The Smoking Tire Podcast – March 19, 2026

Episode: Porsche GT Pricing Scam(?); Zack's M3 Tariff; EV Chargers Cancelled

Hosts: Matt Farah & Zack Klapman
Summary by AI Expert Podcast Summarizer

Episode Overview

Matt Farah and Zack Klapman return from a sailing trip to discuss the hot topics shaking up the automotive world: a wild Porsche GT3 price-fixing expose, an absurd tariff on Zack's M3 part import, the sudden cancellation of the federal EV charger program, plus new car updates, automotive journalism, and a lively Patron Q&A. The episode weaves classic “Smoking Tire” banter with sharp analysis of car culture, industry trends, and the realities of owning, buying, and selling enthusiast vehicles.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Post-Vacation Banter, Boats & Rums

• 00:00–10:20
  • Matt & Zack swap travel stories about their yachting trip in the BVI. Matt discusses the paradox of renting vs. owning luxury yachts (“There’s no faster way to burn money on the planet south of space flight than a giant fucking yacht.” – Matt, 02:04).
  • Reflections on seasickness, “sea legs,” and their experiences at renowned rum bars (“These high end rums… if you drink old rum, it’ll cost a tenth or less the price of an equivalent bourbon and taste better” – Zack, 08:08).

Tech Woes: Alarm System Disasters

• 10:25–13:58
  • Matt describes the frustrations of “farm to table security” and why high-end tech (alarm/camera/home theater) often gets worse after corporate buyouts.
  • Notable quote: “You have a very fancy system put in… the system is so good that a bigger company acquires them… and your features stop working.” – Matt, 10:29

Zack’s M3 Tariff – A Tale of Bureaucratic Absurdity

• 13:58–17:44
  • Zack recounts getting a Department of Homeland Security bill for $37 in tariffs for three tiny 3D-printed plastic clips from Taiwan: “A bill from the Department of Homeland Security for tariffs owed on three tiny clips about the size of a bottle cap—in the amount of how much? $37.” – Matt/Zack, 15:21
  • Discussion about reversed car part tariffs and the confusing landscape post-Supreme Court decision.

Petrolicious’ Monthly Newspaper – Nostalgia in Print

• 20:00–23:57
  • Matt shares excitement for Petrolicious’s new car culture newspaper (“I’m into the idea of a car newspaper. $5.99 a month… it looks nice. The front story is about Ice Race for this month.”—Matt, 21:14).
  • Broader conversation about the appeal of curated, limited car journalism vs. overwhelming online content (“The Internet, there’s too many things to see. So if you just want a certain number of things about cars and move on, the newspaper helps.” – Zack, 22:14).

EV Charger Program Axed—Loophole Politics

• 26:30–33:01
  • Matt & Zack dissect the recent “killing by loophole” of the $5 billion federal EV charger mandate, requiring 100% U.S.-built chargers—a near-impossible hurdle.
    • “They just found a loophole… must be 100% made in America, and it’s literally not possible to build a high voltage EV charger using 100% American parts.” – Matt, 28:27
  • Broader issues about domestic manufacturing capacity and parallels to the garment industry.
  • Oil stock prices’ rise gets a mention as a sign of slowing EV industry support.

Porsche GT3 “Price Fixing” Conspiracy Explored

• 34:54–48:27
  • Matt & Zack break down a bombshell Rennlist thread (“A study in manipulation by Chicago Marketing”), revealing a systematic “hot potato” dealer network flipping GT3/Touring cars through BAT and consignment to pump prices.
  • Key insights:
    • Only 27% of ~130 BAT sales were true private-party transactions; most involved a dealer flip chain.
    • Dealers sell at MSRP to friends/partners, who relist/consign on BAT, then another dealer buys and relists as CPO for even higher prices, artificially inflating comps.
    • “He found one VIN that’s a year old, got five owners, and it’s got 100 miles on it.” – Matt, 40:04
  • Matt likens this to the NFT “pet rock” boom—manufactured, circular price inflation not based on real demand.
  • Legal status unclear: “It’s not like illegal to do this… but it’s… price fixing. There’s probably an actual term for it that isn’t that, but that’s kind of what it feels like.” – Matt, 42:14.
  • BAT comps for high-demand GT cars deemed unreliable due to this manipulation.

