[Jamesp]

Year and transmission type is usually helpful. You said the car was smoking. Could you smell the smoke? A burning clutch usually fills the cabin with acrid smoke that tends to stick with you awhile. Did your brakes get spongy (thinking clutch slave cylinder leak here). I've been through a few clutches and they warned me by slipping a bit in higher gears (second gear a favorite) under load and then catching again as the load was reduced.