Welcome to The Smoking Tire. Kick ass automotive videos and more.

Reviewed: 2010 Buick Lacrosse CXS

Wednesday, September 1st, 2010

When you hear the name Buick, what comes to mind? If you get a senior’s discount you’ll sit back on your hemorrhoid cushion and say, “Ah yes, fine automobiles. All the luxury of a Cadillac without drawing attention from the IRS.” If you’re reading this while living in a house that’s worth 50% of what you bought it for, you look at Buick the way Teddy looked at Matt Damon in Rounders; you owe me some f***in’ money. For me the brand reminds me of my grandma, because she’s the only person I’ve ever known who owned one. Sure, Tiger Woods did, but only because his endorsement deal made him.

Basically, Buick’s have always had a reputation as being a car for old people, but after spending a few days with the 2010 Buick Lacrosse CXS, they might have been on to something.

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01.09.2010 Photos, Reviews, Viewer Submission 2 Comments

Volvo C70 Review: A Great B+ Student.

Thursday, July 29th, 2010

There’s something about convertibles that make people feel glamorous, exclusive and special.

I don’t get it.

My feelings on Volvo and convertibles are similar: strong, passionate indifference. The term”open air motoring” makes me think of an old British man trundling down a road in the cold fog on wheels made of wood. There are exceptions of course, but for the cars with a roof made of metal.

It’s the same for Volvo. My family has owned 3, and while the 2 wagons (a ’91 940 and a 2008 V50) have provided perfectly acceptable transportation, that’s all they provided. The only one that makes me feel anything is my dad’s 1972 P1800ES, and that’s because every time you climb in you get to play “What part will stop working today?”

But when I picked up a 2011 Volvo C70 from Matt’s house it was clear Volvo was hell-bent on changing both of my preconceptions.

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29.07.2010 Photos, Reviews, Uncategorized, Viewer Submission 1 Comment

Ebay Find of the Day: Are You Crazy, or Just Stupid Edition?

Friday, July 23rd, 2010

Ever wish you could go back to 1994 and buy a like new Ford Mustang Cobra?  (No? Me either. – ed) Though this may not be a dream for a lot of people, the Mustang is our eBay find of the week.  What evidently makes this particular Mustang worth its asking price of $39,900, is the fact that it was an Official PPG Cart Series Pace Car.  It has just 3,800 miles and it is finished in an umm… interesting shade of sea foam green.  This body style isn’t the most sought after today, but you have to remember that this was the first year for replacing the oh so 80s fox body style.  In 1994, there were only 1,000 Cobra Convertibles, and all were finished in red.  This car was provided directly from the factory for PPG to produce a limited edition Cart Series Pace Car.  If you were wondering what the powertrain in this beast is, it is of course the five-oooh (well 4.9).  In this application, it has 240-hp and a 5-speed manual.  0-60 is a blazing 6.9 seconds and the quarter mile is just over 15 seconds.  It’s crazy to think that currently, even the V-6 mustang has more power than this top of the line mustang, from just over 15 years ago.  This is a true testament to how much automotive engineering has improves over a few years.

When you take a look at the option list for the standard 1994 Convertible Cobra, you will also appreciate how nice cars are today.  Some of the options were: air conditioning, illuminated entry, cruise control, CD player, rear window defroster, and remote keyless entry.  These are all standard features a majority of the cheapest cars available today.

When it’s all said and done, the best thing about this car is how much this color and body combo would stand out on the road.  It’s also safe to bet that this Mustang sounds like a proper V-8 Mustang and it should hold it’s value, due to the rarity.  This could be one of those cars that you could see on Barret-Jackson in 10-20 years and say, wow, I could have bought that car for under 40 grand back in the day.

[Source: Ebay]

23.07.2010 News, Viewer Submission 3 Comments

Signs You Bought the Wrong Vehicle

Monday, July 12th, 2010

Motorcycles are incredible. They can be called beautiful and bad-ass simultaneously. They provide an almost un-matchable thrill on the road and for a few thousand dollars you’re faster than a car 100 times as much. They have nostalgia, character, history and mystique. But despite their economical gas mileage, they are not exactly practical. This couple was spotted today heading back from Los Angeles Airport. You know what’s handy for taking people and luggage somewhere? Cars.

Now I’d like give them the benefit of the doubt. Maybe this was one of those emergency situations where on the day of your un-refundable 2 month trip to Hawaii your car grenades, and you’re forced to load your weekend cruiser the way a family of 11  piles on a moped in India and make a mad dash for the airport. Unfortunately the smiles they had on indicates this is a regular thing for them.

Can’t say I’m that surprised. She’s wearing a reflective vest during the apparently poorly lit hour of 2pm, to make her more visible and thus, safer. Yet she chose the “road-rash-friendly” fashion item, the jean short; it’s clear logical purchases escape them.

-Zack K

12.07.2010 Photos, Viewer Submission 1 Comment

TST Dream Garage:Mercedes-Benz 1992 W124 500E/E500 Sport Sedan

Wednesday, July 7th, 2010

The category of so-called “super sedan” is one of my favorites. The e55AMG, M5, XFR, CLS AMG, etc. I just plain like them. With 4 doors, big seats and often loaded with gadgets they provide comfortable, practical daily transportation. But underneath their often demure exterior is an athleticism usually reserved for cars with fewer doors and an appearance that’s usually not both wife and mom approved. If you come home with a loud car that has no back seat, suspension of granite and less trunk space than a  kangaroo, come with your debate points memorized and organized on PowerPoint, you will need them.

