FEBRUARY 4, 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

(Mercedes-Benz images)

Mercedes-Benz is launching a new S-Class for 2026. The extensive update includes more than 50 percent of the car newly developed, updated and refined - the most comprehensive update for a single S-Class generation to date. "140 years after Carl Benz’s 1886 invention of the automobile, it carries forward a legacy of engineering excellence, craftsmanship and the unmistakable 'Welcome Home' feeling," according to Mercedes-Benz PR minions. In 2026, the inventor of the automobile shares this promise with customers and fans through a year‑long series of global activities. The celebrations began on January 29, 2026 – exactly 140 years after the original patent was filed - alongside the world premiere of the new S‑Class at the Mercedes‑Benz Museum in Stuttgart. Following the premiere, "Mercedes‑Benz will embark on an epic drive across six continents to bring the anniversary celebration directly to customers and fans. Over the course of the year, a symbolic 140 places will be visited in this special convoy, with fans, customers and owners’ clubs encouraged to participate in their own local celebrations," according to the manufacturer. The journey will conclude in Stuttgart in October 2026.

The 10,000- word press release was a remarkably overblown document, but here are just some of the "starry" highlights:

• Confident new face: Larger illuminated grille and optional illuminated Mercedes standing star on the hood for the first time
• Signature light design: Twin-star headlamps, star welcome projection and new taillights with chrome-framed stars
• Elevated interior architecture: New standard MBUX Superscreen, dashboard and center console with extended sculptural trim surfaces
• New trim designs include natural grain wood and high-gloss metallic textile blend, and new Beech Brown upholstery color
• Expanded MANUFAKTUR choices: New Black Sparkling and Verde Silver Magno paints and vivid interior colors
• MANUFAKTUR Made to Measure: Over 150 exterior and 400 interior colors with curated options and new leather packages
• Dynamic presence, elevated: AMG Line package brings a sportier, more expressive interpretation to the S‑Class 

(Genesis images)

Unable to resist the "We Need An Off-Road Concept Right Now!", apparently, Genesis has unveiled its new X Skorpio Concept, an off-road concept vehicle "designed to perform across demanding terrain including deserts, in the Rub’ al Khali 'Empty Quarter' desert in the United Arab Emirates," according to Genesis PR minions. The X Skorpio Concept, inspired by a black scorpion (Duh - WG), is Genesis’ first extreme off-road vehicle, "purpose-built to conquer harsh terrain with cutting-edge performance and luxurious design, driven by a spirit of fearless exploration." Alrighty then!

Genesis also announced its new concept car strategy at the world premiere and showcased the X Skorpio Concept’s groundbreaking performance in real-world conditions alongside other concept models optimized for rugged environments including a GV60 Outdoors Concept, GV70 Outdoors Concept and GV80 Desert Edition.

Genesis PR operatives should have stopped here, but no. "The X Skorpio Concept is an extreme off-road recreational vehicle that celebrates the depth and emotional range of the Genesis brand," they chattered. "Its name, Skorpio, draws powerful inspiration from a black scorpion," Genesis PR minions continued, "known for its resilience and ability to thrive in harsh environments. ("Hey, I know, let's replace the C in Scorpio with a K - that's the ticket!!!" WG) This ambitious creation represents Genesis’ vision to blend daring innovation with luxury, marking the next chapter for Genesis as it connects with the active lifestyle of off-road enthusiasts." Whew, that's a lot. And enough. Oh, wait a minute, not content to leave well enough alone. “The X Skorpio concept is an extreme off-road vehicle designed to be driven across the toughest and harshest terrain,” said Luc Donckerwolke, Chief Creative Officer of Genesis. “With a tubular frame, a full roll cage and many components sourced directly from off-road endurance racing specialists, the X Skorpio Concept explores yet another facet of the Genesis brand and highlights our intent to inject emotion and adrenaline into different segments.” Editor-in-Chief's Note: We're underwhelmed. -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 Lotus. Watch it here. -PMD



The AE Song of the Week:

Everybody listen to me
And return me my ship
I'm your captain
I'm your captain
Though I'm feeling mighty sick

I've been lost now for days uncounted
And it's months since I've seen home
Can you hear me? Can you hear me?
Or am I all alone?

