January 10, 2025 • 58 mins
Corvette Museum head of collections Robert Maxhimer joins the show to discuss all things 'Vette. Plus, Rolls-Royce sales results for 2024 and listener feedback.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
I'm Matt Miller and I'm Hannah Elliott, and this is
hot pursuit.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Okay, we have a fun guest today on.
Speaker 3 (00:16):
What has become a little bit of a touchy subject.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
For apparently you and me. It's reared its ugly head
yet again. We're bringing it into twenty twenty five. I guess.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Yes, we're going to talk to the head of the
Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky.
Speaker 1 (00:33):
Robe Maxheimer.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
You are the bigger Corvette fan, I mean officially because
you own corvettes.
Speaker 1 (00:40):
I mean, it's not a competition.
Speaker 3 (00:42):
It's not a.
Speaker 2 (00:42):
Competition, but I feel a love. I've recently rekindled love
for the Corvette. But it's happened to me a couple
of times in my life that I've gotten pretty close
to it.
Speaker 3 (00:52):
And right now I'm there with the C eight.
Speaker 1 (00:55):
It's only a matter of time. I mean, I do
think the Corvette is really under loved and underappreciated. So
I'm very happy to talk to Robert about corvettes and
pop culture and this new exhibit they've got. And I'm
not surprised you are in love with it again. I
think it's only a matter of time. Yeah, you get yours.
Speaker 3 (01:13):
I also hope that we see more. You know, we've
talked in the past.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
We talked to Tom Wagner, who owns a number of
car businesses and racing businesses through Nighthead Capital. One of
them is Revology and they make the Mustangs, but they've
considered an expansion and I really hope they do a
C two corvette.
Speaker 1 (01:32):
Wait did he tell us this or is this new information?
Speaker 3 (01:35):
He told us?
Speaker 2 (01:36):
I think that they were considering other vehicles or projects.
Speaker 1 (01:41):
You've since learned and.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
I've heard from Tom at Revology also that they would
be open to mulling the potential of you know, other things.
And there are already some like Resto Mode or kit
car makers, but there's nobody who makes it from the
ground up the way we have Oology does from the Mustang.
Speaker 3 (02:04):
And you know that I get excited about that.
Speaker 2 (02:06):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (02:06):
I mean, obviously I'm going to vote for a C
three version just because I'm going to be a broken
record this entire podcast going taking everything back to the
C three. But I mean, why not a C three?
Restoh get the younger set the eighties babies.
Speaker 3 (02:20):
I do agree with you that it is way more
punk rock.
Speaker 1 (02:23):
Yeah, it's got an attitude problem.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
And I love if Alison Mosshart had a Corvette, it
would be a c Yeah, there you go. Speaking of
Alison Mossheart. We had listener email and we encourage listeners
to write in. Our email address is.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
Hot Pursuit at Bloomberg dot net.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
Yeah, and we had a great listener email that you
highlighted recently about somebody who did listen to the Alison
Mossheart episode and appreciated her and her challenger challenge.
Speaker 1 (02:54):
Yes, this was from Doug. We'll just say your first name, Doug.
Thanks so much for writing. I think we've heard from
you a time or two before. And we love the
photo that you sent of your daughters with a white
challenger just like Allison's super cool. And yeah, I also
liked your take on specking out, you know, a GT
(03:16):
three versus A nine to ninety two, and you know,
getting into do we like digital? Do we like analog gauges?
Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera?
Speaker 3 (03:25):
Does anyone like digital gauges?
Speaker 2 (03:27):
No?
Speaker 1 (03:28):
You know, I think I wrote back and told Doug
I totally agree, except for when I was in that
kyen GTS recently. It has the five digital gauges and honestly,
it didn't bother me. But that's an suv exactly, so
that's a little different.
Speaker 2 (03:43):
It's it's a different thing. And you wouldn't buy like
I don't imagine you would buy a ky and GTS
and think this is a forever car for me. I'm
going to make a spot with a trickle charger in
the garage where I keep this until I hand it
over to my great grandchildren. Like, that's not the the point.
That's the that's the kind of car you lease for
two years and then give back.
Speaker 1 (04:04):
Are you saying you don't have a poster of a
Cayenne suv on your wall?
Speaker 2 (04:07):
I mean you know what, obviously you see a lot
of the older Cayennes on bring a trailer. And I
have a buddy here who, uh let me drive his
Ferrari three fifty five and he has a Cayenne with
a manual.
Speaker 3 (04:23):
Which.
Speaker 1 (04:25):
Is that an aftermarket thing?
Speaker 4 (04:27):
No?
Speaker 3 (04:27):
They made him for a while. What yeah, and you
know that seems really but cool.
Speaker 2 (04:33):
So older Cayennes are a thing and I could but
a new, brand new GTS. Do you buy that and
salmon and hold it forever?
Speaker 1 (04:40):
No?
Speaker 3 (04:40):
Do you care if it doesn't have analog gauges.
Speaker 2 (04:42):
No, But on a nine to eleven, I think for
most people who purchase a Portia nine to eleven, whatever generation,
I would say probably the majority say I'm going to
keep this car forever.
Speaker 3 (04:55):
Right Is that fair?
Speaker 1 (04:57):
Honestly I disagree. I think half of them now are
saying I'm going to sell this car in two years
and make money.
Speaker 2 (05:03):
True, that's painful to think about, but you're you're right.
I know a guy who actually offered to let me
drive a couple of his Ferraris and has like an
amazing garage and said he has an st coming.
Speaker 1 (05:17):
In February that is my favorite Porsa I think it is.
Speaker 2 (05:21):
So he emailed me and I was like, wow, what
an amazing offer. Yes, So I called him up and
I talked.
Speaker 3 (05:27):
To him for a while.
Speaker 2 (05:28):
Awesome dude, super genius quant investor who isn't really that
into Pe cars. But he said a few years back,
a Porsche dealer gave him the opportunity to buy a
GT three and he was kind of interested and bought it,
and he loved it because he really appreciates mechanical grip.
But after a year of driving it occasionally. He sold
(05:50):
it for a big profit and then he realized he
was just going to order one every year.
Speaker 1 (05:54):
And do that just flipped a lot of people do
that in LA.
Speaker 2 (05:58):
Well, I don't think that's cool. I appreciate the like
someone from Middle America who's had a Porsche poster on
the wall since she was four, like saving up through
her like middling career and then finally being able to
afford run at forty five and then keeping it in
her garage forever.
Speaker 3 (06:14):
You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 1 (06:14):
I love that. Yeah, that's the that's somehow it seems
more genuine. I was gonna like, I was trying to think,
why is that considered? Why do you prefer that? And
I think it's because to you it seems more of
a genuine thing.
Speaker 3 (06:29):
Yeah, it's a there's a passion there.
Speaker 2 (06:30):
There's no passion with somebody who takes a car because
he's super rich and can flip it and does so. Yeah,
there is a passion with someone who you know, has
always has always hoped to have a Porsche, has always
been in love with you know, it has dogg eared
copies of Rodent track, and that person wants analog gauges obviously.
Speaker 1 (06:54):
Yes, right, that's true. That's true. You know I think
a lot about Dua Lipa and Portia.
Speaker 3 (07:00):
I recently learned who du Lipa was.
Speaker 1 (07:02):
Yeah, well she's a she's an ambassador, a brand partner
with Porscha, and.
Speaker 3 (07:10):
She old enough to have a driver's license.
Speaker 1 (07:12):
Yes, okay, I just I think she's in her thirties.
I know she looks amazing, you know. I just that
partnership is so fascin fascinating to me, and I don't
really know why. I think it's because I actually do
like do A Lipa's music, but she is a little
unexpected for Porsche. But I also think she probably indicates
(07:36):
where they are trying to get the brand to go.
Speaker 3 (07:39):
Yeah, they want a younger audience.
Speaker 2 (07:42):
I actually was reading a stat on, so we're going
to talk corvettes, and I was looking through the generations
and I saw that at one point, I don't know
if it was uh C four to C five or
C five to C six, but at one point GM
was like all of our owners, our corvette owners are
super old, like eighty David, we're over fifty five, right,
(08:07):
And if you looked at nine to eleven owners, only
thirty percent. We're over fifty five, which I was already
surprised about because I feel like nine to eleven also
is kind of an old man car in some respects.
But somebody made a comment in the story like, you
don't want to drive an old man's car, you want
to drive a.
Speaker 3 (08:27):
Young man's car. And I guess that's probably true for
the majority of people, right, Yeah, I.
Speaker 1 (08:33):
Guess I mean not for you and money. Yeah, no,
I would like to drive an old man's car actually,
to be honest, I mean, it's obviously tough because it's
a it's a pre selecting situation when a car is expensive,
because typically who has the most money in the country
older men, So it's it's kind of self selecting.
Speaker 2 (08:55):
It is weird, though, that Dua Lipa is their partner,
because I would think she fronts BMW XM campaign or
she is the new brand ambassador for Jaguar.
Speaker 1 (09:06):
You know, that would be interesting, can you imagine? I mean,
it's kind of wonder how much she got paid, That's
what I would like to know.
Speaker 2 (09:14):
Or maybe she just loves cars, you know, like sometimes
they're unexpected Sidney Sweeney for example, Yes, isn't absolute, Yes,
gear head Carlow.
Speaker 1 (09:24):
True, but she has a long history already established of
being involved in cars or having a cool car too.
Doesn't she like work on a truck or something she
has like a truck or an suv that she works on.
Speaker 3 (09:36):
I mean she also is only like twenty three years old,
so it can't be that long of a history. But
I'm impressed.
Speaker 2 (09:43):
And she has legit chops, you know, yeah, for sure
someone who's passionate about yeah cars.
Speaker 1 (09:49):
Maybe Doua has that as well, it's just less publicized.
Speaker 2 (09:53):
All right, let's get to Robert Maxheimer without further ado.
He runs the Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Robert,
let's start with your, uh, with your with the Corvette museum,
because you're.
Speaker 1 (10:06):
In an exhibit. It's a new exhibit, right, a.
Speaker 2 (10:09):
New exhibit, but just the museum itself. First of all,
it's in Bowling Green, Kentucky. So Hannah would have to
drive for like three days to get there. It would
take me probably ten hours.
Speaker 1 (10:19):
And I almost have I have been to the museum.
Speaker 3 (10:23):
Oh you have you?
Speaker 1 (10:25):
Now do you believe that I love corvettes?
Speaker 4 (10:27):
I know you did? Think I think she liked it.
Speaker 1 (10:31):
I did go after the infamous sinkhole, and I do
want to ask you for people who remember the sinkhole,
we would like to let them know this is not
an issue anymore, but you can sort of still see
some of it.
Speaker 4 (10:44):
Yeah, So, I mean, the sinkhole obviously was a huge story.
And today, I mean, so yesterday we had it was
a pretty slow day. The weather was bad. So we
have about thirty people total that came to the museum.
Seven of them asked the front about the sinkhole. Yes,
it's always yeah, they're always asking about where it is.
(11:05):
Can we go inside of it? You know, can we
see the car? And and say nope, that's all been fixed.
The SkyDome is now the safest place in Bowling Green,
maybe in Kentucky. So no, it's an interesting story, but
you know, we're here to celebrate Corvette. So it's it's
nice to kind of move on from that a little bit.
Speaker 1 (11:25):
I'm glad we could clear that up just for anyone
who was thinking about visiting and worried about the sinkhole.
It's no longer an issue.
Speaker 2 (11:33):
But the museum tell us how the museum started, I mean,
was Corvette production originally in Bowling Green, I know they
make them there now, but why is the museum there?
Speaker 4 (11:43):
So it started in Michigan. The first five hundred corvettes
were made in Michigan nineteen fifty three, and then they
moved to Saint Louis where they were there until the
late seventies, and then they started the plant here in
Bowling Green, which came online in nineteen eighty two. They
started making the C four generation in nineteen eighty three,
(12:04):
but they made forty of them and they were abysmal.
So they don't make There's no nineteen eighty three corvette
in the world except here at the National Corvette Museum.
There's one in existence. And then they started pumping them
out there eighty four and they still make them there today.
Speaker 3 (12:21):
So what is the new exhibit? Tell us about the
new exhibit.
Speaker 4 (12:26):
So the new exhibit in the SkyDome, which is completely safe,
by the way, is pop culture and Corvette were you know,
we're able to examine how Corvette's kind of kind of
made its way into the zeitgeist of culture, you know,
over many generations, from the first movie it was in,
which was Kissing Me Deadly in nineteen fifty five, all
(12:47):
the way through to It was recently in the movie
Red One, which came out on Amazon Prime not too
long ago. So and there's music, there's we have Jim
levels Corvette, who was mission commander for Apollo eight Paulo thirteen.
We had that on display, along with smartifacts that he
took into space, space climbs and that kind of thing.
(13:09):
So it really runs the gamut of pop culture, not
just film and TV, but music and you know everything else.
Speaker 1 (13:17):
It's it's pretty cool, Robert. I. Can you take us
a little bit even farther back than that and really
talk to us about why the Corvette was developed, Like,
you know, obviously people know this is sort of America's
answer to the beautiful European sports cars, But talk to
us about, you know, what Harley Earle envisioned when he
(13:39):
first had the concept of creating an American sports car.
