The Smoking Tire Podcast
Episode: GTD vs GT3; Lambo Temerario Drive; Lemons Buttonwillow; More
Hosts: Matt Farah, Zack Klapman
Date: October 2, 2025
Brief Overview
In this episode, Matt reports in remotely from Thunderhill Raceway during the Performance Car of the Year (PCOTY) test, while Zack joins from home after a weekend at the Lemons Buttonwillow race. The show dives into cheap racing tales, in-depth impressions of the latest high-performance cars (including the Lamborghini Temerario, Mustang GTD, Corvette ZR1, M5 Touring, AMG GT Pro, Porsche GT3, and more), and the value of evaluating vehicles back-to-back for real context. The tone is lively, candid, and technical—the usual mix of camaraderie and sharp analysis for which TST is known.
Key Topics & Discussion Points
1. Lemons Buttonwillow Recap (01:38 – 25:06)
Zack’s Team (Huevos Rancheros):
- Cars: Ranchero and a V8-swapped MGB GT
- The MGB GT had a Buick-sourced 215ci V8, original to some UK models—light and torquey but only 160 hp.
- “It sounds like a 400 cubic inch destruction machine... then you open the door, and it makes like 160 horsepower. It’s torky.” — Zack (02:26)
- Vehicle quirks:
- V8 weighs 50 lbs less than iron-block inline-4, making for a lighter, quicker, good-momentum car.
- Looks and sounds fast, but still gets walked by, say, a VW Jetta in the chaos of Lemons.
Battle with Reliability:
- Jeff Glucker’s Montero: Oil leak (front main seal) after an hour on the road, requiring AAA tow back home.
- “Jeff’s car sacrificed itself to the maintenance gods... so maybe the other cars will run well all weekend.” — Zack (06:45)
- MGB GT:
- Double-tap brakes: Needed to pump the brake twice each time to actuate the fronts due to old/dodgy setup.
- “[On track]... you have to double tap the brake pedal… that was insane.” — Zack (09:07)
- Open diff—complaints about throttle gentleness out of tight corners.
- Double-tap brakes: Needed to pump the brake twice each time to actuate the fronts due to old/dodgy setup.
Track Antics & Mishaps:
- Overheating led to a head gasket replacement mid-race.
- “We did all those diagnostic checks, and wouldn’t you know it, the doctor says—it’s a head gasket.” — Zack (15:37)
- Suspension failure (rear shock): multiple fixes, eventually resulted in unpredictable handling, but the team pressed on.
- “Now half the shock is gone... So we had half a shot. So we didn’t retire the car—just gonna be weird out there.” — Zack (16:46)
- Ranchero stint: Long sessions, third in class, very loud (tinnitus-inducing), went through tires rapidly; “Like a dyno room in a mailbox.” — Zack (18:07)
Lemons Lessons:
- On slow cars being in the way:
- Praise for older, predictable drivers; criticism for line-hogging noobies ignoring traffic etiquette (24:08)
- “Cheap racing is very fun—if your car works properly.” — Matt (24:50)
2. Seaside to Sierra: Matt’s PCOTY Experience & Deep-Dive (25:41 – 67:50)
The Road Trip & Audi RS3 Impressions:
- 1000-mile journey from SF to Sonoma, Grass Valley, ending in Tahoe.
- RS3 (US-spec) with Performance Pack:
- Pros: Fast, brakes, “does it all” package—great for track, canyon, daily, and (eventually) cross-country.
- Cons: Lacks Euro-spec seats, dislike for square/haptic-button steering wheel, unpredictable slide behavior (“doesn’t respond the same way to the same inputs each time”), harsh ride.
- “[Torque rear mode]... it’ll do it, but it doesn’t do it predictably.” — Matt (28:24)
- “It really executes at a very high level…for $75-80k, it's a lot of car.” — Matt (33:16)
Value of Group Testing (Context Is Everything):
- Back-to-back laps in everything from Mini JCW to Corvette ZR1 to GT3—context revealed strengths and weaknesses not obvious in isolation.
- “When I drove a car in isolation versus back-to-back… maybe things that I thought about the car originally... were not really complete thoughts.” — Matt (34:53)
- Mustang GTD “rides beautifully”… until compared with ZR1.
- “What I thought was a beautiful riding car in isolation, compared… not actually.” — Matt (35:25)
- “Doing laps in the GT3 then in the GTD—you feel every pound [of Mustang’s weight].” — Matt (37:10)
Rapid Impressions: Main Contenders
(All impressions ~41:55 – 67:23)
- Mini JCW:
- “Fully transitioned into a luxury car... as a real sports car, I don’t think that’s it.”
- Golf R (Euro Style Package):
- Slick top, lighter, cloth seats, real diff—“After driving the Mini, the Golf feels like a McLaren.”
- “Very impressed... offers a lot of what the RS3 offers for a much cheaper price.”
