The 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
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.
Bonus Video: 2011 Mustang GT Prototype on Spring Mountain Raceway
While filming at the track for the newest episode of The Smoking Tire, we couldn’t help but notice the mustang with the spray-can paintjob, green mirrors, and wires and holes all over the interior. A check with the driver revealed that this was a prototype for the new 2011 Mustang GT, and he would be doing some testing throughout the day. We were too busy with our shoot to go for a ride, but here are a few shots of it on the track, with pretty good audio so you can hear the 5.0 “Coyote” engine scream. And if you think I’m crazy for passing up a ride in this car, wait till you see what I was driving instead.
Chevy-powered MG TD replica: “Hello, I’d like to buy some DEATH!”
A fiberglass-bodied replica of a tiny 1950s British roadster with a small-block Chevy nestled between those increasingly-fragile-looking frame rails. What could possibly go wrong?
It’s all yours for a song on Craigslist Syracuse. Hey, there’s always more expensive ways to die.
1952 MG-TD REPLICA – $7500 (FAYETTEVILLE)
Click here if the ad gets pulled. Or, just tune into your local news in a few weeks.
Video: Matt Interviews Owner of Baer Brakes on FLD!
I guest hosted Fast Lane Daily today, interviewing Todd Gartshore, one of the owners of Baer Brakes, who make some of the best big brake kits around. We discussed the different types of brakes available on the market today and what brakes you’d like to use for different applications.
Bizarre Roadside Sightings: All Hail the Cobaltamino!
I don’t know about you guys, but I can totally sympathize with the owner of this car. If my life was so horrible that I was forced into driving a Chevy Cobalt every single day, I think I’d last about a week before taking a Sawzall to the thing myself.
Thanks for the tip, Tim!
Got a Bizarre Roadside Sighting? Let us know, by sending in photos to Matt@thesmokingtire.com
Finished: The World’s First Twin-turbo Audi R8
The R8. I haven’t known too many cars that induce drooling and heart palpitations, from so many people, as this car. It’s not just the gear-heads and auto-knowledge ninjas either. I know business women that love them, young kids that have chased them, and retirees that give an informed nod when I mention it. I will skip listing the numerous awards, accolades, press and 849568 posts online-that simply say, “I want one”-we all love it. It is an incredibly brilliant piece of automotive engineering.
The Smoking Tire Race Livery For Forza 3!
Good news for all you Forza Motorsport 3 gamers out there, Forza user Saltine713 from Finish Line Racing has created a custom The Smoking Tire livery for the Shelby GT500 Mustang. It includes our logo and all of our sponsors here on the show. If you go to the storefront and type in “The Smoking Tire,” it costs 5,000 credits.
I don’t know a damn thing about Forza 3, I’ve played it about 3 times total, but this thing looks bad ass. Even better? For another 15,000 credits, you can download Saltine713’s custom drag racing tune for the GT500 that apparently drops the 0-60 time down to 1.9 seconds. Very realistic, this game.
The Smoking Tire race livery GT500 gallery after the jump
An Early 2011 Ford Mustang GT 5.0 Review?
A friend of mine from Facebook got to drive the new 2011 Ford Mustang GT with the much anticipated 5.0L “Coyote” engine and has informed me that the steering feels “very active” and that “the car feels more ‘alive’ than any other previous Mustang.”
He also mentioned that the sound is amazing, which I did already know, because one lucky guy got to rev the shit out of one in front of a room full of Journalists, myself included, back in January. It has a throatier note than the current 4.6L engine, no doubt in part to those awesome factory headers.
2010 Volkswagen Golf 5-Door Review
In 1974, Volkswagen released the Mk I Golf on the unsuspecting public as a replacement for the nearly 30 year old Beetle. It was originally designed as a simple people mover like the Beetle, but over the last 25 years, has evolved into much more, or has it?
Certainly one could argue that the GTI variants of the Golf, especially the Mk IV “R32” edition, are some of the most satisfying drivers cars on the road, which is why many people have owned multiple generations of the hot hatch. But what about the base Golf? Does technology trickle down from the GTI to the point that even the more sedate versions of the car can be more than just people movers? Or, to put the question more simply, can a base Golf make me smile?
Read on to find out.