Speaker 4 (13:45):
Yeah, that's so funny you asked me because I was
just speaking with Richard Prince, who is a photographer for
Corvette Racing. We're doing an exhibit with him that opens
March seventh, but he's here doing some interviews and some
oral histories for us, and I just had that cover
station with him. He wrote a book about it, actually,
so Harley Earl he had the idea by going to
(14:07):
Watkins Glenn and seeing a race there. He was actually
in a Buick Motorama like design car and he was
leading the first pace around the track, which back then
wasn't a track, it was actually the streets of the
Watkins Glenn and he was blown away. There was two
hundred thousand people on that track watching this race and
(14:29):
he just had no idea. There was so much fanfare
for motorsports. So he went back and he just basically
tasked the entire GM group with creating the sports car.
And of course the influence of GHI is coming back
from Europe seeing these cars that were over there. The
two seater sports cars was influential as well, so that's
(14:54):
really what sparked it, and then it just kind of
grew from there, especially with Oregon involved.
Speaker 1 (15:00):
And the name corvette comes from a naval term for
a type of boat, right, a very light, quick attack boat.
Am I getting that right?
Speaker 4 (15:09):
That's correct? Yes, it was a warship that was known
for being fast and could get into type spaces.
Speaker 2 (15:16):
Is it fair to say it took GM a while
to figure out what they had on their hands because
for the first few generations, I hear you know, production
was tough, manufacturing was difficult. You just referenced the nineteen
eighty three problems that sort of eliminated the model for
that year, and I also have read that, you know,
(15:38):
it wasn't very fast at first, and it took a
while before the brass realized they got to get this
thing racing. They got to get some wins. And obviously
now it's another story. We see that lament, we see
it on the podium all the time, but it took
them a long time to realize what they that they
had to hit right.
Speaker 4 (15:56):
What was interesting is that, you know, they were trying
to push it out for the next more Rama and
which was at the Boulder for Astoria, And so they
made these these cars just like on a whim. Nothing
was really custom for it outside of the design of
the body in the frame. The motor was the blue
flame six cylinder that came out of the truck that
(16:19):
was in production, and the only options that you could
get on the car to begin with was either with
or without a heater, or with or without am radio.
Everything else was just you got it the way it
came and the and the white with the red interior.
Speaker 3 (16:36):
Only white.
Speaker 4 (16:37):
It only came in white, only white in nineteen fifty three,
that's right, and then eventually they introduced black and then
you know, more and more colors. But yeah, it was
it was underperforming. People were not impressed with how it
was on the streets or on the track, and it
wasn't until Zora got involved or done tof and he
(17:00):
wrote a letter to the GM brass and said, hey, look,
we're going to compete with Porsche and you know Ferrari.
We need to start, you know, developing these motors that
are going to be able to achieve that. So he
really pushed into the VA eventually in nineteen fifty seven,
and then it grew into you know, the big block
(17:23):
and racing. So or is the whole reason why there's
you know, Corvette racing in the in the fifties and
early sixties. So yeah, it's interesting. We have the letters
here actually in our archives, those.
Speaker 1 (17:35):
Originals or letters, So can you tell us what else
you guys have there? Just to give people an idea,
like if you are, if we are planning a trip
in the area, what other things can people expect to
see at the museum.
Speaker 4 (17:48):
Yeah, that's a great question because I think for years
the expectation was to see a bunch of corvettes, which
is awesome. I mean, everybody wants to see a bunch
of corvettes. But luckily our collection, between our archives, our
three D collection, obviously our car collection, we can tell
a ton of different stories. So you can expect to
(18:09):
see documents, artwork, blueprints, original blueprints from the Opal project
which was the fifty three, all the way through to
you know, recent C eight related objects as well. So
you know, we have a few of the cars on display,
but we're also in the process of scanning, so we've
(18:31):
three D scanned a few cars, specifically the XP eight
one nine, which is the ugly Duckling, and then the
Z six sixty three split window racer to one of
the kind cars that are only here in our collection
are now digitally scanned and people can go on their
phones and actually explore these cars, you know, on their own.
(18:55):
So there's a lot, there's a lot that we're pushing
out and we're excited for the future for sure.
Speaker 1 (19:02):
Are you guys actively acquiring additional vehicles for the museum
and acquiring things for the archive as well.
Speaker 4 (19:10):
Absolutely, we're donation based, so you know, people come to
us and if they have a Corvette that they're willing
to donate to the museum, there's a form that's filled out,
it goes through our Collections Committee and where it's voted
on and then we you know, accept it as a
recent acquisition, and that's for everything from a car to
(19:32):
it could be like recently, we've got these trophies that
were handed out by GM to car clubs, corvette clubs
and the sixties during the C two generation. So they're
very one of a kind, but just somebody had them
in their basement and didn't need them anymore and offered
it to us. So we're always looking for things to
(19:52):
kind of bridge the gap in our collection.
Speaker 2 (19:54):
For sure, I wanted to go through some of the
generations because not every nobody knows they're you know, C
one through C eight. It's pretty easy to get through them, and.
Speaker 1 (20:04):
Thank godmakers exactly exactly.
Speaker 2 (20:08):
I first became aware of a Corvette when I was
watching Animal House. It's kind of like a bad guy car.
And then in less than zero there's also a C one.
Yeah it's and it's a gorgeous car, but a lot
of people who own them as well as like other
GENEROCY two uh say that it's kind of like driving
(20:29):
a truck because they are body on frame cars, right.
Speaker 4 (20:32):
Yeah, they are a no power steering and those early cars,
so your steering wheel is about this big, and you
know it's it's not really it's not built for comfort,
especially when you get into the you know, the the
C two s, which I think are gorgeous cars. They
weren't built for comfort. So you're going down the road,
you're gonna fill every pump for sure. It's not until
(20:54):
you got into the you know, the C fives and
into the C eights where you really start see that
the difference in the suspension and the chassis. So but yeah,
every everyone is different. Everybody likes a different one.
Speaker 2 (21:08):
So I mean, for me, the C two is my favorite,
and that's the one that a lot of resto mode
or kit car makers, yeah, you know, try and replicate.
There are a couple of things that I wonder about.
The split rear window is so cool, but was it
was it made that way on purpose or was it
(21:29):
because they couldn't make a whole large pane of glass
in the curved shape or why why was it split?
Speaker 4 (21:37):
So yeah, the sixty three, which was the only year
that that was that was produced, that was the one
of the only cars that had total controller. The designer
had totally control over Larry Schanoda. They basically said, hey,
do what you want, and everything from the lines down
the side of the car to that split window where
(21:58):
his touch unfortunate. Sunately, when it came out, a lot
of people found it distracting. They couldn't see it out
the rear view mirror, so they actually sold kits to
cut that out.
Speaker 1 (22:08):
And replace it with a wild that is wild.
Speaker 4 (22:13):
Oh could you imagine?
Speaker 1 (22:14):
I mean yeah, because now collectible, I mean it's like
that's yeah.
Speaker 2 (22:20):
Also, it's an intended design element because I thought it
was because manufacturing the whole window would have been too
difficult or there was some reason that they had to
do it like that.
Speaker 4 (22:28):
It was purely designed. Larry liked the look of it
and it felt like it continued the curve down the
back of the of the car and gave it a
stronger block. It was his theory.
Speaker 1 (22:39):
So the C two obviously is is beautiful and iconic,
But personally I love the C three because I feel
like it's a step toward modern sensibilities. It's so oh
(23:01):
ornery and it can really go either. It can look
very classy, you know, the chrome bumper.
Speaker 3 (23:06):
I love.
Speaker 1 (23:07):
It can look very classy or it can just look
really not. I don't want to say anything, but it
can look unclassy. But I love that too. I just
love how it's got an attitude and it's so compelling.
And you know, you're so right. It doesn't drive great,
but it's got a personality. The point is not not
(23:29):
to have the best handling or fastest car. You know.
I've got a seventy seven C three, so you know
it's and it's not even a manual, it's an automatic,
so you know it's I bought it because I like
how it looks and it just has this attitude that
I love so much. Yes, the C twos are really
beautiful in classic, but for me, the C three is
(23:51):
a punk car and I love that about it.
Speaker 4 (23:54):
I could see that totally, especially the transition. You know,
you had the chrome bumper and completely releast free and
paula eurothmee bumper, which is a look.
Speaker 1 (24:04):
You know, it's it's a look, and I have to
say my husband. My husband has a chrome bumper that's
a four speed manual, so I do have access to that.
But I of course have the underloved non chrome bumper automatic,
and the first time I drove it, I actually did
ding the nose because it's so much longer than you
think in the driving it No, it really it can
(24:30):
catch you out if you're not careful. So I don't know.
It's got such a personality.
Speaker 3 (24:34):
I really love that.
Speaker 4 (24:36):
Well, here's the thing, just you know, we're talking about
all this in the Corvette. What really struck me about
it when I was doing the research when I started,
was every year to constantly push innovation. It's always what's next,
what can we do to make this car better? Constantly?
It's not they don't sit back and just.
Speaker 1 (24:54):
Let it ride, you know, it's is that true for
Is that true for the late eighties nineties era? I
mean it did kind of feel like they were coasting
a little.
Speaker 4 (25:04):
Bit, well a little bit. I mean when you get
into the C four, you know, and especially towards that
ninety six.
Speaker 1 (25:12):
When it's stopped.
Speaker 4 (25:14):
You know, the C four was was a bridge into
the technology era. I think you know, that's why there
were so many issues with it because they were trying
to put so much computerized.
Speaker 1 (25:25):
You know, they're trying too hard.
Speaker 4 (25:28):
Yeah, yeah. And then into the C five. I mean,
the C five kind of saved Corvette because it's it
was such a big seller and people felt comfortable in
the car, So each one serves its purpose. Then you
get into the C six with the z R one
and you're getting more into performance back slightly, yeah, exactly,
and then the C seven, the C seventh for a
(25:50):
lot of people is the pinnacle of the Corvette. I mean,
it's just a it has that that same line, the
same silhouette as a as a client.
Speaker 1 (25:59):
Still that I'm gonna I'm gonna totally disagree. I love
the C eight. I thought it was so much car
for the money when I first drove it in twenty
late twenty.
Speaker 3 (26:09):
Well, but it's a massive departure, right, I get completely.
Speaker 1 (26:12):
So it looks like a Ferrari.
Speaker 2 (26:14):
So I mean the C seven I think looked like
a Ferrari at the time too. That's when I saw
that unveiled. It was the first it was one of
the things that I thought, not in a bad way,
because I fell in love with the car right away.
But I thought that's the end of an a of
the traditional Corvette era. I agree because the motors in
the front right where it should be on a Corvette.
Speaker 3 (26:36):
And the C eight.
Speaker 2 (26:38):
Although I'm head over heels in love and I can't
wait to as soon as it's as soon as it's
financially possible, get my own.
Speaker 3 (26:46):
It's a different kind of thing.
Speaker 1 (26:48):
It's different.
Speaker 2 (26:49):
Yeah, and do a lot of people see that break
just because of the engine placement.
Speaker 4 (26:55):
You know, there's people that complain about it. There's traditionalists
now there that will never sell their C seven. But
we have the museum delivery program here at the museum,
and it's just you know, it's their only C eights,
the brand new cars, and it's eight cars a day,
you know. So there's people not only buying these, but
they're they're seeing that the younger generation is getting more
(27:18):
attracted to the car more than any other generation of Corvette.
So I think that was their objective was to say, hey,
we need to shake things up and get these other
people interested in this younger generation. By the way, we're
not competing with Ford, we're not competing with the Mustang.
We're competing with Portia and Lamborghini and Ferrari and Asta Martin,
(27:42):
those are that's our benchmark. So I think that's what
the CAA did. And you mentioned before it's not a supercar.
Well then you've got the z R one that came out,
you know, one thy sixty four horse power.
Speaker 2 (27:55):
I mean, I think it is a supercar power even
before you get to the ZR one leg in my so,
in my opinion, Hanna and I have talked about this
a lot.
Speaker 3 (28:02):
We don't take it, but it's oh we can, It's
we can. I mean, where else are you going to
find something like the Z six right?
Speaker 2 (28:10):
Uh, flatplane crank and it's naturally aspirated but still makes
what six hundred and fifty horse power?
Speaker 3 (28:19):
And I mean it just in my opinion, just ticks
all the boxes. Now what would what? I can't remember
why did you say it's not a supercar? Handah, just
because it doesn't cost not.
Speaker 1 (28:29):
A supercar, because a supercar is a superlative vehicle that
combines the best of every element and was always intended
to be that the top. The Corvette was not conceived
as a superlative vehicle. We've just gone over how it
actually wasn't at all and ps. The Corvette has the
(28:50):
nickname America sports Car, Like, how how much more evidence
do you need? You know that, Yes, we have higher
power variance of the Corvette, of course, but it was
not conceived as a superlative performance vehicle that would cost
more and do more than any other vehicle in the lineup.
Speaker 3 (29:12):
So Robert, what do you what do you think? I mean,
is a C eight Is a Z six a supercar?
