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Retro ‘Trail Along’ Highlights Vintage RVs

admin — Wed, 23 May 2012 05:54:50 +0000

Story and photos by Mike Magda

Back in the day, travel-trailer owners used their personal vehicles or shop trucks to tote their Airstreams or Vagabonds cross country — there were no one-ton turbo-diesel crew cabs with navigation systems and leather seats. This is how real truckers went on vacation with their families.

The fifth annual Trail Along to Pismo vintage RV show was held last weekend in Pismo Beach, Calif., and it featured an eclectic collection of old pickup trucks, station wagons, woodies and a few truly unusual home-built tow-vehicle creations. Highlights included a BMW pickup along with the Boles Aeros, Streamliners, Silver Streaks and the always cool Teardrops.

The show offers a nostalgic atmosphere, with kids riding around on Stingray bikes, women dressed in poodle skirts and all the trailers decorated in classic vintage decor. We strolled through the 300 allotted spaces at the Pismo Coast Village RV Resort looking for the coolest tow vehicles we could find. We'll let the photos speak for themselves. Enjoy!

Congress (Again) Ponders Military Sports Sponsorship Ban

admin — Wed, 23 May 2012 04:00:00 +0000

The United States Army and the National Guard, in the eyes of the Pentagon, are brands that requires ongoing promotion to raise public interest and awareness. One of the most cost-effective ways of doing this, in terms of media exposure and number of eyes-on, is via sponsorship of professional sports like auto racing. In fact, the National Guard…

Ferrari Racing Days Visits Laguna Seca: Video

admin — Wed, 23 May 2012 02:00:00 +0000

Ferrari’s Corse Clienti program visited California’s storied Laguna Seca circuit last weekend, tied to the Ferrari Challenge North America race. The event drew some uncommon Ferrari models, such as the 333 SP seen in the video above. Released in early 1994, the Ferrari 333 SP heralded the automaker’s return to sports car racing…

Buick Regal GS Takes Second In Nevada Open Road Challenge

admin — Wed, 23 May 2012 01:00:00 +0000

Last week, we told you about Bill Rietow and John Townsend, a pair of Buick engineers who believe in practicing what they preach. Rietow and Townsend have a hobby that may not be shared by many other Buick owners: they race a Buick Regal GS in open road rallies. In September 2011, the duo ran the Silver State Classic Challenge in a stock Buick…

Anatomy Of The Indy 500 Front Row

admin — Tue, 22 May 2012 22:30:00 +0000

This year’s front-row starters for the 96th Indianapolis 500 Mile Race, scheduled for Sunday, May 27 on the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway historic oval represent comeback stories that could barely be scripted by Hollywood. Take, for instance polesitter Ryan Briscoe, arguably the No. 3 driver in Team Penske’s vaunted stable. He’s got far…

Alpine Renault Leaked, Undisguised 911 GT3, Wrangler Recall: Car News Headlines

admin — Tue, 22 May 2012 21:00:00 +0000

With the summer months now upon us, testing at the N

Indy 500 Polesitter Ryan Briscoe Drives The Corvette ZR1 Pace Car: Video

admin — Tue, 22 May 2012 03:00:00 +0000

Ask any driver in the Indy 500 if they’d like additional track time, in any car, and we’d bet the answer is yes. When Chevy tossed the keys to the Corvette ZR1 pace car to Indy 500 polesitter Ryan Briscoe, we’re pretty sure the Team Penske driver didn’t need any further encouragement. While the ZR1 Corvette isn’t…

Argentinean Duo Wins 2012 Mille Miglia

admin — Tue, 22 May 2012 02:00:00 +0000

Anyone who thinks vintage rallying isn’t serious competition should try explaining that to Claudio Scalise and Daniel Claramunt, the driver and navigator of the 2012 Mille Miglia-winning 1933 Alfa Romeo 6C 1500 GS. As Italian site 0-100 explains, the Argentinean team fought off a serious challenge from a 1939 BMW 328 Mille Miglia Roadster…

2012 BMW 3 Series Sedan, 2013 Acura RDX Get IIHS Top Safety Pick Awards

admin — Tue, 22 May 2012 01:00:00 +0000

If you’re looking for an Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) “Top Safety Pick” compact sedan or compact crossover, your shopping list just grew by two very solid choices. First up is the 2012 BMW 3 Series sedan, which scores a rating of “good” (the IIHS’ highest) in a series of four tests, including…

Penalties, Fines Announced For INDYCAR Indy 500 Pre-Qualifying

admin — Mon, 21 May 2012 23:30:00 +0000

In a pleasant reversal of procedure, the IZOD IndyCar Series not only meted out pre-inspection penalties for the 96h Indianapolis 500 on the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval. The series announced which teams were subject to rules violations, exactly what they did and what the penalties are for these violations. In the past, silence has…