Tran Girlismo – Details, episodes & analysis

Hello! In this episode (which is not a 1.3GB .wav file this time!) we realize we accidentally became Important at Work and now lots of people want to listen to us. Luckily, the universe bestowed us with an incredible piece of Content for episode two: The America250 Grand Prix of Washington D.C. (in the middle of August!) Also, we discuss the end of Tesla's Model S and X, the end of the Santa Cruz, and run through the Indycar calendar to decide which races are actually still worth going to.

New intro music is 'oops i did too much k while listening to toby fox on repeat' off stella spazzatura's album Horse Tranquilizer Simulator, which you can find on Bandcamp!

Jordan & I have decided we're going to try and make this a Wednesdays-show with a bonus episode for Patreon subs, btw. No worries if you can't afford a sub, you will still get plenty of us.

Some links to stories we reference:
Gavin's incredibly thoughtful review of the show @their blog.
Indycar's America250 Grand Prix @NBC News.
Trump Phone Weekly Updates! @The Verge.
Tesla Cancels S & X @The Verge.
Optimus Robot Passes Out @Youtube.
Ferrari FF First Drive (Dan Neil) @WSJ via Internet Archive.
All Supercars Should Be Rally Cars (Matt Farah) @R&T.
New S-Class Overview @Car And Driver.
Hyundai Santa Cruz Cancelled @Driving(dot)ca.
Subaru Baja @Achewood.

Hello!

Here is my attempt at a podcast with my good friend Jordan Hoffstetter! The premise: two car journalists who want to stop loving cars but can't make themselves stop. In this episode we lay out our premise, discuss the challenges of car enthusiasm in 2026 (HINT HINT IT'S MOSTLY THE DECLINE OF EMPIRE AND LATE CAPITALISM), and talk about how Jerome Powell making a hostage video bodes poorly for The Automotive Industry.

As an aside, I'm working on getting these on Spotify and Apple Podcasts still; please bear with me while I try and figure it out!

Some referenced stories:
Rory Carroll Chiron review @Jalopnik.
Zampella crash @Grassroots Motorsports.
Cybertruck cultural critique @R&T.
Kate Wagner F1 critique @R&T.
Renault Twingo on the PCH @The Autopian.
Dodge Challenger: America's Id @Jalopnik.
Akio's Vance shirt @R&T.

Our first guest episode is here! On this episode we welcome November Kelly of No Gods, No Mayors, Trashfuture, Well There's Your Problem, and Kill James Bond! In this episode, Victoria gets a crash-course in who Lewis Hamilton's new girlfriend Kim Kardashian is, our hosts attempt to process the knowledge that Jeffrey Epstein couldn't successfully import a Toyota Century, we collectively try to untangle the mess of British masculinity that is Top Gear, and the two of us make November rank every single Bond car on a scale of 1-1,000,000.

This is a very loose episode, but it was extremely fun and we hope you enjoy! Thank you so much to November for joining us. Our first bonus episode will be coming next week, as well!

Links to referenced stories:
Lewis Hamilton dating Kim Kardashian?

Lula's Hip Hop hat.
Epstein's Toyota Century emails.

Ghislaine Maxwell in the SLR McLaren.
Amtrak's questionable X.com post.
New Grand Tour hosts.
Throttle House Youtube Channel.
Victoria on Kill James Bond! on Fast And Furious: Tokyo Drift.

Our intro music as always is off stella spazzatura's album Horse Tranquilizer Simulator, which you can find on Bandcamp!

Deep thank you to takofoodtruck for the Nikon F6 and being a fantastic fan!!!

Hello! In this episode, we discuss the Ferrari Luce interior (feat. Squircle King Jony Ive), the (possible?) death of the Porsche 718 EV, and Victoria puts on her hammer-and-sickle hat to discuss why she thinks Waymo could be good, but probably won't be. We also shout out Thomas Sabula, the sole man at Ford more powerful than Jim Farley. Go off, king.

First bonus episode coming later this week for Patreon subscribers!!!

