DT Does WRC: Rally Mexico Trip Report

Early in March 2016 I had the opportunity to travel down to Léon, Guanajuato - a 440 year old Mexican city full of 1.6 million people - for the only North American round of the World Rally Championship. WRC Rally México, as it's officially known, is the first gravel round and the 3rd rally in the WRC season and has been for the past 13 years. I was there for my day job as engineering support for a spec powertrain component to all WRC teams, but wouldn't miss out on reporting the experience via DT - sit back, crack open a Negra Modelo, and enjoy - arriba!

Last Chance To Get A DailyTurismo T-Shirt For $17

Just a quick reminder that today is the last day to get the DT t-shirts for a $5 discount ($17 total price shipped anywhere in the world) on our society6 site here.  I've also uploaded a few vintage racing themed designs that I created a few years ago for public consumption.

Betsy's Pony; The Story Of One Woman's 1966 Ford Mustang V8 Coupe

In 1961 Betsy traded her 1957 Dodge Coronet Lancer to a dealer for a new Mercury Comet..and instantly regretted it.  Five years later, she traded the unloved Comet for a 1966 Ford Mustang and hasn't driven anything since.  This is the remarkable story of a woman and her car of 47 years.
Update 3/8/2013: This pony is now at auction on ebay here.

DT Special: An Introduction to the Targa California

Spend a few minutes with any gear-head and the topic of conversation almost always involves cars and inevitably veers to the fun things to do with them.  Drag strip trips and track days are commonly discussed, an autocross for the cone counters, car shows for the paint buffs, but one of the more fun things to do is simply go for a drive..and what better way to do it than with a group of like minded car nuts - in a vintage rally or Targa event.  A brief history lesson is in order: while the name Targa has become synonymous with the removable top from a Porsche 911 - the name is actually Italian for "Plate or Plaque".  The original meaning of Targa isn't a race, it is a trophy, and the first Targa was awarded at the end of the world's first sports car racing event on the open roads in Sicily.  The Targa Florio (1906-1977) was named for the race organizer Vincenzo Florio - who had also organized the early Coppa Florio (Florio Cup) and to this day folks refer to vintage racing and rally events as Targa.  Now in its 5th year, the Targa California (April 11-13, 2013) is a vintage rally non-timed event held on public roads in the Central Coast California and includes special visits to car collections, a race track tour, and more.

Kolkata?  Nope, Goleta!

DT Tinsel Towncar Feature: The Cars of the Rockford Files

The Daily Turismo is proud to announced a new special feature - the Tinsel Towncar - where we feature our favorite cars from TV and Movies, not the actual show cars, but a reasonable facsimile that you can buy for cheap! Our first feature is of the cars of the Rockford Files; the Universal Studios/Roy Huggins production that ran for 6 series and helped make a legend out of the 2nd generation Firebird.

Daily Thankrismo: 5 Used Automotive Reasons to be Thankful

As we prepare to consume large quantities of fowl (and foul liquor) today we would like to first and foremost wish all of our readers a Happy and Safe Thanksgiving.  Be sure to properly lube and sharpen the blade on your chainsaw before carving the turkey and always remember to have a buddy holding your beer and ladder when doing any 2nd floor window repairs.  With that out of the way, we'd like to present the 5 top reasons to be thankful this Thankrismoiving (it doesn't really work well in writing, but it sure flows off the tip of the tongue like a Shakespearean sonnet after a bottle of Jagermeister).  Starting in no particular order, we'd like to present our top 5:

5. Mercedes W201 2.3-16V Cossie ~$5k

DT Does SEMA 2012: Creativity Runs Rampant

Last week this DT editor traveled to the most wretched hive of scum and villainy known to man. Although the southern Nevada desert landscape does resemble the wastelands of Tatooine, we're not referring to Mos Eisley Spaceport - no, the closest place on Earth is the seething mass known as Las Vegas. For one week every fall, Sin City turns into the epicenter of the biggest car show in the country and a festival of aftermarket excess, a force to recon with in the automotive industry and the debut venue for thousands of new products every year. We are referring of course to the SEMA Show, which is an assault on the senses and sensibilities of anyone who has the terrible luck fortune to walk its halls. Not only will you find hundreds of show cars, hot rods, drift machines, and booth babes, the show can be a great place to spot one-off creations that incite reactions of confusion, awe, appreciation, and regret (that you didn't think of the idea first). With an eye towards the weirder and wackier side of the vehicles on display, we give you the best custom creations Daily Turismo could find at the 2012 SEMA Show.

Coronado Speed Festival Highlights

Fleet Week is San Diego's annual celebration of cool military toys and includes a unique historic race on the old Coronado Naval Air Base runway.  Like most everything in San Diego - the Speed Festival is a laid-back affair and seems more like a local car show than a big time race- but lots of cool cars show up and the racing is fun to watch.  Vintage racing is often times compared more to a parade than a real race due to the extremely high cost of wrecking one of these classics and the often questionable capabilities of the affluent guys behind the wheel - this can be forgiven the moment you hear, see and smell them on track.

DT Special Feature: How to Buy a Used Car

We at the Daily Turismo would like to introduce a few feature articles that may be of interest to our readers, starting with this article on How to Buy a Used Car.  Buying a used car is not a simple process like reading the reviews in Primedia owned print magazines regarding your next new car and making a decision based on the results of comparisons that are in turn based on advertising dollars....  Buying a used car is a much more complex process that involves searching websites, dodging scammers on the web, liars on the phone and cannibals in person.  But we've broken the basic requirement in 6 steps as follows: