FEBRUARY 19, 2025

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 

(VW)

Volkswagen of America, Inc., in partnership with NBCUniversal, has debuted a co-branded spot celebrating the 50th anniversary of Saturday Night Live (SNL50). The spot features the ID. Buzz in a reimagined version of "The Californians," an iconic SNL sketch. Original cast members Fred Armisen, Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig reprise their roles in the beloved sketch. “The Californians"-inspired spot featuring the ID. Buzz and the return of Hader, Wiig and Armisen aired during the “SNL50: The Homecoming Concert” on Friday, February 14, live on Peacock at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT and will subsequently be viewable on multiple digital, online and social channels as part of a comprehensive branded content campaign. Watch it here.

    

(Chevrolet images)

With four different General Motors drivers behind the wheel, the Corvette ZR1 has set not one, but five new production car lap records during a U.S. track tour.

Below are the five tracks and the Corvette ZR1’s lap times, each with a GM driver at the wheel:

• Watkins Glen Long Course: 1:52.7. Driver: Bill Wise, Lead Performance Engineer, Chassis Controls.
• Road America: 2:08.6. Driver: Brian Wallace, Lead Vehicle Dynamics Engineer.
• Road Atlanta: 1:22.8. Driver: Chris Barber, Lead Development Engineer.
• Virginia International Raceway Full Course: 1:47.7. Driver: Aaron Link, Global Vehicle Performance Manager.
• Virginia International Raceway Grand Course: 2:32.3. Driver: Aaron Link.

The drivers set out on this track tour with a pre-production Corvette ZR1 equipped with the optional ZTK Performance Package. The ZTK Package notably adds an aggressive, high-downforce rear wing, front dive planes, and a tall hood Gurney lip – all constructed from woven carbon fiber. Underneath, underbody strakes replace the standard front underwing stall Gurney to substantially increase front downforce. The suspension tuning included in the ZTK package incorporates stiffer springs and adds Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2R ZP tires.

With four different individuals behind the wheel of the Corvette ZR1, each with a different driving style, these lap times showcase the engineering prowess of the car. Future customers don’t need to be professional drivers to extract the ultimate performance of the 1,064HP Corvette ZR1.

The drivers, with a combined 65 years of GM Level 6 driving experience, each brought racing and high-performance driving experience when joining General Motors. Individually, each driver quickly reached the top of GM’s driver certification program, and all achieved Nürburgring Industry Pool certification. This group was entrusted with pushing the Corvette ZR1 to its absolute limits on the highest speed, highest commitment tracks in the U.S.

“Corvette ZR1 continues to showcase how this nameplate elevates at every corner,” Corvette executive chief engineer Tony Roma said. “From design, engineering, development, validation, to driving and setting incredible lap records like these – we do it all in house.”

Corvette ZR1 with the ZTK Package boasts a top speed of 233 mph on the racetrack, 0-60 mph time of 2.3 seconds, and quarter-mile time of 9.6 seconds. With these figures, no current production car under $1 million rivals the Corvette ZR1.

MSRPs for the Corvette ZR1 start at $174,995 (including $1,695 DFC) for the 1LZ coupe and $184,995 (including DFC) for the 1LZ hardtop convertible. Production is scheduled to begin at General Motors’ Bowling Green Assembly plant in Kentucky in the second quarter of 2025, and Chevrolet will begin accepting orders for the 2025 Corvette ZR1 later this month.

(VW)

Volkswagen of America, Inc. has announced the official pricing for one of Peter's all-time favorite cars, the refreshed 2025 Golf GTI and Golf R. The 2025 Golf GTI starts at $32,445 for the S trim, while the SE trim is priced at $37,420, with an optional Leather Seats Package available for an additional $1,300. The Autobahn trim sits at the top of the lineup with a price of $40,880. For the 2025 Golf R, the standard model is priced at $47,100, while the Black Edition comes in at $48,415. The Black Edition offers features that build on the Golf R, including a new 19-inch gloss black forged alloy wheel design. Available in Mythos Black Metallic, Pure White and Lapiz Blue Metallic, the Black Edition also features genuine carbon fiber interior décor. Blacked out detailing includes “BLACK” badging on the B-pillar, blacked out “R” front door logos, black-painted front and rear brake calipers with “R” logo, black front and rear “R” logos, front and rear “VW” emblems in black, black quad exhaust tips, grille and headlight accents in black, and darkened headlight elements. Additionally, an optional Euro Style Package, available for both trims of the Golf R, is offered at $3,795. Destination for all models is $1,225.

The AE Song of the Week:

You're sailing softly through the sun
In a broken stone age dawn
You fly so high

I get a strange magic
Oh, what a strange magic
Oh, it's a strange magic
Got a strange magic
Got a strange magic

You're walking meadows in my mind
Making waves across my time
Oh no, oh no

I get a strange magic
Oh, what a strange magic
Oh, it's a strange magic
Got a strange magic
Got a strange magic

Oh, I'm never gonna be the same again
Now I've seen the way it's got to end
Sweet dream, sweet dream

Strange magic
Oh, what a strange magic
Oh, it's a strange magic
Got a strange magic
Got a strange magic

It's magic, it's magic, it's magic
Strange magic
Oh, what a strange magic
Oh, it's a strange magic
Got a strange magic
Strange magic
Oh, it's a strange magic
Oh, it's a strange magic

Got a strange magic
Strange magic
Oh, what a strange magic
Oh, it's a strange magic

Got a strange magic
Strange magic
You know I got a strange magic
Yeah I got a strange magic
Strange magic

"Strange Magic" by Electric Light Orchestra from the album "Face the Music" (1975).* Written by Jeff Lynne. Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC.  Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind. Listen to it here. 

*Written by ELO frontman Jeff Lynne, "Strange Magic" was the sixth track on Electric Light Orchestra's fifth studio album Face the Music. By this time, the band had shifted their orchestral sound to make it brighter and more radio-friendly. The strategy paid off, as this song and "Evil Woman" were both big hits. The song is about a captivating woman, but "Strange Magic" is also a good description for this song's sonics. Compressed to a tight 3:27 for the single release (it runs 4:29 on the album), the song packs in an intriguing array of harmonies and hooks while integrating the famous ELO string section. The lyric is suitably trippy, and very repetitious, with the title appearing five times per chorus. The weepy-sounding guitar lick is provided courtesy of Richard Tandy, who was somehow persuaded to take his hands off his various keyboards to pick up a guitar. Normally, Tandy's array of Moog synth, clavinet, mellotron, and piano was so omnipresent that it led to the stereotype of prog-rock bands having a stack of keyboards onstage. Some of you movie-music fans may cringe at this, but this song was also used in the 2007 stage production of Xanadu. Fear not, it was not part of the 1980 film soundtrack, although the soundtrack was the least of that film's problems... or so we're told. Fun Fact: The Pan-Pacific Auditorium in Los Angeles, California, doubled as the set of "Xanadu."  (Knowledge courtesy of Songfacts.com) 

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