Speaker 4 (29:20):
That's a good I mean, that's a good point you
think of like the four GT that.
Speaker 1 (29:24):
Is that was conceived as the superlatives.
Speaker 4 (29:27):
I would say it's a supercar.
Speaker 1 (29:29):
Yes, agree, you know that is not Yeah, go ahead, sorry, sorry,
go ahead, I get.
Speaker 4 (29:36):
Rid no worries, No, I get your point. But the
fact that you can have within the same car, you know,
multiple entry points. You know, you can get into a
sting Ray for sixty thousand in a base model or
like we were talking about the z R one, which
is going to cost who knows how much that's going
to be, which I would argue is a supercar. So
(29:58):
but I get your point of it if not being
conceived and delivered as specifically a supercar from the beginning,
I think once you drive it. You would call it
a supercar, but you know, I.
Speaker 2 (30:11):
Mean, if if a Z six is better than a
Ferrari four to fifty eight, is it just a sports
car that happens to be better than a supercar?
Speaker 4 (30:21):
Good point? Good point.
Speaker 1 (30:24):
I don't know who's saying it's better than a four fifty.
Speaker 2 (30:26):
I'm saying if you can drive them back to back
and draw your own conclusions.
Speaker 3 (30:30):
But a lot of people would say it is.
Speaker 1 (30:33):
Are you saying that?
Speaker 4 (30:34):
Though?
Speaker 2 (30:34):
No, No, I haven't driven a four to fifty eight,
so I'm just telling you what other people have with
more experience, like Eddie Alterman, would say it is at
least as good as, if not better, and he has
a heck of a lot of experience driving cars.
Speaker 4 (30:50):
It could be competitive with the four fifty eight on
the track consistently, should it be in the same conversation
as the supercar?
Speaker 1 (30:59):
I argue that a four to fifty eight is also
not a supercar.
Speaker 3 (31:06):
I knew you were gonna say that.
Speaker 1 (31:07):
How's that?
Speaker 3 (31:08):
I knew that was coming.
Speaker 1 (31:10):
Then Ferraris are supercars, but I wouldn't, and I don't. Look,
I don't want to awaken the Ferrari beast, but I
might argue that a four to fifty eight isn't a supercar,
it's a high end sports car, and that's wonderful.
Speaker 4 (31:23):
Really, the difference is consumer consumer car, the car that's
made for consumer specifically a mass sure, yes, versus like
the C five, R s you know, C six, R
C seven, r C eight. Are those race cars?
Speaker 2 (31:36):
Sure?
Speaker 4 (31:37):
You know? Yes, specific we're racing.
Speaker 1 (31:40):
Yeah, that's part of it.
Speaker 2 (31:42):
Let's talk about racing, Robert, because there's so much made
about Ford versus Ferrari. And I get that the g
T forty or you know that those special cars. You know,
our our supercars and are very special like a Ferrari.
But Corvette has real racing pedigree in multiple generations, right,
(32:06):
and you know they sometimes achieved one, two three finishes
at Lamal. So what do you think are the are
the proudest moments in Corvette racing?
Speaker 4 (32:18):
You know, I think going back to the golf Oil
series and the you know, the early sixties, you know,
with the C one and then into the C two,
they were highly competitive and you know you have Bill Cunningham,
Don Diego and all these like really famous race car
drivers that drove these cars and just kicked butt time
(32:40):
after time, and then GM pulled out of that right
they said, you know, this isn't for us. And then
you get into the early seventies and then the late
eighties with the Challenge Series, which is also a really
fascinating era of motorsports for Corvette, and then the introduction
of the Z R one in nineteen ninety and again
(33:01):
just consistently kicking everybody's butt all the way down the line, uh,
and then getting into nineteen ninety nine with the C
five R and it just keeps going the same direction.
They have to make new divisions for them because they're
too competitive or they're too good, and it just, you know,
it's a it's a fascinating story. It's I I specifically
(33:24):
like the the later generation to see five R to
SR that Corvette racing, the factory back Corvette racing. That
story is just fascinating because it was a family. You know,
you had Doug fie Han, you know who oversaw as
as for the entire group, and then these drivers they
kept coming back. Andy Pilgrim, Dale earnhard Dale Earner Junior
(33:45):
raced you know at Daytona at one point, and then
Oliver Gavin and you know all these all these great
race car drivers that that won these amazing races and
beat Ferrari and Lamborghini and Aston Martin. So it's a
it's a great story, and that's something that we're definitely
working on for an exhibition of a larger scale exhibition
(34:07):
here at the museum because the personalities involved are just
outrageous and so much fun, and it's gonna be great.
Speaker 1 (34:16):
I think some of the some of the most eccentric,
wildest people I've met have been in car circles kind
of like what you're describing. I mean, there's so many stories,
especially in the history of American sports car racing. It's
just you're so right. I can't wait to see how
you guys tell that story, because there's already wild characters.
Speaker 4 (34:38):
That's wild. I mean, right next door we have Andy
Pilgrim's doing oral history for us. You know, he drove
a Lamar with Dale Earnhard and I remember talking to
him being like Dale heard he's a guttural, visceral driver.
He's just going off as instincte. Andy Pilgrim is highly intelligent.
He was a computer software engineer, you know, so he's
looking at it two different ways. So yeah, there's a
(35:02):
lot of different personalities that we.
Speaker 1 (35:04):
Can explore for sure, Robert, how closely does the museum
work with the actual automaker? Are you guys in close contact?
You mentioned a delivery program that you guys have. How
much back and forth is there?
Speaker 4 (35:21):
Yeah, there's a lot. We have members of our board
that are part of GM from the plant as well
as Upham Michigan. We work with them constantly. They're very
supportive of the museum and you know, from our perspective,
it gives us something to shoot for as far as
(35:43):
the way that they operate. So we want to try
to keep in line with the brand, which is, you know,
unlike any other car main here in America. So if
we can have that as people walk into the museum
and that's what they expect, that we're doing a good job.
But yeah, they're they're a great partner for us.
Speaker 1 (36:05):
Okay, So my next question, of course, is we need
some gossip. You know, what can you tell us about
the Corvette Zora. You know, is this happening? You know
maybe a Corvette SUV. Who knows the rumor mill is
rife with this this type of thing. What can you
tell us?
Speaker 4 (36:22):
Yeah, well, we hear. We definitely hear all the rumors
for sure. That's a I feel like we're a meeting
place for that, I bet, you know, Like I said,
we're partners with GM, we work with them a lot,
but you know, we're not in Studio X designing the
C ten Corvette, you know. So it's it's a bit
(36:42):
of a as much of a surprise for us as
everybody else. You know, when these cars come out, Like
I said, they're always pushing the envelope. So I'm sure
whatever is coming next is going to be even better
than what was before.
Speaker 2 (36:56):
So they have to have an suv coming soon, right,
I mean, is that aially announced?
Speaker 4 (37:02):
I don't think there's nothing official, you know, And there's
going back to the whole you know thought of the
front engine versus mid engine, you know, or is this
is America's sports car, which is a two seater car,
and suddenly you get into SUVs and things like that.
Speaker 2 (37:22):
But it could be a don't standalone brand easily, right
if Mustang can be.
Speaker 3 (37:27):
A pony car.
Speaker 1 (37:28):
But are we happy about that? Are we happy about
the Mustang SUI?
Speaker 2 (37:32):
I am not terribly, but I know that it's a
good business idea to break out such a successful model
into a brand, right, I keep waiting for Corvette to
do that, and it seems like it's inevitable.
Speaker 4 (37:47):
Yeah, your guess is as good as mine, I'll say that.
Speaker 2 (37:51):
Really, I don't think I guess it's quite as good
as yours, right Mark? Mark Royce never comes over to
my house, and I'll bet he's down there. Yeah, I
think I've read that it could be the SUV built
on the same platform as the CT five, the Cadillac.
Speaker 3 (38:11):
Platform, which would be cool because you could have a
manual transmission.
Speaker 2 (38:16):
Doesn't it kind of break your heart that the C
eight isn't offered in any way in a manual transmission.
Speaker 4 (38:23):
It is a little bit. I mean, we have the
last manual Corvette in the Skytome, and it's it is
a little heartbreaking. I'm personally, I'm a big fan of what.
Speaker 1 (38:33):
Is the last manual? What is the last manual Corvette?
Speaker 4 (38:37):
It was a steam Ray C seven steam rangs in
twenty nineteen and rolled out the line and came right
over here. But yeah, I you know, I know panel
shifting is a thing for some people, but there's something
about to take control over the clutch and the and
(38:57):
the stick that makes you feel like you're part of
the car. I don't know you're in control.
Speaker 1 (39:02):
Well, let me ask you this. I won't put you
on the spot, Robert, because I can tell you're a
very diplomatic and smart gentleman. But from the people who
not you, but the people who do come to the museum,
what is the feeling about a hybrid or even an
electric corvette? Obviously we know we're already in hybrid territory.
(39:26):
What are you hearing about opinions about whether a corvette
is real, if it's a hybrid or an electric.
Speaker 4 (39:35):
I mean, that's a great question. I think that the
E Ray specifically really threw a lot of people for
a loop. They didn't understand what it was. We had
last April at our Bash, which is a big, you know,
convention of corvette owners. Tasjuginger came out and we had
Harley Charles and we had Peters, all these great corvette people.
(39:59):
But Tas got up and again somebody who's extremely intelligent
was able to explain, Hey, this the E Ray. You know,
the front motor, the electric motor, the battery and all
that stuff, it's not meant to be hybrid. You're not
getting better gas mileage. It's there for propulsion, it's there
to help forms of the car. So, you know, to
(40:21):
view it as a hybrid in the traditional sense of
the term, it's not completely accurate. Now when you're sitting
in it doing a launch, you can see why they
did it. I mean, you're going zero to sixty and
whatever it is. It's insane. You know, your your eyes
go at the.
Speaker 3 (40:36):
Back of your skull so much grip.
Speaker 4 (40:40):
Drive, Yeah, yeah, it's it's a little bit more kind
of utilitarian. Then you can drive it into snow and
you know, you can get those those especially snow tires
on it. I haven't done that, but that's what they say.
Speaker 1 (40:54):
It'd be fun.
Speaker 4 (40:55):
Fun would be fun. So yeah, I think it's just
at and people ask where you plug it in? Yeah,
of course, So it's just about education. And I think
once they understand, oh, I get it, this is a
high performance car. Yeah, really enjoyed.
Speaker 1 (41:14):
So I think that totally makes sense. And you know,
we Matt and I talk about this with a lot
of luxury and sports cars that really the hybrid element,
like you say, is not about quote unquote going green
or saving gasoline. It's actually about performance. Yeah, and it
(41:35):
does noticeably enhance performance.
Speaker 2 (41:38):
So what's to argue with in a way, Yeah, it's so,
I mean the acceleration is mind blowing and in a
much more visceral way than an all electric car, which
also which you know, may put even better numbers down,
But you just don't feel it the same way as
you do with the.
Speaker 3 (41:57):
Six point two eight behind you.
Speaker 2 (41:59):
It's I just think it's a it's such a cool offering.
So you have the right now with the C eight,
you have the sting ray, you have the z O six,
you have the E ray, and you have the z
L one right one, z R one Sorry, and then
Zora's next, is that right?
Speaker 4 (42:19):
I have no idea?
Speaker 1 (42:20):
Good that was a really good try. That was a
really good time, mat.
Speaker 3 (42:23):
Robert, What do you have a favorite? Do you have
a favorite generation or a favorite addition?
Speaker 4 (42:30):
That's a great that's a great question. I you know,
I love the look at the C two. I think
you know of the cars that we have on display now,
and this changes every day, so I ask me tomorrow
and it would be different. But we have an l
A D eight sixty nine black Home black convertible that
is just beautiful and that I mean, if I had
(42:51):
any car, I think that would be it, and especially
that's such a powerful car and a lot of history.
But but yeah, I mean you get into the big
blocks of the C two and uh, you know sixty
seven and and it's those are those are great cars.
And then you know the z R one, The ninety
(43:12):
z R one is also kind of nostalgic, you know.
For me, I'm an eighties kid, so I remember seeing those.
My uncle had one. You know, that's the coolest car ever.
Oh yeah, again, it changes every day.
Speaker 2 (43:26):
So can you can you pick a car from the
museum and take them home on the weekends or yeah,
we have a fleet, so.
Speaker 4 (43:34):
We have an education kind of a fleet of cars,
a C three through a C eight, and then we
use those for trips we go on you know, education outreach,
we go to schools and and that kind of thing.
The collections cars, no, no, those are those are highly
protected by our Collections team and cared for so they
(43:58):
are all in working order, are objective. We wanted to
be alive and sitting there rotting, so they're maintained on
a regular schedule and driven periodically just to keep things moving.
Speaker 1 (44:12):
You know what's really weird. And I just remember this,
and Robert, you reminded me when you said, like everyone's
uncle had a Corvette. I had the pink Barbie Corvette
when I was growing up cool and that might have
act and I don't think about it, but that might
have had a real subconscious influence on me because I
ended up owning a Corvette. And you're kind of right.
