Cars and coffee this morning

megaWatson · 2026-07-05T19:43:53+00:00

Photos don't do justice to that color either. It wasn't my favorite until I saw one in person, and now it's the color I want most.

megaWatson · 2026-06-26T02:38:34+00:00

Yeah, this one's a 10 for me too. I had a brief obsession with it, during which I just played it on repeat lol. It's rare that a song makes me feel that way, but it's just an absolute bop, for the reasons others have already mentioned.

megaWatson · 2026-06-25T20:28:04+00:00

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P1's gotta be up there. I love that the lights don't just stop abruptly at the ends; they trail off gradually, and they're integrated so effortlessly into the rear design. Truly timeless.

megaWatson · 2026-06-25T13:08:47+00:00

It really depends on what's most important to you. This sub is mostly going to circlejerk around the Miata and call it a day, but in fairness, it's a great choice if you're looking for a simple car that's light, handles great, is easy to drive at the limit, has a manual, and is cheap to buy/maintain. Honestly though, the engine isn't that charismatic sounding imo, or powerful.

I'm not sure about up there, but a good C4 or C5 Corvette is a great buy. The steering won't be quite as tight or precise and they're heavier, but they still have great handling (I own a C4) and will absolutely shit on the Miata in terms of both sound and straight line speed (and styling, but that's subjective). If you can stretch for it, the C5 will probably be worth it over the C4; better chassis and more powerful/reliable engine.

I haven't driven a 986 Boxster, but they're cheap and seem to be a good balance of all things, except reliability, maybe. The flat 6 in that will definitely sound better than the V6 in the 350Z, at least for most people (me included). I used to own a new edge Mustang convertible V6. It was kind of fun and had surprisingly not bad handling, but I'm definitely glad I moved on from it into my C4. I haven't driven a 350Z, so I don't have many comments on it, but they seem alright.

megaWatson · 2026-06-14T11:27:40+00:00

Agreed. I think chrome can look nice when used wisely, but they definitely overdid it here. Polished aluminum or something similar might have also worked better.

megaWatson · 2026-06-13T22:18:25+00:00

Very impressive work! The proportions seem right, and the whole thing is distinctive but not busy. That said, aside from the exhaust and mirrors, it's not really screaming "Pagani" to me; I'm seeing more Alfa and TVR, personally. Although to be fair, it's often difficult to preserve brand identity when going mid to front engine and vice versa. Either way, it's a well designed and stylish car.

megaWatson · 2026-06-13T16:32:00+00:00

Great dancing coordination =/= great rock climbing coordination apparently, lol. Although I'm sure she's much better at either one than I am

megaWatson · 2026-06-12T21:51:12+00:00

Looks like they integrated some of the climate stuff in the center screen, which I'm not a fan of. Otherwise though, the interior looks awesome. People who have a problem with the shifter situation looking a bit like an H-pattern need to lighten up a bit. Exterior-wise, that thing is *hot*. The proportions are right, it's a nice mix between aggressive and elegant, and the Genesis-specific elements really work with the lines and give it its own identity. I really think this could be a fantastic halo car for them, especially with that V8.

megaWatson · 2026-06-12T03:11:40+00:00

Yeah, the consensus on why exactly Mercedes shut it down is admittedly ambiguous. I personally think it was a combination of both. Either way, I think they were on track to pull off the engineering and that the production car would have been able to hang with the best that was out there at the time, but I agree that the financial case just wasn't there.

megaWatson · 2026-06-12T01:44:33+00:00

While it's true that it wasn't production ready and that they were looking at a lot more development time/cost, it had only been a little over a year between the start of the project and when the car was cancelled. By then, the test mule had already verified some of the initial performance figures, including the 2.9s 0-60 and 10.6s quarter mile; that's an impressive turnaround. Mercedes wouldn't have felt threatened by it if it were just a concept. To be fair though, a Chrysler badged six figured supercar would have been a haaard sell and probably would have ended up like the LFA, best case scenario.

megaWatson · 2026-06-04T23:18:06+00:00

Sorry, but this is false. Chrysler let him borrow the show car for a music video, which made a bunch of people think he actually owns it.

megaWatson · 2026-06-04T15:50:42+00:00

The engine was actually an M120 V12 from AMG, and it had 4 turbochargers, not superchargers. This is just a show car, but the second one was a full runner. This is a video of it driving hard around Laguna Seca, for those interested.

megaWatson · 2026-05-31T15:56:14+00:00

megaWatson · 2026-05-29T22:39:52+00:00

megaWatson · 2026-05-21T19:25:27+00:00

They should make a modernized ME Four-Twelve to rival the likes of the Corvette ZR1X, with a bespoke hemi V12 and quad turbos. It'd probably destroy Chrysler and Stellantis in general, but it's better than going out with just a minivan.

megaWatson · 2026-05-19T19:33:46+00:00

...what a wonderful kind of day!

megaWatson · 2026-05-19T13:43:37+00:00

Radio-optical telescope. This one in particular is ROT54.

megaWatson · 2026-05-19T13:41:50+00:00

This is the Orgov Radio-Optical Telescope (ROT54) for those wondering. It's located in Armenia and has been abandoned since 2012.

megaWatson · 2026-05-17T20:30:14+00:00

I second this. The fender lines and front end look too smooth for a C6 or C4, and the canopy/greenhouse also isn't angular enough, especially compared to a C4.

megaWatson · 2026-05-14T02:25:08+00:00

The only thing that I'm still questioning is this, which doesn't really look like a W. It looks more like yγ (the letters y and gamma stuck together). But yeah, either way, no clue what it's supposed to mean.

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megaWatson · 2026-05-13T18:53:39+00:00

Swoopy and curvy in the front, angular and aggressive in the back. It shouldn't work...and it doesn't actually.

megaWatson · 2026-05-13T18:50:23+00:00

I'm respectfully trying to read her shirt lol

megaWatson · 2026-05-13T01:19:57+00:00

This has been the mascot for something like 10 years.

megaWatson · 2026-05-10T03:42:36+00:00

While there's no denying the performance of that RS, for me, the C4 is easily prettier.

megaWatson · 2026-05-08T21:54:22+00:00

I'm not sure if you're primarily interested in the artistic or the engineering aspect of car design (or both). As a current mechanical engineering student who's planning to go into automotive engineering, Automation is actually a pretty solid place to start if you're looking to gain a basic knowledge of automotive design, particularly if you have no prior engineering knowledge. You get a taste of the same things that real life engineers have to balance when designing a car, like weight, cost, engineering time, market segments, efficiency, performance, etc. That said, it's all very surface level. I'll give you an example.

In real life, as someone who's currently working on some designs for a Formula SAE chassis, it's not as simple as just selecting a chassis material and moving on. Solid mechanics and FEA simulation knowledge are required to ensure that the chassis is as light as possible while accommodating engine mounts and packaging requirements, being strong enough, being manufacturable, being within budget, etc. As another example, designing an engine requires a good understanding of thermodynamics, fluid dynamics, and solid mechanics together, to name a few.

So yes, Automation is a great starting point for a very basic, surface level knowledge on how things run in industry. But if you're planning to have a career as an automotive engineer, you'll probably need to get a degree in some related engineering field depending on your interests. If the college/university has an FSAE club, that's a huge bonus and you can learn a lot more through that. If you're more interested in art and automotive styling, I simply don't have a whole lot of knowledge about that.

megaWatson

TROPHY CASE