This hobby is a totally visceral deal. How things look, how they feel, how much noise they make, and even how they smell. Below you’ll find our list of the top 11 automotive smells. You normally do a good job of telling us how bad we muffed it up, please don’t hesitate to tell us now.
11.) Berryman’s Chem Dip – The general rule in caustic substances is that if they smell nasty and are banned in California, than they must work well. Chem-Dip delivers.

10.) Assembly lube – Because when you smell this stuff, you are assembling a motor, and that’s nearly always a good thing. Even though (in our case anyway) it’s normally because of a previous disaster.

9.) Any petroleum based hand cleaner – See the Chem-Dip example, but after living in a world of soaps scented like flowers and junk, it feels good to go home with hands smelling like you just pulled them out of a tank at the refinery.

8.) That old crusty-musty 1960’s car smell – There’s no actual way to describe the smell in words, but honestly, if you’ve ever been in a car of the era, you know the smell. It is good.

7.) The way a legit old school parts store smells – No polished floor, uniformed employees, crappy computer system, or slacker who’s going to ask you if your car has AC when you’re trying to buy a head gasket. These are normally places with creaky wooden floors that have absorbing oils, solvents, and whatever for years and are now giving them back in a controlled release. Mix in the smell of a dude burning a Marlboro in the back and you’ve pretty much got it.

6.) Used oil – That liquid gave it’s all to keep your junk from seizing tight. That’s the smell of work.

5.) Hot brakes – Because you’ve either just pulled into the pits after qualifying and making some hot laps or you just ran your best mph number ever and had trouble hauling it down from speed. Either way, hot brakes means you were hauling ass.

4.) Hot clutch – See above. For the ultimate example, campout at the pits of a Top Fuel Dragster or Funny Car and watch the crewman with asbestos gloves on pull the clutch discs out.

3.) Burned racing gas – If there is one smell, that actually evokes an automatic, subconsciously triggered physical action, its sniffing burned race gas. Pull into the drags, circle track, or road course, your nose will tickle, heart rate will jump, and your mood will instantly change for the better. Smell it coming from a street car and it’s time to chase that dude down and see what’s cookin’!

2.) Burning slicks – Because you’re either at a race track or are goofing around with your buddies. Regular tires have a smell when smoked to perfection, but slicks have that certain something that just screams “hardcore”.

1.) Nitro – Honestly, did you think it was going to be something else? Burned in a mini-bike, nostalgia Top Fuel car, or modern Funny Car, it’s the only fuel that physically assaults you. Your eyes will run, snot will be leaking out of your nose, and you’ll continue to breathe as deeply as possible to get a snoot full for as long as that yellow haze hangs in the air. It’s everything good about the world, wrapped into one pungent, acidic package.