Listener Questions: Patron Q&A Highlights

Storage Limits, Platform Sharing, and EV Adoption

• Storage at WCCS: The only real disqualifiers are lack of insurance or vehicles too large for the facility (65:16).
• Porsche Panamera/Taycan Platform Merger: Hosts think it makes sense financially, as long as it doesn't compromise key design differences (66:14).
• Increasing EV/Hybrid Adoption: Main barriers are infrastructure and affordability; “The market does not need a missing feature—the problem is wages haven’t kept up.” – Matt, 78:55.

Automotive Trivia & Tactics

• Reserve Prices at Auction: “Reserve should be the absolute lowest amount you’re willing to take… putting in all that work and not selling the car is a burden.” – Matt, 74:10.
• Best “Surprising” Forced Induction Cars: Pontiac Bonneville SSEI, Grand Prix GTP, Shelby Omni GLHS, and Toyota Previa supercharged get nostalgic nods (71:32).
• Best $50K Family Cruiser: Lexus GS-F: “Great car, that’s got the V8, 470 horsepower, sounds good.” – Matt & Zack, 100:13.

Philosophical & Practical Banter

• “James May Moment” – When Enthusiasm Turns Practical: “It was when I started driving Porsches… fit and finish started to matter more when I couldn’t use all the performance.” – Matt, 85:30.
• Vespa vs. Motorcycle Commutes: Vespas praised for cargo capacity, ease, city utility: “The difference between a scooter with a cargo box and one without is 100% utility versus zero utility.” – Matt, 59:06.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Matt on Yacht Ownership: “There’s no faster way to burn money on the planet south of space flight than a giant fucking yacht.” (02:04)
• Zack’s Tariff Debacle: “A bill from the Department of Homeland Security for tariffs owed on those three tiny clips about the size of a bottle cap—in the amount of how much? $37.” (15:21)
• On the GT3 Resale Conspiracy: “This car goes from being sold as a new unit…sold to an individual who owns a dealer…consigned through another dealer, bought on BAT by a franchise dealer, now becomes listed as a CPO even above that price.” – Matt (37:10)
• Price-Fixing Parallels: “It’s tough because everyone wants GT3s, but…it creates a fraudulent, price-fixing kind of system.” – Matt (42:14)
• Infrastructure Over Manual Hybrids: “The market does not need a missing feature…they need infrastructure and they need to be able to afford them.” – Matt (78:55)
• Resale Reserves: “If you're ready to sell that car, mentally that car's gone anyway. Every day that car is still here is a burden.” — Matt (76:52)

Timestamps of Important Segments

• 00:00–04:20: Vacation recap & luxury boat banter
• 10:25: Tech/Alarm System Disasters
• 13:58: M3 Tariff Story
• 20:00: Petrolicious Newspaper Launch
• 26:30: EV Charger Mandate Loophole & Industry Impact
• 34:54: Porsche GT3 Price Fixing Scandal Dissected
• 50:09–107:41: Patron Q&A; includes car trends, Porsche platform rumors, best practical cruisers, auction strategy, and more

Closing Thoughts

The episode offers rare insight into deep-rooted dealership gamesmanship, the global complexities in automotive parts sourcing, and the precarious state of U.S. EV infrastructure. Matt and Zack continue to cut through hype and myth surrounding enthusiast cars, pricing, and automotive culture with a balance of humor, skepticism, and enthusiasm.

Further Reading/Links

• Porsche GT3 Pricing Scandal Thread on Rennlist – See episode notes
• Petrolicious Car Culture Newspaper
• Westside Collector Car Storage

For dedicated car enthusiasts and industry observers, this installment stands as a must-catch for honest talk on how the sausage gets made in the car game — and the moves you need to avoid getting burned.