The Smoking Tire Podcast — January 20, 2026

Episode: Aston DBX Review; Ferrari Record Nonsense; AI on BaT?

Hosts

• Matt Farah (@thesmokingtire)
• Zack Klapman (@zackklapman)

Overview

In this engaging episode, Matt and Zack dig into a week-long review of the Aston Martin DBX S and debate its place in the luxury SUV world. They discuss the skyrocketing prices of Ferraris at auction, including jaw-dropping Enzo and Challenge Stradale sales, and share their impressions of the Guntherwerks Ferrari 458 prototype. The hosts also explore a bizarre AI-generated Bring a Trailer listing, touch on the future of the Ford Mustang GTD, trade barber stories, and answer patron questions about EVs, watches, practical off-roaders, and more. As always, their candid humor and deep industry knowledge shine.

Key Topics & Segments

1. Check Writing, Trash, and Parking Economics (00:00–09:40)

• The lost art of check writing: Matt laments being one of the few remaining regular check writers, sharing stories of Marco from TLG spending up to 90 minutes a day writing checks for his Porsche business.
  • “I do about 50 checks a month… three to four days a month I spend 15 to 30 minutes writing checks, which is acceptable to me.” — Matt (03:14)
• NYC trash problem: Matt and Zack riff on the inefficiency of trash collection in New York and how streetside trash mountains during strikes highlight urban planning flaws.
• Free parking in NYC: The hosts debate the economics and politics of providing free street parking in Manhattan vs. better public trash infrastructure.
  • “Free parking in New York City, that’s some of the most valuable land on the planet, and it’s being given away for free.” — Matt (07:34)
  • Book recs: The High Cost of Free Parking by Donald Shoup, Paved Paradise by Henry Grabar (08:32)
• Transition to Cars: “Anyway, cars, I guess. Yeah, there are cars. We could talk about cars. Let’s talk about the Divocks [DBX]…” (09:36)

2. Aston Martin DBX S Review (09:36–22:10)

• Platform exclusivity: Matt points out the DBX S’s unique, non-shared platform as a distinguishing (and justifying) factor in its price and appeal.

  • “It’s not a tarted up anything… All of the stuff in this is this. It’s not like a GLE Mercedes underneath there.” — Matt (11:23)

• Driving impressions & upgrades: Praises for agility, sharper steering, and significant unsprung weight reduction via magnesium 23” wheels (saving 42 lbs).

  • “10 pounds a corner is pulling a ton of weight out of this car. It’s incredibly agile… Drives great.” — Matt (19:19)

• Drawbacks: Worries about the cost and durability of massive magnesium wheels; ongoing frustrations with mandatory ADAS (driver aids) systems.

• ADAS/tech complaints: Persistent and default-on lane keeping, speed chime, and slow-booting infotainment screens degrade the luxury experience.

  • “Nothing ruins a luxury experience… like a car that doesn’t remember the setting that you left it in… It’s just not there the next time you start the car.” — Matt (22:16)

• Apple CarPlay Ultra headaches: Weird limitations with connecting multiple Astons; inconsistent system reliability.

  • “Apparently you cannot connect to multiple Aston Martins [CarPlay Ultra]… But I’m so happy that it’s not in CarPlay Ultra anymore…” — Matt (31:21)

• Conclusion: The DBX S stands out for driving dynamics, aesthetics, and exclusivity, with some modern luxury frustrations.

  “It’s a really, really beautiful driving thing. It’s agile, really comfortable… not an upgraded version of anything else. Very much stands alone.” — Matt (36:34)

3. Brief Digression: 2026 Subaru Outback Redesign (34:00–36:30)

• Looks critique: Surprise at Outback’s new “boxy, Santa Fe-like” SUV design, merging with Forester and losing past charm.
  • “Come on. That… is not good looking. I mean, they’ve just made it a square SUV.” — Matt (35:06)
• Interior praise: Notably improved interior and climate controls for the price.

4. Guntherwerks Ferrari 458 Prototype (38:06–48:59)

• Project overview: Guntherwerks is prototyping a 458-based build to bridge the gap between standard 458s ($150–250k) and Speciale models ($700k+).
  • “Basically trying to offer a styling and driving experience that’s more like a Speciale, but for much less money.” — Matt (39:04)
• Modifications: All-carbon front clip, Speciale-style diffuser, new carbon bucket seats, interior upgrades—costing ~$150k on top of the base car.
  • “I really think only the doors and the roof and the glass are left from the original body.” — Matt (43:27)
• Driving feel: Faster, sounds great, not a full re-engineering (like Guntherwerks 993s) but a meaningful upgrade if priced lower than a Speciale.
• Amusing moments: Zack struggles with Ferrari’s steering wheel buttons and blinker (“I couldn’t figure out how to make the blinker stay on… It’s broken.” — Zack, 45:45). Radio and backup camera usability remains terrible.
  • “They are great… but the radio is unusably awful. There needs to be a full-on bypass for that. It’s a piece of junk.” — Matt (46:49)
• Market context: Used 458s considered solid value compared to early NSXs.