If you return me to my home port
I will kiss you Mother Earth
Take me back now
Take me back now
To the port of my birth

Am I in my cabin dreaming?
Or are you really scheming
To take my ship away from me?
You'd better think about it
I just can't live without it
So please don't take my ship from me

I can feel the hand of a stranger
And it's tightening around my throat
Heaven help me
Heaven help me
Take this stranger from my boat
I'm your captain
I'm your captain
Though I'm feeling mighty sick
Everybody listen to me
And return me my ship
I'm your captain
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
I'm your captain
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
I'm your captain
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
I'm your captain
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah...

I'm getting closer to my home
I'm getting closer to my home
I'm getting closer to my home

"Closer To Home" (I'm Your Captain) by Grand Funk, from the album "Closer To Home" (1970).* Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind. Listen to it here.

*Grand Funk guitarist Mark Farner wrote this and sang lead. Literally, the song is about the captain of a ship who is sick and fears he is going to lose his vessel. The song has much more metaphoric significance, however. In a Songfacts interview with Farner, he explained how the lyric came to him from the heavens:

"Initially the song came to me after I said my prayers one night and I put a P.S. on the end of my prayers. I asked God to give me a song that would touch the hearts of people that the Creator wanted to get to. I got up at 3 o'clock in the morning - I'm always getting up at different times of the night and writing things down. A lot of them are not songs but this happened to be one.

I got up and I wrote it, and as I'm writing it, I'm between the state of subconscious and conscious. I've got one foot in dreamland and my pen is writing these words down. It didn't make a whole lot of sense. It was kind of weird, I thought, as I was writing it. I didn't sit there on the edge of the bed and read it over and over, I just wrote it down, and when I got to the end of it, I just folded it over and put it on the nightstand. There it was."

Farner put the lyrics he dreamed up to music the following morning. After having some coffee and looking at the horses in the pasture, he grabbed his George Washburn flattop guitar and started playing. "I made that C chord," he told Songfacts. "I made a mistake. I was going for the G and it was a little short and I hit the C. And I looked down because that chord spoke to me in such a way. I've never heard that come out, that inversion of the C. I thought, Wow, that's a cool chord. Then I thought maybe with those words in the other room, maybe that's a song, so I grabbed the legal pad and laid it down on the table next to my coffee and I just started strumming. 'Everybody...' And it just started coming out."

Much like "Hey Jude" by The Beatles, this song stretches out with a very long outro where an orchestra plays and Farner sings the line, "I'm getting closer to my home" over and over. Grand Funk drummer Don Brewer told Songfacts how that came about. "We used to rehearse at a place called The Musicians Union Hall in Flint, Michigan," said Brewer. "We used to work all of our stuff out there. Mark came in one day with basically the beginning of the song, the 'I'm your captain part.' We always worked out everything with a jam - he would have an idea; somebody would have an idea for a bass part of whatever, and we'd just kind of work on these things and jam out. For a day or two we worked on this song and it just didn't go any place, that was about as far as we could get with it.

One day, coming out of a jam that we were working on, we fell into that half time part, and that's when Mark came up with the lyrics, 'I'm getting closer to...' So, we had that, and we all felt, 'Oh man, that's great, we'll put that piece together with that, and that's going to work,' then we said, 'What are we going to do from there?' So, we got into the guitar part where it breaks into full time again. Then we had a brainstorming session, 'What are we going to do for the rest of the song?'

At the time, rock bands had experimented with orchestras, and we said, 'Let's put an orchestra on this thing; we'll just play endlessly, and we'll get Tommy Baker, our friend down in Cleveland, to write the score for it, and we'll put an orchestra on it. It was a new thing for us, kind of new for the day - there hadn't been too many bands using orchestras. When we recorded the song in Cleveland, we didn't have the orchestra there, we didn't know what the final outcome was going to be, we hadn't even recorded the string arrangements, we just recorded the end of the song on and on and on over and over, knowing they were going to come in and put an orchestra on it later. When we finally heard the song about two weeks later, it just blew us all away. It was a religious experience." (Knowledge courtesy of Songfacts.com)





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