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R.I.P Mercury – The Brand That Never Stood A Chance

Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010

Ford has announced that after 71 years in business, they will be closing the doors on the brand that Edsel Ford built, Mercury. This should come as a surprise to approximately no one, since Mercury has not had a bespoke car since the 2002 Cougar, and we all know how well that one went.

We honestly can’t even really think of a reason that Mercury has existed for so long, especially considering the whole brand has been a series of re-badges since the mid-80′s. Are there really people out there that want more than a Ford and less than a Lincoln?

The answer is yes, sometimes, but that number shrinks by the day. At one point, I was actually one of them.

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02.06.2010 Editorials, News 5 Comments

Presenting: The Slowest Porsche in the World

Tuesday, June 1st, 2010

Speed, lots of power and…. GREEN? The hottest cars on the market today push the envelope when it comes to performance, fuel economy, technology. With cars like the Porsche 918 Spyder looming on the horizon, promising rediculous performance figures (198 MPH, 0-60 in 3.2 seconds, 718 HP, all while giving us 78 MPG), the future of cars truly lies in the maximization of a cars efficiency as opposed to the old school approach of building a strong chassis, and then simply throwing power at it until it goes like hell. As evidenced by the 918 Spyder, along with the new GT3 R Hybrid and Cayenne Hybrid, Porsche has spearheaded the movement they like to call “Intelligent Performance”. There is no doubt that these new hybrid cars give us both performance and efficiency. But what if you can’t wait for a Hybrid Porsche and have a budget that is much, much smaller than the $800,000+ estimated price of the 918 Spyder, or even the Cayenne Hybrid’s $67,700? How about if all you can afford is a bicycle but you want the looks of a GT3 RS? Well, I’ve got the solution for you: The Ferdinand GT3 RS

Hit the jump for the build gallery and more information…

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01.06.2010 Editorials, News, Photos 2 Comments

You Have $250K. What do You Do?

Friday, May 14th, 2010

Despite the energy crisis and a recession, supercars seem to be getting better at an exponential rate. The future of the automobile is uncertain, making the future of the super-automobile even more shaky. Companies are fighting for a shrinking pie, one that got even smaller with the economic shit-storm of 2009.  But like the raging bull that graces the front of a Lamborghini, no one is going down easy. Each passing year is like another prick from the matador, only infuriating the bull and making it fight harder.

In 2010 the fight shows no signs of waning. There are handfuls of incredibly fast, beautiful and powerful cars coming our way. They are all so good, yet so different, the only answer I can think of to, “Which would you buy?” is “All of them!” And that got me thinking, what would I-or you-buy?

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14.05.2010 Editorials, Viewer Submission 27 Comments

Forbes’ List of “High Demand Cars” Includes What?

Wednesday, May 12th, 2010

The Cost of Driving a Car

Autoblog just posted an article about how much gas we use as a country, and what cars will cost you per year in fuel. That’s all well and good, but the chart they use shows Forbes Magazine’s list of “high in demand” cars for 2010 at the bottom. That’s where things go wrong. Three BMW SUV’s, an Audi SUV, and a Toyota Matrix? I have a very hard time believing, with the exception, maybe, of the Q5, that these are the 5 most in-demand cars in the US. I mean, the X3 is on its last leg and everyone knows there’s a new one coming next year. So that can’t be selling well. The X6 has been out for a year now, and I haven’t seen more than 3 or 4 of them total on the streets of Los Angeles. So, what gives?

[Source: Auto Insurance for Autoblog.com]

12.05.2010 Editorials, News, Photos 14 Comments

Bizarre Roadside Sightings: 88 MPH Edition

Sunday, May 2nd, 2010

This is one of the reasons I love living in Southern California. You see some of the craziest cars in everyday. I saw this DeLorean as I was trying to avoid traffic on the freeway. Out of nowhere, Doc rolls up in a fully Back to the Future II spec DeLorean. Everything down to the license plate and Mr. Fusion intake is correct. (more…)

02.05.2010 Editorials, News, Photos, side post 3 Comments

Why? Part 1: “VIP” Style

Thursday, April 29th, 2010


I’ve attended a few import car shows recently and noticed a number of odd and confusing trends in the tuner world. Some are strange, some are silly, some are downright offensive. What they all have in common is that they cost a lot of money and are detrimental to the practicality, drive-ability and performance of the car. So we’d like to introduce a new segment called, “Why?”

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29.04.2010 Editorials, Photos, Viewer Submission 7 Comments

Bizarre Roadside Sightings: The Twisted Self-Image Edition

Wednesday, April 14th, 2010

Ironically, the “gentleman” driving this behemoth was a short, rather fit Mexican. I can tell you though, I’ve seen plenty of trucks on which this decal would be more appropriate. And on top of it all, this was in metro LA, not exactly where I would expect to see a truck like this…

-Daniel Volz

14.04.2010 Editorials, News, Photos, side post 2 Comments

Will the Future Have Any Bad Cars?

Wednesday, April 7th, 2010


This is a question I posed to myself the other day while reading a comparison test of a VW GTI, Mazda 3 and Kia Forte sedan. The Kia got 3rd place, but was heralded for being a huge improvement over the last one. The author  said, “Kia has learned how to make a car turn. Uh oh.” They loved the Mazda 3, and of course blew their biggest kisses at the GTI (which it deserved). All 3 hold 5 people, handle pretty good,  are well equipped, and any of them is a good (and cheap) buy.

The cars have handling and acceleration that could have kept up with far more expensive cars of the 80s and 90s, and more gadgets than a 2000 Mercedes. A perfect example is the new V6 Mustang. It makes more power than the old V8, gets good mileage, looks good and drives great. It’s 0-60 time of 5.5 seconds would murder a 1975 Ferrari 308′s 6.5 second sprint and it cost $141,000  (adjusted for inflation). In fact, the “sporty” Toyota Sienna I ranted about last month would be neck and neck with Tom Selleck’s favorite prancing horse. It’s simply automotive evolution.

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07.04.2010 Editorials, Viewer Submission 14 Comments

2011 Ford Mustang V6 Review

Tuesday, March 30th, 2010

The Smoking Tire takes to the Malibu Canyons in the 2011 Ford Mustang V6 to find out why this car may be the most significant car built in America this year. Host Matt Farah puts the Mustang through its paces, starting with an epic burnout!

Upgrade your Stang to run with the big boys with V6 Mustang parts from AmericanMuscle.

30.03.2010 Editorials, News, Reviews, Video 11 Comments

Bizarre Roadside Sighting: Money Can’t Buy Class Edition

Wednesday, March 24th, 2010

Celebrity cars are all over LA. Some are beautiful, others very plain. But sometimes they just make you shake your head. The car in the picture above is actually Candy Metallic Pink. (I think the color broke the camera on my iPhone.) It belongs to the MTV VJ LaLa. Instead of wasting my words here, why don’t you guys tell me what comes to mind when you see something like this?

- Daniel Volz

24.03.2010 Editorials, News, Photos, side post 7 Comments

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