Collections
Cool Wagons for Cool Guys
Eleven long cars, gathered after a pilgrimage to WagonFest at the Petersen. The thesis: a wagon tells people you know ball.
- Volvo 240 Wagon
- Mercedes-Benz E36 AMG Wagon (T)
- Buick Roadmaster Limited Estate Wagon
- Lexus IS300 SportCross
- Volvo V70 R (2nd gen)
- Cadillac CTS-V Wagon
- Dodge Magnum SRT8
- BMW F31 3 Series Touring M Sport
- Toyota Crown Athlete V Estate
- Audi RS 2 Avant
- Audi RS 4 Avant (B5)
- Audi RS 6 Avant (C5)
- Audi RS 4 Avant (B7)
- Audi RS 6 Avant (C6)
- Audi RS 6 Avant (C7)
The Best Girl Cars (2025)
James pitches his hot-girl cars for summer 2025 — convertibles, big-and-old trucks, Fast & Furious icons and expensive SUVs — and his fiancée Riley rates them, crowning the Ineos Grenadier.
- Mercedes-Benz SL (R107)
- BMW E30 3 Series Convertible
- Mazda MX-5 Miata (NC)
- Porsche 987.2 Boxster S
- Ford Bronco (1st gen)
- Jeep Wrangler TJ
- Suzuki Samurai
- Nissan 240SX
- Acura Integra (DC2)
- Honda S2000
- Noble M600
- Porsche Cayenne
- Lexus GX 550
- Ineos Grenadier
- Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon
$1,000 of Parts on a $50 Walmart Bike
Every component on a used Huffy replaced to chase a $2,400 Specialized at half the price. It went from 13:18 to 10:40 on the test loop and lost 15lb — and the conclusion was that the frame does matter after all.
- Specialized City Commuter (benchmark bike)
- Shimano CUES Groupset
- SunRace 11-Speed Cassette
- Drivetrain Wide-Narrow Chainring (1x)
- Continental Ride Tour Tyres
- Drivetrain Rigid Carbon Fork
- Redshift Sports ShockStop Suspension Stem
- Shimano Clutch Rear Derailleur
- Bike Tools Derailleur Hanger Alignment Gauge
100 Years of Camping Gear
Three days in Yosemite carrying 1925 kit, then 1975 kit, then 2025 kit. Scored out of ten at the end of each day: 4, then 7.5, then 9. The surprise was that the jump from the seventies to now beat the jump from the twenties to the seventies.
- Duluth Pack Canvas Duluth Pack
- Heritage Outdoor Mackinaw Wool Jacket
- Vasque Mountaineering Boots (1970s)
- JanSport Aluminium Frame Pack (1970s)
- Kelty External Frame Pack
- Sierra Designs Two-Man Nylon Tent (1970s)
- Optimus Svea 123
- Hyperlite Mountain Gear Unbound Pack
- Ultralight Gear Dyneema Trekking-Pole Tent (2P)
- Ultralight Gear Inflatable Insulated Sleeping Pad
- Ultralight Gear Vented Down Sleeping Bag
- Jetboil Jetboil
- Honey Stinger Energy Chews
- Astronaut Foods Freeze-Dried Ice Cream Sandwich
Technology Ahead of Its Time
Famous failures bought, unboxed and actually used — and in most cases the technology worked fine. What killed them was price, application, or a world that had no use for them yet. Mostly collector hunting rather than shopping.
- Microsoft SPOT Watch
- Google Glass Explorer Edition
- Meta Ray-Ban Meta Glasses
- IBM ViaVoice
- AT&T Picturephone (Mod II)
- Apple Newton MessagePad
- Palm Pilot
- General Motors EV1
Cars to Import Before It's Too Late (2025)
Exotic, unique, affordable cars from across the globe that hit the 25-year import rule in 2025 — from a mid-engine French hatchback to a $7 million Zonda.
- Renault Clio V6
- Nissan Silvia Varietta (S15)
- Volkswagen Lupo GTI
- TVR Tuscan Speed Six
- Audi RS 4 Avant (B5)
- Audi S3 (8L)
- Volkswagen Mk4 4Motion (Golf, Golf Wagon, Bora)
- Toyota Altezza Gita
- Toyota Estima (import van)
- Toyota Mark II (JZX110)
- Toyota Crown Athlete V Estate
- Toyota Origin
- Holden HSV VX ClubSport
- Holden Commodore Ute
- Opel Speedster / Vauxhall VX220
- Noble M12
- Pagani Zonda
A Rookie's Guide to Watches
Three watches Speeed would like to own one day, each picked for the problem it was invented to solve — plus the historical piece that nearly killed the Swiss industry.
- Rolex Explorer II
- IWC Ingenieur
- Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso
- Seiko Astron 35SQ
Cool Cars for Cool Guys (2026)
The 2026 edition, ordered cheapest to most expensive rather than worst to best. Same formula — cool = style + uniqueness + popularity + function — plus a hot take that Porsches have been turned into Nike Dunks.
- BMW E34 5 Series
- Mazda MX-5 Miata (NC)
- Chevrolet GMT800 SUVs (Tahoe, Suburban, Yukon, Escalade)
- Jaguar XJ Series III
- Honda Civic Si (8th gen)
- Audi B7 S4
- Japanese Imports Right-Hand Drive JDM SUVs
- Ferrari 360 Modena
- Ferrari F355
- Ferrari F430
- Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat
1975 vs 2025
Do they still make things like they used to? Nine products bought new in the seventies and bought again today, weighed, torture-tested and shaved with. The answer turned out to be: yes, but only if you pay what people used to pay.
