The Smoking Tire enters the Ralliart Sportback in the newest form of dirt competition: Formula Rally Cross. Will Dan the Intern, Matt, or Tom be fastest around the 1.5 mile dirt track? Watch and see….
Formula RallyCross in the Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart Sportback
Tuesday, March 9th, 2010Bizarre Roadside Sightings: Period Original or Recent Blasphemy?
Thursday, March 4th, 2010
While looking for a parking spot off Santa Monica Blvd., we found this 1981 Delorean hiding and covered in dust behind an office building. You can tell it’s an ‘81 because of the gas flap in the hood, and the owner gets points for the 5-speed and reasonably good quality interior. The poor thing hasn’t been registered since 2008, and the faded red paint suggests it was one of the few rare cars to be painted red by its owner in the early 1980’s. We all know Deloreans only came in one color: bare stainless steel, but I rather like some of the painted ones, or even better, the 24-karat Gold Plated “American Express” editions, a 3-mile version of which sits at the Petersen Automotive Museum here in Los Angeles.
What I’m wondering though: Is it blasphemous to paint a Delorean?
Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010
The Smoking Tire goes to Las Vegas for our first NASCAR race. While there, we find out that many of the people in the infield don’t actually go to watch the race, they go to drink.
Pagani Zonda Cinque Tricolore at Geneva
Saturday, February 27th, 2010
For car that’s supposedly coming to an end in production, Pagani sure likes putting out new, special-edition Zondas every 6 months. The Zonda Cinque and Cinque roadster were supposed to be the final edition of the Zonda, closing the book on one of the greatest and most stunning hyper-cars ever built. They were a combination of the Zonda F and Zonda R, with a clutch-less sequential gearchange, intending to be a road-going track car. Right. Because the normal Zonda was just too soft and cuddly for racetracks.
CRS Rally School and Mistubishi Lancer Comparison Test
Wednesday, February 24th, 2010The Smoking Tire attends the California Rally Series’ School in Ridgecrest, CA, to learn how to compete in Rally America and California Rally Series Events (hint, hint). While there, we take the opportunity to find out if the Lancer Ralliart is worth the extra money over the Lancer GTS by flogging them in the dirt.
Bullrun Season 3: Exclusive, Behind-the-Scenes Video from TST
Monday, February 22nd, 2010Some of you may have noticed that Tom and I were fully missing in action the entire month of September, 2009. Well there was damn good reason for that, it was because we were on the set of Bullrun, the reality game show loosely based on the Bullrun Live Rally, which we participate in every year (including this one!). Think of it as The Amazing Race, except you bring your own car. The Smoking Tire spent 4 weeks shooting exclusive, behind-the-scenes video with the producers, crew, and special effects guys, and now that the show is airing (Thursday nights @ 10 EST on SPEED), we are running a new video every week!
The Least Surprising News You’ll Hear All Day: Middle Eastern Man Buys 10 Aston Martin One-77’s
Friday, February 19th, 2010
The Aston Martin One-77: What’s not to like? Despite its million-dollar plus price tag, if I could afford one, they would already have my deposit. But if I were sitting on, say, $23,000,000, I could probably find something more creative to do with it than buy myself and 9 of my family members the same exact supercar. But in the Middle East, where creativity is frowned upon and only excess exceeds, someone with too much money and too little taste has done just that. Ten One-77’s for $23,000,000. We hear that at first, Aston Martin was reluctant to sell that many cars to a single person, especially given the car’s limited production run. Unsurprisingly, paying about a 75% premium on the cars’ actual values greased the wheels a bit.
Source [Luxury4Play.com]
Honda Shoots Own Foot with CR-Z Type R
Wednesday, February 17th, 2010
What happens when the tuning world meets the Birkenstock-wearing world of hybrids? I never thought we’d find out, or at least not for another few years (Those modified Prius are just bags of money on fire, useless). Well we may find out sooner, because Honda is now working with Mugen on a CR-Z Type R. In principle it’s a good idea, if they can find a way to make a sporty hybrid, I’m all for it. But here’s what I don’t get: The Mugen CR-Z will have a 2.0 liter gasoline engine that produces 150hp. Honda had to upgrade the electric motor as well, so it gets a boost from the stock CR-Z’s 20hp to a 50hp unit, raising total output to 200hp. It will also have upgraded brakes, suspension, EM and throttle response. Sounds like friendly fire that will hit the Civic SI right in the face.
Supercar Showdown: Lamborghini Balboni vs. TT Ford GT vs. Supercharged Audi R8
Tuesday, February 16th, 2010The Smoking Tire heads out to Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch in a 370Z Roadster to find out which car can attain the highest speed on Spring Mountain’s 2.7 mile road course. Can Matt Farah, driving a Lamborghini LP550-2, outgun a Twin Turbo Ford GT and a Supercharged Audi R8? We will see.
Next Episode Sneak Peak: Ford GT TT, R8 SC and Balboni
Sunday, February 14th, 2010
They say, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” We’ve all heard that line, and if you’re like me, it’s an infuriating thing to hear. It’s always said to you after something horrible happens. Perhaps an earthquake knocked down your garage…onto your new car…with Megan Fox inside.
This week we had a Nissan 370z Convertible to review. What better environment is there for a convertible sports car than a road trip? So we drove it to Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch, in Pahrump, NV. We had planned to pit a Ford GT against a Nissan GTR and use a radar gun to see which could reach the highest speed down the back straight.
The radar gun never came.
Had life given us lemons? For a moment we thought our episode was lost. But then a very nice man from Lamborghini of Las Vegas said 7 very exciting words to Matt, “Would you like to drive the Balboni?” No, life had not given us lemons. In this case, life felt bad about the lemons, so it took them and made us lemon sorbet, which it fed to us while giving us a back-rub.
The momentarily-dark day turned into one of the best yet. The key players? A Lamborghini LP-560-2 Balboni Edition, a 1000hp Ford GT TT by Heffner Performance and a VF Engineering-Supercharged Audi R8. Check back Tuesday to see the incredible footage, and find out who was the fastest. For now, enjoy the behind-the-scenes pictures.
