The Smoking Tire » Video

Iraq Has Better Reality TV than Us.

Zack K — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 05:19:31 +0000

While Iraq is often thought of an oppressive society that put it’s social progress on “pause” about 2000 years ago, their reality TV shows are 100% up to date, especially when it comes to pranks. Punk’d, move over. Jamie Kennedy Experiment? Forget it (you probably did after the pilot aired). Iraq has a TV prank that trumps them all.

The show is called, “Put Him in Camp Bucca.” It’s been on since the beginning of Ramadan, and has been criticized by newspapers for being too close to daily Iraqi life. In the show an innocent driver is “discovered” as being tied to terrorism and then told he is going to prison for life. Sometimes the security officers will even plant a fake grenade or weapon in the car. The “funny” part is watching the panic wash over the person’s face, and sometimes hearing them profess their innocence, pleading with the officers.

They say Britain has it’s own brand of humor, I guess this is the face of the emerging Iraqi comedy movement. Maybe next year they’ll rip-off Minute to Win It, but you have 1 minute to diffuse an IED?

Click to Watch (not in English)

Video: Art Morrison 1955 Chevy Bel Air – Is It Faster Than a Ferrari?

Matt — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 04:42:21 +0000

The Smoking Tire hits Supercar Sunday and the canyons with the Art Morrison 1955 Bel Air, one of the best handling hot rods around. We toss this 55 year-old car through some of the tightest curves in California to find out if there really is such a thing as a Hot Rod for drivers.

Video: Tanner Foust Slaughters The Competition at New Jersey Rallycross

Matt — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 17:51:04 +0000

By now, we all know that Tanner Foust has some skills behind the wheel. From drifting public roads to winning two gold medals at X-Games Rally and Super Rally, Tanner is the kind of driver we like to get behind, and a damn good friend to The Smoking Tire. Tanner has been competing in the European Rallycross series this year, and for the first time, rallycross has come to America, at New Jersey Motorsports Park. Competing against some of his biggest X-Games rivals, including Dave Mirra, Travis Pastrana, and Andrew Comrie-Picard (ACP), Tanner positively wiped the floor track with them all, and got himself a well-deserved first place. Video after the jump.

We Find a Possum in TST Headquarters

Matt — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 07:41:05 +0000

I’ll admit it: this has absolutely nothing to do with cars. I don’t know how, but for about 5 days, an Opossum was living in my house, underneath the furniture. Tom and I found and captured it. Here’s the video.

Video: The Woodward Dream Cruise and the Firebreather

Matt — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 02:16:01 +0000

The Woodward Dream Cruise, now in its 16th year, is the largest single-day car show in the US. Literally millions of people, and tens of thousands of cars gather on Woodward Avenue and cruise up and down the 8 mile stretch of road for hours upon hours. Spectators can pick a spot along Woodward and just watch the whole show cruise on by, or hop in their rides and be a part of it. Of course, The Smoking Tire isn’t the type to sit on the sidelines, so we got ourselves an ass-kicking piece of Detroit iron, the Firebreather, and hit the road.

In addition to the madness that is the Dream Cruise, we learned the story behind the Firebreather, along with the film, Jinn, that it stars in. And, in usual The Smoking Tire fashion, we throw a twist into the mix, when Matt convinces a car fan to get the Firebreather logo as a tattoo. Video after the jump.

For more information about the Firebreather, including full specs, pricing, and customization options, visit the Official Firebreather Site

Video: Best of the 2010 Bullrun Rally! – All the Good Stuff

Matt — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 06:11:49 +0000

As most of you know, we recently competed in the 2010 Bullrun Rally from New York to Las Vegas. We drove a brand new 2011 Shelby GT500 Convertible, and we shot way more video than we had available air time. There was so much great footage that we just couldn’t use, that we’ve decided to make just one more video, with all the best pull-overs, personalities, and driving footage from the 2010 Bullrun Rally.

VF Engineering Supercharged Audi R8

Matt — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 18:01:02 +0000

VF Engineering knows power. By strapping superchargers on everything from Porsche 911′s to BMW M3′s, they know how to give an otherwise stock car a major power increase without compromising any other part of the car. We’ve sampled all their Supercharger packages at Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch, and we filmed mini-segments with each of them. This is the 560 horsepower, Supercharged Audi R8 4.2. Video below.