(44:34):
They just kind of pervade culture in a way. Especially
I was born in the eighties too. That is so funny.
I just thought of that.
Speaker 3 (44:42):
But that she's born in the eighties is it for
somebody in my generation?
Speaker 1 (44:50):
But yeah, I love that Corvette.
Speaker 4 (44:53):
The pop culture thing, it's like totally I came from
and I was a Disney Archive for almost ten years.
You look at a brand like Dad, who has also
entered the culture, American culture. There's a few brands that
have done it, but Corvette is definitely one of them.
I think that's something you grow up with.
Speaker 1 (45:12):
Do you think he agreed with you or me about
the supercar thing.
Speaker 3 (45:16):
It felt like he.
Speaker 2 (45:17):
Didn't really have a strong opinion one way or the other.
And I should have asked if he'd been a Corvette
fan from birth or if this was one, we should
have asked that too, But I think so. He used
to work for Disney and then he ran like the
San Diego Historical Society or something. So it's like, you know,
(45:38):
his job isn't as an automotive engineer, and he's not
in actually a fanboy.
Speaker 3 (45:43):
It's about the archives and the museum.
Speaker 2 (45:45):
Stuff, which is cool, actually, no, totally awesome, and I'm
psyched for the Corvette Museum that they got him. I
think he was a big get for them. But it
didn't seem like he had a passionate opinion on the
supercar argument, which obviously you and I both have strong
takes on that we are not letting touch it again.
Speaker 1 (46:04):
I am clenching. I'm definitely I will die on this hill, Hannah. Look,
this will be my final comment for today, well at
least for the next five minutes. Just because something performs
like a supercar doesn't make it a supercar, man.
Speaker 2 (46:22):
I don't. I think if it performs like a supercar
and if it looks like a supercar, it has to
be a supercar.
Speaker 1 (46:31):
Maybe people should ride in and let us know what
they think. Obviously we've brought this up before, but yes,
it seems to be an ongoing debate.
Speaker 2 (46:37):
The email address is hot Pursuit at Bloomberg dot net.
Speaker 1 (46:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (46:42):
I mean the other thing is I think there's a
real split from Corvette or a couple right the first
as far as I understand that, at least the first two,
possibly the first three generations, we're body on frame. Then
it seemed like they didn't get super serious about it
kind of C six, But really C seven was when
(47:03):
they were like, you know what, we're investing a lot
of money to make this a really serious car course
overcoming manufacturing and quality issues, and that's.
Speaker 1 (47:13):
A pretty recent development in the history of the car.
Like that's kind of where I'm like, yes, they made
they made some that are very fast, supercar like performers,
but like in the in the history of that model line,
that's pretty recent.
Speaker 2 (47:28):
Yeah, And well, he mentions Tad Tad Juchtter, who I
think really along with Mary Bara and Mark Royce, you know,
they decided this is going to be We're really going
to put our money where our mouths are, Yeah.
Speaker 1 (47:42):
Which I love. I totally respect that, And I do
think the Corvette in general is criminally under respected, like
nobody respects the VET and every time I drive mine,
I'm like, why aren't more people looking at me, honking
at me, giving me thumbs up? I'm like, what do
I have to do to get attention around here? I mean,
(48:03):
such a cool car, don't they really don't. It's weird.
I told someone that and he's like, well, you need
to take the tea tops off, more like you need
to get your hair out. Like it's such a good,
fun like icon of American auto manufacturing, and I feel.
Speaker 2 (48:18):
Like it is not respect I feel like though, adding that,
I mean, I don't want to overstep any hr allignes,
but like atomic blonde with sure bright lipstick, you know,
driving the Corvette, what do I have to do?
Speaker 3 (48:31):
I feel like that is definitely at least a thumbs up.
Speaker 1 (48:34):
I get nothing. I'm telling you, I get more in
that old huge Rolls Royce cruising at fifteen miles an
hour than I.
Speaker 4 (48:41):
Do in the car.
Speaker 2 (48:42):
And by the way, do you think you must think
that it's the C three is going to jump in value?
Speaker 1 (48:49):
Right? Honestly made so many of them, though, but there
it's been a while. I'm telling you from experience, you
can go out to the Pomona swap me and pick
one up for fifteen dollars. You can go to Corvette
Mics and pick one up for twenty thousand bucks. They're
kind of at least in it. I do believe LA
is a bubble, but they're kind of everywhere. They're so prominent,
(49:11):
and most of them were not really cared for. So
many of them are ropey and rough that I don't
I honestly, I wish they would jump in value. But
unless you have one that is really truly in mint
condition chrome bumper early in the generation, I don't necessarily
think it's gonna.
Speaker 3 (49:31):
Be But if you have a Cherry Seed.
Speaker 1 (49:33):
Three manual, of course it has to be like mine.
I don't think it's going to gain much, but I
drive it because I love it.
Speaker 2 (49:43):
That's the right way to do it. Yeah, well, I
absolutely uh. I love the story and too. Starting with
the you know, C six was the first one that
I drove really and I thought it was brutal and
so much fun and you could ease kick out the
rear end, but maybe a little dangerous, you know, from
(50:05):
my experience at the time, it definitely was. Then I
went through the whole C seven covering GM very closely
and interviewing Mary Barr a lot, and you know, it
was a baby for her and for Mark, and so
I felt really connected to that car. And I drove
it on a lot, drove it on the track a lot,
and I thought it was so cool, but still totally
(50:26):
a Corvette. And then when C eight came out, I
thought at the time, like, that's not cool as a
as maybe a bit of a purist. I thought, that's
not okay to put the engine in the back. And yeah,
but now that I've driven it, I am one over surely,
and I it's definitely on a very short list of
(50:47):
cars that I want to buy personally in the next
couple of years.
Speaker 3 (50:50):
It's on there, like right next to the CT five
Black Wing.
Speaker 1 (50:55):
I think the C eight might be the center of
r Vin diagram in terms of the cars that we
each would personally own, because there are lots of cars
that you want to own that I don't need, and
vice versa. But the C eight seems like for both
of us falls in the middle, and I totally agree.
I would one hundred percent buy that car for myself
if I had the money, which I don't, but you know,
(51:16):
I totally agree. It's so much car for the money,
and it's really fun and it's so sexy.
Speaker 2 (51:22):
Yeah, I feel like I'm a drug runner, you know,
from the nineteen eighties when I'm driving it the convertible
at night, you know, and the interior just fits like
a glove and I don't know, it just it's the
only problem I have with it is that there's no
three pedal version, and that kind of bothers me because,
(51:45):
like I say, the CT five V black Wing is
also on that very short list because it checks every
box except for the sexy. It's like a terribly unattractive vehicle,
but it has a super charged V a stick shift,
and it handles like it's on rails. Like I just
wish they would marry those two things and give me
(52:07):
a three pedal Corvette.
Speaker 3 (52:12):
Not gonna happen, I know.
Speaker 2 (52:14):
Well, I got my I got a list from one
of my buddies who runs a press fleet management company.
He gave me a list of potential cars to drive
in the next few months, and a plane Jane Stingray
was on there, which I've never driven because I've been
in the Z six and the E Ray, but I've
(52:35):
never driven just the base Stingray and I really want
to drive it because I want to spend as little
money as possible and get as much as I can
like everybody else. So I think that could be could
be the answer, and I'm excited.
Speaker 3 (52:48):
There's also hear some.
Speaker 2 (52:50):
Other cool trucks that I got on that list. There's
the Ram, you know, in their new sort of no
more Va. They have the Hurricane in line six in
their what like what would be a t t r X.
Speaker 3 (53:06):
I'm gonna drive that one. I'm pretty excited about that.
What about you?
Speaker 1 (53:11):
What do you?
Speaker 3 (53:11):
What do you got? Well?
Speaker 1 (53:14):
I I think I mentioned I'm getting a Vanquish h
Yes next week and some more Mercedes I'm going I'm
gonna be driving. I don't think I told you the
Escalade IQ weet Escalaid in February in La So and
the Optic so I'm very excited and curious about those.
(53:35):
I'm an Escalade fan.
Speaker 3 (53:38):
It's gonna be amazing, I hope, I hope.
Speaker 1 (53:40):
So it's going to weigh so much. I'm scared about
how the weight.
Speaker 2 (53:44):
I like.
Speaker 1 (53:44):
I saw it a pre last year. We saw like
an early prototype. I didn't drive it, but I saw
it here in LA and it's looks very cool, very Escalaid,
very Cadillac, but it's so so big. I'm a little
worried about the weight, but I can't wait to find
out for myself. So that's Those are the kind of
the things the car wise, I just got off the
(54:06):
phone this morning with Rolls Royce. They were announcing their numbers.
Did you talk with Chris brown Ridge.
Speaker 3 (54:12):
I will have spoken with him by the time this
podcast comes out.
Speaker 1 (54:16):
So that's not embargoed. Right, we can talk about Rolls Royce.
Speaker 2 (54:19):
Yes, right, he's coming on well, so we're recording this
on Tuesday. He's coming on my TV show on Wednesday,
and then we're putting.
Speaker 4 (54:25):
This out on Friday.
Speaker 1 (54:26):
So you want to talk about Rolls Royce numbers.
Speaker 3 (54:28):
Yeah, sure, I mean, I mean go.
Speaker 1 (54:32):
It seemed like, well basically just I literally just got
off the call. It seemed like the top note is
they were down slightly. This is their third highest year
on record for sales. They delivered fifty seven hundred cars globally.
They don't seem that concerned. I mean, they're spinning it
like their in their margins are increasing. They had a
(54:53):
ten percent increase in bespoke cars last year, so while
their volume is down slightly, the profits on their cars
is probably up. And then they've said that they're going
to spend three hundred and seventy million dollars on expanding goodwood,
mostly so that they can have more space to build
these really expensive bespoke commissions. So again they're not going
(55:17):
to expand their volume, but they're investing more in creating
space to make these like multimillion dollar cars.
Speaker 2 (55:25):
And that's the direction, that's clearly the direction that the
luxury vehicle manufacturers are all going. Right. None of them
are hidden sort of record deliveries except for Lambeau and uh,
they're all trying to do a lot more personalization, a
lot more paint to sample a lot more like beyond
paint to sample right total like like you.
Speaker 1 (55:46):
Know, beyond paint, it would be like creating some sort
of silk painted headliner that is a portrait of somebody's dog,
like in the top of the car, or like it,
you know, Cigar, a human err and I made out
of wood from your property in France that you've cut
(56:06):
down and sent to the factory so that they can
use your elm trees in your own person. I mean,
it's like really crazy stuff. The other thing that was
really surprising to me as I went into the call
really wanting to ask about Specter, which is there? Yeah, right,
because like I drove it in Cape Town it was awesome.
(56:28):
We kind of haven't heard a lot about it, and obviously,
as we know, evs are in a in a roller
coaster right now. They wouldn't tell me how many Specters
they they delivered last year, but they did say that
it was the second most delivered vehicle from Rolls Royce
behind colanin Ohl is the top col Um No, it
(56:53):
went Colon in Specter Ghost Phantom. Isn't that wild?
Speaker 3 (56:58):
That's crazy?
Speaker 4 (56:58):
I know.
Speaker 1 (57:00):
I was very surprised.
Speaker 2 (57:02):
Somebody here at seven thirty one Lex has a culin
in not not at Bloomberg. Not at Bloomberg, Okay, as
somebody who lives in the building in like the Penhouse.
Speaker 3 (57:10):
I'm sure no.
Speaker 1 (57:11):
Beyonce used to live in the Penthouse, right, and.
Speaker 2 (57:14):
A bunch of Yankees like Johnny Damon, I've had places here.
Peter TiAl had an apartment here, like very wealthy people.
Speaker 1 (57:21):
I still really like Johnny Damon. He was like my
favorite player.
Speaker 2 (57:24):
There are people who could have one, but still I
only see one here in the in the courtyard and
one in the garage across street. I just don't see
him very often. But to be fair, in New York,
you don't really see Rolls Royces that often.
Speaker 3 (57:38):
I'm sure.
Speaker 1 (57:39):
Do you think that's because of image? Like like you
just feel like a bit of a too, like A
I don't jerk think so.
Speaker 3 (57:48):
I think A.
Speaker 2 (57:49):
It's New York, so not as many people are driving
status symbols as LA or London b You're guaranteed to
get bum keyed, you know. Fender benders are highly likely,
and the New England weather isn't great for you know, rust.
(58:12):
And I'm sure that a lot of New Yorkers have
Rolls Royces and keep them in Palm Beach, you know,
that would make sense.
Speaker 3 (58:18):
But they just aren't for the city.
Speaker 2 (58:20):
In the city, you just get if you have a driver, right,
you just get like a Yukon or escalating that.
Speaker 1 (58:26):
New York fantasy.
Speaker 2 (58:28):
All right, cool, Well that's all we got for this week.
But we look forward to hearing No, wait, we look
forward to you hearing us.
Speaker 1 (58:36):
We look forward to you hearing us next week. Yeah,
something it feels like a conversation between us and the listeners.
Speaker 3 (58:43):
Yeah, all right, so I guess that's it. I'm Matt Miller,
I'm
Speaker 1 (58:47):
Hannah Elliott, and this is Bloomberg.