5. Super-Mustangs: Ford Dark Horse SC, GTD, & Shelby Evolution (49:11–58:11)

• Shelby name fading: Ford rolls out the “Dark Horse SC” instead of GT500, seemingly phasing out Shelby and switching performance branding to “Ford Racing.”
• Comparison to GTD and RTR: Chassis and powertrain similarities and subtle differences—track-focused setup, DCT gearbox.
• Steering feel debate: Mustangs (especially GT350, GTD, Dark Horse) criticized for lack of steering feedback; Matt speculates high steering assist and wide front tires cause this.
  • “I think they have a very tough mission because there’s so much weight up there, and the tire is so wide that you need a very powerful system… you can’t have really good steering feel.” — Matt (57:26)

6. Barber Stories & Old Man Hobbies (58:11–66:28)

• Oster Model 10 clippers: Matt waxes poetic about his heavy-duty hair buzzer and a deep-dive into blade attachments, power cables, and barbershop culture.
  • “When you hit that giant toggle switch on the bottom and you hear it, it doesn’t just go from off to on—it accelerates.” — Matt (61:13)
• Aging revelations: How enthusiast hobbies (barbershop, hardware, knife sharpening) foreshadow becoming old barbershop regulars.

7. TRX, Escalade V, & the End of Fuel-Thirsty Beasts (66:41–70:11)

• The “last hurrah” for big V8s: OEMs going out with a bang before going electric—examples include TRX’s 777 horsepower and Escalade V’s absurd exhaust.
  • “This is the last exhaust you will ever design. That’s why the Escalade V is like loud enough to wake the dead… Have your last shots, boys!” — Matt (67:10)
• Desert truck fun: Comparing the size/feel of H1 Hummer vs. modern supertrucks; musings on practicality, off-road fun, and the economics of leasing “disposable” off-roaders.

8. How Not to Jump a Raptor – The Brayden Video (71:18–76:26)

• Jumping technique explained: Zack breaks down the right way to approach an off-road jump (tap brakes, time throttle for weight transfer).
• The infamous Raptor crash video (75:02–75:31): The hosts commentate a viral fail video and the physics behind why it “donkey kicked.”

9. Listener Q&A Highlights (76:26–End)

Wide-ranging answers, including:

• Porsche Macan EV vs. Taycan GTS: Taycan’s driving experience only stands out above other Taycans at real performance levels, otherwise very similar for daily use.
• Audi RS7 as a mature daily: Fast, stylish, but not especially dynamic; check for reliability before buying (78:34).
• Ferrari auction insanity (81:04–88:26):
  • 360 Challenge Stradale for $1.87 million, Enzo for $17 million, F50 for $12 million.
  • “Is this just all crypto scams? Who’s paying this much money for this shit?” — Matt (82:30)
  • “You can’t drive it. This is a museum car… That sucks.” — Zack (84:54)
• AI-generated Bring a Trailer listing (98:18–103:19):
  • Bizarre auction with impossible features (two column shifters, cobblestone floor mats).
  • “I think some of the pictures were fake and some of the pictures are real… Some of it was just real lazy.” — Matt (101:12)
• Best/worst drivers: Model 3 and Nissan Altima drivers called out.
• EV success: Hyundai-Kia considered the most successful legacy OEM in EV adoption so far.
• Sportscar “what ifs”: Which pivotal sports car, if erased from history, would most change car culture? Miata, 911, NSX, Dino are discussed.

Notable Quotes & Timestamp Highlights

• On Urban Trash & Parking: “There is an amount of trash that virtually everyone will find unacceptable, and it doesn’t take very long to get there.” — Matt (06:36)
• On Mag Wheels: “Ride from Sacramento? So those magnesium wheels are like 13 or $15,000… And he broke one and Porsche wanted 19 for one…” — Matt (19:59)
• On Infotainment Frustrations: “If that screen doesn’t boot up, you can’t turn it off. That sucks!” — Matt (25:09)
• On Ferrari 458/ Guntherwerks: “I really think only the doors and the roof and the glass are left from the original body.” — Matt (43:27)
• On Mustang Steering Feel: “There’s so much weight up there and the tire is so wide… I don’t think you can have a very powerful system and really good steering feel.” — Matt (57:26)
• On Aging and Barbers: “This is what it’s like being 44. Fountain pens and beard trimmers.” — Matt (65:29)
• On Ferrari Auctions: “That is so much money, dude… I’ve driven Enzos—they’re cool, but fucking nah. That’s a single clutch gearbox, dude. That’s not…” — Matt (81:58)
• On AI Car Listings: “There do appear to be two column shifters coming out of the steering column there… and there was another one that said the floor mats were pebbles.” — Matt (99:18)

Tone & Takeaways

Irreverent, insightful, and always candid, Matt and Zack balance deep car nerdery (on the DBX S, Ferrari market, Mustang engineering) with comic detours into barbershops, city trash strikes, and failed off-roaders. Whether dissecting the logic behind auction prices, griping about tech annoyances, or celebrating aging car icons, the hosts’ rapport and experience make this a fun, illuminating ride for gearheads and casual listeners alike.

Key Timestamps:

• 09:36 – Start of Aston DBX S Review
• 22:16 – ADAS/Infotainment complaints
• 38:06 – Guntherwerks Ferrari 458 Project
• 49:11 – Mustang, Ford Racing, Shelby discussion
• 66:41 – The Last of the Big V8s (TRX, Escalade V)
• 75:02 – Epic Raptor Jump Fail Video Analysis
• 81:04 – Ferrari Auction Results Debate
• 98:18 – AI Car Listing on Bring a Trailer
• 112:42 – Pivotal Sports Cars “What If?”

(Summary omits ad sections per instructions.)