For more information, visit www.vf-engineering.com

The Smoking Tire Featured on G4′s Attack of the Show!

Matt — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 16:25:59 +0000

Tonight, I appeared on G4 TV’s Attack of the Show, which, if you haven’t heard of it, is essentially a show about cool tech gadgets, video games, and the best of the web. I spoke about the Camaro SS, Ferrari 458 Italia, some of our experiences on Bullrun including the ticket tally, and spill some secrets about what’s coming up on the show. I’m even moderately funny.

Game Reviews – E3 2011 – Blog Watch

2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS Review

Matt — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 22:47:28 +0000

After we posted our 2011 Mustang GT review and the subsequent Mustang GT vs. Camaro SS Drag Race video, we got lots of comments that the race was unfair, or that we drove the wrong Camaro. You see, that particular Camaro was an automatic, which means that instead of the 426 horsepower LS3 engine underhood, it only had a 400 horsepower. This is neither our fault nor Ford’s, however in the interest of satisfying our viewers, we took a 2010 Camaro SS, this time with a stick, to the track. We ran some hot laps to find out if these Chevy fanboys are on to something, or if the Camaro is all style and no substance. Of course, we also ran some hot laps to see if the Camaro’s 226 horsepower advantage is enough to take our Time Attack crown from the current leader, the 2010 Volkswagen GTI. Video review after the jump.

Video: Ferrari 458 Italia Review

Matt — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 17:22:27 +0000

The Smoking Tire takes Ferrari’s newest supercar to an appropriately exotic location for a thorough road test. Somewhere home to celebrities, billionaires, and guidos. Somewhere like New Jersey. Host Matt Farah wrings the 458 Italia out on New Jersey’s beautiful roads to find out if it is truly the best Ferrari yet.

*If we had realized this past Sunday’s episode of Top Gear would have been the end of the season, we would have rushed this video out, just to beat Top Gear to it. If you think I’m ripping off Clarkson, remember we filmed this a month ago, before anyone had seen Top Gear. Video after the jump.

Video: Ken Block, Tanner Foust, and Brian Deegan Practicing for X-Games Rally

Matt — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 06:02:46 +0000

On Wednesday, we were fortunate enough to head down to the Metal Mulisha compound in Temecula, CA to watch Team Ford Rally practice for this weekend’s X-Games competition. This place is literally a car/bike/toy guy’s wonderland, with acres and acres of dirt, foam pits, garages, and jumps. It’s literally perfect. Ken Block, Tanner Foust, and Brian Deegan hustled the shit out of their Ford Fiesta rally cars around Deegan’s custom rally course, and we were there to catch all the action. Hint: They all looked fast. Check out the video after the jump.

Bullrun 2010: Video Recap – All 7 Videos In One Place

Matt — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 17:18:28 +0000

In case you’ve been hiding under a rock for the past week, The Smoking Tire just finished the Bullrun Rally as Team Black Magic. The Bullrun is a cross-country checkpoint-style navigational rally with 50 other cars, some exotics, some not, and full of great personalities. We shot, edited, and uploaded a video every day from the road, documenting all our adventures and the beautiful places we’ve seen. We put nearly 6,000 miles on our 2011 Shelby GT500 Convertible, and other than a few minor tire issues, the Shelby performed admirably. Hit the jump to watch all 7 of our videos from the road in once place, and be sure to check out my photos and written blog entries at Black Magic Shine.

[Photo Credit: Bullrun]

2010 Bullrun Rally: Day 7 – The End

Matt — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 01:32:32 +0000

Team Black Magic wakes up in the firey heat of Scottsdale to discover someone played a prank on their car…. We visit the Taser factory to watch Flag Girl Karen get shocked, we have a little run-in with the cops, and we have the most unique Bullrun finish of the year.

2010 Bullrun Rally: Day 6 – Telluride to Scottsdale

Matt — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 01:25:49 +0000

The 2010 Bullrun departs the beautiful resort town of Telluride, Colorado for Scottsdale, Arizona. On the way, we stop at Monument Valley for a little of that southwest Americana….