I'm Matt Miller and I'm Hannah Elliott, and this is
hot pursuit.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Okay, we have a fun guest today on.
Speaker 3 (00:16):
What has become a little bit of a touchy subject.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
For apparently you and me. It's reared its ugly head
yet again. We're bringing it into twenty twenty five. I guess.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Yes, we're going to talk to the head of the
Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky.
Speaker 1 (00:33):
Robe Maxheimer.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
You are the bigger Corvette fan, I mean officially because
you own corvettes.
Speaker 1 (00:40):
I mean, it's not a competition.
Speaker 3 (00:42):
It's not a.
Speaker 2 (00:42):
Competition, but I feel a love. I've recently rekindled love
for the Corvette. But it's happened to me a couple
of times in my life that I've gotten pretty close
to it.
Speaker 3 (00:52):
And right now I'm there with the C eight.
Speaker 1 (00:55):
It's only a matter of time. I mean, I do
think the Corvette is really under loved and underappreciated. So
I'm very happy to talk to Robert about corvettes and
pop culture and this new exhibit they've got. And I'm
not surprised you are in love with it again. I
think it's only a matter of time. Yeah, you get yours.
Speaker 3 (01:13):
I also hope that we see more. You know, we've
talked in the past.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
We talked to Tom Wagner, who owns a number of
car businesses and racing businesses through Nighthead Capital. One of
them is Revology and they make the Mustangs, but they've
considered an expansion and I really hope they do a
C two corvette.
Speaker 1 (01:32):
Wait did he tell us this or is this new information?
Speaker 3 (01:35):
He told us?
Speaker 2 (01:36):
I think that they were considering other vehicles or projects.
Speaker 1 (01:41):
You've since learned and.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
I've heard from Tom at Revology also that they would
be open to mulling the potential of you know, other things.
And there are already some like Resto Mode or kit
car makers, but there's nobody who makes it from the
ground up the way we have Oology does from the Mustang.
Speaker 3 (02:04):
And you know that I get excited about that.
Speaker 2 (02:06):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (02:06):
I mean, obviously I'm going to vote for a C
three version just because I'm going to be a broken
record this entire podcast going taking everything back to the
C three. But I mean, why not a C three?
Restoh get the younger set the eighties babies.
Speaker 3 (02:20):
I do agree with you that it is way more
punk rock.
Speaker 1 (02:23):
Yeah, it's got an attitude problem.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
And I love if Alison Mosshart had a Corvette, it
would be a c Yeah, there you go. Speaking of
Alison Mossheart. We had listener email and we encourage listeners
to write in. Our email address is.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
Hot Pursuit at Bloomberg dot net.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
Yeah, and we had a great listener email that you
highlighted recently about somebody who did listen to the Alison
Mossheart episode and appreciated her and her challenger challenge.
Speaker 1 (02:54):
Yes, this was from Doug. We'll just say your first name, Doug.
Thanks so much for writing. I think we've heard from
you a time or two before. And we love the
photo that you sent of your daughters with a white
challenger just like Allison's super cool. And yeah, I also
liked your take on specking out, you know, a GT
(03:16):
three versus A nine to ninety two, and you know,
getting into do we like digital? Do we like analog gauges?
Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera?
Speaker 3 (03:25):
Does anyone like digital gauges?
Speaker 2 (03:27):
No?
Speaker 1 (03:28):
You know, I think I wrote back and told Doug
I totally agree, except for when I was in that
kyen GTS recently. It has the five digital gauges and honestly,
it didn't bother me. But that's an suv exactly, so
that's a little different.
Speaker 2 (03:43):
It's it's a different thing. And you wouldn't buy like
I don't imagine you would buy a ky and GTS
and think this is a forever car for me. I'm
going to make a spot with a trickle charger in
the garage where I keep this until I hand it
over to my great grandchildren. Like, that's not the the point.
That's the that's the kind of car you lease for
two years and then give back.
Speaker 1 (04:04):
Are you saying you don't have a poster of a
Cayenne suv on your wall?
Speaker 2 (04:07):
I mean you know what, obviously you see a lot
of the older Cayennes on bring a trailer. And I
have a buddy here who, uh let me drive his
Ferrari three fifty five and he has a Cayenne with
a manual.
Speaker 3 (04:23):
Which.
Speaker 1 (04:25):
Is that an aftermarket thing?
Speaker 4 (04:27):
No?
Speaker 3 (04:27):
They made him for a while. What yeah, and you
know that seems really but cool.
Speaker 2 (04:33):
So older Cayennes are a thing and I could but
a new, brand new GTS. Do you buy that and
salmon and hold it forever?
Speaker 1 (04:40):
No?
Speaker 3 (04:40):
Do you care if it doesn't have analog gauges.
Speaker 2 (04:42):
No, But on a nine to eleven, I think for
most people who purchase a Portia nine to eleven, whatever generation,
I would say probably the majority say I'm going to
keep this car forever.
Speaker 3 (04:55):
Right Is that fair?
Speaker 1 (04:57):
Honestly I disagree. I think half of them now are
saying I'm going to sell this car in two years
and make money.
Speaker 2 (05:03):
True, that's painful to think about, but you're you're right.
I know a guy who actually offered to let me
drive a couple of his Ferraris and has like an
amazing garage and said he has an st coming.
Speaker 1 (05:17):
In February that is my favorite Porsa I think it is.
Speaker 2 (05:21):
So he emailed me and I was like, wow, what
an amazing offer. Yes, So I called him up and
I talked.
Speaker 3 (05:27):
To him for a while.
Speaker 2 (05:28):
Awesome dude, super genius quant investor who isn't really that
into Pe cars. But he said a few years back,
a Porsche dealer gave him the opportunity to buy a
GT three and he was kind of interested and bought it,
and he loved it because he really appreciates mechanical grip.
But after a year of driving it occasionally. He sold
(05:50):
it for a big profit and then he realized he
was just going to order one every year.
Speaker 1 (05:54):
And do that just flipped a lot of people do
that in LA.
Speaker 2 (05:58):
Well, I don't think that's cool. I appreciate the like
someone from Middle America who's had a Porsche poster on
the wall since she was four, like saving up through
her like middling career and then finally being able to
afford run at forty five and then keeping it in
her garage forever.
Speaker 3 (06:14):
You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 1 (06:14):
I love that. Yeah, that's the that's somehow it seems
more genuine. I was gonna like, I was trying to think,
why is that considered? Why do you prefer that? And
I think it's because to you it seems more of
a genuine thing.
Speaker 3 (06:29):
Yeah, it's a there's a passion there.
Speaker 2 (06:30):
There's no passion with somebody who takes a car because
he's super rich and can flip it and does so. Yeah,
there is a passion with someone who you know, has
always has always hoped to have a Porsche, has always
been in love with you know, it has dogg eared
copies of Rodent track, and that person wants analog gauges obviously.
Speaker 1 (06:54):
Yes, right, that's true. That's true. You know I think
a lot about Dua Lipa and Portia.
Speaker 3 (07:00):
I recently learned who du Lipa was.
Speaker 1 (07:02):
Yeah, well she's a she's an ambassador, a brand partner
with Porscha, and.
Speaker 3 (07:10):
She old enough to have a driver's license.
Speaker 1 (07:12):
Yes, okay, I just I think she's in her thirties.
I know she looks amazing, you know. I just that
partnership is so fascin fascinating to me, and I don't
really know why. I think it's because I actually do
like do A Lipa's music, but she is a little
unexpected for Porsche. But I also think she probably indicates
(07:36):
where they are trying to get the brand to go.
Speaker 3 (07:39):
Yeah, they want a younger audience.
Speaker 2 (07:42):
I actually was reading a stat on, so we're going
to talk corvettes, and I was looking through the generations
and I saw that at one point, I don't know
if it was uh C four to C five or
C five to C six, but at one point GM
was like all of our owners, our corvette owners are
super old, like eighty David, we're over fifty five, right,
(08:07):
And if you looked at nine to eleven owners, only
thirty percent. We're over fifty five, which I was already
surprised about because I feel like nine to eleven also
is kind of an old man car in some respects.
But somebody made a comment in the story like, you
don't want to drive an old man's car, you want
to drive a.
Speaker 3 (08:27):
Young man's car. And I guess that's probably true for
the majority of people, right, Yeah, I.
Speaker 1 (08:33):
Guess I mean not for you and money. Yeah, no,
I would like to drive an old man's car actually,
to be honest, I mean, it's obviously tough because it's
a it's a pre selecting situation when a car is expensive,
because typically who has the most money in the country
older men, So it's it's kind of self selecting.
Speaker 2 (08:55):
It is weird, though, that Dua Lipa is their partner,
because I would think she fronts BMW XM campaign or
she is the new brand ambassador for Jaguar.
Speaker 1 (09:06):
You know, that would be interesting, can you imagine? I mean,
it's kind of wonder how much she got paid, That's
what I would like to know.
Speaker 2 (09:14):
Or maybe she just loves cars, you know, like sometimes
they're unexpected Sidney Sweeney for example, Yes, isn't absolute, Yes,
gear head Carlow.
Speaker 1 (09:24):
True, but she has a long history already established of
being involved in cars or having a cool car too.
Doesn't she like work on a truck or something she
has like a truck or an suv that she works on.
Speaker 3 (09:36):
I mean she also is only like twenty three years old,
so it can't be that long of a history. But
I'm impressed.
Speaker 2 (09:43):
And she has legit chops, you know, yeah, for sure
someone who's passionate about yeah cars.
Speaker 1 (09:49):
Maybe Doua has that as well, it's just less publicized.
Speaker 2 (09:53):
All right, let's get to Robert Maxheimer without further ado.
He runs the Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Robert,
let's start with your, uh, with your with the Corvette museum,
because you're.
Speaker 1 (10:06):
In an exhibit. It's a new exhibit, right, a.
Speaker 2 (10:09):
New exhibit, but just the museum itself. First of all,
it's in Bowling Green, Kentucky. So Hannah would have to
drive for like three days to get there. It would
take me probably ten hours.
Speaker 1 (10:19):
And I almost have I have been to the museum.
Speaker 3 (10:23):
Oh you have you?
Speaker 1 (10:25):
Now do you believe that I love corvettes?
Speaker 4 (10:27):
I know you did? Think I think she liked it.
Speaker 1 (10:31):
I did go after the infamous sinkhole, and I do
want to ask you for people who remember the sinkhole,
we would like to let them know this is not
an issue anymore, but you can sort of still see
some of it.
Speaker 4 (10:44):
Yeah, So, I mean, the sinkhole obviously was a huge story.
And today, I mean, so yesterday we had it was
a pretty slow day. The weather was bad. So we
have about thirty people total that came to the museum.
Seven of them asked the front about the sinkhole. Yes,
it's always yeah, they're always asking about where it is.
(11:05):
Can we go inside of it? You know, can we
see the car? And and say nope, that's all been fixed.
The SkyDome is now the safest place in Bowling Green,
maybe in Kentucky. So no, it's an interesting story, but
you know, we're here to celebrate Corvette. So it's it's
nice to kind of move on from that a little bit.
Speaker 1 (11:25):
I'm glad we could clear that up just for anyone
who was thinking about visiting and worried about the sinkhole.
It's no longer an issue.
Speaker 2 (11:33):
But the museum tell us how the museum started, I mean,
was Corvette production originally in Bowling Green, I know they
make them there now, but why is the museum there?
Speaker 4 (11:43):
So it started in Michigan. The first five hundred corvettes
were made in Michigan nineteen fifty three, and then they
moved to Saint Louis where they were there until the
late seventies, and then they started the plant here in
Bowling Green, which came online in nineteen eighty two. They
started making the C four generation in nineteen eighty three,
(12:04):
but they made forty of them and they were abysmal.
So they don't make There's no nineteen eighty three corvette
in the world except here at the National Corvette Museum.
There's one in existence. And then they started pumping them
out there eighty four and they still make them there today.
Speaker 3 (12:21):
So what is the new exhibit? Tell us about the
new exhibit.
Speaker 4 (12:26):
So the new exhibit in the SkyDome, which is completely safe,
by the way, is pop culture and Corvette were you know,
we're able to examine how Corvette's kind of kind of
made its way into the zeitgeist of culture, you know,
over many generations, from the first movie it was in,
which was Kissing Me Deadly in nineteen fifty five, all
(12:47):
the way through to It was recently in the movie
Red One, which came out on Amazon Prime not too
long ago. So and there's music, there's we have Jim
levels Corvette, who was mission commander for Apollo eight Paulo thirteen.
We had that on display, along with smartifacts that he
took into space, space climbs and that kind of thing.
(13:09):
So it really runs the gamut of pop culture, not
just film and TV, but music and you know everything else.
Speaker 1 (13:17):
It's it's pretty cool, Robert. I. Can you take us
a little bit even farther back than that and really
talk to us about why the Corvette was developed, Like,
you know, obviously people know this is sort of America's
answer to the beautiful European sports cars, But talk to
us about, you know, what Harley Earle envisioned when he
(13:39):
first had the concept of creating an American sports car.
