Our Two Cents: Favorite Automotive Smells
Automobiles are a delight for the senses, and not just from how they feel behind the wheel and the sounds they make. Cars can even yield delicious tastes (if you read the book Manifold Destiny and follow its instructions carefully, that is). But we aren’t here to tempt your taste buds—that’s a story for another day. Rather, we’re going to tease your olfactory sensory neurons with smells from automobiles that we simply cannot resist.
I asked the team here at Hagerty Media for their thoughts on the best automotive smells. They dutifully took a wistful inhale through their nose, conjured up the memory of their favorite vehicular bouquet, and took to their keyboards. Do any of their choices tickle your fancy?
Old Car Smell
“Does ‘old car smell’ count? If so, that’s mine. I know that’s kind of vague and will vary tremendously by car, specifically when it comes to cloth vs. leather vs. vinyl interiors and such. But I feel like most people know exactly what old car smell smells like!
It always brings up fond memories of times spent in memorable cars in my childhood. Like most smells, it has that time machine effect. Hard to explain, but I think most of us know that feeling!” – Ben Woodworth
“Older Volvo and old BMW interiors. I could pick those cars out by their distinctive leathery, plasticky smells even if I were blindfolded.” – Eddy Eckart
Gasoline
“I really do love the smell of gas. (When stationary, and pumping it into my car, with ignition off, all those things.) Leaning next to your car at the gas station, listening to the fuel chug into the tank, you get a respite from the activity of the road and can stare off into the distance and contemplate all the places you’ll go thanks to those few minutes of waiting for fuel.
Maybe you’re knocking out household errands, maybe you’re anticipating a road trip to see a dear friend, maybe you’re prepping for fun morning or afternoon of your favorite windy roads. Also, it’s a great time to admire the loop installed into the gas lines to protect them against all those people who yank the line tight to fuel their car from the wrong side. Yes, I’m judging you.” – Grace Houghton
“Nothing quite smells like high octane race gas. It’s addicting once you get your first whiff and its something you notice any time there’s a waft from a car burning it. Simply unbeatable.” – Greg Ingold
Two-Stroke Engines
“Burned two-cycle-infused 110 octane. Best whiffed on the wind and not at great length, it nevertheless screams motorsports fun to my nose. I’ve yet to buy the klotz two-cycle-scented candle for my office, but i keep meaning to.” – Eddy Eckart
“Used differential oil. Mmmm! Gross, not really. But I do love the smell of two-stroke exhaust. There’s something wonderful about that mix, and the fact that it comes with its own distinct ring-da-ding-ding-ding soundtrack is the capper for me. It’s all just so distinct.” – Stefan Lombard
“Second place for me goes to the smell of a two stroke engine. Snowmobiles, or a bike, doesn’t matter, that oily perfume is hard to get over.” – Greg Ingold
Workin’ At The Car Wash
“Reading the question, I was instantly brought back to childhood Saturdays and summers helping my Dad wash and wax his Datsun 240 and 280z, and the scent of freshly sprayed tire shine. I don’t know what sort of fragrances they’re using but it’s sweet and makes you want to grab a fruity popsicle after laboring in the Summer sun. At the time, it could feel like a chore, but now I wish I could fly home to help him ahead of the next car show. (Photo for proof!)” – Dani Brewer
Methanol
“There’s several: Wax with a high carnauba content, aviation fuel, the inside of my helmet, believe it or not; but my all-time favorite has to be burning methanol. It’s used as fuel for some high-strung oval-track cars, like the 900-horsepower World of Outlaws sprinters. When I’m walking into a track and there’s the hint of methanol in the air, I know it’s probably going to be a good night.” – Steven Cole Smith
Fiberglass Resin
“I love the aroma of fiberglass resin. I know it’ll likely kill me, but I think it reminds me of the boat my neighbors had while I was growing up. And I second race gas, but after its been burned.” – Larry Webster
Vintage English Interiors
“I’m going with ‘British car’ — it’s some strange cocktail of leather, stained wood, resin, oil, and stiff upper lip. Like what you imagine a tobacco pipe factory smells like. The scent makes me remember how close, in the grand scheme of things, cars are to horse carriages.” – Eric Weiner
Military Canvas
“Favorite smell has to be earthy odor of OD canvas on WWII military vehicles. All vehicles from the period have the same smell, tanks too because they typically have canvas seat covers. I guess it’s a combination of linen, waterproofing, and mold, but it seeps into your clothes and luggage and anything else made of a soft material. It seems to be unique to military vehicles and for me is the smell of army green and history.” – Aaron Robinson
Toasty Brake Pads?