2010 Bullrun: Day 5 – Boulder to Telluride

Zack K — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 05:08:35 +0000

Day 5 begins with some high-speed kart racing at Bandimere Speedway just outside of Boulder, CO. Then the boys hit the road, snaking through the gorgeous Colorado mountains to the high-altitude paradise that is Telluride. On the way an unexpected TV crew interrupts the Ferrari’s fun, and the last car you would expect to get pulled over, does.

2010 Bullrun Rally: Day 3 – Chicago to Omaha

Matt — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 09:33:31 +0000

The Bullrunners depart Chicago, in a mess of lost, for Omaha, Nebraska. There’s never a shortage of surprises on the Bullrun, and today doesn’t upset. We get lost and angry, drive the tires off our car, and finally figure out a good strategy.

2010 Bullrun Rally: Day 2 – Cleveland to Chicago

Matt — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 09:27:49 +0000

The Smoking Tire heads out from Cleveleland, Ohio to Chicago, Illinois on the 2010 Bullrun Live Rally. We get pulled over, help Ice-T change a tire on an Aston Martin (with a Lexus donut!), and drive our faces off….

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Bullrun Rally 2010: Day 1

Matt — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 22:53:31 +0000

The Smoking Tire hits the road as Team Black Magic for the 2010 Bullrun Live Rally from New York to Las Vegas. We’re uploading a video every day from the road, so be sure to check back every day to get the best Bullrun updates in near realtime. Also, friend me on Facebook, or Follow Team Black Magic on Twitter.

VF Engineering Supercharged Wide Body E92 M3 620HP and Supercharged Porsche 911 Carrera S

Matt — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 16:06:03 +0000

The Smoking Tire heads out to Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch, where VF Engineering has provided us with an entire fleet of supercharged sports cars. Matt Farah takes a 510hp blown Porsche 911 and a 620 hp blown wide-body M3 out on the track to see what 30% more power does to two already great cars.

Video after the jump.

How To Drive a 911 on Dirt – Pikes Peak

Matt — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 00:23:34 +0000

While everyone’s attention this past weekend at Pike’s Peak was focused primarily on the overall record attempts, some other records were actually broken, including one by Jeff Zwart, who destroyed Rhys Millen’s previous record time of 12:09.40, in his Hyundai Genesis Coupe, with a 11:31.095 in his Porsche 997 Cup. A friend of the site was fortunate enough to send over some in-car video from Zwart’s qualifying run. Watch how hard to control the Porsche looks once it hits the dirt!

Thanks, Roger for the tip!

[Photo: Drew Phillips, Autoblog]

Volkswagen Touareg TDI – Top Speed Dry Lake Test

Matt — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 14:28:59 +0000

The Smoking Tire takes the 2010 Volkswagen Touareg TDI to El Mirage Dry Lakebed to see how it behaves on the road and off it. We also see how fast it will go in the one place we could think of with no speed limit. Video after the jump.

Audi A3 TDI Review – Can We Drive to the Grand Canyon On One Tank?

Matt — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 15:19:47 +0000

In this episode of The Smoking Tire, we decide to test Audi’s version of an economy car to its limits, by attempting to drive to the Grand Canyon from Redondo Beach, CA, 550 miles, on a single 14.6 gallon tank of diesel fuel. We then take the Audi to Adams Motorsports Park for a timed lap to see if it’s a sporty economy car or an economical sports car. Video after the jump.

Blastolene Brothers At It Again: The Rocket II Trike

Matt — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 16:11:53 +0000

We love the Blastolene Brothers’ sense of adventure and madness, it all translates very well into how they build hot rods. That is to say, their hot rods are better and more original than everyone else’s hot rods, a point we reinforced by awarding “Piss’d Off Pete,” their last creation Best In Show at the 2009 SEMA show in Las Vegas.

But what happens when you team up the Blastolene Brothers with an equally mad artist with the dream of building the most batshit tricycle in history? You get the Rocket II, a Blown-Hemi powered, center-hub steered, thousand horsepower bit of insane that’s somehow legal on US roads. Tim “Frogman” Cotterill stops by Jay Leno’s garage with a toy so crazy, Jay won’t even ride it.

Video after the jump.