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07.07.2010 Photos, Viewer Submission 10 Comments

Ebay Find of The Day: Swiss Army Truck for $14,999!

Tuesday, June 29th, 2010

Are you looking for a 6-wheel drive, 5-speed manual, 4 cylinder high mobility all-terrain vehicle from 1982?  Is your answer an undoubtedly strong “NO”?  Well keep reading, we might change your mind.  It is a 1982 Pinzgauer 712 6×6.  Never heard of it?  Me neither…  After a little research, they are military vehicles that are made in the UK.  They were developed in the late 1960s by a man in Austria, and they have been popular amongst militaries for years.  Specifically, our eBay find has the optional 6×6, and the 4-cylinder gas engine.  It has an insulated box for carrying… well a lot of something you need to keep cold.  The vehicle was purchased in Montreal and it was driven across Canada, but suspiciously, it has never been used off road.  Why one would never take a vehicle like this off road is besides us.  Here are some of the claimed capabilities of the Pinzgauer:  45-degree approach and departure angle, 27-inch fording depth, 43-degree side slope, 3300 lb. payload, 68 mph top speed, and 14-passenger cargo area.  Oh, and it just looks tough.  Though it’s hard to say how reliable the 2.5L engine will be, we can certainly say that this thing would have to be one of the most unique things you could buy for a $14,900.  Obviously on the road, this thing would be a serious dog with just 87 hp and a curb weight of 2.5 tons, but off road we get the feeling it is just one of those things where it will go through just about anything.  Oh, and the power to weight just oh 57 pounds and change per horsepower!!!  For reference the new Five-liter Mustang carries about 8 pounds per hp.

This would be such a unique vehicle to own, we would love to have an excuse to buy this or something like it.  Or if you really need to haul… a lot of fish across Canada?  400 gallons of Ice Cream?  …umm buy this now!

[Ralph Lauren has four of these in his collection, in the following colors: Green, Black, Yellow, and Orange. If you're like us, this is the only chance you have to possibly afford one of the same cars as him. - Matt]

[Source: Ebay]

29.06.2010 News, Photos, Viewer Submission 4 Comments

TST Dream Garage: 1966 Shelby Cobra

Monday, June 28th, 2010

The question that Matt mentioned- “What is your favorite car?” – is, for me, an all-too-common source of headaches. As soon as you tell someone you love cars, read about cars, or write about cars, you can safely bet your own genitals the next sentence from their mouth is that question.

And it’s something I honestly cannot answer, because “Favorite” is singular, and if you love cars you don’t just love one car, or one kind, or one brand. There’s too many variables to consider, and every car – even those in the same category- is different. It’s like asking, “What’s your favorite memory?” Try to compare and rank losing your virginity to an amazing day in Italy, or that afternoon building a deck with you dad. Like memories, cars vary in their feel and purpose.

Thank god the TST dream garage is like the human brain, lot’s of storage space. Because what I would park next to the brilliant technological beauty that is the MacLaren F1 LM is the 1966 Shelby Cobra 427 S/C.

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28.06.2010 Photos, Uncategorized, Viewer Submission 7 Comments

Update: The Greatest McLaren F1 of All Time?

Tuesday, June 15th, 2010

On the heels of our latest entry into The Smoking Tire dream garage, a friend of the site sent in these photos from a recent Florida car show. This is McLaren F1 #73 of 73, the last F1 built. Hard as it is to believe, the owner wasn’t satisfied with the car, so he sent it back to McLaren, and had them install a GTR Body Kit, special forged wheels (the only set of its kind), re-paint the car in Dark Tangerine Metallic, and, most importantly, install the LM engine. This is one of two such F1 road cars to have the engine swapped for the LM unit. They finished the job by adding an upgraded cooling system, upgraded air conditioning (a must for South Florida) and a sport exhaust. The grand total? 690hp and 2300 lbs.

Although this isn’t an authentic LM for the history books,  it combines the best of both worlds: The more powerful engine and bodywork with the less noisy snychromesh gearbox from the road car, and a full interior with A/C and a radio.

#73 is such a unique piece of McLaren history, it’s hard to say what the car is actually worth. Given that a nice example F1 would sell at about $1.8 million in today’s market, and estimates for the LM’s are around $10 million, we’d say $5-6 million is a good number for this car.

Thanks, Vinny for the tip!

15.06.2010 News, Photos, Viewer Submission 2 Comments

EBay Find of the Day: What’s Under That Lambo?

Thursday, June 10th, 2010

If you were going to chose a donor car to build into a Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder, what would you chose? Obviously, you’d want something mid-engined, probably a convertible at the very least.  I’d say a Porsche Boxster, since 1st generation models can be had cheap, and at least it has a leather interior and some semblance of performance. Not everyone thinks like me, including this guy. Well, would you believe that underneath this – “e” for effort – bodywork lies a 128,000 mile Dodge Stratus? I didn’t believe it either, but it’s true.

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10.06.2010 News, Photos, Viewer Submission 8 Comments

Bizarre Road Sightings: L.A. Keeps It Classy

Saturday, June 5th, 2010

When the Bizarre Road Sightings began, I felt a little left out. In a city filled with morons, douche bags, crazies, pill-addicted housewives and more “artists” than Xanax prescriptions I had missed out. Matt saw Santa Claus being pulled by a plastic horse with a smoke-stack spine for god’s sake. W.T.F mate?

But out of 143 items there were a few pictures that I had saved for a reason. You don’t take a picture of a Mitsubishi Galant that has had it’s letter re-arranged for nothing.

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05.06.2010 Photos, Uncategorized, Viewer Submission 7 Comments

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