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…)
Last week we sat down and looked at all the cars we had driven in 2011. It was a great year at The Smoking Tire. Though we hadn’t driven hundreds of cars with a team of only 1.5 journalists (Matt and Zack) we did pretty well, driving at least 60 cars. Some were used in episodes, some for written reviews and some were from Matt’s work on “The Car Show.” We decided to break them into 3 categories: Sedan of the Year, Truck/SUV of the Year, and Sports Car of the Year.
After coming to an agreement on the Sedan and Truck/SUV of the Year Matt chose the Sports Car of the Year. He drove everything, so he would be the best judge. LIES! We locked in our votes and then posted a contest for all of you: Whoever picked the same 3 cars we did before midnight on New Year’s Eve would win a t-shirt. It’s now January 1, 2012 which means it’s time to reveal our choices for Cars of the Year, as well as the contest winners.
Do you have trouble fitting strippers into your busy lifestyle? Have you always thought the one thing missing from camping was the dancing form only fatherly neglect and a handsy uncle can inspire? No more! Introducing, the Platinum Stage Hitch Pole. Take the strip club with you! Made of sturdy stainless steel or classy brass, the Platiinum Stage Hitch Pole has a 3′ x 3′ platform and a whopping 7 feet of usable pole! The stainless steel is easily cleaned, allowing multiple performers to perform Olympic-caliber clitoral hangs without sharing the Hanta virus. The 200lb weight limit prevents those 10AM “C team” applicants from crashing your party.
Boring commute? Not anymore! Your rear-view will only be filled the sight of a beautiful girl humanoid swinging her (adams apple…uh oh) hips to the sound of tire noise. Own a strip club and want to find out if that new 18.00001 year old is committed to the cause? See how she does at 80 MPH (do not attempt) with truck horns blaring. IF she’s still there when you get back, you know you found a truly damaged soul willing to do anything for approval and sticky bills winner. And let’s not forget, stripping is now an acceptable form of exercise! It’s the gym that comes with you! Call today! Make the jump for the video and special features! (more…)
This past weekend I went to Lake Tahoe, and during the 4 days I had there a theory I have had for years was nailed down with depleted-uranium nails driven onto a board made from magnetic diamonds and covered in amber; 99% of the SUVs on the road are unnecessary.
There is no better place to witness and understand the uselessness of the SUV than Lake Tahoe in the middle of winter. You see, over the holiday weeks that span Christmas and New Years, everyone who’s ever been drawn to the snow, be it a hardcore 50-year ski veteran or a family of 4 from San Diego taking their first ski trip, is there. That means the diversity of the vehicles on Highway 80 heading over the mountains is as diverse as the LGBT support group at an international Hostel in New York. For better or worse, the highway going over the pass is a smattering of lifted trucks, pathetic chain-shodden Prius, rusting 4x4s, AWD cars and way too many idiots from the bay who put 22s on their 4wd truck, forcing them to put chains on. The equivalent of buying a tiger to look badass but having it de-clawed and it’s teeth flattened. You’re quite the pimp until someone breaks into your house and leaves with all your money and a new rug.
I’ve heard that some Raptor owners don’t actually use their trucks as trucks; that they just drive them as cars, and then use them for off-road shenanigans. Now, I completely understand that, since, from the factory, the Raptor has a body-color painted bed and they don’t want to scratch up the paint. Fortunately, I went for the dealer-installed Linex bedliner ($400), since I plan on actually using this thing as a truck to haul my crap around in, not just a camera car or off-road toy.
On June 5th, 2010, I bought a 2010 Ford SVT Raptor 6.2L from Galpin Auto Sports. This wasn’t just on a whim, as I had been lusting after this truck since we borrowed one from Ford to drive on the 2009 Bullrun Rally. On that trip, we learned that, not only does the Raptor have more off-road capability than nearly every other car currently in production, but also it makes a fantastic daily driver, with levels of comfort, storage space, technology, and luxury that are on par with some of today’s best luxury cars. When we decided we needed a daily driver and camera vehicle for The Smoking Tire, the Raptor seemed like the only logical decision. Of course, I waited for the 6.2L engine to arrive, since you can’t make that extra 100hp in the aftermarket for less money than the $3,000 upgrade from Ford. 9 weeks and 3,500 miles later, here’s what we’ve learned about the best sport truck money can buy.
Every show needs a camera car, right? Well here it is, Matt’s new Ford SVT Raptor 6.2L. Back on the old show, Matt said that his next car purchase would be a Ford SVT Raptor. True to his word, the new 6.2L beast is now at its permanent home here at The Smoking Tire HQ. Expect the truck to appear on video soon…. Initial impressions and photo gallery after the jump.
The Long Beach Grand Prix is really an amazing event. Four different races (Indycar, ALMS, World Challenge, Toyota Pro/Celebrity), and dozens of practice and qualifying sessions over a weekend is nearly overkill, even for the biggest car fans out there (read: me). After a few days, even the most badass Aston Martin prototypes seem less interesting. Fortunately, there was no shortage of cool trucks in Long Beach, which brings me to these bad boys; the coolest trucks of the Long Beach Grand Prix.
Celebrity cars are all over LA. Some are beautiful, others very plain. But sometimes they just make you shake your head. The car in the picture above is actually Candy Metallic Pink. (I think the color broke the camera on my iPhone.) It belongs to the MTV VJ LaLa. Instead of wasting my words here, why don’t you guys tell me what comes to mind when you see something like this?
- Daniel Volz
Who doesn’t like a badass-looking lifted truck? Sure, most of the ones we see are driven by tattooed jackasses that stand at 5 feet 3 inches and like to season their pizza with HGH, but the trucks still turn heads. That 5 year-old part of our brains that endlessly played with Tonka trucks and BIGFOOT models in the mud never completely goes away. So when I saw this truck, less than 50 feet from the swanky Ivy Restaurant of Bevely Hills, I had to cross the street to check it out. At first it looked like a normal 4-door short bed with a good lift kit; black truck, black wheels, yada yada. But something peaking over the roof caught my eye. What is that black, angle-cut cylinder poking up from the bed? Is it a tow hitch? The tip for Kim Kardashian’s lipo machine? No. It is the exhaust tip to end all exhaust tips. Fart cans of the world, this is your god. If you own a Nissan Altima, with an “R” badge and 6″ coffee can muffler, you are no longer leader of the idiots. I have seen plenty of trucks with the semi-style “smokestacks”, and while stupid, at least there was a connection. Semi-TRUCK, pickup-TRUCK. A thin connection, yes, but a connection nonetheless.
LP670-SV. Raw. Pure. Perfection.
YouTube / Facebook / Jason Thorgalsen Photography