Speaker 4 (13:45):
Yeah, that's so funny you asked me because I was
just speaking with Richard Prince, who is a photographer for
Corvette Racing. We're doing an exhibit with him that opens
March seventh, but he's here doing some interviews and some
oral histories for us, and I just had that cover
station with him. He wrote a book about it, actually,
so Harley Earl he had the idea by going to
(14:07):
Watkins Glenn and seeing a race there. He was actually
in a Buick Motorama like design car and he was
leading the first pace around the track, which back then
wasn't a track, it was actually the streets of the
Watkins Glenn and he was blown away. There was two
hundred thousand people on that track watching this race and
(14:29):
he just had no idea. There was so much fanfare
for motorsports. So he went back and he just basically
tasked the entire GM group with creating the sports car.
And of course the influence of GHI is coming back
from Europe seeing these cars that were over there. The
two seater sports cars was influential as well, so that's
(14:54):
really what sparked it, and then it just kind of
grew from there, especially with Oregon involved.
Speaker 1 (15:00):
And the name corvette comes from a naval term for
a type of boat, right, a very light, quick attack boat.
Am I getting that right?
Speaker 4 (15:09):
That's correct? Yes, it was a warship that was known
for being fast and could get into type spaces.
Speaker 2 (15:16):
Is it fair to say it took GM a while
to figure out what they had on their hands because
for the first few generations, I hear you know, production
was tough, manufacturing was difficult. You just referenced the nineteen
eighty three problems that sort of eliminated the model for
that year, and I also have read that, you know,
(15:38):
it wasn't very fast at first, and it took a
while before the brass realized they got to get this
thing racing. They got to get some wins. And obviously
now it's another story. We see that lament, we see
it on the podium all the time, but it took
them a long time to realize what they that they
had to hit right.
Speaker 4 (15:56):
What was interesting is that, you know, they were trying
to push it out for the next more Rama and
which was at the Boulder for Astoria, And so they
made these these cars just like on a whim. Nothing
was really custom for it outside of the design of
the body in the frame. The motor was the blue
flame six cylinder that came out of the truck that
(16:19):
was in production, and the only options that you could
get on the car to begin with was either with
or without a heater, or with or without am radio.
Everything else was just you got it the way it
came and the and the white with the red interior.
Speaker 3 (16:36):
Only white.
Speaker 4 (16:37):
It only came in white, only white in nineteen fifty three,
that's right, and then eventually they introduced black and then
you know, more and more colors. But yeah, it was
it was underperforming. People were not impressed with how it
was on the streets or on the track, and it
wasn't until Zora got involved or done tof and he
(17:00):
wrote a letter to the GM brass and said, hey, look,
we're going to compete with Porsche and you know Ferrari.
We need to start, you know, developing these motors that
are going to be able to achieve that. So he
really pushed into the VA eventually in nineteen fifty seven,
and then it grew into you know, the big block
(17:23):
and racing. So or is the whole reason why there's
you know, Corvette racing in the in the fifties and
early sixties. So yeah, it's interesting. We have the letters
here actually in our archives, those.
Speaker 1 (17:35):
Originals or letters, So can you tell us what else
you guys have there? Just to give people an idea,
like if you are, if we are planning a trip
in the area, what other things can people expect to
see at the museum.
Speaker 4 (17:48):
Yeah, that's a great question because I think for years
the expectation was to see a bunch of corvettes, which
is awesome. I mean, everybody wants to see a bunch
of corvettes. But luckily our collection, between our archives, our
three D collection, obviously our car collection, we can tell
a ton of different stories. So you can expect to
(18:09):
see documents, artwork, blueprints, original blueprints from the Opal project
which was the fifty three, all the way through to
you know, recent C eight related objects as well. So
you know, we have a few of the cars on display,
but we're also in the process of scanning, so we've
(18:31):
three D scanned a few cars, specifically the XP eight
one nine, which is the ugly Duckling, and then the
Z six sixty three split window racer to one of
the kind cars that are only here in our collection
are now digitally scanned and people can go on their
phones and actually explore these cars, you know, on their own.
(18:55):
So there's a lot, there's a lot that we're pushing
out and we're excited for the future for sure.
Speaker 1 (19:02):
Are you guys actively acquiring additional vehicles for the museum
and acquiring things for the archive as well.
Speaker 4 (19:10):
Absolutely, we're donation based, so you know, people come to
us and if they have a Corvette that they're willing
to donate to the museum, there's a form that's filled out,
it goes through our Collections Committee and where it's voted
on and then we you know, accept it as a
recent acquisition, and that's for everything from a car to
(19:32):
it could be like recently, we've got these trophies that
were handed out by GM to car clubs, corvette clubs
and the sixties during the C two generation. So they're
very one of a kind, but just somebody had them
in their basement and didn't need them anymore and offered
it to us. So we're always looking for things to
(19:52):
kind of bridge the gap in our collection.
Speaker 2 (19:54):
For sure, I wanted to go through some of the
generations because not every nobody knows they're you know, C
one through C eight. It's pretty easy to get through them, and.
Speaker 1 (20:04):
Thank godmakers exactly exactly.
Speaker 2 (20:08):
I first became aware of a Corvette when I was
watching Animal House. It's kind of like a bad guy car.
And then in less than zero there's also a C one.
Yeah it's and it's a gorgeous car, but a lot
of people who own them as well as like other
GENEROCY two uh say that it's kind of like driving
(20:29):
a truck because they are body on frame cars, right.
Speaker 4 (20:32):
Yeah, they are a no power steering and those early cars,
so your steering wheel is about this big, and you
know it's it's not really it's not built for comfort,
especially when you get into the you know, the the
C two s, which I think are gorgeous cars. They
weren't built for comfort. So you're going down the road,
you're gonna fill every pump for sure. It's not until
(20:54):
you got into the you know, the C fives and
into the C eights where you really start see that
the difference in the suspension and the chassis. So but yeah,
every everyone is different. Everybody likes a different one.
Speaker 2 (21:08):
So I mean, for me, the C two is my favorite,
and that's the one that a lot of resto mode
or kit car makers, yeah, you know, try and replicate.
There are a couple of things that I wonder about.
The split rear window is so cool, but was it
was it made that way on purpose or was it
(21:29):
because they couldn't make a whole large pane of glass
in the curved shape or why why was it split?
Speaker 4 (21:37):
So yeah, the sixty three, which was the only year
that that was that was produced, that was the one
of the only cars that had total controller. The designer
had totally control over Larry Schanoda. They basically said, hey,
do what you want, and everything from the lines down
the side of the car to that split window where
(21:58):
his touch unfortunate. Sunately, when it came out, a lot
of people found it distracting. They couldn't see it out
the rear view mirror, so they actually sold kits to
cut that out.
Speaker 1 (22:08):
And replace it with a wild that is wild.
Speaker 4 (22:13):
Oh could you imagine?
Speaker 1 (22:14):
I mean yeah, because now collectible, I mean it's like
that's yeah.
Speaker 2 (22:20):
Also, it's an intended design element because I thought it
was because manufacturing the whole window would have been too
difficult or there was some reason that they had to
do it like that.
Speaker 4 (22:28):
It was purely designed. Larry liked the look of it
and it felt like it continued the curve down the
back of the of the car and gave it a
stronger block. It was his theory.
Speaker 1 (22:39):
So the C two obviously is is beautiful and iconic,
But personally I love the C three because I feel
like it's a step toward modern sensibilities. It's so oh
(23:01):
ornery and it can really go either. It can look
very classy, you know, the chrome bumper.
Speaker 3 (23:06):
I love.
Speaker 1 (23:07):
It can look very classy or it can just look
really not. I don't want to say anything, but it
can look unclassy. But I love that too. I just
love how it's got an attitude and it's so compelling.
And you know, you're so right. It doesn't drive great,
but it's got a personality. The point is not not
(23:29):
to have the best handling or fastest car. You know.
I've got a seventy seven C three, so you know
it's and it's not even a manual, it's an automatic,
so you know it's I bought it because I like
how it looks and it just has this attitude that
I love so much. Yes, the C twos are really
beautiful in classic, but for me, the C three is
(23:51):
a punk car and I love that about it.
Speaker 4 (23:54):
I could see that totally, especially the transition. You know,
you had the chrome bumper and completely releast free and
paula eurothmee bumper, which is a look.
Speaker 1 (24:04):
You know, it's it's a look, and I have to
say my husband. My husband has a chrome bumper that's
a four speed manual, so I do have access to that.
But I of course have the underloved non chrome bumper automatic,
and the first time I drove it, I actually did
ding the nose because it's so much longer than you
think in the driving it No, it really it can
(24:30):
catch you out if you're not careful. So I don't know.
It's got such a personality.
Speaker 3 (24:34):
I really love that.
Speaker 4 (24:36):
Well, here's the thing, just you know, we're talking about
all this in the Corvette. What really struck me about
it when I was doing the research when I started,
was every year to constantly push innovation. It's always what's next,
what can we do to make this car better? Constantly?
It's not they don't sit back and just.
Speaker 1 (24:54):
Let it ride, you know, it's is that true for
Is that true for the late eighties nineties era? I
mean it did kind of feel like they were coasting
a little.
Speaker 4 (25:04):
Bit, well a little bit. I mean when you get
into the C four, you know, and especially towards that
ninety six.
Speaker 1 (25:12):
When it's stopped.
Speaker 4 (25:14):
You know, the C four was was a bridge into
the technology era. I think you know, that's why there
were so many issues with it because they were trying
to put so much computerized.
Speaker 1 (25:25):
You know, they're trying too hard.
Speaker 4 (25:28):
Yeah, yeah. And then into the C five. I mean,
the C five kind of saved Corvette because it's it
was such a big seller and people felt comfortable in
the car, So each one serves its purpose. Then you
get into the C six with the z R one
and you're getting more into performance back slightly, yeah, exactly,
and then the C seven, the C seventh for a
(25:50):
lot of people is the pinnacle of the Corvette. I mean,
it's just a it has that that same line, the
same silhouette as a as a client.
Speaker 1 (25:59):
Still that I'm gonna I'm gonna totally disagree. I love
the C eight. I thought it was so much car
for the money when I first drove it in twenty
late twenty.
Speaker 3 (26:09):
Well, but it's a massive departure, right, I get completely.
Speaker 1 (26:12):
So it looks like a Ferrari.
Speaker 2 (26:14):
So I mean the C seven I think looked like
a Ferrari at the time too. That's when I saw
that unveiled. It was the first it was one of
the things that I thought, not in a bad way,
because I fell in love with the car right away.
But I thought that's the end of an a of
the traditional Corvette era. I agree because the motors in
the front right where it should be on a Corvette.
Speaker 3 (26:36):
And the C eight.
Speaker 2 (26:38):
Although I'm head over heels in love and I can't
wait to as soon as it's as soon as it's
financially possible, get my own.
Speaker 3 (26:46):
It's a different kind of thing.
Speaker 1 (26:48):
It's different.
Speaker 2 (26:49):
Yeah, and do a lot of people see that break
just because of the engine placement.
Speaker 4 (26:55):
You know, there's people that complain about it. There's traditionalists
now there that will never sell their C seven. But
we have the museum delivery program here at the museum,
and it's just you know, it's their only C eights,
the brand new cars, and it's eight cars a day,
you know. So there's people not only buying these, but
they're they're seeing that the younger generation is getting more
(27:18):
attracted to the car more than any other generation of Corvette.
So I think that was their objective was to say, hey,
we need to shake things up and get these other
people interested in this younger generation. By the way, we're
not competing with Ford, we're not competing with the Mustang.
We're competing with Portia and Lamborghini and Ferrari and Asta Martin,
(27:42):
those are that's our benchmark. So I think that's what
the CAA did. And you mentioned before it's not a supercar.
Well then you've got the z R one that came out,
you know, one thy sixty four horse power.
Speaker 2 (27:55):
I mean, I think it is a supercar power even
before you get to the ZR one leg in my so,
in my opinion, Hanna and I have talked about this
a lot.
Speaker 3 (28:02):
We don't take it, but it's oh we can, It's
we can. I mean, where else are you going to
find something like the Z six right?
Speaker 2 (28:10):
Uh, flatplane crank and it's naturally aspirated but still makes
what six hundred and fifty horse power?
Speaker 3 (28:19):
And I mean it just in my opinion, just ticks
all the boxes. Now what would what? I can't remember
why did you say it's not a supercar? Handah, just
because it doesn't cost not.
Speaker 1 (28:29):
A supercar, because a supercar is a superlative vehicle that
combines the best of every element and was always intended
to be that the top. The Corvette was not conceived
as a superlative vehicle. We've just gone over how it
actually wasn't at all and ps. The Corvette has the
(28:50):
nickname America sports Car, Like, how how much more evidence
do you need? You know that, Yes, we have higher
power variance of the Corvette, of course, but it was
not conceived as a superlative performance vehicle that would cost
more and do more than any other vehicle in the lineup.
Speaker 3 (29:12):
So Robert, what do you what do you think? I mean,
is a C eight Is a Z six a supercar?
Speaker 4 (29:20):
That's a good I mean, that's a good point you
think of like the four GT that.
