IS500 is its still the NA V8, rest of it seems pretty meh.

[@harvinmahal]

GSF > IS500

[@80six30]

@@collectingcars yes thank you , I had completely forgotten about the LC500 ( that doesn’t bode well for Lexus), which I shouldn’t have considering Chris Harris did a comparison of it with a car I previously owned (CTR FK8) on a show that will remain nameless 😁

[@micard_yannick]

2 Car garage: Single guy 35yrs, no children and no pets. One for his commute which is just 2 or 3 kms per day. The other one, as this guy lives in Germany, every other weekend he likes to go for a weekend away (Nurburgring, Hockenheim, Stuttgart, Netherlands) and also do a proper road trip in the summer. Budget is 50k. Go 😀😀

[@bibnakladnistvo]

How the hell did you miss that the 2 car garage budget was 100k ... :D

[@AbrahamArthemius]

I do think Toyota as a brand is still at the top in Japan with Honda follows closely in 2nd & Nissan 3rd right now. They're quite literally the biggest one domestically and their luxury oriented cars are the ones businessmen, government officials, and even the Royal family uses. Cars like the Century, Crown, etc. are some of those cars.

[@jonwarshawsky5288]

The Mazda MX5 Miata has soldiered on … probably the icon that disproves the notion that Japanese marques create greatness and then consider it last year’s toy.

[@SimonOldfield-es4ev]

The Lexus LS400 discussion was an interesting one, but possibly missed the critical point. Toyota’s move was totally logical from a business perspective at the time. The biggest and most profitable car market in the World when it was introduced was the USA. The domestic big three manufactures ‘luxury’ saloon products were terrible ( it was before the SUV and premium truck explosion) and the European brands were growing rapidly in the wealthy coastal regions of the country. Toyota set up a design team in California to develop a US-orientated premium product to capture some of the market. As was mentioned in this week’s podcast, we now take mechanical reliability as a given, but not in those days, even for the likes of Mercedes, BMW, Jaguar and Audi, so Toyota produced a car that delivered fantastic reliability (mainly through using proven technology and not pushing into uncharted waters), good, if not exceptional visible product quality, styling that mimicked the popular European models, a comforting V8 engine and a price on a par with the domestic manufacturers and well under those of the European competitors. The success was a serious concern to both competitor groups, rather like the early success of Tesla in California a decade ago. It forced the Europeans to cut their margins and improve their customer service levels, as Lexus, under the slogan “The relentless pursuit of perfection” powered ahead, while the domestics almost threw in the towel and turned their attention to SUVs and trucks for their salvation. When Lexus arrived in the UK in 1990 it quickly established quite a good share of the luxury saloon market. The Country was in a recession and this new ‘value’ product fitted the mood of the times. However despite the range increasing with the GS300, the brand failed to reproduce the performance it achieved in the USA, probably due to badge snobbery and the relative strength of the European domestics in comparison to their USA counterparts.

[@ovesvensson7954]

Regarding your ” Audi understeer subject” Stig Blomqvist ( the real Stig) thought Walter Röhl to left foot brake the Audi Quattro” So if you can drive a FWD Saab you can become a rally star in an Audi quattro. ”Love your vlogg”

[@jameswhitehorn6432]

Ed got the point in a nutshell re the Lexus LM (though to be clear, it is ultimately a Toyota Alphard with the executive rear spec and a Lexus badge). As someone who lives in Tokyo, luxury people carriers are everywhere, far more so than luxury SUV's or saloons. And while I'm not sure the MPV outsells the SUV in the Chinese market, it is absolutely true that there is a huge market in China for these vehicles. Lexus is still popular in the US, though executive saloons (S-class, 7 series, LS etc.) do not sell like they did in the 90's. They have no hope of really growing in Europe as the two main luxury markets are closed; Germany because of obvious local competition, and the UK because Steve Coogan fucked it for them 20 years ago... Replacing the LS with the LM will be a mid term sales strategy that probably works.

[@nickTdavison]

Isn’t it the case that F1 drivers make fewer mistakes ‘these days’, is because they’re typically driving at 8 or 9 tenths in the race, to look after tyres.

[@JBOsurf]

Chris could you please share your driving thoughts on the Spyder RS next week?

[@GregK2]

No chapters this week 😢

[@SmashGhost]

LS400 = a comfortable non-enthusiast vehicle. LM = more. It's the obvious evolution.

[@jonwilliams6821]

Chris Harris are you entering the RAC Rally this year?

[@uGotGot1618]

I think the reason UKers don’t get tinted window is because of their weather. In the US, if I lived in Seattle where it’s rainy A LOT I wouldn’t care about the tint. But where I live I will literally be blinded and scolded with our tiny. Of course Chris addresses this right as I finish typing 🤦🏻‍♂️

[@Throttlebycable]

Mr. Harris is correct. The Japanese makers seem to be happy with one exceptional product, and then move on. The best example I can think of is the Honda Element. Phenomenal car. Unbelievable following. An industry has evolved turning them into everything from family runabouts to camper vans. Honda has no interest in releasing an Element, MKII. So, decent examples now have asking prices not far off what they cost new with 70k and up on the clock. There is a market but Honda has no interest whatsoever.

