The Smoking Tire: "2025 Monterey Car Week Stories"

Hosts: Matt Farah & Zack Klapman
Date: August 19, 2025

Episode Overview

Matt Farah and Zack Klapman reunite after a busy Monterey Car Week for a debrief filled with car show stories, project updates (notably, Matt's new 2025 Myers Manx), critiques of the evolving auto scene, and colorful insider commentary. They explore the highs and lows of car culture—from dazzling hypercar reveals and auction antics to the simple fun of driving an unusual car like the Manx around Monterey. The episode is an entertaining, insightful, and at times critical reflection on the direction of automotive passion, the collectibility market, and the show's own hands-on adventures.

Key Segments & Discussion Highlights

1. Returning from Car Week: Logistics & First Impressions

00:00–03:15

• Matt’s drive home:
  "It was eight hours is how long my drive was. And even in a Bentley, that's a long day. But we're here." — Matt Farah (00:19)
• House rental experiment:
  This was the first Car Week for the team renting a house, which offered plenty of space (even for a trailer) and good vibes for group hangouts.
• Matt reminisces about impressive trailer parking skills and shares how the group consisted of key friends and family, creating a relaxed, festive home base.

2. Quail Motorsports Gathering: Manufacturer Hype & Reveals

03:16–13:40

• The Quail's rise on the Car Week hierarchy:
  Matt and Zack note "the Quail is… the big one now" (03:01), with manufacturers treating it like a bonafide auto show for major debuts.

• Cadillac ‘Elevated Velocity’ Concept:

  • Matt stumbles upon the Cadillac reveal:
    “Elevated Velocity, as it turns out, is not a tagline. That's the name of the car.” (05:18)
  • Both hosts critique the concept’s wild design:
    “It looks like a luxurious fast Martian rover…”
    — Matt Farah (07:16) “The roof…is like six feet tall.”
    — Zack Klapman (09:18)
  • General consensus: Audi gasps, confusion, and disinterest—“I kind of like audibly gasped and walked away and I was like, I'm done with the reveals now.” (08:12)

• Gordon Murray F1 Reboots & Hypercar Critique:

  • Both hosts are awed by the Gordon Murray F1 tribute (T.50-based), but Matt laments the trend of “one customer” cars:
    “That's just literal Gilded Era shit. And we know how that ends.” (13:32)

• Industry Direction Anxiety:

  • Critical conversation about automakers chasing elite profits:
    “We don't want car makers to realize…they can make more money selling fewer cars to fewer people...”
    — Matt Farah (18:21)
  • Zack echoes worry about income disparity and enthusiasts losing out on accessible sports cars.

3. Car Week Culture: The Good, the Bad, and the Toxic

20:34–26:16

• Supercars & Youthful Obsession:

  • Both reflect on the hypercar “spotting” crowd and how the market and community feel more vapid and transactional.
  • Matt critiques the Instagram handle trend:
    "The number of seven figure cars I saw with Instagram handles on their... Dude, like, this is some trashy ass garbage." (21:00)

• Cool/Classic Sightings:

  • Despite misgivings, both enjoyed classic rally cars, AMGs, Testarossas, and, notably, “a lot of Testarossas” being driven, not just trailered.

• Old Cars v. New Car Week Experience:

  • Matt praises the quirks of running classic cars like the Countach and the responsibility/fun of owing “cool” cars that require actual engagement versus “parking up front” in the latest supercar.

4. Project Update: Matt’s New Myers Manx Electric Buggy

27:42–39:15

• Initial Ownership Tales (00:57:32–01:00:00):
  • Matt’s genuine delight in using the Manx as his full-time Monterey car:
    “I got up to 565 miles…in a little car with no windows or roof or climate control or radio or anything really. It was fucking amazing.” (31:40)
  • Reliability and practical adjustments: fixing a sensitive throttle, heated seats, fuel economy (565mi on 8 gallons!), and the fun of slow-car-fast philosophy.
  • Memorable moment: Jerry Seinfeld's reaction after Matt lets him start the Manx:
    “He did the face the most full of wonder, boyish, you know.” (33:19)
• Breakdown Adventure:
  • Car dies on the very last night (“karma’s up!”): Matt tells the story of rescuing the Manx with help from a fan, friend Jeff, and a lucky downhill push to load onto the trailer (52:37–58:40).
    “The very last one, the very last drive home, it was like, nope, karma's up.” (58:40)

5. Hot Takes: Zinger 21C & 3D-Print Tech in Hypercars

39:15–42:00

• Czinger 21C Hype:
  • Matt describes seeing multiple running cars and the wild engineering:
    “These are just really interesting because of that additive manufacturing stuff… This, like, you can't... It's like, cool. Really cool.” (41:30)
  • Discussion of the car’s fighter-jet seating, insane specs, and unique approach to manufacturing.