[Source: Jay Leno's Garage]

Honda Fit Sport Review

Matt — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 17:01:07 +0000

When we went to San Francisco last month to drive the all-new Ford Fiesta, Ford provided a Honda Fit and a Toyota Yaris for comparison. The Yaris was a joke, but we liked the Fit a little more than Ford would have preferred. We promptly booked one for a review. How does the gold-standard Honda Fit Sport compare to Ford’s new cash cow economy car? Hit the jump to find out.

Ford GT vs. Ferrari 250 GTO

Matt — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 15:03:18 +0000

The Smoking Tire hits the Malibu Canyons with two hugely different, yet equally amazing cars: The 2006 Ford GT and the 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO. Modern horsepower meets vintage finesse in this beautiful drive in two of the best sports cars of all time.

Video: Proof That Yugo’s Can Do Burnouts

Matt — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 19:47:45 +0000

When the Yugo went on sale in the US, its largest engine offered 65 (crank) horsepower. That’s not much better by contemporary standards than it is by our current ones, but as this video proves, it’s more than enough to smoke the tire (s) of this Yugo for over 3 minutes, until they both explode. God bless the open-differential, one wheeled burnouts rock. It’s an honor for this Yugo to die such a noble death.

Video: Crazy Arab Drivers Take Over Dubai Road

Matt — Wed, 19 May 2010 18:06:24 +0000

We’ve seen some crazy Arab driving before. Whether it’s Carrera GT’s and BMW M5′s drifting through downtown Dubai, or Shiekhs running Formula One cars on closed sections of desert highway, Arabs clearly know how to have fun in a car. (I should know, I’m half Arab – MF).

Here’s another good one. A bunch of guys in Lexus LX570 trucks block off traffic while some guys in shitbox Daihatsu’s and Toyota pickup trucks start doing donuts and drifting. Then the Daihatsu goes up on two wheels, and proceeds to cruise down Shiekh Zayed Road, the main road through Dubai, for several minutes, weaving through traffic.

I wish we were brave enough to try something like this on the 405 Freeway in LA, but we’re quite certain it wouldn’t end well.

Thanks, Vinny for the tip!

Video: Win a Trip to New York for the Bullrun Rally!

Matt — Wed, 19 May 2010 02:30:51 +0000

Last year, The Smoking Tire went on the Bullrun Live Rally from New York to Austin, Texas. We drove the first production Ford SVT Raptor right off the assembly line, 10 hours to New York city for the start, and made a video each day, which can be found on Black Magic’s YouTube Channel.

This year, you’ve got a chance to come party with us in New York City for the kickoff of the 2010 Bullrun, and design our Shelby GT500! Hit the jump to find out how.

Video: 2011 Shelby GT500 Posts Uber-Fast Lap at VIR

Matt — Tue, 18 May 2010 18:21:23 +0000

Ford’s on a real roll with their 2011 Mustangs. The 412 HP Mustang GT is being compared to the M3, a car that costs nearly twice as much. Their V6 is the first car in history to come back from rental-car-dom. The new 2011 Shelby GT500 has been on a diet, dropping 120 pounds from the nose by switching to an aluminum engine block, and adding a few extra ponies as well, bringing the count to 550 hp.

As we’ve shown on The Smoking Tire, Ford is about more than straight-line performance; Mustangs need to go around corners. As this video shows, the new 2011 GT500 does that pretty well too. The Shelby’s weight trimmings and tweaks have helped shave 9 seconds per lap off what the 2010 GT500 ran at Virginia International’s “Grand Course” last year, surprising even Ford’s own people, who only expected a 3 second improvement.

The GT500′s 2:58.5 second lap time would place it 7th overall (according to Car and Driver, see chart below), behind such cars as the Ferrari 430 Scuderia and Viper ACR, but ahead of the BMW M3, Cadillac CTS-V, Audi R8, and, ahem, the Ford GT.

Here’s the best part: The Smoking Tire is going to be doing a 5,000-mile road test of the new GT500 in the 2010 Bullrun Rally from New York to Las Vegas this July. And you have a chance to win a trip to New York to come party with us for the kickoff party (and yes, test drive the car.) Go to Black Magic Shine to find out how.

Hit the jump to see the video and lap time spreadsheet.

[Source: YouTube via Jalopnik]

Video: What Car can You Get For $1,000?