Referenced stories:
Jony Ive/Ferrari Luce Interior Teaser Pics @Jalopnik
Jony Ive/OpenAI iO concept design (I thought this concept rendering I saw floating around was the real thing - it's not; they've just vaguely gestured at the idea of a wearable. Jony, you could still surprise me by not using aluminum and glass in the final design. Bet you won't)
Porsche dropping the 718 EV? Who Knows!!!! @TheDrive
Porsche in the US market @Autoblog
EV sales falling in America in 2025 @TheDrive
Waymo hits child @SFGate
Robotaxis looooooove crashin' @Electrek
Apocryphal story of Musk's hatred of the color yellow in his factories @Intelligencer
Mitch McConnell's sister in law drowns in Tesla crash @BBC
Cruise disengagement statistic @CNBC
Waymo runs over cat in the Mission @axios
Waymo customer wealth @Forbes
Cruise false reports about pedestrian impacts @BayAreaNBC
My DDR bandanna drip @bsky
Source for cost estimates on Waymo compute stack @CBTNews
One Hundred Ten Billion Dollars @Reddit
Thomas Sabula Dudes Rock Moment @Road And Track

Our intro music as always is off stella spazzatura's album Horse Tranquilizer Simulator, which you can find on Bandcamp!

Hello! In our first bonus episode, we discuss how I could have been JD Vance, and also try to cover as many reader questions as possible while drinking and stoned after recording for three straight hours! This is a very loose episode so please expect it to be such; we might add more structure in the future so if this wasn't your bag, please suggest some ideas and we're open to them!

Thanks so much for subscribing and giving us money so I can pay rent; we truly hope you enjoy! Jordan edited this one, give her a little round of applause, also!!

On this episode of Tran Girlismo it's time to break down the First Brands collapse, so strap in for the most transgender explanation of shadow banking and private equity you'll hear this week. Also, Jordan fills Victoria in on Renault/Alpine's F1/WEC implosion. Then we exercise our right to make this podcast a little bit of a photography show because we wanna, and talk about private equity again in the context of the Kodak Alaris/Eastman Kodak split and the surprising direct distribution of Ektar and Ektachrome!

Kodak if you're listening we'll both sell out for a pallet full of Ektachrome :)

Referenced stories:
Raybestos shut down @Motor1
2019 study on private equity job loss impacts @WaPo
Private equity failure rate @CFA Institute
Private equity discussion @The Guardian
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s video with Kid Rock and cold-dippin' jeans @Instagram HHS
The 1963 Salad Oil Scandal @Well There's Your Problem
First Brands bankruptcy filing @The Guardian
First Brands sues Patrick James @D&O Diary
First Brands creditors noticing their money is gone @Reuters
First Brands fallout @Reuters
Morningstar DBRS report on First Brands collapse
Federal Indictment of the two brothers @DOJ
Patrick James story about his secretive life @Financial Times (archived)
Tricolor collapse @DealershipGuy
Jamie Dimon cockroaches quote @CNN
IMF $4.5 trillion dollar study @The Economist
Recaro bankruptcy (Jordan meant Recaro, not Sparco) @TheDrive
GM has urgent meetings with suppliers @AutomotiveNews
Also, apparently the Pacifica PHEV did get canned apparently???? But they still have the 2026 model for sale on their website. We're doing a full-bore Stellantis episode in the very near future though don't worry!
Alfa Romeo pissed off about Dodge Hornet @The Drive
New engine rules for F1 @F1
Renault cans F1 engine program at the end of 2025 @Autoweek
"Crashgate" controversy @Wikipedia
Alpine canning WEC in exchange for increased focus on F1 @Bloomberg
Alpine still flirting with America with a crossover @Car And Driver
Lamborghini out of WEC @Motorsports Network
Eastman Kodak reintroducing direct distribution @DPReview
Ektar and Tri-X sold directly via Eastman Kodak @Petapixel
Kodak structural racism @Medium (Madeline M. Dovi)
Kodak Alaris sold to Kingswood Capital @DPReview

Our intro music as always is off stella spazzatura's album Horse Tranquilizer Simulator, which you can find on Bandcamp!

