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Going to the Supermarket in a Supercar

Going to the Supermarket in a Supercar

(Bloomberg Opinion) -- This week on Masters in Business, we geek out on cars with Hannah Elliott, who has the job that I really want: reviewing supercars for Bloomberg News.

In a conversation that features way too much of me talking, we discuss how she decides which cars to review, her research and what it's like to spend time with a supercar that none of us probably will ever drive.

Elliott says she approaches each vehicle as blank slate, reading nothing about it beforehand and trying to avoid any “chatter” in her head when she drives a new car. Then she spends a few day with each supercar as if it were her own -- she links her phone to the Bluetooth system, fills the car with gas and takes the supercar to the supermarket. She emails herself contemporaneous verbal notes as she drives the car.

In her written reviews, about half of the emphasis is (obviously) on the car’s performance. The other half (surprisingly) is on the car’s utility -- the seats, entertainment system, electronics and other creature comforts. The buyers of these vehicles tend to use them for transportation, not just as race horses; how they operate in daily driving conditions matters.

Elliot believes cars should fulfill what the maker promises, and the “statement of intent” should be clear: the car should do what it is supposed to do and at a price that is in keeping with the competition.

We also discuss the collectible market, including which cars have gone up and down in value and what the next great investable cars might be. We discuss how long the gasoline engine will be around; the expectations of automakers is that by 2025 every car will either be an electric or electric-gas hybrid.

Her favorite books can be seen here; a transcript of our conversation is here.

You can stream and download our full conversation, including the podcast extras, on Apple iTunesOvercastSpotifyGoogleBloomberg and Stitcher. All of our earlier podcasts on your favorite pod hosts can be found here.

Next week, we speak with Nobel Prize-winning economist, Paul Krugman, whose most recent book is "Arguing with Zombies: Economics, Politics, and the Fight for a Better Future."

To contact the editor responsible for this story: James Greiff at jgreiff@bloomberg.net

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Barry Ritholtz is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist. He is chairman and chief investment officer of Ritholtz Wealth Management, and was previously chief market strategist at Maxim Group. He is the author of “Bailout Nation.”

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