Whoever decided to mess with the thermostat, knock it off…winter is cold enough without the kind of cold that has been hanging around this week. Not that we’re really fans of cold weather anyways (well, Lohnes seems to do well in it) but between ice-cold digits that are trying to put a beater back together to head colds that are kicking our asses, we’re over winter. Unfortunately, Spring doesn’t appear until March 20th and it’ll probably snow then too. But we’ll keep plugging along whatever the weather, and the random stories that hit our inbox will keep piling up until we take a look at what might deserve a second chance review…and maybe a little roasting. Here’s Scrapple:

1. That ought to put an end to that!Ever since John Cena tried to flip his Ford GT after two weeks, it’s been very clear that Ford will go to hell and back to make damn sure that the GT remains super-exclusive and, in an almost dictatorial way, has gone after any and everyone who is even kind-of considering the consequences. You had to go through a song-and-dance routine just to be considered for the chance to purchase one! But after Mecum Auctions was successful at selling one of the twin-turbo V6 supercars a little over a year ago (with Ford trying everything possible in court to stop the sale from commencing), Ford has retaliated tenfold on Mecum: in what is less an agreement and more of a tribute to keep Ford’s legal team from wreaking hell with the auction house, Mecum “paid restitutions” to a Ford charity, agreed to not sell any Ford GTs without Ford’s explicit consent and can’t take on any more GT consignments within the two-year mark from point of delivery of the vehicle. They also have to inform Ford any time a GT is attempted to be sold from someone who is not the original owner two years after the original delivery date of the vehicle.

Ford: It’s a supercar. You want to be selective about who buys the car? Fine. You want to have control over who holds the title two years after the car was dropped off? Next time, try offering supercars on a rental service instead of “selling” them.

2. Danger: Angry Email InboundWhile we’re on the subject of Ford and questionable decisions, let’s discuss CEO Jim Hackett’s email to employees that went out recently. In a quote put out by Reuters, Hackett said that it was “time to bury the year (2018) in a deep grave, grieve over what might have been and become super focused on meeting, and, in fact, exceeding this year’s plan.”

Was Ford really that off last year? Hackett noted that too: “Yes, we made $7 billion last year. But think of it this way: this represents a 4.4 percent operating margin, about half what we believe is an appropriate margin. So we are aiming much closer to $14 billion.”

Given Ford’s new directions in vehicles, we can’t wait to see what comes out of next year’s email.

3. Other serious issues to contend with…

Ford isn’t the only company that is in turmoil lately. General Motors has a fight brewing up in Canada over the closing of the Oshawa plant with the Unifor union. Unifor has lambasted GM for shuttering Oshawa, and has been trying every tactic to their disposal to bring GM to the bargaining table, including calling upon a Canadian boycott of Mexican-made GM vehicles and a threat of a strike.

And then there is the drama that has ensnared the Renault-Nissan Alliance. Former CEO Carlos Ghosn resigned from Renault, the last of the three companies that he was in charge of last year. (He had already been ousted at Nissan and Mitsubishi.) Ghosn is awaiting his trial for charges that stem from receiving improper payments, under-reporting income, breach of trust and more in Japan.

And that wasn’t even the end for Nissan. Nissan CEO Hiroto Saikawa, the man who stepped in after Ghosn’s arrest and was very critical of him in the press shortly afterwards, wants to “pass the baton” to someone as part of a shake-up of the leadership of the company on his way out of the door.

We almost want to pop an antacid on their behalf.

4. You enterprising bastard!California black/yellow plates. “C8 VETTE”. Knowing damn full well that not only is the C8 coming, but that it is almost guaranteed to be the first mid-engined version. Not only is someone sharp enough try to profit on the first delivery, this isn’t the only plate lineup they have, either…their eBay store is filled to the brim with ready-to-go personalized plates for cars. Sure, someone might snap up “CT6 CADI”, but C8 VETTE is going to sell. The price is $495, which is probably low for what this set of plates would bring had the seller auctioned them instead once the car was unveiled.

5. Directions unclear. Tasty, but unclear.

Here’s a fun fact: did you know that most forms of vanilla extract you can buy on the market have the same alcohol proof figures as most forms of liquor? A 50-year-old Connecticut woman and the police who arrested her for driving under the influence now know. The woman was sitting in her car with her eyes closed one afternoon, with several bottles of pure vanilla extract in the car, and was arrested after she failed field sobriety tests and demonstrated the inability to answer basic questions. We have no doubt that the breathalyzer has never smelled better…