Author Archive: Bryan McTaggart
BangShift Question Of The Day: What Would You Build As A Drift Car?
A few years ago, while helping Brian and Chad set up for interviews at SEMA, I saw a saying on a leather jacket that I really dug: “SUPPORT VIOLENT DRIVING”. Hell yes…if there is...
Apocalypse Driving Lessons: Brutal Banger Racing Crashes From The U.K.
As of writing this, it’s official: auto production has come to a halt in the United States. And that includes Tesla, who were ordered to shut it down since they were classified as...
Morning Symphony: 1961 Ferrari 156 F1 “Sharknose” At Imola And Goodwood
If you ever see a Ferrari racing car of this vintage, know right off the bat that what you are looking at is a recreation. It might be the most meticulous recreation on the planet, it might have a...
Rough Start: 1978 Ford Pinto V8 – Just A Fun Little Riot Of A Car
Ford vehicles from the 1970s take a bit of a bad rap. The big cars were barges, the little cars were deathtraps, the Mustang was an aberration, the mid-sizers had all the fun of a bowl of Shredded...
Copart Cadaver: 1965 Mercury Comet Caliente With A Caved-In Back-End
I must have some kind of subconcious draw to little red Ford droptops, because this is the second one I’ve found while working my way through Copart’s listings of the damaged, destroyed...
Morning Symphony: The 2020 Hangover Run At Hilltop Mud Park
Lately, I’ve noticed a pretty sizable disconnect between the kind of off-roading I was a part of growing up and what I’ve been featuring over the last couple of years. Anymore and...
Music And Cars: Kill Some Time With This TheSmokingTire Podcast With Chevelle!
I’m a music geek. Unashamed music geek. Have been since the first time I picked up a bass, solidified when I made the switch to the drum kit. I’m pretty sure that is a rite of passage...
Rough Start Fox Body, Part 4: Tearing Into The 302 Earmarked For The Red Mustang
The time came. The sun was finally shining, the ground was drying up, and I couldn’t think of a better way to spend the day than to tear apart the 302 that has been sitting patiently in my...
Happy St. Patrick’s Day! The DeLorean, Northern Ireland’s Contribution To Gearhead Culture
In 2014, Haley and I took our well-belated honeymoon trip. Over the course of a couple of weeks, we visited Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland proper, and along the way did the proper tourist...
BangShift Project Files: 1940 Ford Sedan – Metalwork Before Paint!
While it’s not the way we ever intended to receive it, if there is any spin to this whole COVID-19 mess, it’s that suddenly, you might have found yourself with a bit of spare time on your...
Hoonigan’s Wildest Burnyard Event Ever? They Review The Mental Action From Irwindale
I’m the devil’s advocate during all of this Corona virus mess. Safety first and all, for sure…don’t be the douche that gets half your town sick…but dammit, I’m...
The Barra/Granada Project, Part 3: Feeding The Granada’s Newfound Appetite
At no point does feeding a green-top Ford Barra with the basic setup out of a Ford Granada seem like a good idea. The Granada is about as far from anything with a Barra as you can get while you still...
TX2K20 Bombshells: The Violent Passes From The Invite-Only Powerfest!
TX2K20 is a pain to get into if you want to run. Normally, spectating the event isn’t such a problem, but with the world collectively losing it’s head, this year the event was held...
Money No Object: 1991 Mazda B2600i 4×4 – Clean And Simple, Just How They Should Be
Which was more influential in this decision…the lowrider 1989 Mazda B2200 that did family-car duty for a summer, the 1988 Dodge D-50 that I used for work that doubled as my practice vehicle for...