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

Totally Realistic Options List on Tony Stark’s Acura NSX

Friday, January 27th, 2012

by Zack K

Since the Acura NSX made so many people swoon at the NAIAS, I thought it was a good time to bust out this funny spec sheet of Tony Stark’s NSX from The Avengers. Of course it’s all fictional, but I love the amount of cool, “techy” words they mix together. It’s almost like a mad-lib; This hyper _____ wheel prevents neutron_____ and ____ attacks while modulating modulators. My favorite is the wheels made from, “particle matter technology.” Isn’t everything made with particle matter technology? Make the jump for the build sheet. Oh, price is about $10M. But the taxes are surprisingly cheap.

(more…)

27.01.2012 News, Photos No Comments

Tests Say the Juke-R is Awesome. Duh. But Would You BUY One?

Tuesday, January 24th, 2012

by Zack K

The Juke R was released into the wild recently, starring as the pace vehicle for the Dunlop 24 Hour race. Everyone and their mom saw the awesome video of it sliding around a small course, being chased by a Gallardo, SLS AMG and some other pretty cars. At that event, every magazine and blog (except this one!) were invited to stop by and drive this midget power-lifter around the course. And what a surprise, it’s really fun and really fast. Shocking. The results of putting a Nissan GTR drive-train into a shorter, lighter car are as risky and predictable as replacing the cheap Hershey’s syrup on your Sunday with a fancy chocolate flown in from Sweden. Gee, I wonder if that will taste good? (more…)

24.01.2012 News, Video 5 Comments

“Dirty Ole Trench”: Determination or Delusion?

Sunday, January 22nd, 2012

 

This little post was found on reddit, the funnel through which much of the strange and crazy auto content flows. Commenting on the picture above, his page simply says “Found this trench two weeks ago, and it got the better of me.” I assumed he was trying to drive down it and got twisted up. But the picture below showed me he had a different idea of what it means to “conquer” it. (more…)

22.01.2012 News, Photos No Comments

A Trike That Doesn’t Suck

Wednesday, January 18th, 2012

(This story comes to us from PipeBurn.com)

by Zack K

The only trikes that were ever cool were BigWheels and the off-road kind. BigWheels are cool because they have the grip and stability of a KY wrestling match on ice and off-road trikes are cool because they’re fucking dangerous. I got to spend a day riding one up near Humboldt (I was 12 so no, I wasn’t high), and it’s an interesting exercise in planning. You have to plan when you will turn, to make sure you’ve slowed to the necessary 4MPH to prevent flipping it. The big, 1970s balloon tires floated over rocks and holes just fine, but it essentially had the ability of a drag bike: Forward is good, turning is bad.

 

The only trikes you see now are the ones we all hate. Sold with the line, “Do you want to ride a motorcycle, but lack the physical ability to lean? Do you sit on your couch holding home-made handlebars fashioned from pipe cleaners, making exhaust noises and watching old episodes of Renegade? Have we got the vehicle for you!” they’re outdoor patio benches with an engine. I saw two (riding together, of course) cruising through Malibu on our Mulsanne shoot. The consensus from all 8 of us was canyon-shaking laughter. They are motorcycles for the lazy. They’re cars without any of the benefits. Trikes, no one likes you.

 

Except this one, the “Bonneville Spirit.” It was built in France by Francis Bouillet, inspired by Bonneville and in my (and Thad’s) opinion, it is the king of trikes. Jump to read more. (more…)

18.01.2012 Editorials No Comments

Giant Heads Up Displays Make me Nervous

Wednesday, January 18th, 2012

"This sticker is dangerous and inconvenient but I do love fig newtons."- Ricky Bobby

by Zack K

Doctors have recently decided “distracted driving” includes many things beyond using a cell phone. Bluetooth and hands-free are useless in the fight against people’s lack of attention behind the wheel. The DMV in California even lists “Viewing objects outside the vehicle” as a contributor to accidents. Basically, we all suck at driving. Then, a few months ago, MINI announced it’s social-connection feeding tube app, “MINI Connected“, a program that reads you Twitter and Facebook updates while you drive. It fueled a small- yet informative- rant from yours truly. Now, Mercedes has decided to not just throw caution to the wind, but light caution on fire and throw it into a spinning windmill, with their conceptual driver media interface D.I.C.E., which stands for “Dynamic & Intuitive Control Experience.”