Hello! In this episode, Jordan starts us off with genuinely one of the funniest jokes Victoria's ever heard in her podcasting career during a discussion of how we like to fly. We then discuss the fact that Volkswagen is almost certainly going to whiff on launching Scout (remember Scout?) because The Vibes Are Off. Then we give the fans what they DEMAND and deep-dive into the train wreck of STELLANTIS on the heels of them losing Twenty Six Billion Dollars. Then Jordan gives me the scoop on a BDS-compliant Forza Horizon, aka "TDU: Solar Crown", and how we miss when car games were still fun.

Also sorry about the little bit of background noise from me, Victoria, I absolutely had to run the dishwasher because I had run out of clean forks and we record right before I eat dinner. I promise I will be better about doing my silverware.

Editor's Note: P.J. O'Rourke is dead.

Referenced Stories:
Volkswagen Delaying Scout??? @TheDrive
The Microbus concept Victoria had a Barbiemobile @eBay
Original Plan for Scout Validation Vehicles In 2026 @Car And Driver
S. Korean Former PM Sent To Jail Forever @BBC
Amtrak Cancels Plans To Replace Bilevel Cars (Superliners) @Trains
VW Still Selling Tons Of EVs In Europe @ArsTechnica
Edmunds Loves The Model Y??? @Edmunds
VW Changes ID.4 To ID.Tiguan @AutomotiveNews
Tim Walz Has a Scout. Too Bad He Sucks @LA Times
Tim Walz Pulled Over Drunk Driving His Miata @Time (NOTE: He was doing 96 MPH, not 103 MPH, at the time of his arrest. This publication regrets the error.)
Stellantis Lose $26.3 Billion Dollars @Freep
New Pacifica @MotorTrend
RAM REV cancelled @Car And Driver
Stellantis PHEVs Cancelled @AutomotiveNews
Edmunds "Sick Of" Their Charger EV @InsideEVs
Fiat Struggles @Club Alfa
Fiat Struggles (Europe Edition) @ara
MORE HEMI, SAYS FILOSA @AutomotiveNews
European Diesels Coming Back @Forbes
Dodge Challenger: America's Id @Jalopnik
The Aston Martin V12 Vantage Top Gear Segment
Francis Fukuyama's Instagram
BDS Movement Target Microsoft
The Giant Bomb TDU2 Video

Hello! In this episode we invite our old friend, author, and fellow podcaster Kevin McCauley! We catch up a bit on what we've all been up to in the past five years since the girls left Texas, and offer a lengthy digression about what Porsche calls their early fuel injection systems. (Hint: It's CIS.) Then we dive into a discussion of what Porsche Influencer Magnus Walker is up to on the heels of his newest Sotheby's hypebeast starter kit auction.

Check out Kevin's absolutely incredible book, Waiting For The Sun To Come Down at Carrera Media! And if you want more Kevin you can listen to him (biannually) on New For '96! He also has a fantastic YouTube channel for automotive photographers called Capturing The Machine!

Referenced Stories:
Listen to Be Gay, Solve Crimes [and give them money also on Patreon]
The video Kevin and I made together on the roof of the parking garage in Houston on his YT channel
The Iraqi Burn Pit scandal @The VA
The LC500 video Kevin and I made together in Galveston (also on his YT channel)

The Nine Foot Tall Energia-Buran Model That Kevin Referenced That Blew Up Victoria's Entire Life [more photos on Flickr]
The story Victoria mentioned being a specific press trip she would not name @This Patreon
The story Victoria mentioned about rally cars in Vermont that no one read @Motor1
Kevin's "Intercontinental Ballistic Missile" Porsche 911 flight/road trip @Autoweek
Ferdinand Porsche's Elefant Tank Destroyer
Victoria's photos from Modern Aircooled in Houston @Flickr
Victoria's review of Kevin's 911 @The Drive
[I will probably finish updating these notes sometime tomorrow, 3/12! - Victoria]

Our intro music as always is off stella spazzatura's album Horse Tranquilizer Simulator, which you can find on Bandcamp!

