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
(Porsche images)
At Retro Classics, Porsche will begin its year of ‘Raceborn – 75 Years of Porsche Motorsport’ anniversary celebrations. From Thursday, February 19 to Sunday, February 22, the Porsche Heritage and Museum will showcase chapters "that go far beyond victories, titles and records. Seven and a half decades of motorsport stories – of regulations, technical boundaries and of people driven by an uncompromising pursuit of perfection," according to Porsche PR minions. “Motorsport is far more than history for Porsche – it is part of the company’s identity,” says Achim Stejskal, Director Porsche Heritage and Museum. “We’re inviting our guests to explore Porsche Motorsport from a new perspective. It’s about stories of technology, courage and people.” Editor's Note: We wish we were going. -WG
Porsche's 1951 24 Hours of Le Mans entry.
The lightest of the vehicles on display is the 909 Bergspyder, which Porsche developed in 1968.
1968: Rolf Stommelen races the Porsche 909 Bergspyder on Mont Ventoux.
(Toyota images)
Editor-in-Chief's Note: It's very interesting to observe Toyota's latest moves in the market. Hard on the heels of introducing an all-electric Highlander for 2027, the company is reintroducing its compact CH-R nameplate to this market, as a BEV. This may seem counterintuitive given the current administration's aggressive anti-EV stance, but I view it as a shrewd move, because like them or not, EVs will be part of this country's transportation future for decades to come. It also needs to be pointed out that Toyota's incredibly deep pockets allow it to cover all the possible propulsion choices - Hybrids, ICEs, EVs and EREVs - with strong entries in every segment. The CH-R reenters the market at a pivotal time, with affordability becoming the focal point for manufacturers competing in this market (as Peter predicted years ago -WG). How bad is it? Vehicle transaction prices are now at $50,000, and loan delinquencies are soaring. The Washington Post reported that the share of borrowers with auto loans that were 90 days past due, known as severely delinquent, reached 8.6 percent early last year, levels last seen briefly in 2020 and then after the 2008-2009 financial meltdown, according to Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia data. The growth in bad loans is from borrowers with low credit scores. Given all this, the CH-R offers some compelling details, such as:
- Standard Dual-Motor All-Wheel Drive (AWD) with 338HP (Net Combined System Horsepower)
- DC Fast-Charging Capability Delivers 10-80-Percent Charge in Around 30 Minutes.
- North American Charging Standard (NACS) Charge Port Offers Access to Convenient, Nationwide High-Speed Charging.
- Up to 287 Miles of Range (EPA-estimated on SE Grade)
- Premium Interior with Soft-Touch Materials, Customizable Ambient Lighting, and a 14-Inch Touchscreen
- Up to 25.3 Cubic Feet of Cargo Space Behind the Rear Seats, Which Can Expand Up to 59.5 Cubic Feet with the 60/40 Split-Folding Rear Seatbacks Folded Flat
Available in two versions - SE and XSE - CH-R is expected to arrive in U.S. Toyota Dealerships in March 2026, with a MSRP starting at $37,000 (Excluding Dealer Processing and Handling Charges).
Editor's Note: In other news, it was announced that the Scout BEV will be delayed until the summer of 2028. Will anyone really actually give a shit by then? What a disaster. -WG
Editor-in-Chief's Note: Our video feature this week is the documentary "Racing The Silver Arrows, 1934 - 1939." Watch it here. Enjoy! -PMD
The AE Song of the Week:
Load up on guns, bring your friends
It's fun to lose and to pretend
She's over-bored, and self-assured
Oh no, I know a dirty word
Load up on guns, bring your friends
It's fun to lose and to pretend
She's over-bored, and self-assured
Oh no, I know a dirty word
Hello, hello, hello, how low?
Hello, hello, hello, how low?
Hello, hello, hello, how low?
Hello, hello, hello
Hello, hello, hello, how low?
Hello, hello, hello, how low?
Hello, hello, hello
With the lights out, it's less dangerous
Here we are now, entertain us
I feel stupid and contagious
Here we are now, entertain us
A mulatto, an albino
A mosquito, my libido, yeah
Hey, yey
Here we are now, entertain us
I feel stupid and contagious
Here we are now, entertain us
A mulatto, an albino
A mosquito, my libido, yeah
Hey, yey
I'm worse at what I do best
And for this gift, I feel blessed
Our little group has always been
And always will until the end
And for this gift, I feel blessed
Our little group has always been
And always will until the end
Hello, hello, hello, how low?
Hello, hello, hello, how low?