[@townsjim]

FYI Neil - Poughkeepsie is locally pronounced "puh-kipsy"

[@timbrowne]

2 Car Garage You are buying 2 cars purely on engine choice. The first car, a daily driver must be 4 cylinders or less, the second 5 cylinders and above. Total budget £150K. You can debate if the 4-cylinder car choice is allowed to use the audio system to enhance the engine noise.

[@Bazfrog]

I would, please, like a confirmation or otherwise of something that pops into my mind quite often recently, although I wonder why?? I'm sure that I once read in one of the myriad of car magazines that, pre-EV, I avidly read. In an interview with the late, great, G.O.A.T. Ayrton Senna after a practice at Interlagos and trying to negotiate a high speed bend while changing gear (manually with clutch), possibly now the Senna S. I'm sure he said that it was becoming far too dangerous, at the higher and higher speeds being achieved, to take your hand off the wheel to change gear with a (proper) manual gearbox and that some type of solution needed to be found? Which, possibly, would make him the instigator of the current clutchless paddle shift gearboxes?? Incidentally, I went to my first live GP race, at Monaco, hoping to watch my absolute no.1 hero? Unfortunately and extremely sadly, it was 1994. A bit long winded and I apologise but hopefully interesting?

[@jamsxr]

🚨Japanese lineage - there is one, and you missed it! Type R, the Civic if we need to be model specific. Honda have spent an auto manufacturing age perfecting that platform.

[@finn281175]

Two car garage with a twist - You have a budget of up to 200 grand. Your first car has to be a jack of all trades. It will be your daily driver, have enough space for the family but also be fun and sporty enough to throw down B roads on a Sunday afternoon rip. Your second car will be bought purely as an investment. It will be stored away in a heated garage for the next 20 years in the hope that you can then sell it on for a nice profit. The twist? They both have to be the exact same car. Same model, specs, colour, year. The lot.

[@Bradley0612]

Here's a very real and approaching two car garage. When my partner and I eventually return to Scotland from Canada, we're going to need to buy cars again. The boring one first. Her car needs to be an automatic, hatchback, cheap to run, modern, comfy, and handle the occasional haul across country. She's not in the slightest bit bothered about brand/image. She is also commendably not in the slightest bit bothered about SUVs. She previously had a Polo 1.2 with DSG, but after it started to go wrong in some very annoying and expensive ways (which VW denied were a clearly a known fault), we completely lost trust in VW. So no VWs! And please no Fiat 500s for the love of God. Budget: £15,000. My car needs to be manual, rear drive, petrol, have a somewhat useful boot, sound nice, look decent, and be a hoot to drive up and down the Scottish Highlands. I don't give a toss about drag racing Golf Rs off the lights, but a good chassis is a must. It should also be able to carry us across the European continent without making us bankrupt. Age isn't a massive concern, as long as it has some reliability. Budget: £25,000. Thanks chaps for all the great listening!

[@akadanielmaia]

Harris was as drunk as our Danish friend to skip the 2 car garage budget of 100k lol

[@akadanielmaia]

Interesting how Lexus failed to make a competitive luxury SUV like they did with the LS. But the luxury van game is big in the US and maybe they are up to something. VW ID Buzz is quite competitive against most SUVs

[@vvevvevvvv]

Kinda disagree with you. NX (which is essentially a fancy RAV4) is quite luxury and competitive.

[@thomasbuchanan6235]

2 car garage. Youre an American living in Scotland with a French wife. You want an American car and she wants a French. One of your great bonding moments is hating on all the technology in modern cars so the newest car either of you want is from 1976. You have $75000 from a Bitcoin you found on the ground once. Keep up the good stuff boys.

[@drivingnirvana5164]

Two car garage for a future show: “if you if only get to keep two of your cars, what would it be”

[@scottharpel9367]

Lexus doesn’t exist in the home country, they already existed as Crowns, and most still under the Crown sub brand.

[@christianwestling2019]

20:20 It's His Majestys Government nowadays :)

[@DPR178]

2 car garage : No budget, ideal 2 car garage for your current situation. Describe your car situation briefly and the 2 cars best suited for you. Cheers from India

[@BrandonRC1]

Would've expected the Lexus LC500 for the 2 car garage...

[@karlx19]

Does the LM stand for 'Little Minger'?

[@tpain479]

The GR Yaris is coming out in an automatic as a gen 2

[@skygod1067]

After the race Max said the track was too bumpy and wasn’t up to F1 standards and needs resurfacing

[@garya6647]

Autocar 18Oct 23 describes Euro 7 Regs where cars will report to authorise who can stop the car operating if emissions are excessive. Why would anyone buy a new car again?