Matt — Tue, 18 May 2010 16:16:05 +0000

Lots of people ask us about cheap cars. Like, really cheap cars. So cheap that we didn’t even know what was possible. So we called in the experts. Chris and Jorge from CarsForAGrand.com stop by The Smoking Tire with their 1973 Cadillac Eldorado purchased for, you guessed it, $1,000. Chris and Jorge have just completed a cross-country journey on Rt. 66 in their Eldorado, and figured we should take it for a spin to see just how far $1,000 can go.

While you’re at it, check out www.carsforagrand.com and see if someone else’s junk can be your treasure!

Video after the jump

Video: Full Size Van Racing In Japan!

Matt — Fri, 14 May 2010 16:37:37 +0000

We recently ran a story about the interesting new trend of “USDM” style tuning of Dodge Full Size Vans in Japan. They are called Dajjibans, or just “Dodge Van’s” translated, and clearly it’s a love-it-or-hate-it trend. Here at The Smoking Tire, we love them. And we’ve just found another reason to love them even more. Amazing as it is, they race those things over there. Here are some photos from a track day at Japan’s Ebisu Circuit, and hit the jump to see some rain-soaked van racing action!

Thanks, Vinny, for the tip!

2010 Subaru Outback Street/Dirt Review

Matt — Tue, 11 May 2010 15:23:30 +0000

The Smoking Tire takes the all-new Subaru Outback to the highest point we can find in hopes our customer-appreciation Balloon Launch will get some free T-shirts into the hands of our viewers. On the way, we discuss whether the new Outback retains the spirit of the original “Sport Utility Wagon,” or has it become something car guys dread: A Crossover?

Hit the Jump to watch the video and find out.

2011 Ford Fiesta Review

Matt — Tue, 04 May 2010 16:41:42 +0000

The Smoking Tire heads up to San Francisco’s Skyline Drive to test Ford’s newest entrant into the economy car wars, the Fiesta. Is the European-designed Fiesta all hype? Or does it live up to its promise of a small, premium, efficient car? Let’s find out.

2010 Lotus Elise vs. 2000 Lotus Esprit V8

Matt — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 00:30:28 +0000

This week, The Smoking Tire visits the beautiful Ojai valley with two of Lotus’s finest cars, the Elise and the Esprit. Matt Farah hits the canyons to find out how the quintessential ‘new’ Lotus compares to the well-aging Esprit V8. Is Lotus going in the right direction by downsizing both the car and the engine? Or should they make a return to turbocharged V8′s and luxury features? You’ll have to watch the video, after the jump, to see.

RIP: Benny Caiola

Matt — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 01:18:54 +0000

It is with great sadness that I report the death of Benny Caiola, one of the most famous Italian sports car collectors in the world, after a short but severe battle with cancer. After coming to America from Italy at the age of 17, Benny worked his way up from plasterer, to contractor, to founding one of the largest real estate management companies in Manhattan. He was most widely known, however, for owning the largest and most extensive Ferrari collection in the world, boasting an FXX, two Enzos, several Challenge cars, an F40, F50, 333SP, 250GTO, and many more. In the photo above, he is taking delivery of Lamborghini Gallardo LP560 #001, to add to his Diablo GT, Muira S Jota, and Countach LP400. He also owned two of the four Zonda’s in the United States.

We were fortunate enough to sit down with Benny last year at the Cavallino Classic Track Day at Palm Beach International Raceway, check out the video after the jump. Rest in peace, Benny Caiola.

How Not to Tow, and How Not to Be Towed.

Matt — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 00:38:21 +0000

Kids, a short lesson in towing. When you’re the car being towed, you should probably turn on the accessory to unlock the steering wheel. When you’re the car towing, you may want to look behind you from time to time.

Thanks, Patrick for the tip!

Comparison Video Review: 2010 Audi S4 vs. 2007 Audi RS4

Matt — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 05:31:36 +0000

The Smoking Tire heads out to the mountains of Malibu to tear up two of Audi’s finest sports sedans: the 2010 Audi S4 and the 2007 Audi RS4. We talk about some of the finer points of each car, as well as a few, say, quibbles.

Best Rally Jumping Video Ever!