- M5 Touring:
- Massive grip, a literal tire-smoke machine on track, but “so much tech and so many modes,” less exciting on the road.
- “For a big, heavy car, it slides incredibly easily—1–5% throttle required, anything more is insta-spin.”
- “If you want to drift with more throttle than that, leave it in four-wheel drive.” — Matt (45:05)
- Lamborghini Temerario:
- Lighter, smaller Revuelto, 907 hp, V8 revs to 10k—“It’s a monster.”
- “Picks up where Ferrari left off in the V8 department. The exhaust sounds fabulous inside.”
- Front end looks busier and less tidy in person; sticker price $568K—“I literally yelped.”
- AMG GT Pro:
- “Much more driver focused... super light forged wheels, tuned suspension, better brakes.”
- “But doesn’t like being driven beyond the limit; very difficult to fully disable traction.”
- “As a track car: lovely. For overdriving: not so much.”
- Porsche 911 GT3 (manual):
- “Just the most joyous thing to use... does everything right.”
- “Compared to cars with 900 or 1,000hp, it over-performs. This is the car you keep for 20 years.”
- “You just drive it and you go: I know why everyone wants one and no one can get one.” — Matt (60:59)
- Corvette ZR1:
- “Frighteningly fast, fabulous engine, but on a short track vs Z06 difference is hard to feel.”
- “It’s over 1,000 horsepower but, with all the PTM (Performance Traction Management) stuff, you only get that on big straights—otherwise it's not much different from the Z06.”
- “It offers crazy performance value—a Chevy you can just use as a car.”
Notable Quote on Porsche GT3’s Lasting Appeal:
“It is the kind of car where you buy one today and you drive it for 20 years, and you don't have the urge to upgrade to the next thing. It's a real, real treat to get to lap one of those around a track.”
— Matt Farah (60:05)
The Value Proposition:
- “As it says, it’s in the long line of Corvettes that over-perform for their price tag.” — Matt (65:00)
- “There’s no such thing as a Chevy that isn’t a Chevy. You can just use it as a car, which is kind of awesome.” — Matt (66:16)
Memorable Moments & Quotes
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On Lemons Quirks:
- “The brake system gets more upset under high-speed left-handers. Double tap is not sufficient—it needs a triple tap.” — Zack (13:00)
- “Staring out your passenger window at a pack of race cars coming toward you is a unique view.” — Zack (13:33)
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On Contextual Testing:
- “Compared to an actually light car like a GT3… it’s really obvious how heavy [the GTD] is... doesn't mean it's not awesome, but it is enormous.” — Matt (37:10)
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On Limit Handling in Modern Hybrids:
- “Temerario… is a 5% throttle position in order to slide. You’re just getting a ton of electric torque at low input—just makes it hard.” — Zack & Matt (46:03)
- “I mean, the Bentley drifts awesome, very effortlessly… this [AMG] won't do it—no one has considered that somebody might want to drive it beyond the limit. And they're probably right.” — Matt (55:08)
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On the Porsche GT3:
- “The only naturally aspirated engine, the only stick shift… And it’s just the most joyous thing to use.” — Matt (57:59)
- “Porsche has to innovate just to stay the same.” — Matt (58:45)
Important Timestamps
- 01:38: Start of Lemons Buttonwillow discussion
- 02:26: V8 MG sound/feel
- 06:45: Glucker sacrifices Montero to “maintenance gods”
- 09:07: The legendary “brake double-tap” quirk
- 15:37: Diagnosing the MGB’s head gasket failure
- 17:56: Stint in the Ranchero; racing with tinnitus
- 25:41: Matt’s PCOTY/road trip recap
- 28:24: RS3 unpredictability on track
- 33:16: RS3 as “a lot of car for the money”
- 35:25: Mustang GTD “beautiful ride” versus ZR1 in context
- 41:55: Quick takes on all PCOTY contenders
- 45:05: Modulating throttle for M5 Touring and Temerario slides
- 49:25: Temerario's front-end design in reality
- 60:05: Matt’s Porsche GT3 moment
- 65:00: Corvette ZR1 context and value
Final Notes & Takeaways
- Lemons continues to be a master class in acceptance, patience, and improvisation, with laughter and mechanical failures in equal measure.
- Real car understanding comes from context—testing cars back to back can flip your opinions from “amazing” to “maybe not so much,” and vice versa.
- The leap in power and complexity in the latest performance cars brings more ultra-fast, tech-laden monsters, but also magnifies the appeal of analog, simply joyful machines like the Porsche GT3.
- Lamborghini’s Temerario is a technical and emotional standout (albeit with an astronomical price tag).
- The Corvette ZR1 and M5 Touring prove, each in their way, that you can get massive capability—or just plain mischief—for a comparative value, even as cars hit eye-watering power and price figures.
This summary covers all core discussions, major vehicle impressions, and the episode’s entertaining, insightful highlights for listeners seeking the essence of this TST installment.
