SEPTEMBER 9, 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 

(Audi images)

This is the Audi A2 E-tron. Audi is calling the smallish EV "the most efficient model in its history." Prices start at 38,200 Euros in Germany late in December. No, we're not getting it here, which is too bad, but we do like the design a lot. 

(WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca)

WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca officially dedicated and renamed its most famous corner the “Zanardi Corkscrew” last Friday, honoring the late Alex Zanardi and commemorating the 30th anniversary of his extraordinary pass that became one of the defining moments of his remarkable career. The ceremony brought together special guests from throughout Zanardi’s career, including Chip Ganassi, Max Papis, Doug Boles and other INDYCAR legends, as the motorsports community reflects on the moment that forever connected Alex to Laguna Seca. Plans for a commemorative marker recognizing the Zanardi Corkscrew were unveiled during the ceremony, permanently linking Zanardi’s name with one of the most famous turns in motorsports. The dedication also recognized Zanardi’s extraordinary contributions to motorsports and the lasting impact he made on competitors and fans around the world. On September 8, 1996, during the final lap of the CART season finale at Laguna Seca, Zanardi, driving the No. 4 Target Chip Ganassi Honda Reynard made a daring move on Bryan Herta entering the Corkscrew. It was the final lap of the 1996 season and resulted in a win. The ballsy maneuver became known simply as “The Pass.” Thirty years later, it remains one of the most recognized moments in the history of Laguna Seca and American open-wheel racing. The image of Zanardi attacking the Corkscrew with characteristic determination and fearlessness has become inseparable from the legacy of the circuit itself.

But Zanardi’s legacy extends far beyond a single corner or a single race. A two-time CART champion and winner of 15 CART races, Zanardi became one of the most popular drivers of his generation through his talent, personality and unmistakable passion for competition. Following the devastating 2001 accident at the Lausitzring that resulted in the loss of both of his legs, Zanardi made an extraordinary return to racing and later became a champion handcyclist and Paralympic gold medalist. His perseverance, competitive spirit and ability to inspire others transcended motorsports, earning admiration around the world.

(Hyundai)

Say HELLO to your new car! Well, not really. These are the E3W & E4W Electric Micro Mobility Concepts from Hyundai. They "reimagine last-mile urban mobility as inclusive, climate-resilient and electrified," according to Hyundai PR Minions. They also won gold awards for "Concepts & Speculative Design" at the 2026 IDEA Awards for Future Mobility and Brand Design. (Paraphrasing Samuel Goldwyn: Include us out. - WG)

Editor-in-Chief's Note: This week, our video features footage from the 1971 Targa Florio, "the craziest race in the world." It's still incredible that this race lasted until 1973. Watch it here. -PMD

Leno's Law.

By Tom Pease

Beverly Hills. I see that “Leno’s Law” is about to pass, albeit in a watered-down form, which is a shame. For those who don’t know, California requires autos to be smog checked. It used to be that cars older than 25 years were exempt, and that exemption rolled forward. When Arnold became governator he froze it. So only cars older than MY 1976 are exempt.

The original Leno bill would have changed that but died. They brought it back as something that will exempt these cars IF they maintain collector-car insurance and only drive it 1000 miles a year to and from meets, in order to get it to pass.

If I was Governator, I’d have executive-ordered them to just exempt everything pre OBD II (1997?). That’s more than 25 years old and would have the benefit of allowing owners of older cars who are on fixed or low incomes to save an extra expense every two years. It would allow garage owners to ditch the expensive equipment they’re forced to maintain just to test these old cars. This just saves car collectors a bit of hassle and absolves politicians from ever revisiting the issue.

It has nothing to do with the idea that I’d like to get a ‘76 450SL with the better K Jetronic injection.

I’m just thinking of the little guy.

The AE Song of the Week:

Shiny happy people laughing

Meet me in the crowd, people, people
Throw your love around, love me, love me
Take it into town, happy, happy
Put it in the ground where the flowers grow
Gold and silver shine

Shiny happy people holding hands
Shiny happy people holding hands
Shiny happy people laughing

Everyone around, love them, love them
Put it in your hands, take it, take it
There's no time to cry, happy, happy
Put it in your heart, where tomorrow shines
Gold and silver shine

Shiny happy people holding hands
Shiny happy people holding hands
Shiny happy people laughing

Whoa, here we go

Shiny happy people holding hands
Shiny happy people holding hands
Shiny happy people laughing

Shiny happy people holding hands
Shiny happy people holding hands
Shiny happy people laughing

Shiny happy people holding hands
Shiny happy people holding hands
Shiny happy people laughing

Shiny happy people holding hands (people, happy people)
Shiny happy people holding hands (people, happy people)
Shiny happy people holding hands (people, happy people)

"Shiny Happy People: by R.E.M. from the album "Out Of Time" (1991).* Written by Michael Stipe, Mike Mills, Peter Buck and William Berry. Publisher: Universal Music Publishing Group. Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind. Watch the Original Music Video here.

*The title and chorus of "Shiny Happy People" are based on a Chinese propaganda poster. The slogan "Shiny happy people holding hands" is used ironically - the song was released in 1991, two years after the Tiananmen Square uprising when the Chinese government clamped down on student demonstrators, killing hundreds of them. Kate Pierson from the B-52s sings backup. She was in demand for her distinctive vocals after the B-52s achieved mainstream success with "Love Shack" in 1989. R.E.M. and The B-52s are both from Athens, Georgia.

This was the second single from the album. A very light, happy song, it was a stark contrast to the very profound "Losing My Religion" which was released first. Michael Stipe calls this "A really fruity, kind of bubblegum song." In an interview with The Quietus, he said that he was a bit embarrassed when it became a big hit, but it's an important song because it shows a different side of him. Said Stipe: "Many people's idea of R.E.M, and me in particular, is very serious, with me being a very serious kind of poet. But I'm also actually quite funny - hey, my bandmates think so, my family thinks so, my boyfriend thinks so, so I must be - but that doesn't always come through in the music! People have this idea of who I am probably because when I talk on camera, I'm working so hard to articulate my thoughts that I come across as very intense."

In 1999, R.E.M. performed this on Sesame Street as "Furry Happy Monsters." Kate Pierson's part was performed by a Muppet that looked like her, voiced by Stephanie D'Abruzzo, a Muppeteer who was also a huge fan of the band. Guitarist Peter Buck has two daughters who were big fans of the show. "You just looked around," he recalled to Mojo in 2016, "going, Man this is a weird way to make a living." (Knowledge courtesy of Songfacts.com)

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