Story and photos by John Rettie — copyright Trackside Photo

Are you nostalgic for old race trucks? Check out these photos taken in Baja, Mexico, a few days ago.

Seasoned off-road racers will remember what great fun the first few Mexican 1000 races were back in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Like so many race series nowadays, the big Baja off-road races require a serious commitment of money, time and talent to win overall.

Three years ago, Mike Pearlman — the son of Ed Pearlman, who was one of the original founders of NORRA (National Off Road Racing Association), which organized the first Baja race in 1967 — revived the Mexican 1000 Rally. Only now it is for vintage off-road race vehicles and those who want to run modern “non-race” cars, such as pre-runners and rally cars.

The event has grown popular, and this year some 73 cars and trucks along with 20 bikes started the four-day rally in Mexicali. Each day the competitors tackled two or three timed stages on dirt tracks. Then they traversed transit sections on paved highways to overnight stops at beautiful locations such as Bahia de Los Angeles, Loreto and La Paz, on their way to the finish Thursday in San Jose del Cabo.

Several classic winning trucks entered this year, including Walker Evans, who returned to drive his 1977 Dodge pickup. Parnelli Jones’ 1977 Chevy C-10 and Ivan Stewart’s 1978 Ford F-100 ran in the event but not with their original drivers.

Robby Gordon, a three-time Baja 1000 winner, was there to help Clyde Stacy, who was behind the wheel of the Hummer that Nasser Al-Attiyah drove in the last Dakar Rally. If you're wondering how a race truck like this could run against vintage machinery, it's because there are several classes for modern vehicles, and the Hummer is not as potent as a trophy truck, even though that’s what it is under that bright-orange body.

Several people competed in modern trucks, including Cam Thieriot in a beautiful 2010 Ford F-150 pre-runner complete with electric windows and air conditioning. Others were in trucks that looked slightly worse for wear, obviously having seen plenty of race action long ago.

That's the beauty of this event — it harkens back to the days when you could bring any modified vehicle down to race on the dirt roads in Baja. Most drivers, navigators and support crews took vacation time to participate in the rally. Everyone enjoyed the adventure, treating it as a fun event rather than a flat-out, highly charged, competitive race. Socializing each evening and bench racing seemed just as important as the driving.

Considering there must be literally hundreds of old race trucks scattered around the country, it should not be too difficult to find one and restore sufficiently to be able to enter a future Mexican 1000 Rally. It’s undoubtedly one of the only and most exciting ways to explore this beautiful part of the world. It’s four days, 1,100 miles, 10,000 smiles — and a million memories.

For the full recap of the race or to find out more about racing in the Mexican 1000, click here.

Glenn Lamartin, BAE Systems JLTV Capture Lead, said “Our JLTVs are protected and survivable, light enough for transport by air or sea, and agile on road and off. Most importantly, they are affordable. This is truly a vehicle that is going to meet the needs of our service men and women.”

As part of its proposal, BAE Systems also announced that Ford's 6.7L V-8 Power Stroke will power the JLTV family of vehicles. Among the most important reasons for the choice was the engine's class-leading fuel economy and the best horsepower and torque numbers. This is the same engine Ford created for the F-Series Super Dutys.

We contacted Ford shortly after the announcement and spoke with Mike Levine, Ford's lead truck spokesperson: “We’re proud of Ford’s 6.7-liter Power Stroke V-8 diesel engines and their best-in-class power, durability and fuel economy. And we are proud the engines were chosen to be part of BAE's JLTV entry.” When asked how much input Ford had in the project, Levine stated, “We’re not a partner in this venture.”

No doubt BAE will be able to purchase as many Power Stroke engines as they want from Ford if their project JLTV proposals, or other family vehicles, are selected. The government plans to select up to three vehicles at the end of the current Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) stage of the process, with winners being announced in June.

No word yet as to whether or not a pickup truck version will be made.

I love progress, I love technology, and I don’t have an aversion to comfort. With that in mind, the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon and I seem like an unlikely pairing. Jeep promises however that they have made the most civilized Wrangler ever without sacrificing off-road performance. While Wrangler shoppers with kids and a commute may be inclined to opt for the four-door Jeeplet, the 2-door variety has a large California following from the hip urban set to “rural-suburbanites” like myself, especially since GM killed off Hummer.

While the Wrangler has its roots in the Willys CJ, the Wrangler as we know it started in 1987 when AMC decided the off-roader needed some on-road creature comforts to boost sales. Back in 2007 Jeep ruffled more feathers by stretching the Wrangler’s wheelbase and track several inches to improve road manners. Despite 25 years of continual improvements to make the Wrangler more suited to the commuter shopper, thankfully little has been done to alter the look of the go-anywhere brand. Much like Porsche’s dedication to the 911’s classic styling, Jeep has resisted styling the Wrangler into a mainstream SUV. From the flat black fenders, rubber hood straps, to the removable doors and roof, the Wrangler seems to have lost little of its off road charm over the years.