Hello, hello, hello, how low?
Hello, hello, hello
With the lights out, it's less dangerous
Here we are now, entertain us
I feel stupid and contagious
Here we are now, entertain us
A mulatto, an albino
A mosquito, my libido, yeah
Hey, yey
Hello, hello, hello, how low?
Hello, hello, hello, how low?
Hello, hello, hello
With the lights out, it's less dangerous
Here we are now, entertain us
I feel stupid and contagious
Here we are now, entertain us
A mulatto, an albino
A mosquito, my libido, yeah
Hey, yey
And I forget just why I taste
Oh yeah, I guess it makes me smile
I found it hard, it's hard to find
Oh well, whatever, never mind
Oh yeah, I guess it makes me smile
I found it hard, it's hard to find
Oh well, whatever, never mind
Hello, hello, hello, how low?
Hello, hello, hello, how low?
Hello, hello, hello, how low?
Hello, hello, hello
Hello, hello, hello, how low?
Hello, hello, hello, how low?
Hello, hello, hello
With the lights out, it's less dangerous
Here we are now, entertain us
I feel stupid and contagious
Here we are now, entertain us
A mulatto, an albino
A mosquito, my libido
Here we are now, entertain us
I feel stupid and contagious
Here we are now, entertain us
A mulatto, an albino
A mosquito, my libido
A denial, a denial
A denial, a denial
A denial, a denial
A denial, a denial
A denial
"Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana from the album "Nevermind" (1991)*. Written by Kurt Cobain, David Eric Grohl and Krist Anthony Novoselic. Lyrics © Mj Twelve Music, Murky Slough Music. Source: Musixmatch. Watch the original Music Video here.
*Kurt Cobain wrote this song for Nirvana; it came together in a jam session when he played it for the band. He said: "I was trying to write the ultimate pop song. I was basically trying to rip off The Pixies." Kathleen Hanna, lead singer of the group Bikini Kill, gave Cobain the idea for the title when she spray painted "Kurt Smells Like Teen Spirit" on his bedroom wall after a night of drinking and spraying graffiti around the Seattle area. In his pre-Courtney Love days, Cobain went out with Bikini Kill lead singer Tobi Vail, but she dumped him. Vail wore Teen Spirit deodorant, and Hanna was implying that Cobain was marked with her scent.
Dan Milam, writing for Songfacts.com on February 17th, provides some perspective:
In 1991, Nirvana took the world by storm in a way comparable to Beatlemania in the 1960s. Pop culture shifted significantly given the success of Nirvana’s Nevermind. The 1990s finally had its own identity, establishing a decade of alternative taste and torn-up jeans. Fashion changed, radio stations started to favor alternative bands, and with that, Kurt Cobain became the most famous musician on earth. To try to handle that kind of celebrity status is an impossible feat, especially for someone like Kurt Cobain, who was already beginning to struggle with drug use.
Cobain’s mother, Wendy O’Connor, predicted the album’s popularity after one listen to the newly recorded Nevermind. She then tried to warn her son, telling him to “buckle up.” On the heels of underground success from their first album in 1989, Bleach, Cobain pulled no punches with Nevermind. The album is addictively catchy from front to back and, with the help of producer Butch Vig, radio-friendly. Grunge had its first mainstream success with Nevermind. Many thought it would be Soundgarden’s Badmotorfinger, but it would be Nevermind that would help grunge break.
With the addition of new drummer Dave Grohl, Nevermind was recorded in May and June 1991. The trio recorded some pre-production at Smart Studios in Wisconsin, but the majority of the album was recorded at the famous Sound City Studios in Van Nuys, CA.
Cobain’s mother, Wendy O’Connor, recalled what happened next in the 2015 documentary Cobain: Montage of Heck.
“End of July or August, he’s home. He comes down, and he’s standing there with a tape in his hand. I go, ‘What’s that?’ and he goes, ‘It’s the master cut to my new album. Can I put it on the stereo?’ I go, ‘Yeah, turn it up!’”
She went on to explain the fear she felt hearing the album for the first time. “I looked at him and said, ‘Oh my god,’ and almost started crying. Not from happiness, from fear. It was fear. This is going to change everything.” She warned her son, “You better buckle up because you’re not ready for this.” Wendy was absolutely right, though Nirvana’s popularity skyrocketed higher than anyone thought it would.
The album was released on September 24, 1991. By January 1992, the album replaced Michael Jackson’s Dangerous for No. 1 on the Billboard 200. All five singles became radio hits, and the album has sold over 30 million copies worldwide. Kurt Cobain became the biggest star on earth, and he and Courtney Love became frequent news topics in the early 1990s.