Speaker 1 (29:24):
Is that was conceived as the superlatives.
Speaker 4 (29:27):
I would say it's a supercar.
Speaker 1 (29:29):
Yes, agree, you know that is not Yeah, go ahead, sorry, sorry,
go ahead, I get.
Speaker 4 (29:36):
Rid no worries, No, I get your point. But the
fact that you can have within the same car, you know,
multiple entry points. You know, you can get into a
sting Ray for sixty thousand in a base model or
like we were talking about the z R one, which
is going to cost who knows how much that's going
to be, which I would argue is a supercar. So
(29:58):
but I get your point of it if not being
conceived and delivered as specifically a supercar from the beginning,
I think once you drive it. You would call it
a supercar, but you know, I.
Speaker 2 (30:11):
Mean, if if a Z six is better than a
Ferrari four to fifty eight, is it just a sports
car that happens to be better than a supercar?
Speaker 4 (30:21):
Good point? Good point.
Speaker 1 (30:24):
I don't know who's saying it's better than a four fifty.
Speaker 2 (30:26):
I'm saying if you can drive them back to back
and draw your own conclusions.
Speaker 3 (30:30):
But a lot of people would say it is.
Speaker 1 (30:33):
Are you saying that?
Speaker 4 (30:34):
Though?
Speaker 2 (30:34):
No, No, I haven't driven a four to fifty eight,
so I'm just telling you what other people have with
more experience, like Eddie Alterman, would say it is at
least as good as, if not better, and he has
a heck of a lot of experience driving cars.
Speaker 4 (30:50):
It could be competitive with the four fifty eight on
the track consistently, should it be in the same conversation
as the supercar?
Speaker 1 (30:59):
I argue that a four to fifty eight is also
not a supercar.
Speaker 3 (31:06):
I knew you were gonna say that.
Speaker 1 (31:07):
How's that?
Speaker 3 (31:08):
I knew that was coming.
Speaker 1 (31:10):
Then Ferraris are supercars, but I wouldn't, and I don't. Look,
I don't want to awaken the Ferrari beast, but I
might argue that a four to fifty eight isn't a supercar,
it's a high end sports car, and that's wonderful.
Speaker 4 (31:23):
Really, the difference is consumer consumer car, the car that's
made for consumer specifically a mass sure, yes, versus like
the C five, R s you know, C six, R
C seven, r C eight. Are those race cars?
Speaker 2 (31:36):
Sure?
Speaker 4 (31:37):
You know? Yes, specific we're racing.
Speaker 1 (31:40):
Yeah, that's part of it.
Speaker 2 (31:42):
Let's talk about racing, Robert, because there's so much made
about Ford versus Ferrari. And I get that the g
T forty or you know that those special cars. You know,
our our supercars and are very special like a Ferrari.
But Corvette has real racing pedigree in multiple generations, right,
(32:06):
and you know they sometimes achieved one, two three finishes
at Lamal. So what do you think are the are
the proudest moments in Corvette racing?
Speaker 4 (32:18):
You know, I think going back to the golf Oil
series and the you know, the early sixties, you know,
with the C one and then into the C two,
they were highly competitive and you know you have Bill Cunningham,
Don Diego and all these like really famous race car
drivers that drove these cars and just kicked butt time
(32:40):
after time, and then GM pulled out of that right
they said, you know, this isn't for us. And then
you get into the early seventies and then the late
eighties with the Challenge Series, which is also a really
fascinating era of motorsports for Corvette, and then the introduction
of the Z R one in nineteen ninety and again
(33:01):
just consistently kicking everybody's butt all the way down the line, uh,
and then getting into nineteen ninety nine with the C
five R and it just keeps going the same direction.
They have to make new divisions for them because they're
too competitive or they're too good, and it just, you know,
it's a it's a fascinating story. It's I I specifically
(33:24):
like the the later generation to see five R to
SR that Corvette racing, the factory back Corvette racing. That
story is just fascinating because it was a family. You know,
you had Doug fie Han, you know who oversaw as
as for the entire group, and then these drivers they
kept coming back. Andy Pilgrim, Dale earnhard Dale Earner Junior
(33:45):
raced you know at Daytona at one point, and then
Oliver Gavin and you know all these all these great
race car drivers that that won these amazing races and
beat Ferrari and Lamborghini and Aston Martin. So it's a
it's a great story, and that's something that we're definitely
working on for an exhibition of a larger scale exhibition
(34:07):
here at the museum because the personalities involved are just
outrageous and so much fun, and it's gonna be great.
Speaker 1 (34:16):
I think some of the some of the most eccentric,
wildest people I've met have been in car circles kind
of like what you're describing. I mean, there's so many stories,
especially in the history of American sports car racing. It's
just you're so right. I can't wait to see how
you guys tell that story, because there's already wild characters.
Speaker 4 (34:38):
That's wild. I mean, right next door we have Andy
Pilgrim's doing oral history for us. You know, he drove
a Lamar with Dale Earnhard and I remember talking to
him being like Dale heard he's a guttural, visceral driver.
He's just going off as instincte. Andy Pilgrim is highly intelligent.
He was a computer software engineer, you know, so he's
looking at it two different ways. So yeah, there's a
(35:02):
lot of different personalities that we.
Speaker 1 (35:04):
Can explore for sure, Robert, how closely does the museum
work with the actual automaker? Are you guys in close contact?
You mentioned a delivery program that you guys have. How
much back and forth is there?
Speaker 4 (35:21):
Yeah, there's a lot. We have members of our board
that are part of GM from the plant as well
as Upham Michigan. We work with them constantly. They're very
supportive of the museum and you know, from our perspective,
it gives us something to shoot for as far as
(35:43):
the way that they operate. So we want to try
to keep in line with the brand, which is, you know,
unlike any other car main here in America. So if
we can have that as people walk into the museum
and that's what they expect, that we're doing a good job.
But yeah, they're they're a great partner for us.
Speaker 1 (36:05):
Okay, So my next question, of course, is we need
some gossip. You know, what can you tell us about
the Corvette Zora. You know, is this happening? You know
maybe a Corvette SUV. Who knows the rumor mill is
rife with this this type of thing. What can you
tell us?
Speaker 4 (36:22):
Yeah, well, we hear. We definitely hear all the rumors
for sure. That's a I feel like we're a meeting
place for that, I bet, you know, Like I said,
we're partners with GM, we work with them a lot,
but you know, we're not in Studio X designing the
C ten Corvette, you know. So it's it's a bit
(36:42):
of a as much of a surprise for us as
everybody else. You know, when these cars come out, Like
I said, they're always pushing the envelope. So I'm sure
whatever is coming next is going to be even better
than what was before.
Speaker 2 (36:56):
So they have to have an suv coming soon, right,
I mean, is that aially announced?
Speaker 4 (37:02):
I don't think there's nothing official, you know, And there's
going back to the whole you know thought of the
front engine versus mid engine, you know, or is this
is America's sports car, which is a two seater car,
and suddenly you get into SUVs and things like that.
Speaker 2 (37:22):
But it could be a don't standalone brand easily, right
if Mustang can be.
Speaker 3 (37:27):
A pony car.
Speaker 1 (37:28):
But are we happy about that? Are we happy about
the Mustang SUI?
Speaker 2 (37:32):
I am not terribly, but I know that it's a
good business idea to break out such a successful model
into a brand, right, I keep waiting for Corvette to
do that, and it seems like it's inevitable.
Speaker 4 (37:47):
Yeah, your guess is as good as mine, I'll say that.
Speaker 2 (37:51):
Really, I don't think I guess it's quite as good
as yours, right Mark? Mark Royce never comes over to
my house, and I'll bet he's down there. Yeah, I
think I've read that it could be the SUV built
on the same platform as the CT five, the Cadillac.
Speaker 3 (38:11):
Platform, which would be cool because you could have a
manual transmission.
Speaker 2 (38:16):
Doesn't it kind of break your heart that the C
eight isn't offered in any way in a manual transmission.
Speaker 4 (38:23):
It is a little bit. I mean, we have the
last manual Corvette in the Skytome, and it's it is
a little heartbreaking. I'm personally, I'm a big fan of what.
Speaker 1 (38:33):
Is the last manual? What is the last manual Corvette?
Speaker 4 (38:37):
It was a steam Ray C seven steam rangs in
twenty nineteen and rolled out the line and came right
over here. But yeah, I you know, I know panel
shifting is a thing for some people, but there's something
about to take control over the clutch and the and
(38:57):
the stick that makes you feel like you're part of
the car. I don't know you're in control.
Speaker 1 (39:02):
Well, let me ask you this. I won't put you
on the spot, Robert, because I can tell you're a
very diplomatic and smart gentleman. But from the people who
not you, but the people who do come to the museum,
what is the feeling about a hybrid or even an
electric corvette? Obviously we know we're already in hybrid territory.
(39:26):
What are you hearing about opinions about whether a corvette
is real, if it's a hybrid or an electric.
Speaker 4 (39:35):
I mean, that's a great question. I think that the
E Ray specifically really threw a lot of people for
a loop. They didn't understand what it was. We had
last April at our Bash, which is a big, you know,
convention of corvette owners. Tasjuginger came out and we had
Harley Charles and we had Peters, all these great corvette people.
(39:59):
But Tas got up and again somebody who's extremely intelligent
was able to explain, Hey, this the E Ray. You know,
the front motor, the electric motor, the battery and all
that stuff, it's not meant to be hybrid. You're not
getting better gas mileage. It's there for propulsion, it's there
to help forms of the car. So, you know, to
(40:21):
view it as a hybrid in the traditional sense of
the term, it's not completely accurate. Now when you're sitting
in it doing a launch, you can see why they
did it. I mean, you're going zero to sixty and
whatever it is. It's insane. You know, your your eyes
go at the.
Speaker 3 (40:36):
Back of your skull so much grip.
Speaker 4 (40:40):
Drive, Yeah, yeah, it's it's a little bit more kind
of utilitarian. Then you can drive it into snow and
you know, you can get those those especially snow tires
on it. I haven't done that, but that's what they say.
Speaker 1 (40:54):
It'd be fun.
Speaker 4 (40:55):
Fun would be fun. So yeah, I think it's just
at and people ask where you plug it in? Yeah,
of course, So it's just about education. And I think
once they understand, oh, I get it, this is a
high performance car. Yeah, really enjoyed.
Speaker 1 (41:14):
So I think that totally makes sense. And you know,
we Matt and I talk about this with a lot
of luxury and sports cars that really the hybrid element,
like you say, is not about quote unquote going green
or saving gasoline. It's actually about performance. Yeah, and it
(41:35):
does noticeably enhance performance.
Speaker 2 (41:38):
So what's to argue with in a way, Yeah, it's so,
I mean the acceleration is mind blowing and in a
much more visceral way than an all electric car, which
also which you know, may put even better numbers down,
But you just don't feel it the same way as
you do with the.
Speaker 3 (41:57):
Six point two eight behind you.
Speaker 2 (41:59):
It's I just think it's a it's such a cool offering.
So you have the right now with the C eight,
you have the sting ray, you have the z O six,
you have the E ray, and you have the z
L one right one, z R one Sorry, and then
Zora's next, is that right?
Speaker 4 (42:19):
I have no idea?
Speaker 1 (42:20):
Good that was a really good try. That was a
really good time, mat.
Speaker 3 (42:23):
Robert, What do you have a favorite? Do you have
a favorite generation or a favorite addition?
Speaker 4 (42:30):
That's a great that's a great question. I you know,
I love the look at the C two. I think
you know of the cars that we have on display now,
and this changes every day, so I ask me tomorrow
and it would be different. But we have an l
A D eight sixty nine black Home black convertible that
is just beautiful and that I mean, if I had
(42:51):
any car, I think that would be it, and especially
that's such a powerful car and a lot of history.
But but yeah, I mean you get into the big
blocks of the C two and uh, you know sixty
seven and and it's those are those are great cars.
And then you know the z R one, The ninety
(43:12):
z R one is also kind of nostalgic, you know.
For me, I'm an eighties kid, so I remember seeing those.
My uncle had one. You know, that's the coolest car ever.
Oh yeah, again, it changes every day.
Speaker 2 (43:26):
So can you can you pick a car from the
museum and take them home on the weekends or yeah,
we have a fleet, so.
Speaker 4 (43:34):
We have an education kind of a fleet of cars,
a C three through a C eight, and then we
use those for trips we go on you know, education outreach,
we go to schools and and that kind of thing.
The collections cars, no, no, those are those are highly
protected by our Collections team and cared for so they
(43:58):
are all in working order, are objective. We wanted to
be alive and sitting there rotting, so they're maintained on
a regular schedule and driven periodically just to keep things moving.
Speaker 1 (44:12):
You know what's really weird. And I just remember this,
and Robert, you reminded me when you said, like everyone's
uncle had a Corvette. I had the pink Barbie Corvette
when I was growing up cool and that might have
act and I don't think about it, but that might
have had a real subconscious influence on me because I
ended up owning a Corvette. And you're kind of right.
(44:34):
They just kind of pervade culture in a way. Especially
I was born in the eighties too. That is so funny.
I just thought of that.