 

The goal is to make your car as smart as your phone, connecting to you to everything as quickly and seamlessly as possible. Instead of checking Yelp on your phone for nearby eateries, they pop up on the dash, with the option of projecting them onto the windshield. If you saw Mission Impossible 4 you’ll know the idea. Watch their video and you’ll see the “driver” getting all sorts of fascinating info, like how many cars drive over a bridge he’s near. Amazing! Just what I always need to know while driving down the street! I get why they’re doing it, but I have concerns.

Make the jump for a short explanation and their video. (more…)

18.01.2012 News, Uncategorized 4 Comments

Online Ferrari 458 Configurator Changes a Man

Monday, January 16th, 2012

by Zack K

The Ferrari 458 Spider configurator has confused me. I clicked the link, and immediately changed it from the dark Rosso mugello to the traditional Rossa Corsa, because if I’m going to buy a Ferrari I want it to be “Ferrari red.” But since this is the internet where you can find a picture that caters to your fantasy about having a threesome with a Halo truck and a furry I decided to click through the other colors, just to see how they looked. I started with the usual blue, black and white but then kept going: Grigio ingrid (like sand), Blue Abu Dhabi, even one resembling British Racing Green-which felt somewhat sacrilegious- looked good enough to drive daily. I questioned my taste, “What the hell is wrong with me? I don’t want a teal car!” (more…)

16.01.2012 News, Video 1 Comment

Incredible Dakar Gallery

Sunday, January 15th, 2012

by Zack K

 

The Dakar Rally is probably the craziest race on the planet. It’s 8,000 miles long. Eight thousand. The longest route of the Baja 1000 is about 1,100 and while it is run straight through (the Dakar has 14 stages) the sheer distance of the Dakar leaves me in disbelief. Who thought this thing up? Thierry Sabine, a nut case who, after getting lost in the desert, thought it would be a good place to race. Heat, snakes, lack of water, perfect, right? “You know, driving the equivalent of the USA, coast-to-coast, off-road, twice, leaves me a bit…bored. It’s too easy. 6,000 miles? Puh-shaw. Peasants race distances so short. I want a race that is almost 50% longer, crosses 3 countries and the nearest decent hospital can only be reached with several plane flights and a working passport.” Crazy. Make the jump for an amazing gallery. (more…)

15.01.2012 Photos 3 Comments

20 Years Later, A Rally Winner Comes Clean

Saturday, January 14th, 2012

 

by Zack K

If you cheat accidentally, is it cheating? That’s the question that came to mind when I read Matt Bubbers’ story on retired rally driver, Rauno Aaltonen. They call Rauno the “Original Flying Finn” and after you read his story, you’ll know why. Make the jump to read about the harrowing, snow-covered mountain shortcut Mr. Aaltonen “found” at 85MPH.

(more…)

14.01.2012 Editorials, Video 1 Comment

1992 Audi S4 + 894HP= 242MPH (video)

Saturday, January 7th, 2012

by Zack K

I don’t make New Year’s resolutions. My slightly cynical brain has observed enough people making and breaking them to know that just because Ryan Seacrest takes a break from giving Mario Lopez hand jobs to watch a big, lit-up ball drop it won’t make you stick to your diet. I did, however, make a “to do” list for 2012, and one of the things on it is to drive over 200 MPH. Somewhere, sometime, don’t care, needs to happen.

 

That goal is why I think this car, and the videos below, are so damn awesome. Jeff Gerner took a 1992 Audi S4, jammed 32 lbs of boost into it and brought it to Bonneville. Make the jump to find out the whys and hows, and watch this humble-looking (ok, aside from the stickers) sedan run near Veyron speeds. (more…)

07.01.2012 News, Video 1 Comment

What the Hell is That?

Friday, January 6th, 2012

by Zack K

Matt and Tom are in Florida right now, getting ready to film the 24 Hours of Daytona. On the road, they saw this odd-looking van with a badge we don’t recognize. An hour of Google later and I still can’t figure out what it is. This is the second time in 3 weeks we’ve seen a car and not known what it is. (Tom brought home a Daewoo rental car disguised as a Chevy Captiva. It wasn’t that Captivating…). If you know what it is, post below. I’m going with Sesto Elemento test mule.

 

EDIT: Thanks to the fans, we found out it’s the VPG MV-1, a car specifically built for handicapped people. Jay Leno had one in his garage. It’s the only car built from the ground-up for people disabilities, solving problems that come with converting a car to accommodate a wheelchair. It can even be fitted to run on Natural Gas, which is ironic since it’s built in the old Hummer H2 factory.

 

 

06.01.2012 News 10 Comments

Previous Entries