It seems his mother was right, as Cobain continued to struggle with drug use and fame until his death on April 5, 1994, after escaping a rehab facility. His death was ruled to be self-inflicted, but there are conspiracy theories of foul play involved. As recently as February 2026, a report of new forensic findings has surfaced that aims to question the initial suicide ruling. Supposedly, forensic scientists are now pushing to reopen the case to further consider homicide possibilities, but the findings are all speculation and not considered to be true. (Knowledge courtesy of Songfacts.com)
A denial, a denial
A denial, a denial
A denial, a denial
A denial
"Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana from the album "Nevermind" (1991)*. Written by Kurt Cobain, David Eric Grohl and Krist Anthony Novoselic. Lyrics © Mj Twelve Music, Murky Slough Music. Source: Musixmatch. Watch the original Music Video here.
*Kurt Cobain wrote this song for Nirvana; it came together in a jam session when he played it for the band. He said: "I was trying to write the ultimate pop song. I was basically trying to rip off The Pixies." Kathleen Hanna, lead singer of the group Bikini Kill, gave Cobain the idea for the title when she spray painted "Kurt Smells Like Teen Spirit" on his bedroom wall after a night of drinking and spraying graffiti around the Seattle area. In his pre-Courtney Love days, Cobain went out with Bikini Kill lead singer Tobi Vail, but she dumped him. Vail wore Teen Spirit deodorant, and Hanna was implying that Cobain was marked with her scent.
Dan Milam, writing for Songfacts.com on February 17th, provides some perspective:
In 1991, Nirvana took the world by storm in a way comparable to Beatlemania in the 1960s. Pop culture shifted significantly given the success of Nirvana’s Nevermind. The 1990s finally had its own identity, establishing a decade of alternative taste and torn-up jeans. Fashion changed, radio stations started to favor alternative bands, and with that, Kurt Cobain became the most famous musician on earth. To try to handle that kind of celebrity status is an impossible feat, especially for someone like Kurt Cobain, who was already beginning to struggle with drug use.
Cobain’s mother, Wendy O’Connor, predicted the album’s popularity after one listen to the newly recorded Nevermind. She then tried to warn her son, telling him to “buckle up.” On the heels of underground success from their first album in 1989, Bleach, Cobain pulled no punches with Nevermind. The album is addictively catchy from front to back and, with the help of producer Butch Vig, radio-friendly. Grunge had its first mainstream success with Nevermind. Many thought it would be Soundgarden’s Badmotorfinger, but it would be Nevermind that would help grunge break.
With the addition of new drummer Dave Grohl, Nevermind was recorded in May and June 1991. The trio recorded some pre-production at Smart Studios in Wisconsin, but the majority of the album was recorded at the famous Sound City Studios in Van Nuys, CA.
Cobain’s mother, Wendy O’Connor, recalled what happened next in the 2015 documentary Cobain: Montage of Heck.
“End of July or August, he’s home. He comes down, and he’s standing there with a tape in his hand. I go, ‘What’s that?’ and he goes, ‘It’s the master cut to my new album. Can I put it on the stereo?’ I go, ‘Yeah, turn it up!’”
She went on to explain the fear she felt hearing the album for the first time. “I looked at him and said, ‘Oh my god,’ and almost started crying. Not from happiness, from fear. It was fear. This is going to change everything.” She warned her son, “You better buckle up because you’re not ready for this.” Wendy was absolutely right, though Nirvana’s popularity skyrocketed higher than anyone thought it would.
The album was released on September 24, 1991. By January 1992, the album replaced Michael Jackson’s Dangerous for No. 1 on the Billboard 200. All five singles became radio hits, and the album has sold over 30 million copies worldwide. Kurt Cobain became the biggest star on earth, and he and Courtney Love became frequent news topics in the early 1990s.
It seems his mother was right, as Cobain continued to struggle with drug use and fame until his death on April 5, 1994, after escaping a rehab facility. His death was ruled to be self-inflicted, but there are conspiracy theories of foul play involved. As recently as February 2026, a report of new forensic findings has surfaced that aims to question the initial suicide ruling. Supposedly, forensic scientists are now pushing to reopen the case to further consider homicide possibilities, but the findings are all speculation and not considered to be true. (Knowledge courtesy of Songfacts.com)
Editor's Note: Click on "Next 1 Entries" at the bottom of this page to see previous issues. - WG