Matt — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 00:30:16 +0000

Rally has quickly become our new favorite kind of motorsport. Not only is it the only professional motorsport that requires two people to work together in the car, they both have to have balls. Big, hairy, gigantic sets of balls. Even if they are women drivers, you may want to do the Ray Finkle check, because they have balls. And what’s our favorite part about rally? When drivers floor it over jumps that us mere mortals would undoubtedly slow down for.

Crank and Piston has decided to share with us one of the best, if not the best, rally jumping video compilations we’ve ever seen. Not only are the jumps awesome, the soundtrack is nothing but rev-limiter banging rally car engine noise, the way the best car porn videos are meant to be.

Video after the jump

Source: [Crank and Piston]

Thanks, Vinny for the tip!

2010 Mazdaspeed3 Review

Matt — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 21:07:34 +0000

The Smoking Tire heads out to Adams Motorsports Park in Riverside, CA to test out the new, controversially styled, Mazdaspeed3 on the track. While there, we enter the Speed3 in a local Time Attack race.

Behind The Scenes – Street Drift: Mulholland with Tanner Foust

Matt — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 15:26:56 +0000

The Smoking Tire goes behind the scenes with Tanner Foust on Mulholland Highway to see what it takes to put together his “Street Drift” Series.

What you may not know is this: if you have seen Tanner’s “Street Drift: Mulholland” video, you may realize that it was shot with dozens of cameras from all angles, including a chase car and camera-mounted R/C Helicopter. Our video, of the same day, was shot with One HD Cam and Two Flip Cam’s. That’s it. You be the judge, who used their resources better?

2011 Ford Mustang V6 Review

Matt — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 16:34:35 +0000

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.

What Car Sounds the Best?

Zack K — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 01:58:54 +0000

Yesterday I was blessed and got to see an Alfa 8C Competezione. This is a rare treat because 1. They only made 500 of them, and only 84 ended up in the U.S. 2. It is in my list of Top 10 Cars of all time. I just love it. The design is almost perfect. It has all the traditional coupe traits; a long hood, swooping tail, and sexy fenders. I could sit and look at that car for hours. The interior is equally brilliant. But what really ties the whole car together for me is the sound.

The sound of this car is like a symphony of all the best exhaust notes ever. Growing up around hot rods I think a V8 engine is the best instrument from which a wonderful exhaust note can emanate. V10s sound cool, but they lack the rib-shaking bass that makes me smile. V12 engines sound incredible, but my eyebrows raise at the sound of a V12 because I know whatever is making that sound is expensive and fast. It’s more about what is screaming down the road than the scream itself.

Alfa 8c

But as good as V8s are, they aren’t all special. A Chevy 350 with headers sounds good, but it’s hardly rare. The V8 in the 8C has something else though, underneath the V8 rumble and roar there’s subtle tones that tell your ear, “Wait, that’s not a Corvette…” At times it sounds like a Vette, which is perfectly fine because a Corvette with exhaust sounds straight up nasty. There’s a raw, hollow metal sound that roars out. But the 8c has a sound that tells you it’s something special, a sound suitable for a car with such a limited run. It crackles on downshifts like a Howitzer, it has a lumpy idle, and sounds a few octaves above a Corvette, without losing the intensity. To me, it is a perfect sound and just adds to the allure of the car.

But this is just my opinion. So rather than say, “You’re an idiot. No it isn’t.” Post your favorite exhaust note, and tell us why. Everyone has different tastes in music, so the same is going to be true for cars. Tell me what you think, while I go watch the 8C Top Gear episode for the 11th time.

- Zack K

The Desert Storm Rally Part 2: The Race

Matt — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 16:22:12 +0000

The Smoking Tire’s Tom Morningstar and driver Jon Burke compete in the Desert Storm Rally in an open-class Subaru WRX. Part 2 of 2.

Bonus Video: Cooking With the Creepy French Chef

Matt — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 15:50:29 +0000

After spending a bizarre day driving around Santa Barbara with Andre Charboneaux, the creepy French Chef, the boys head back to The Smoking Tire HQ’s Kitchen Stadium to put together a meal. Videos are in 3 parts, all included here. The videos are part of Chef Andre’s internet show Amuse Bouche, and everyone should go subscribe to that show because it’s hilarious and doesn’t get nearly enough views.