Speaker 3 (44:42):
But that she's born in the eighties is it for
somebody in my generation?
Speaker 1 (44:50):
But yeah, I love that Corvette.
Speaker 4 (44:53):
The pop culture thing, it's like totally I came from
and I was a Disney Archive for almost ten years.
You look at a brand like Dad, who has also
entered the culture, American culture. There's a few brands that
have done it, but Corvette is definitely one of them.
I think that's something you grow up with.
Speaker 1 (45:12):
Do you think he agreed with you or me about
the supercar thing.
Speaker 3 (45:16):
It felt like he.
Speaker 2 (45:17):
Didn't really have a strong opinion one way or the other.
And I should have asked if he'd been a Corvette
fan from birth or if this was one, we should
have asked that too, But I think so. He used
to work for Disney and then he ran like the
San Diego Historical Society or something. So it's like, you know,
(45:38):
his job isn't as an automotive engineer, and he's not
in actually a fanboy.
Speaker 3 (45:43):
It's about the archives and the museum.
Speaker 2 (45:45):
Stuff, which is cool, actually, no, totally awesome, and I'm
psyched for the Corvette Museum that they got him. I
think he was a big get for them. But it
didn't seem like he had a passionate opinion on the
supercar argument, which obviously you and I both have strong
takes on that we are not letting touch it again.
Speaker 1 (46:04):
I am clenching. I'm definitely I will die on this hill, Hannah. Look,
this will be my final comment for today, well at
least for the next five minutes. Just because something performs
like a supercar doesn't make it a supercar, man.
Speaker 2 (46:22):
I don't. I think if it performs like a supercar
and if it looks like a supercar, it has to
be a supercar.
Speaker 1 (46:31):
Maybe people should ride in and let us know what
they think. Obviously we've brought this up before, but yes,
it seems to be an ongoing debate.
Speaker 2 (46:37):
The email address is hot Pursuit at Bloomberg dot net.
Speaker 1 (46:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (46:42):
I mean the other thing is I think there's a
real split from Corvette or a couple right the first
as far as I understand that, at least the first two,
possibly the first three generations, we're body on frame. Then
it seemed like they didn't get super serious about it
kind of C six, But really C seven was when
(47:03):
they were like, you know what, we're investing a lot
of money to make this a really serious car course
overcoming manufacturing and quality issues, and that's.
Speaker 1 (47:13):
A pretty recent development in the history of the car.
Like that's kind of where I'm like, yes, they made
they made some that are very fast, supercar like performers,
but like in the in the history of that model line,
that's pretty recent.
Speaker 2 (47:28):
Yeah, And well, he mentions Tad Tad Juchtter, who I
think really along with Mary Bara and Mark Royce, you know,
they decided this is going to be We're really going
to put our money where our mouths are, Yeah.
Speaker 1 (47:42):
Which I love. I totally respect that, And I do
think the Corvette in general is criminally under respected, like
nobody respects the VET and every time I drive mine,
I'm like, why aren't more people looking at me, honking
at me, giving me thumbs up? I'm like, what do
I have to do to get attention around here? I mean,
(48:03):
such a cool car, don't they really don't. It's weird.
I told someone that and he's like, well, you need
to take the tea tops off, more like you need
to get your hair out. Like it's such a good,
fun like icon of American auto manufacturing, and I feel.
Speaker 2 (48:18):
Like it is not respect I feel like though, adding that,
I mean, I don't want to overstep any hr allignes,
but like atomic blonde with sure bright lipstick, you know,
driving the Corvette, what do I have to do?
Speaker 3 (48:31):
I feel like that is definitely at least a thumbs up.
Speaker 1 (48:34):
I get nothing. I'm telling you, I get more in
that old huge Rolls Royce cruising at fifteen miles an
hour than I.
Speaker 4 (48:41):
Do in the car.
Speaker 2 (48:42):
And by the way, do you think you must think
that it's the C three is going to jump in value?
Speaker 1 (48:49):
Right? Honestly made so many of them, though, but there
it's been a while. I'm telling you from experience, you
can go out to the Pomona swap me and pick
one up for fifteen dollars. You can go to Corvette
Mics and pick one up for twenty thousand bucks. They're
kind of at least in it. I do believe LA
is a bubble, but they're kind of everywhere. They're so prominent,
(49:11):
and most of them were not really cared for. So
many of them are ropey and rough that I don't
I honestly, I wish they would jump in value. But
unless you have one that is really truly in mint
condition chrome bumper early in the generation, I don't necessarily
think it's gonna.
Speaker 3 (49:31):
Be But if you have a Cherry Seed.
Speaker 1 (49:33):
Three manual, of course it has to be like mine.
I don't think it's going to gain much, but I
drive it because I love it.
Speaker 2 (49:43):
That's the right way to do it. Yeah, well, I
absolutely uh. I love the story and too. Starting with
the you know, C six was the first one that
I drove really and I thought it was brutal and
so much fun and you could ease kick out the
rear end, but maybe a little dangerous, you know, from
(50:05):
my experience at the time, it definitely was. Then I
went through the whole C seven covering GM very closely
and interviewing Mary Barr a lot, and you know, it
was a baby for her and for Mark, and so
I felt really connected to that car. And I drove
it on a lot, drove it on the track a lot,
and I thought it was so cool, but still totally
(50:26):
a Corvette. And then when C eight came out, I
thought at the time, like, that's not cool as a
as maybe a bit of a purist. I thought, that's
not okay to put the engine in the back. And yeah,
but now that I've driven it, I am one over surely,
and I it's definitely on a very short list of
(50:47):
cars that I want to buy personally in the next
couple of years.
Speaker 3 (50:50):
It's on there, like right next to the CT five
Black Wing.
Speaker 1 (50:55):
I think the C eight might be the center of
r Vin diagram in terms of the cars that we
each would personally own, because there are lots of cars
that you want to own that I don't need, and
vice versa. But the C eight seems like for both
of us falls in the middle, and I totally agree.
I would one hundred percent buy that car for myself
if I had the money, which I don't, but you know,
(51:16):
I totally agree. It's so much car for the money,
and it's really fun and it's so sexy.
Speaker 2 (51:22):
Yeah, I feel like I'm a drug runner, you know,
from the nineteen eighties when I'm driving it the convertible
at night, you know, and the interior just fits like
a glove and I don't know, it just it's the
only problem I have with it is that there's no
three pedal version, and that kind of bothers me because,
(51:45):
like I say, the CT five V black Wing is
also on that very short list because it checks every
box except for the sexy. It's like a terribly unattractive vehicle,
but it has a super charged V a stick shift,
and it handles like it's on rails. Like I just
wish they would marry those two things and give me
(52:07):
a three pedal Corvette.
Speaker 3 (52:12):
Not gonna happen, I know.
Speaker 2 (52:14):
Well, I got my I got a list from one
of my buddies who runs a press fleet management company.
He gave me a list of potential cars to drive
in the next few months, and a plane Jane Stingray
was on there, which I've never driven because I've been
in the Z six and the E Ray, but I've
(52:35):
never driven just the base Stingray and I really want
to drive it because I want to spend as little
money as possible and get as much as I can
like everybody else. So I think that could be could
be the answer, and I'm excited.
Speaker 3 (52:48):
There's also hear some.
Speaker 2 (52:50):
Other cool trucks that I got on that list. There's
the Ram, you know, in their new sort of no
more Va. They have the Hurricane in line six in
their what like what would be a t t r X.
Speaker 3 (53:06):
I'm gonna drive that one. I'm pretty excited about that.
What about you?
Speaker 1 (53:11):
What do you?
Speaker 3 (53:11):
What do you got? Well?
Speaker 1 (53:14):
I I think I mentioned I'm getting a Vanquish h
Yes next week and some more Mercedes I'm going I'm
gonna be driving. I don't think I told you the
Escalade IQ weet Escalaid in February in La So and
the Optic so I'm very excited and curious about those.
(53:35):
I'm an Escalade fan.
Speaker 3 (53:38):
It's gonna be amazing, I hope, I hope.
Speaker 1 (53:40):
So it's going to weigh so much. I'm scared about
how the weight.
Speaker 2 (53:44):
I like.
Speaker 1 (53:44):
I saw it a pre last year. We saw like
an early prototype. I didn't drive it, but I saw
it here in LA and it's looks very cool, very Escalaid,
very Cadillac, but it's so so big. I'm a little
worried about the weight, but I can't wait to find
out for myself. So that's Those are the kind of
the things the car wise, I just got off the
(54:06):
phone this morning with Rolls Royce. They were announcing their numbers.
Did you talk with Chris brown Ridge.
Speaker 3 (54:12):
I will have spoken with him by the time this
podcast comes out.
Speaker 1 (54:16):
So that's not embargoed. Right, we can talk about Rolls Royce.
Speaker 2 (54:19):
Yes, right, he's coming on well, so we're recording this
on Tuesday. He's coming on my TV show on Wednesday,
and then we're putting.
Speaker 4 (54:25):
This out on Friday.
Speaker 1 (54:26):
So you want to talk about Rolls Royce numbers.
Speaker 3 (54:28):
Yeah, sure, I mean, I mean go.
Speaker 1 (54:32):
It seemed like, well basically just I literally just got
off the call. It seemed like the top note is
they were down slightly. This is their third highest year
on record for sales. They delivered fifty seven hundred cars globally.
They don't seem that concerned. I mean, they're spinning it
like their in their margins are increasing. They had a
(54:53):
ten percent increase in bespoke cars last year, so while
their volume is down slightly, the profits on their cars
is probably up. And then they've said that they're going
to spend three hundred and seventy million dollars on expanding goodwood,
mostly so that they can have more space to build
these really expensive bespoke commissions. So again they're not going
(55:17):
to expand their volume, but they're investing more in creating
space to make these like multimillion dollar cars.
Speaker 2 (55:25):
And that's the direction, that's clearly the direction that the
luxury vehicle manufacturers are all going. Right. None of them
are hidden sort of record deliveries except for Lambeau and uh,
they're all trying to do a lot more personalization, a
lot more paint to sample a lot more like beyond
paint to sample right total like like you.
Speaker 1 (55:46):
Know, beyond paint, it would be like creating some sort
of silk painted headliner that is a portrait of somebody's dog,
like in the top of the car, or like it,
you know, Cigar, a human err and I made out
of wood from your property in France that you've cut
(56:06):
down and sent to the factory so that they can
use your elm trees in your own person. I mean,
it's like really crazy stuff. The other thing that was
really surprising to me as I went into the call
really wanting to ask about Specter, which is there? Yeah, right,
because like I drove it in Cape Town it was awesome.
(56:28):
We kind of haven't heard a lot about it, and obviously,
as we know, evs are in a in a roller
coaster right now. They wouldn't tell me how many Specters
they they delivered last year, but they did say that
it was the second most delivered vehicle from Rolls Royce
behind colanin Ohl is the top col Um No, it
(56:53):
went Colon in Specter Ghost Phantom. Isn't that wild?
Speaker 3 (56:58):
That's crazy?
Speaker 4 (56:58):
I know.
Speaker 1 (57:00):
I was very surprised.
Speaker 2 (57:02):
Somebody here at seven thirty one Lex has a culin
in not not at Bloomberg. Not at Bloomberg, Okay, as
somebody who lives in the building in like the Penhouse.
Speaker 3 (57:10):
I'm sure no.
Speaker 1 (57:11):
Beyonce used to live in the Penthouse, right, and.
Speaker 2 (57:14):
A bunch of Yankees like Johnny Damon, I've had places here.
Peter TiAl had an apartment here, like very wealthy people.
Speaker 1 (57:21):
I still really like Johnny Damon. He was like my
favorite player.
Speaker 2 (57:24):
There are people who could have one, but still I
only see one here in the in the courtyard and
one in the garage across street. I just don't see
him very often. But to be fair, in New York,
you don't really see Rolls Royces that often.
Speaker 3 (57:38):
I'm sure.
Speaker 1 (57:39):
Do you think that's because of image? Like like you
just feel like a bit of a too, like A
I don't jerk think so.
Speaker 3 (57:48):
I think A.
Speaker 2 (57:49):
It's New York, so not as many people are driving
status symbols as LA or London b You're guaranteed to
get bum keyed, you know. Fender benders are highly likely,
and the New England weather isn't great for you know, rust.
(58:12):
And I'm sure that a lot of New Yorkers have
Rolls Royces and keep them in Palm Beach, you know,
that would make sense.
Speaker 3 (58:18):
But they just aren't for the city.
Speaker 2 (58:20):
In the city, you just get if you have a driver, right,
you just get like a Yukon or escalating that.
Speaker 1 (58:26):
New York fantasy.
Speaker 2 (58:28):
All right, cool, Well that's all we got for this week.
But we look forward to hearing No, wait, we look
forward to you hearing us.
Speaker 1 (58:36):
We look forward to you hearing us next week. Yeah,
something it feels like a conversation between us and the listeners.
Speaker 3 (58:43):
Yeah, all right, so I guess that's it. I'm Matt Miller,
I'm
Speaker 1 (58:47):
Hannah Elliott, and this is Bloomberg.
Hosts And Creators
Hannah Elliott
Matt Miller
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