Independent AMSOIL Dealer Steven Smith, in his own words.
“There’s a picture that we have of me in a Bigfoot F-250 Power Wheels toy when I’m maybe two or three years old,” said Smith. “I’ve always been into trucks, and it’s just been a passion of mine forever. My truck is a 2010 F-250 King Ranch with a 6.4L turbocharged diesel V8.
Diesel power
“I chose the diesel truck over a gas truck, and it’s just amazing the power that these things can make. The torque is amazing, and it’s that push-you-back-in-your-seat [power], just that raw power. It’s like back in the days of the old muscle cars. It’s just that raw, meaty power.
“On the truck, what I like about it that I’ve done – I call it my modified stock look – is, if you just glance at the truck, you see the lift, you see the tires, but you don’t see a lot of the little things that I’ve done. We’ve got the custom tuning done on it. It’s an H&S MINI Maxx tuner with custom tunes from KM Performance South. On paper with the stock engine and then the advanced tuning, it’s at about 705 hp. But, realistically, with the tires and the wheels, it’s more along the high fives, low sixes.
Big-time boost
“I keep an eye on my boost gauge, which is one of the more interesting things to me.”
“I’ve seen it up to 51 psi, which is about 10 pounds over what the stock engine’s supposed to do.”
“I got a Christmas present from my best friend, and it was train horns for the truck. He wanted them on there almost as much as I did.
“I graduated from the Citadel in Charleston, S.C. The front grille is almost completely customized. I’ve got a custom emblem that matches the battle flag from my school.
“Right before a car show, I’ll spend upward of six hours out here detailing this thing. I’m Best in Show at the Atlanta Friday Night Drags at the Atlanta Motor Speedway four times. Everybody laughs, especially now that I have the Mini [Cooper]. Man, you’re going from one extreme to the other. You’ve got this big truck and you’ve got the little tiny Mini. It’s so different and just a wild experience to go from one to the other.
Mini Cooper S
“It’s a 2003. I’ve got the contrast between the truck and the Mini. The truck is turbocharged, and the Mini is supercharged. Handles like a go kart. You can fling this thing around corners, and I’m still on stock suspension. I have reduced the pulley on the supercharger so I get more boost. I put a custom intake on it. It’s got race headers and a cat-back exhaust system. In the rear, I have the GTT rear strut brace. The Mini is well-known for understeer, and this stiffens up the back end and will promote oversteer so that you’re not pushing into a corner.
Honored to serve
“I’m in the U.S. Navy. I’m actually in the Reserves. I’m currently enlisted, pursuing an officer contract. I’ve been to Afghanistan twice, worked with Special Forces on UAV operations.
“The Mini community has been super supportive of the military side as well. When I was in Afghanistan, I couldn’t attend the Mini Takes the States Rally. And one of my friends that I had known for maybe two months bought a hat and took it with her on that drive and had people from every state that she went to sign the hat and sent it to me while I was over there in Afghanistan wishing me good luck and hoping that I was safe.
“It’s really cool just the way that everyone comes together for someone they don’t even know just because of a car. You don’t get that with a lot of things.”