Hello folks, once again it is Jordan here, as our dear Victoria is finishing up her European Goodwill and Cultural Exchange program. So, like a substitute teacher rolling in a TV cart with a big ol' CRT on the top, I am going to be doing the show notes for this week! Also, just a note, Victoria wasn't on her usual setup, because she is obviously not at home right now, so she's gonna sound a lil different.

This week, we talk about many things such as, my wedding to our darling editor Stella, and Victoria's trip to Pittsburgh to join me for said wedding! (Mostly I think she was there to ride the funicular, but like, the wedding was for sure part of it)

Oh also, we have a track map for the Freedom 250! It is so bad

We talk about that, catch up on some news we missed while we were in pre-recorded episode land, and boy howdy minus the smiling friends thing it's all been real dire in ways that aren't funny!

Speaking of things that aren't really funny Bahrain/Saudi GP cancelled!

The news that we're losing a month of F1 due to American misadventures leads us to talking about how F1 has started this year, Jordan's thoughts as a long time fan, and whether it's interesting in the right ways. Spoilers: You're probably falling for the Chud Agenda if you don't like it.

To cap it all off, I lead Victoria through the very dumb lifecycle of money spending and corporate partnerships that has lead to Aston Martin selling a track car derived from a race car derived from a track car derived from a road car

It's a great episode, and it was honestly so nice to record again after a few weeks off due to wedding, power outages, and travel. We should be back to normal, but in the mean time, make sure you are subscribed to our $4 and up tier here on Patreon to get access to our second bonus, which was a feature length commentary track for the very first Fast and Furious movie.

Hello everyone, and welcome to breaking big two-digit barrier! On this episode, I catch up with my old coworker and fellow (current!) automotive journalist Kevin Williams of InsideEVs! On this episode we reminisce about having a healthy industry... and then break into a discussion about how goddamn cooked America is in the Global Cold War Of EVs. China's kicking our ass, y'all. We then discuss the new average monthly payment, per Edmunds, of $773 for a new car. Which is fucking insane, right????

Sorry about the funky audio on this one, we made a mistake with our recording setup on this guest episode and had to use a backup track to have an episode, so Jordan and I sound like we're calling in from a WWII field telephone. For the proper listening experience on this episode, I recommend blasting this on a '93 CRX HX two-speaker sound system as you sit in traffic on the 610. Because of the audio issues, I will be reading out name-reading tier subscribers next episode, I apologize for the delay!!

Check out Kevin's TikTok for videos from his upcoming China trip, too! You can also follow him on Bluesky!

Also: If you want to get a Tran Girlismo shirt or a bumper sticker, you can here - preorders are open through April 20th!

Referenced Stories:
Pride Month Features @TheDrive
Kevin's i-Miev @TheDrive
Kevin's Coverage Of The Slate Truck @InsideEVs
Bradley Brownell's Nissan Leaf @Jalopnik
Kevin's Review of the BMW i7 @Road&Track
I Went To China And Drove A Dozen Electric Cars. Western Automakers Are Cooked @InsideEVs
Jim Farley: China Can "Put Us All Out Of Business" @Motor1.com
Stellantis Talking With Leapmotor To Build Chinese EVs In Canada @CarAndDriver

Skechers Shape-ups
Kevin's Coverage Of Chinese EVs In Canada @InsideEVs
Kevin's Review of the Xiaomi YU7 @InsideEVs
Kevin's Review of the Volvo EX30 @InsideEVs
Kevin's Reappraisal of the Vinfast VF8 (hint it's still bad) @InsideEVs
Kevin's Review of the Nio Firefly (battery-swapping car, video) @InsideEVs
Kevin's Review of the VW ID.Buzz @InsideEVs
THE ID.BUZZ HAS NO REAR CUPHOLDERS @InsideEVs
Republicans Forward Legislation In Congress To Ban Chinese Cars Forever @Reuters
Bernie Moreno's Blockchain Car Title Company @Cleveland.com
$773 Monthly Payments @Edmunds