“Since it’s been a while since I caught a whiff of this smell in a bad situation, I’ll go with hot brakes.
The combination of the hot iron rotors and the concoction of friction material on the pads gives off a very rewarding odor when first pulling off my helmet after parking in the pits. Might be a Pavlovian response to the fun from on track, but paired with the soft plinking of a cooling engine, the smell of hot brakes just tickles the senses just right.” – Kyle Smith
New Shoes?
“As I teenager I loved the smell of new shoes, even if my parents couldn’t buy me the latest Nike Air Max/Jordan that some of my friends had back in the day. But even my cheap Kaepa hi-tops (with the removable logos that came in different colors!) had an intoxicating smell. Sometimes it’d waft from my bedroom closet and serenade my nostrils at night.
I wish I could leave the garage door to my house open for the same effect, because now I go bananas for that new tire smell. Same concept, but new shoes for different feet. I popped on a new set of General white letter radials for my Ford Ranger last week, and those memories all rushed back. It’s a shame the truck sits outside most of the time, but get within a foot of those new donuts and the new shoe smell is impossible to overlook. Or is that over-smell?” – Sajeev Mehta
And The Opposite?
“Hey Sajeev! The next Our Two Cents column should be about the worst automotive smells! My wife would probably be the better person to ask about this, though, as all of us in the TC garage occasionally come home smelling like any of the following: burnt oil, gasoline, 50-year old differential oil, cat pee, dead rodents, exhaust fumes, etc.” – Ben Woodworth
I like the cut of your jib, Ben. We shall make that happen!
The smell of the 37 year old Italian leather in my 87 Ferrari is one of the many joys of owning the car…
I’m all in on the old military canvas smell. Nothing like it. Couple of weeks ago I was at the EAA Airventure in Oshkosh WI, and when you were even 200 yards away from Warbird Alley you could smell the tents, and it is glorious. Heck, my camping gear includes a surplus USMC M49 down-filled canvas mummy bag, so I get a sweet dose of the ol’ canvas every time I camp.
Nothing like C-12 or C-14 race gas in the morning in the staging lanes. Plus the sound high compression engines make is fantastic too.
The best smell of all is nitro!!!!
PJ 1 traction compound, nitro, and burnt rubber
WHAT! No Smell of Burnt Rubber from a Great Burn Out?????
My ‘67 VW convertible bug with a garnish of Sea Isle City, NJ beach sand and some spilled beer. On a hot day.
Nothing better.
When you shut your car off in the garage, and get that slight him of steaming antifreeze. That fantastic early warning that you still have time to fix something BEFORE the engine goes to hell.
Ahhh yes! That sweet, sweet smell of auto coolant with some brand of bright colored ethylene glycol. Always liked that smell. These days, i hope i don’t have leaks and attract a dog to drink it. 🙁
With today’s modern cars, I tend to forget what a great car used to smell like when you crank it up. I get a great reminder every time my neighbor cranks up his 1968 Mustang!
Indoor midgets at Ft Wayne Coliseum vintage 1960’s: a blue haze mixture of fuel,bean oil ,hot tires and metal with scent of popcorn and fried foods! Pure olfactory nirvana!
I am always amazed when looking over car listings on Bring a Trailer, Hagerty, etc how a picture will evoke an interior smell. Whether it’s a ’90’s Honda, ’70’s GM truck, older VW, it really brings back memories.
Maybe a shrink could explain how/why but smells evoke strong memories. Car odors aside, my smell memory is of JP5 from a Phantoms J79 turning up in the Beaufort heavy-swampy air of an early morning sortie in the summer. When a diesel goes by, the memory immediately comes up.
Old Volkswagens have a distinctive smell. Both 70s Beetles and German made watercooled cars have it, I think from the carpet because the trunk carpet in my 78 Scirocco smelled just like my roommate’s 73 Beetle. oddly my 84 Jetta lost the smell and VW changed materials
Bring on the electric. This stinks.
How much do I like the smell of gasoline in the morning? So much so that I went to work for ExxonMobil Corp and spent my career wandering thru their many oil refineries ranging from Bayway NJ to Singapore. Propane, mogas, diesel, bunkers- they all had their own distinct odors! All this fun ends however when you get the unfortunate whiff of hydrogen sulfide (lol).
To be more specific for the two stroke smell, it was the bean oil in the Blendzall oil that had that distinctive sweet smell. It got me started sixty years ago and still does it for me today!