Good morning fellow car enthusiast!

This week’s ‘fails’ section is an interesting one.

But what’s more interesting is that 52% of our readers voted to buy the Xiaomi SU7 over the Tesla Model 3.

Plus, Tesla may be in a lot of trouble. Read on and find out…

There’ll be another poll later on 👀 

The Roadmap:

1. $350k for a parking spot in Boston

2. ‘Senna’ trailer released

3. Abandoned C4 Corvette rescued after 20 years

4. Fails

5. Electrifying Updates

   • Tesla troubles continue

   • EV injures people at an auto show

   • “Unplugging” the Model 3’s performance

   • Ocean deemed a total loss after a minor door ding

6. Meme Corner

Read Time: 6 minutes

$350k for a parking spot in Boston

For that money, you could buy either…

• 1x Aston Martin Vantage

• 4x BMW M4s

• 8x Ford Mustangs

• 15x Honda Civics

The parking spot is not even in a secure garage; it’s an outdoor bay with absolutely zero protection from the elements (aside from a tree).

Luxury features include…

• a silver pole at one end

• a yellow painted line at the other

(as per the listing by the realtor, Marsh Properties)

It’s still cheaper than another spot in Boston that sold for $750k in 2022.

Here’s the listing if you’re interested.

‘Senna’ trailer released

It’s been exactly 30 years since Ayrton Senna crashed and passed away at the San Marino Gran Prix.

In his honor, Netflix released a trailer for a 6-episode series documenting the 3x world champion’s rise to fame.

Enjoy!

Abandoned C4 Corvette
rescued after 20 years

It’s not the most renowned Corvette model, but it does have some note-worthy features like…

• a V8 designed by Lotus

• suspension and adaptive damping from a Porsche 959

The Corvette in question is a rare ZR-1 trim, and it sat abandoned for 20 years.

As the owner prepares to move away from his farm, he’s selling it to 2 individuals who intend to fully restore it. Kudos to them!

You can stay updated on the project below.

1. Influencer crashes 1-of-1 McLaren Senna

This crash has been all over the internet lately, considering the same guy claims to be a racing driver. He also crashed a brand new GMC Hummer EV after just 9 miles.

This time the victim was an MSO-customized Senna. The driver recklessly performed donuts in the middle of the road and then lost control and crashed into a dealership.

It’s painful to watch but adding the full video below

2. Porsches plunge into peril

We have not one, not two, but three Porsches that crashed this week (everyone survived).

Exhibit A: 993 flies off a bridge (Germany)

Exhibit B: Carrera GT goes off-road and crashes into a tree (Northern California)

Exhibit C: New 911 GT3 RS plunges into a river (Washington State)

3. Pursuit ends in a spectacular crash

Police popped a tire on the stolen Lexus, resulting in the thief losing control and crashing.

EV starts acting up

at an auto show

5 people, including a child, were injured after a Zeekr Extreme Krypton X hit them at an auto show in China

• Media reports that the EV suddenly drove forward

• The vehicle also made contact with 2 other cars before coming to a stop

• Zeekr issued a statement blaming the show staff

• They claimed the EV was not put into “exhibition mode” and that a visitor got in and pressed the accelerator pedal

Since the incident, Zeekr conducted a nationwide review to ensure a similar event does not happen again.

Tesla troubles continue

Tesla has been reducing its operating costs by scrapping future plans and laying off their staff.

• Last week, Tesla laid off over 14,000 employees

• Elon fired Tesla’s marketing team over poor-quality ads

• A Tesla Production Supervisor who slept in his car and showered in the factory in order to work more was also shown the door

• A few senior executives quit (for unknown reasons)

• The entire team (500 people) responsible for the Supercharger network was sacked

• Tesla shelved it’s next-gen Gigacasting project

There is no update on whether these changes will affect its upcoming affordable model.

What do you think?

Unplugged’s Model 3 Performance

While ICE cars can be modified from the inside out, EVs offer limited tuning potential.

But that did not stop Unplugged Performance from kitting out a Model 3.

• The aero kit is made from lightweight carbon fiber

• The CF panels attach directly to the bodywork - no cutting is required

• Individual parts can be ordered separately ($265 - $2,695 depending on the part)

• The entire kit costs $7,430

The company makes a whole host of mods for Tesla vehicles - both cosmetic and chassis upgrades.

EV deemed a total loss after a minor door ding

Door dings suck, but they happen.

They’re a cheap fix, and insurance companies usually bear the cost.

But one owner’s Fisker Ocean was marked as a total loss.

Why?

• The initial damage estimate by the adjuster was only $910

• However, Fisker is facing bankruptcy, and parts are scarce

• There were reports that the company was using ‘graveyard’ parts to fix customer cars

• The insurance company finally declared it as a total loss, owing to the unavailability of parts, and cut Joy a check for $53,303

She then took to Facebook to express her very understandable frustration.

The sour experience made her lose faith in start-up EV brands, and she decided against buying a Rivian as a replacement.