JANUARY 28, 2026

The original - and still our favorite - Autoextremist logo. 

The AE Quote of the Century: Everybody loves The High-Octane Truth. Until they don't. -WG 

SPECIAL EDITOR'S NOTE: We'd like to remind you that Peter's first work of fiction, "St. Michael of Birmingham" is out now. Make no mistake, it doesn't resemble anything you've read from him before. In fact, it is quite a dramatic departure. It is mystical. It is sexy. It is funny. It's moving. And it is a flat-out wild ride unlike anything you've experienced. Having said that, it is definitely not for everyone, but then, it is from PMD, so that probably shouldn't come as a surprise! Check it out on Amazon Kindle here. -WG

Editor-in-Chief's Note: I forced myself to watch the Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale yesterday, and it was a big mistake, because it was a dismal waste of 45 minutes that I'll never get back again. The prices - ably hyped by the jacked-up B-J handler/barkers - were absurd, so far removed from even a shred of reality that I pity the fools involved. B-J conveniently couches everything in an "it's for charity!" disclaimer - they were slated to auction-off Corvette ZR1X No. 1 for charity - but who's kidding whom here? They hype the bidders to a relentless degree, and then people who should know better pay upwards of 30-percent and even more over what they're actually worth. I don't refer to it as the "Greed-Fest" for nothing, and I'll add a couple of other terms too. It's a disgusting and flat-out disgraceful display. -PMD

(Singer images)

In the latest development from the "You Can't Afford It" Files, Singer presents “Sorcerer,” the first Porsche 911 reimagined for its owner through DLS Turbo Services. What's in it?

• It was named Sorcerer by its owner and is specified in graduated Fantasia Blue, with a track-focused rear wing and front fascia, and 7-spoke magnesium centre-lock wheels with a Champagne finish.
• The owner specified seats trimmed in Pebble Grey leather with Pearl Grey Alcantara seat centers, and Champagne piping. The interior bright trim is specified in Champagne with satin carbon fiber selected for the lower interior environment.
• DLS Turbo services incorporated a twin-turbocharged, 9000rpm, 3.8L flat six, restored and developed by Singer, combining expertise in turbocharging with the remarkable engine developed through DLS services.
• The reborn flat six is based on the Type 964’s engine and develops over 700HP and 750Nm of torque with 4-valves per cylinder, twin turbochargers with variable turbine geometry, water-cooled cylinder heads, air-cooled cylinders and an electrically powered horizontal fan.
• Sorcerer is restored around the original Type 964 monocoque, augmented with chassis strengthening, and wears lightweight carbon fibre bodywork, inspired by the rare 934.5 endurance racer from the late 1970s.
• Latest generation ABS, traction control, and electronic stability control, developed with Bosch, are combined with selectable drive modes, a manual six-speed gearbox and rear-wheel drive.
• Each Porsche 911 Reimagined by Singer is personalized at the request of its owner, with DLS Turbo restorations carried out at Singer’s UK facility.

Editor-in-Chief's Note: Alain de Cadenet's superb automotive series - "Victory By Design" - doesn't get nearly enough attention. We aim to rectify that in the coming issues of AE. This week, the subject is the Shelby American Cobra Daytona Coupe. Watch it here. -PMD



The AE Song of the Week:

'Cause it's a bittersweet symphony, that's life
Tryna make ends meet, you're a slave to money then you die
I'll take you down the only road I've ever been down
You know the one that takes you to the places where all the veins meet, yeah

No change, I can change
I can change, I can change
But I'm here in my mold
I am here in my mold
But I'm a million different people
From one day to the next
I can't change my mold
No, no, no, no, no
Have you ever been down?

Well, I've never prayed but tonight I'm on my knees, yeah
I need to hear some sounds that recognize the pain in me, yeah
I let the melody shine, let it cleanse my mind, I feel free now
But the airwaves are clean and there's nobody singin' to me now

No change, I can change
I can change, I can change
But I'm here in my mold

I am here in my mold
And I'm a million different people
From one day to the next
I can't change my mold
No, no, no, no, no
(Have you ever been down?)
I can't change it, you know
I can't change it, no

'Cause it's a bittersweet symphony, that's life
Tryna make ends meet, tryna find somebody then you die
I'll take you down the only road I've ever been down
You know the one that takes you to the places where all the veins meet, yeah

You know I can change, I can change
I can change, I can change
But I'm here in my mold
I am here in my mold
And I'm a million different people
From one day to the next
I can't change my mold
No, no, no, no, no

I can't change my mold
No, no, no, no, no
I can't change my mold, no, no, no, no
It's just sex and violence, melody and silence
It's just sex and violence, melody and silence
I'll take you down the only road I've ever been down
I'll take you down the only road I've ever been down
Been down
Ever been down
Ever been down
Ever been down
Ever been down
Have you ever been down?
Have you ever been down?
Have you ever been down?

"Bitter Sweet Symphony" by The Verve, from the album "Urban Hymns" (1997).* Written by Keith Richards, Mick Jagger and Richard Ashcroft. Publisher: Abkco Music Inc., O/B/O DistroKid. Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind. Watch the Original Music Video here.

 *Lead singer Richard Ashcroft wrote the lyrics, which are a somber look at the ennui of everyday life: "You're a slave to money, then you die."

At this point in his career, Ashcroft had learned that money and happiness were not synonymous. "People have been sold a lottery dream in life that money solves everyone's problems," he said in a Songfacts interview. "Suddenly you're looking at people and you're thinking: 'I know they need X but if I give X then that relationship that should have died years ago is going to carry on and spoil.' It opens up a myriad of things that you would never normally be thinking about, responsibilities on a new level."

The famous orchestral riff incorporates a sample from an obscure instrumental version of the 1965 Rolling Stones song "The Last Time" by Stones producer Andrew Loog Oldham, who included it on a 1966 album called The Rolling Stones Songbook (credited to The Andrew Oldham Orchestra). The Verve got permission to use the six-second sample from Decca Records, which owned the Oldham recording, but they also needed permission from the publisher of "The Last Time," something they didn't realize until after the album was completed.

So, with Urban Hymns ready to go and "Bitter Sweet Symphony" slated as the first single, Verve manager Jazz Summers tried to secure those rights, which belonged to Allen Klein's company ABKCO. The Rolling Stones signed a very lopsided contract with Klein, who was their manager, early in their career, and had to make huge concessions in order to get out of it. Part of the deal gave Klein the publishing rights to all of the Stones' songs they recorded through 1969.

In the book Allen Klein: The Man Who Bailed Out the Beatles, Made the Stones, and Transformed Rock & Roll, it states that Summers offered Klein 15% of the publishing to obtain the rights. Klein turned him down flat, and when he realized that the Verve were sitting on a hit record they couldn't release without a deal, he insisted on 100% of the publishing. The Verve gave in, since they really had no choice. Richard Ashcroft, who wrote the lyric, was given a flat fee of $1,000 and had to sign away his rights. "I was put under duress to sign away one of the greatest songs of all time," he said.

The end result was Klein making an enormous profit on the song every time it was purchased or used in a TV show, movie or commercial. (Knowledge courtesy of Songfacts.com)

Editor's Note: Click on "Next 1 Entries" at the bottom of this page to see previous issues. - WG