We know it’s been a little quiet around here the past few days, and that’s because Matt and the crew are on a 3,000 mile road trip to film 4 episodes for our new show Tuned on the DRIVE Network. We’ll be back to regular posting on Monday, but for now, check out the January issue of the free online magazine Road Lanes, where Matt reviews the new Mercedes C63 Coupe, Lexus’s new “sporty” hybrid, the CT200H, and the BMW R1200R motorcycle!
Check it out at www.roadlanes.com
Some of you may not have heard of Tuned, our new show on the DRIVE Network. Whereas here on The Smoking Tire we tend to focus on factory stock car reviews, Tuned is all about the best custom projects around, from street cars to trucks, offroad to land yachts. In our season premiere, we hit up our old friends at BBi Autosport, who said we absolutely must try their 650 horsepower Porsche 997 Turbo S PDK. The car isn’t just about horsepower, either; it’s got the chassis, suspension, and brake upgrades to match. And as you can imagine, I take it out, drive it hard, and put it away wet. Hit the jump for the video and see what Tuned is all about.
On this episode of The Smoking Tire, we take the 2011 Corvette ZR1, the fastest Corvette ever produced, to the Mojave Mile for a little high-speed testing. Back in May, Matt came to the Mile with a Porsche 911 GT3RS, an amazing, barely street legal track car, and while it ran a very respectable 166.8 mph, that just wasn’t enough. We had a goal of crossing the 1-mile traps going at least 175, and the ZR1 could be the perfect weapon. Hit the jump for the video.
“Did you tell anyone we were coming here today?”
“I was just going to ask you that! And…..no, I didn’t. Did you?”
“No.”
We shared a long silence, both mentally flashing forward to a broken car, freezing temperatures and no food. We were 7,000 feet above sea level on the Wheeler Pass trail in Nevada. It was snowing, so the pointy rocks- which ranged in size from grenade to tool box- were becoming hidden from view. We were wearing jeans and hoodies. The closest thing to “supplies” were a tire repair kit, 2 half-full Monster Rehabs and stomachs full of Pahrump’s finest Subway. Popping a tire on this 2011 BMW X5 diesel would surely result in cannibalism, and Thad is bigger than me.
When we heard the BMW 1M was going to be at TST headquarters for a week, our right feet collectively salivated. It was one of the most anticipated cars of the year. That anticipation was fueled by the simple formula of 135i size+ M3 performance parts + more power – weight= super mega fun time. After driving it, we would describe it with phrases like “Sell my own mother for one.” or “I’m leaving in the 1M for Mexico at 4am. Who’s with me?” Matt took it to his favorite place-an empty canyon- to see if the past year’s hullabaloo was worth it.
At times I am a walking contradiction. I support the EPA and Sierra Club but if you hand me a gun and 4 sets of tires I’ll Yosemite Sam Hubinette that shit all day long. And as much as I love burning as much gas as possible, it’s expensive, and I am poor. So when the CR-Z concept came out, I thought it was that bowl of porridge made of half hybrid MPG and half sports car. A few weeks ago I got one to try out. How did it do? Make the jump to find out.
Matt hates video games for several reasons, but mostly it’s because they aren’t nearly as much fun as the real thing, which he proves in this video. In 2006, Art Morrison won the “Gran Turismo Award” at the SEMA show, which means that they put your show car into the video game Gran Turismo. After testing the video game version, Matt can’t help but dream of driving the real thing. Hit the jump to see what happens when your wish is granted.
“That’s the best motorcycle in the world.” – Everyone, ever.
Sometimes when we test something on The Smoking Tire, we have zero pre-concieved notions of what to expect. For example, when I recently reviewed the BMW F800R Motorcycle, I hadn’t heard anything about it from anyone besides the fleet manager, who said it was “Fun.” I just thought it looked cool and wanted to try it. The BMW R1200GS is exactly the opposite. I knew lots about it from lots of people. My friend Dave Maher spent 3 months wandering the United States on the back of one. Actor Ewan MacGregor famously circumnavigated the globe on one. Countless others have ridden unbelievable distances over incredible terrain on GS motorcycles for nearly 30 years. And when I was looking to buy a motorcycle in 2009, the GS was high on my shopping list. It ultimately didn’t fit my needs at the time, but I found it very interesting that used examples had approximately 1000% more miles than almost all other bikes on the market. I had a really hard time finding a used GS with less than 40,000 miles on the clock. So I knew that anyone who bought one of these bikes, bought it to ride, a lot. And although I didn’t end up buying one back in 2009, if you asked me what bike I’d like to own today, my story would be drastically different, and include just one option: The R1200 GS. And that’s because after just 15 minutes of riding, I learned that everyone who’s ever told me that the GS is the best motorcycle in the world is exactly right. Hit the jump to find out why.
Forza 4
I know what you’re going to say: “Video games? On an automotive site?” Well, let me start off by saying that, like Matt, I’ve never been a big gamer. It wasn’t until I was 15 that I got my first gaming system, a Playstation bundle pack my family got with the new TV. It came with one game: Gran Turismo. It was like nothing I’d ever seen before. I loved the fact I got to drive real cars, and not some made up space karts with turbo boosters. I loved the fact that it was the most realistic racing game I had ever played. I was amazed by the graphics (1998, haha) and sounds of the game. Needless to say, I was hooked. I played that game until my thumbs were sore. I remember waking up early before school , just to drive my hard earned Formula 1 car around the Nürburgring. Then it all changed. Somewhere between going off to college and discovering the fairer sex, I lost interest in video games. Sure, occasionally I’d sit down to play some racing games with friends, but was never really as enamored with them as when I first sat down with that revolutionary racing game I grew up with. I lost interest and focused more on actual driving and having fun behind the wheel of a REAL car. More after the jump. (more…)
The Smoking Tire’s Tom Morningstar is thoroughly obsessed with bike racing. So much so that he DVR’ed the entire Tour De France. That’s 4 hours per day for 3 weeks straight. And he watched the entire thing. So much so that, even though we live in Los Angeles and he doesn’t have a car, he bought a $3,000 road bike. So much so, that he convinced me that the $340,000 Bentley Mulsanne sitting in our driveway would make a perfect crew vehicle for a pro biking team that was practicing for an upcoming race. We used the opportunity to see how the back seat of the Mulsanne, where the bikers’ assistants ride, compares to the front seat, where I like to be. Video after the jump.
One of the sickest 458 Italias in existence!!
YouTube / Facebook / Jason Thorgalsen Photography
