The Smoking Tire Podcast — "Crew, RUF Rodeo, and Parker's HUGE Win"

Hosts: Matt Farah & Zack Klapman
Date: August 26, 2025

Episode Overview

Matt and Zack are back in the studio, bringing listeners a blend of car culture, industry news, and irreverent banter. The central theme: their hands-on review of the RUF Rodeo—RUF’s outlandish, carbon-tub, off-road, million-dollar “safari” 911. They also dish on NASCAR driver Parker Kligerman’s bizarre "non-win," updates on Matt’s Myers Manx, Pebble Beach Car Week stories, and community Q&A ranging from practical car advice to speculation on car features we wish crossed oceans.

Key Topics & Discussion Points

1. Car Week & Pebble Beach Stories (00:00–16:30)

• Shirt Banter & Car T-Shirts Gone Wrong (00:00–04:00)
  Matt and Zack riff on a car-themed T-shirt with questionable design choices—backwards windshields and misinterpreted car art, poking fun at T-shirt graphics and obscure hot rod history.

• Social Awkwardness at Pebble Beach (03:45–05:30)
  Memorable encounters with auto icons:

  "If Chip Foose, who did not recognize me at Pebble Beach, calls me and says, actually I’ve done a backwards bodied ’32, then okay…" — Matt (03:36)

• Adventures in Monterey: Lodging Drama & RV Campsites (05:51–08:36)
  Observation on crazy car week lodging prices, last-minute Airbnb strategies, and friends camping out in luxury RV setups at Laguna Seca — "You wake up to the sounds of race cars."

2. Car Reviews & Driving Experiences

A. RUF Rodeo In-Depth Review (36:06–49:45)

• Initial Impressions

  • Car looks "cartoony" and "whimsical," with “exaggerated proportions” that set it apart from typical 911s.
  • Rear fenders are comically wide; bumpers have a unique, non-motorsport aesthetic.

• Chassis, Powertrain, and Dynamics

  • Carbon tub, sub-3,000 lbs wet weight (claimed).
  • Metzger-based 3.6L twin-turbo (610 hp), torque-adjustable AWD system (manually selectable).
  • Phenomenal suspension compliance—“makes big swales in the road disappear.”
  • “Trophy truck”/rally-like body movement and weight transfer.
  • “It can make big swales in the road, like, completely disappear, which is really fun. But the weight transfer movements are very accentuated, which is also very fun.” — Matt (40:21)

• Drivability & Fun Factor

  • Gobs of torque result in traction control lighting up in 1st and 2nd gears.
  • “It brings all of that joy to more accessible, level speeds… it's so easy to drive with 2 degrees of oversteer everywhere.”
  • Four-wheel slides are “no problem, all gravy. It really has a fabulous front, rear, left, right balance.” (41:42)

• Interior & Comfort

  • Ralph Lauren-inspired, western-themed interior:

    “The dash construction and stitching… it’s the best I’ve ever seen.” — Zack (45:09)

  • Only real criticism: steering wheel doesn’t adjust as much as desired; AC could use improvement (54:23).
  • Cargo space compromised by inboard suspension, but “there are roof rails!”

• Who Is It For?

  • Niche market; hosts wonder if enough ultra- wealthy buyers exist who are willing to get such a car dirty.
  • Advice: “Don’t do this as an investment… do this one as a cash burn.” (49:27)
  • Comparison with other safari 911 builders (Singer, T.J. Russell) and Baja pre-runners.

B. Myers Manx Update (26:42–36:06)

• Fault traced to a Lucas-sourced front left blinker—"shitty electronics" trope.
• Manx crew rewiring the fuse panel to avoid future failures.
• Various ergonomic and usability tweaks underway (throttle, shifter, brake pedal feel, top flapping solved with ‘battens’).
• Matt: “He called me and said it’s a radiologist issue. We should get him a T-shirt. Merch game going.”

3. Parker Kligerman’s Hilarious Daytona “Non-Win” (22:25–25:12)

• Parker entered Daytona as a relief driver for Connor Zillich, who injured his collarbone.
• Parker wins the race… but rules dictate points and official victory go to the original driver (Zillich), not the substitute.

  “The rule seems to be that no matter how Parker wins, he cannot win. But I hope this gets the attention of the big teams… Shout out Parker for finally winning even though you won’t get the credit.” — Zack (24:40)

• Call for Parker to make "won but didn't win" merch.

Memorable Quotes & Moments

- On the RUF Rodeo:

• “It looks… whimsical. Like a toy. Exaggerated proportions.”
  — Matt (37:01)

• “It highlights how great that [carbon fiber tub] is and, man… this thing really has some fun, dynamic habits, doesn’t it?”
  — Matt (40:11)

• “So easy to drive with two degrees of oversteer everywhere… Just really good.”
  — Matt (42:22)

• “You have to be real rich and real brave… But you can find an empty gravel lot and have an insane amount of fun with this car safely.”
  — Matt (48:41)

• "[The carbon tub and the brand name] do… come with both."
  — Matt (46:49)

- On Parker’s "Win":

• “The rule seems to be that no matter how Parker wins, he cannot win. But I hope that this gets the attention of the big teams.”
  — Zack (24:40)
• “Parker wins with an asterisk.”
  — Zack (36:39)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Car Week Stories (Lodging, RV Campsites): 05:51–08:36
• RUF Rodeo Review: 36:06–49:45
• Myers Manx Update: 26:42–36:06
• Parker Kligerman’s Weird Daytona Win: 22:25–25:12
• Discussion: Modern Supercars as Gen Z poster cars: 77:32–78:04
• Audience Q&A (Car advice, industry quirkiness): 56:24–end

Listener Questions & Community Banter

• Car Week Spotting & Short Car Ownership Stories
  Both hosts recount the rarest cars seen “in traffic” at Monterey and the shortest time they kept a “keeper car” (Matt’s Hummer H1: 3 months).

• “Ugliest 911” Debate
  "It's really just the headlights [on the 996] more so than anything else." (60:01)
  Consensus: most 911s are fundamentally similar, but 996's headlights put it lowest.

• Practical Car Mod Advice
  On making a boring car interesting: “Nearly anything can be made cool by lowering and adding tasteful wheels.” (64:26)

• Enthusiast Driving Courses for Teens:
  Both give a strong “go for it!” on sending new drivers to programs like Dirtfish.

• Random Favorites:
  Favorite WRX STI? Zack: “Hawkeye all day.” Matt: “22B all day. Two-door, non-US version for me.”

Standout Moments & Inside Jokes

• The recurring joke about misnamed, backwards, or AI-generated car T-shirt art.
• Inside baseball about car week Airbnb roulette and RV “glamping” at races.
• Matt’s friend Mike gets the “California tour”: motorcycles, mountain roads, pluots, and farmers markets.
• Shared skepticism over solar panel claims for EV trucks:

  “When we do this math, it does come across like a gimmick… Maybe it runs the electronics inside, but it just seems whimsical.” — Zack (85:40)

Final Thoughts & Tone

The show maintains its blend of insider automotive expertise, sarcastic wit, and genuine enthusiasm—for the machines, the culture, and the weirdness surrounding both. The deep-dive on the RUF Rodeo is the episode’s technical and emotional core, balanced by personal anecdotes and a lively, non-pretentious Q&A with listeners.

For longtime fans or new listeners: this sums up a classic, info-dense, and entertainment-filled Smoking Tire episode, with plenty to satisfy car nerds and casual fans alike.