6. Pebble Beach Concours: Winning Cars, Oddities, and Best-of-Show

42:00–49:00

• Best in Show & Unique Finds:

  • Matt’s favorite (and this year’s actual winner): a Hispano Suiza with a body made entirely out of tulip wood.
    “The woodwork is almost like an incredibly fine guitar… This stopped me for about 10 minutes.” (42:16, 42:55)
  • Lancia concept with Lucite interior details and pop-up wheel spat covers.
  • Land Rover history display, Camel Trophy Defender, and Andy Warhol BMW M1 Procar sighting.

• Unrestored Low-Mile Ferrari:

  • Rare, gold-painted Daytona Spider with only 87 miles, and amusing color criticisms:
    “It's cut. I don't. Other than the go back. I like the gold. I. You know what I don't like is that black belt line stripe. That's a big fucking yuck to me.” (45:44)

7. Automotive Culture & Ownership Reflections

49:00–66:00

• Driving Mode Philosophy:

  • Both agree old-school, fun, “approachable” cars (like the Manx or a Morgan) generate genuine smiles and positive interactions compared to over-the-top exotics.

• Ultimate Monterey/Pebble Cars:

  • Matt nominates the CMS Motorsports coach-built AMG shooting brake as his “perfect Pebble car.”

• Exotic Coachbuilds and Boutique Engineering:

  • Shoutouts to wild builds like Eli’s Porsche-powered Manx and Richard Tuthill’s new “LFG” Safari/off-road machine.

8. Shifting Collector Tastes & Market Changes

66:34–69:53

• Matt observes the transition at Pebble/Monterey from vintage to boutique hypercars:
  • “The transition away from vintage cars and to hyper cars and boutique new sports cars… is happening pretty rapidly. The auction prices reflect it. The kind of stuff you see driving around reflects it. The cars have much, much newer.” (69:53)
  • Both note that the market for “blue chip” vintage cars is flat or falling, while 1990s and newer hypercars are surging.

9. Q&A Highlights

Timestamps: 71:27–78:57

• Would you drive a Cybertruck for a month or a Model T cross-country?
  • Both: Model T, for the story and adventure. (71:28)
• Is the $1,500 Quail ticket worth it?
  • “I wouldn't pay $1,500 to go to the Quail.” — Matt (72:30)
  • “You can get plenty of value from Car Week without having to pay the money…” — Zack (72:44)
• “Don’t Meet Your Car Heroes” Example:
  • Matt: The DeLorean—looks great, impractical for LA.
  • Zack: Mustang Dark Horse—underwhelming compared to expectations.
• Why don’t manufacturers remake old car bodies on new platforms?
  • Regulation, packaging, and company scale limit this; such cars come from third parties, not OEMs.
• Best unorthodox police car ideas:
  • Both suggest Priuses, not militarized SUVs (“We need to emasculate” — Matt, 79:44).

10. Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On ultra-premium coach-building:
  “That’s just literal Gilded Era shit. And we know how that ends.” — Matt Farah (13:32)
• On Instagram-handle supercar culture:
  “The number of seven figure cars I saw that had Instagram handles on their... Dude, like, this is some trashy ass garbage.” — Matt (21:00)
• On the Manx’s role at Car Week:
  “You get…in terms of attention or whatever, it's nearly one to one with the hypercars for 2% of what it costs compared to one of those things.” — Matt (28:19)
• Jerry Seinfeld, upon starting Matt’s Manx:
  “That's fucking… that's something cool. That's cool.” — Recounted by Matt (33:27)
• On driving slow cars fast:
  “At regular car speeds… it's more fun than any exotic car. …You're making a bunch of noise, you're not really going all that fast, but you're sure feeling it.” — Matt (61:30)

Final Thoughts

The hosts balance admiration for technical innovation and design at Monterey Car Week with a genuine unease about market exclusivity and superficiality infecting car culture. Their personal tales—especially Matt’s weeklong Manx adventure, including a classic quirky breakdown—demonstrate a clear preference for authenticity, mechanical engagement, and stories over status. A must-listen episode for enthusiasts who want the inside scoop on Monterey, both the spectacle and the soul.

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