- Craftsman Adjustable Wrench (1970s)
- Milwaukee Adjustable Wrench
- Craftsman Drill Bit Set (1970s)
- Old Spice Original Scent Deodorant
- Hanes White T-Shirt (6-pack)
- Leatherman Wave+
- Gillette Trac II
- Stanley Classic Vacuum Bottle
- Sporting Goods Leather Baseball Glove
- Converse Chuck Taylor All Star
Best Daily Drivers (2025)
The elusive cool daily driver: fun, reliable, practical cars under $25,000 that are a net positive to your overall vibe.
- Ford Focus ST
- Ford Fiesta ST
- Honda Fit
- Honda S2000
- BMW E91 328i Wagon (manual)
- Volkswagen Golf GTI
- Volkswagen Golf R32 / Golf R
- Volkswagen Tiguan (1st gen)
- Porsche Cayenne Diesel (958)
- BMW X5 Diesel (E70)
- BMW X3 Diesel (F25)
- Chevrolet Corvette (C6)
- Mercedes-Benz S-Class (W222)
- Bentley Continental GT
Best Daily Drivers (2026)
Cheap, fun-to-drive cars with a certain je ne sais quoi — uncut gems to buy in 2026 before everyone else catches on.
- Mercedes-Benz ML (W163, 1st gen)
- Toyota Matrix XRS (1st gen)
- Pontiac Vibe GT (1st gen)
- Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart (final gen)
- Acura TL Type S
- Volkswagen Group 3.0 V6 TDI diesels (Audi, VW, Porsche)
- Nissan Altima SE-R
- BMW E90 330i
- Oldsmobile Achieva SCX
Levi's, By the Numbers
They are the BMW of pants. Every three-digit Levi's model decoded in the order it appeared, from the first pair cut for women to the skinny jeans that arrived with Y2K — plus what happened after America stopped making denim.
- Levi's 701
- Levi's 501 Original Fit
- Levi's 351
- Levi's 606
- Levi's 505 Regular Fit
- Levi's 517 Boot Cut
- Levi's 550 Relaxed Fit
- Levi's SilverTab
- Levi's 511 Slim
- Levi's 512 Slim Taper
- Japanese Denim Japanese Repro Denim
Devices That Claim to Save Time
Six viral time-savers, each raced head to head against the boring way of doing it — setup, task and cleanup timed separately — and scored out of ten. Two were worth it. One saved fifteen seconds.
- Wagner Power Flow Easy Roller
- Bellyron Hands-Free Ironing Machine
- Slap Chop Slap Chop
- Universal Socket Universal Socket
- Feno Smart Brush
- Instant Tent Instant Pop-Up Tent (2P)
Vinyl vs CD vs Streaming
Three full listening chains built side by side through the same amp and speakers, then A/B/C'd live on the same track. The conclusion nobody wanted: lossless streaming into a real stereo is very, very good.
- Pro-Ject Debut EVO 2
- Schiit Audio SYS Passive Preamp
- Fosi Audio ZA3 Power Amp
- ELAC Debut B6.2
- RSL Speedwoofer 10E
- Shanling CD60 Transport
- Topping E30 DAC
- WiiM Pro Streamer
- Mac DeMarco This Old Dog (LP)
9 BMWs for People Who Really Get It
Nine of Munich's best, chosen to explain what is actually cool about the brand rather than which is fastest. Two of them exist purely out of spite for Mercedes and Porsche, one was welded together after hours by engineers who ignored their bosses, and one you will never own.
- BMW E60 M5
- BMW X5 4.8is
- BMW i3
- BMW E24 6 Series
- BMW X3 M40i
- BMW E38 7 Series
- BMW Z3 M Coupe (Clown Shoe)
- BMW M1
- BMW M3 (every generation)
Cool Cars for Cool Nerds (2024)
The sequel to the cool-guy car list: eleven cars at wildly different price points that aren't obviously cool, scored on style, uniqueness, fellowship and the X factor.
- Saab 900 (Classic, 1st gen)
- Volvo 240 Wagon
- Volvo 850R
- Mini Cooper John Cooper Works
- Toyota Corolla AE86 (Hachi-Roku)
- Ford Ranger
- Mitsubishi Starion
- BMW Z3 M Coupe (Clown Shoe)
- Volkswagen Phaeton
- Toyota GR Corolla
- Porsche 911 GT3 RS
Cool Cars for Cool Guys (2025)
Nine cars at wildly different price points, each scored on the house formula: cool = style + uniqueness + popularity + function.
- Saab 900 (Classic, 1st gen)
- BMW E39 M5
- BMW E39 540i
- BMW E39 528i
- Ford F-150 (9th gen)
- Toyota Land Cruiser 80 Series
- Lexus LX 450
- Ford Mustang Fox Body Notchback 5.0
- Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII / IX
- BMW F80 M3
- Mercedes-Benz AMG E63 Wagon (S212)
- Alfa Romeo GTV (105 Series)
- Alfa Romeo Giulia (105 Series)