Episode 114 – Lazers
Welcome to the automotive podcast that is NOT using ChatGPT! (Adobe… Probably)
This week Eric finally did it… he broke his truck. Daryl is knee-deep in Quadrajunk carbs, Elon wants you to believe his Roadster can fly, and the DSM triplets go head to head in a Race Daily Kill that has lasers. Let’s get into it!
Eric Broke His Truck at Southern Cruiser Crawl 2026!!!
Ten years of going to Southern Cruiser Crawl, and Eric made it a whole two hours before Treehugger 4.0 blew the front driver’s side CV axle on Fun Run. Gray goo everywhere. More details as they can be released… (Patrons get the whole story in the preshow!)
Moment of Musk… The “Flying” Tesla Roadster
On October 15, at a SpaceX test facility in McGregor, Texas, Tesla finally showed off the new Roadster, nine years after it was first introduced. The demo car drove up a ramp, launched, did a flip and used thrusters to help stabilize the landing. Tesla says it uses 10 thruster nozzles fed by high-pressure air tanks, plus a fan-powered suction system for downforce. The claims: 0-60 in under one second, a top speed over 230 mph and more than 300 miles of range.
Want one? There’s a road-ready Performance version with a $50,000 reservation, a Thrust version with the cold-gas thrusters for a $250,000 reservation, and an invite-only Rocket version. Production is supposed to start in 2028… and Musk himself admitted some of what it can do might not be legal everywhere.
So is it a hypercar or just a really expensive hop? Even the eVTOL guys aren’t buying the “flying car” pitch. As one put it to CNN, “We are literally talking about hopping.” Automotive World went a step further and suggested the whole show was really about selling a SpaceX merger, not a car.
Sources: KPRC Click2Houston, Mac’s Motor City Garage, Automotive World, CNN
Race Daily Kill Has Lasers!
This week it’s the Diamond-Star Motors triplets: the 1990 Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX vs. the 1990 Eagle Talon TSi, with a nod to the forgotten third sibling, the Plymouth Laser. All three were built at the same plant in Normal, Illinois, on the same 97.2-inch wheelbase.
- Eclipse GSX AWD: 3,097 lb, 0-60 in 6.7 seconds. The best seller of the three, with the widest trim range.
- Talon TSi AWD: about 3,100 lb, 0-60 in 6.6 seconds. Launched turbo-only, with its own fascia and taillights.
- Laser RS Turbo AWD: about 3,100 lb and roughly 6.7 seconds. The lowest seller, and gone after 1994.
Same DSM bones… so who takes it?
Sources: Hagerty, Encycarpedia, iSeeCars (Eclipse, Talon). Figures marked “~” are typical published ranges and vary by year, transmission and magazine.
Projects
Eric
The website has a new look… tell us what you think!
Customer of the Week goes to Beardo, who is going to write a program in ChatGPT to figure out the wheel speed sensor code on his 2007 Tundra. Apparently the dealer has more codes in the system that we aren’t sharing with him, and now he’s going to be forced to buy an OBD reader and do it himself. Good luck, Beardo.
Customer #2 this week was an old Tundra owner trying to get a transmission covered under warranty.
And yes… Eric had to ride in a Tesla in San Diego.
Daryl
Quadrajunk carbs, Chinese knockoffs, parts stockpiles, truck stuff and the winter storage doldrums. Daryl is also obsessed with some new YouTube channels you should check out:
- Pole Barn Garage
- Junkyard Digs
- Atomic Era Motors
- Build Season
News
World: Stellantis Says It’s Back in Europe
The night before the Paris Motor Show opened, Stellantis took over a refurbished hangar in Meudon, just outside Paris, with one message: Stellantis is back as a force in Europe. Its Paris lineup leans hard on retro and character, led by a new Citroën 2CV concept that weighs under one tonne and is targeted for 2028 at around €15,000. Fiat brought back the Multipla on a stand made to look like an Italian piazza, and Opel showed the 281-hp Corsa GSE. Is the comeback real, or just good theater? Meanwhile Stellantis’ North American sales are down 12% year over year and it’s pausing production at Windsor Assembly.
Sources: Automotive News Europe, electrive, National Law Review / Foley Automotive Update
National: People Are Installing Self-Driving Mods on Their Own Cars
Open-source systems like Comma AI’s Openpilot let anyone tech savvy enough turn their car into a self-driving experiment, with a retrofit kit running about $1,000. One Tesla Model Y owner even let his FSD subscription lapse and switched to a Comma device running “Sunnypilot,” a fork of Openpilot. What could go wrong? Well… NHTSA just opened an investigation into Comma after five crashes involving Openpilot-equipped cars hitting slow or stopped traffic, with 11 people injured and three killed. The probe covers about 30,000 kits, and regulators are also looking at Comma’s “hands free driving for the car you already have” marketing versus the fine print that says you have to supervise it constantly.
Source: Futurism
Local: Tragic Recovery at Buffington Harbor in Gary, Indiana
On Saturday, October 17, a woman called 911 to report her vehicle was sinking near Buffington Harbor in Gary. Surveillance video near the Indiana Sugar entrance showed a white vehicle going into the water. The water was so contaminated that Indiana DNR divers couldn’t safely go in, so crews had to pump it out overnight to lower the level. On Sunday they recovered a white Hyundai with a deceased woman inside. Authorities are still investigating.
Source: ABC7 Chicago
Cars of the Weak
Eric: 1968 Mazda R100 – $26,000
Wait… that’s not an R100. Confused? You’ll have to listen to the episode!
Listed in Los Angeles, this 1968 Mazda R100 Series 1 came from Canada and shows 12,345 miles. Red on red, manual transmission, clean title and a brand new redone interior. The catch? The original 10A rotary is frozen. Mostly complete, very hard to find, and the seller has “NO TIME FOR BS.” Is a rotary project worth $26K?
Daryl: 1953 Chevrolet 3100 Pickup – $6,500
Out of Western Colorado, this 1953 Chevy 3100 is an old Navy store display truck. It’s a roller with good chrome, great cab corners and a title… plus the usual rust in the floorboards. The seller has more if you want to go all in: an S10 frame with a 4.3L V6 and 4L60E (turns over, under 40,000 miles), already modified to a 116-inch wheelbase, for $1,750, a full Panza kit still in the box for $1,300 and an S10 4×4 rear axle with disc brakes for $400. That’s a whole restomod in one ad!
About Your Hosts
Daryl Scott… Who is the man who will ride across the state and inspect a VW with his brother man? Daryl Scott… Damn Right!
Eric Stahl… He came. He saw. He blew up his truck and didn’t write a country music song about it… yet.
Thanks!
Thanks to our sponsor, Fort’s Toyota of Pekin, and a big thanks to all of our Patreon supporters! Patrons get the preshow, and Apple Podcasts Premium gives you full integration right in your podcast app.
Want in on the fun? Email us at info@throwinwrenches.com, comment on Spotify, or leave a review on Apple Podcasts to be heard worldwide!
Check us out on YouTube… before we are banned for copyright!
Thanks for listening, sharing, and commenting!
Eric & Daryl
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