Videos after the jump.

The Desert Storm Rally Part 1: Recce in the Infiniti QX56

Matt — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 07:26:57 +0000

The Smoking Tire takes the Infiniti QX56 to Blythe, CA for the Desert Storm Rally. Once there, we meet up with Jon Burke from Up 2 Mountains Rally Team and run ‘recce’ or reconnaissance in the Q-ship for the next day’s stage rally competition in his Open-Class Subaru WRX.

The Best, or Worst, Car-Themed Music Video Ever Made

Matt — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 22:13:27 +0000

Disclaimer: Being Christian is OK. Being white, driving a metallic green and yellow Cavalier, and rapping about Jesus while using autotune is not OK. Incorporating the riding lawnmower into the video, however, is straight pimpin.

Source: [Jalopnik]

Tanner Foust: Mulholland Highway Street Drift

Matt — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 21:52:02 +0000

I know Tanner pretty well, have for a couple years, and the dude’s got skills. It’s not hard to really scare the crap out of a passenger when you’re a professional driver, but going sideways at very high speeds and NOT scaring the passenger? Much more difficult. I was at Mulholland Hwy the day they shot this, and The Smoking Tire has exclusive, behind-the-scenes footage of this video that we will be airing in a few weeks. For all of you who are going to make the Ken Block comparison comments, realize that KB’s Gymkhana videos had TONS of tire tread marks around the obstacles, the result of him doing take after take. Look at the asphalt on Mulholland; pristene, which means one take.

The Hyundai Genesis Coupe V6 and the Creepy French Chef

Matt — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 20:51:18 +0000

The Smoking Tire’s Matt Farah meets a weird French Chef who takes him on a road trip to Santa Barbara in the Hyundai Genesis Coupe to find fresh ingredients and wine for a meal. Then things start getting strange. Don’t play with knives in a moving car, kids.

Gallardo Goes Skiing

Zack K — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 10:01:18 +0000

Lamborghini has invaded the snow-covered territory of Subaru, Audi and Mistubishi. This Gallardo, built by reiter-engineering, has some serious snow tires and one of the most hauntingly amazing exhaust sounds I’ve ever heard. I watched Tiff Needell drift an LP-560-4, tamely, around an ice course, but this is different. Drifting is just how this car stretches before it tears up a ski slow, surely causing an avalanche with the howl it produces. Simply awesome. And soon, this will be cheaper than buying a normal lift ticket. We want to thank our friend ToofaneBatamameezi for hosting this awesome video.

Formula RallyCross in the Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart Sportback

Matt — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 16:17:07 +0000

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….

Mattel’s Hot Wheels Custom Motor’s YouTube Adventure

Zack K — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 22:24:09 +0000

I don’t know how many Hot Wheels cars I had as a kid, but it was a lot. Countless hours were spent sliding them around the house and driving them up walls, and my parents were still finding mini monster trucks in the yard when I was graduating college.

While the cars themselves haven’t benefited much from the advancement of technology over the last 20 years, their advertising certainly has. Released this month on YouTube is the “Hot Wheels Custom Motor Cup”, and interactive video series. Remember those choose-your-own adventure books? This is the same idea, but with stop-motion animated Hot Wheels. For 26 days the Mattel team shot 9,181 frames, each of which took over a minute to film. Using multiple angles, and truck-loads of sugar and sand, Mattel put together this interactive video series pitting it’s crazy cars against one another over 3 different courses.

How it works: Click the video and watch it all the way through. At the end you get to pick your vehicle; a sports car or a truck. At each race you get to choose one upgrade (rockets, bigger engine, skis, etc) and then sit back and watch the action. It may seem a little juvenile, but the first time you make an “educated” choice of mods, and lose the race, I guarantee you will try again. With all my automotive and driving experience, losing a race to a lifted Ferrari was no acceptable. And if you have kids, nephews, or want to be able to play Xbox while you babysit, show this game to them. They’ll be occupied for a while.

Matt — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 22:12:37 +0000

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.

CRS Rally School and Mistubishi Lancer Comparison Test

Matt — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 03:42:52 +0000

The 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

Matt — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 22:44:26 +0000

Some 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!