Because of the off-road ready rel, jumping into the Jeep isn’t a euphemism. Once inside the tall cabin, it’s obvious the Wrangler’s new interior was designed with daily driving comforts in mind. While some portions of the interior may well be waterproof and you can still remove the carpet to access drain plugs, I’d keep the garden hose away from the dashboard and seats. The off-road faithful will be glad to hear that the dash plastics, while more visually appealing are still hard and easy to wipe down. The rest of us will just be glad to know that Chrysler finally decided to add some sound insulation to the cabin. Our Rubicon model came equipped with a few luxury features never before seen on a Wrangler, including heated front seats, heated side view mirrors and steering wheel audio controls.

While the serious off-roader will likely scoff at butt-warmers as further evidence that the Wrangler is getting soft in its old age, an end to “Wrangler minimalism” brings beneficial changes to the commuter and weekend off-roader with stability control, tire pressure monitoring (when I’m rock climbing I’d like to know if my tire is flat) electronically locking differentials and sway bars that can be disconnected at the touch of a button. While “electronic sway bar disconnect” may sound like a superfluous option, it helps the new Wrangler maintain serious suspension travel for rock crawling without the safety issues of permanently removing the sway bars as some Wrangler owners have in the past. Despite these improvements, the rear seat remains an afterthought with difficult access and little room.

Wrangler shoppers have never had so many options to choose from, including 6 different trim-lines, multiple axle choices, two transfer cases, two different door styles (glass or plastic window), a variety of radio and navigation options and of course a manual transmission is still available. Our tester was the Rubicon model which is perhaps paradoxically the most luxurious model and the most “hard core off-road” model sporting a 4:1 low range transfer case and large 32-inch BFGoodrich off-road tires.

Regardless of which Wrangler you choose, all Wrangler models share the same engine: the new 3.6L “Pentastar” V6 which replaces last year’s ancient push-rod 3.8L V6. The new mill uses an aluminum block and dual variable valve timing to crank out a best-ever 285HP and 260lb-ft of torque, an improvement of 83HP and 23lb-ft versus the outgoing engine, while improving highway mileage by 2MPG. Chrysler didn’t just pluck the engine out of the Caravan and drop it into the Wrangler, as they tweaked the exhaust, added a variable speed electric fan for better cooling, relocated the alternator high up on the block and pointed it rearward to keep it dry and installed an intake snorkel (you can see it on the left in the picture above) to improve the Wrangler’s water fording ability. While the new V6 is considerably quieter and more refined than the 3.8L, it lacks the iconic sound the old AMC inline-6 delivered. While I’m still wondering why Jeep didn’t pull a ZF 6-speed off the shelf, the Mercedes W5A580 5-speed automatic is much better suited to the Wrangler than the Grand Cherokee, delivering fairly quick shifts and a willingness to hold lower gears when called upon. Also available is a 6-speed manual for those that prefer to row your own. Forum fan-boys are complaining that the old skid plates are incompatible due to the new engine’s exhaust routing, so bear that in mind before trying to reuse your old accessories.

I’ll leave comparisons of the off-road abilities to the rock crawler rags, but I will say that a brief trip to Hollister Hills SVRA with the Wrangler and the Toyota FJ proved the benefit of a short wheelbase, wide track and steep approach and departure angles. If road manners matter in your next SUV, look somewhere else. On the highway, its obvious that Jeep’s passion remains off the beaten path; the Wrangler is still a pig with plenty of body roll, vague recirculating ball steering, mushy pedals, and a really twitchy rear end on the skidpad. The poor on-road performance has as much to do with the seriously heavy-duty Dana 44 solid front and rear axles as the 10.3 inches of ground clearance, mud tires and 3,800lb curb weight.

Instead of 2012 bringing the slick new large-screen uConnect systems from the Chrysler 300 or Jeep’s own Grand Cherokee, Wrangler buyers have to make do with Chrysler’s last generation radios and nav systems. The “Media center 130″ is the standard unit with MP3 playback from a data CD or USB stick, an aux input jack and six speakers. Sahara and higher models get a 7-speaker setup with a subwoofer by Infinity and steering wheel audio controls, but strangely, Bluetooth phone integration and iPod connectivity are optional on all models. Sahara and Rubicon models can optionally choose between the $1,035 Garmin based navigation system, or the $1,845 Harmon based navigation system which includes some more sophisticated GPS equipment and allows voice command of the navigation system. Both navigation systems offer XM radio and XM traffic (1 year subscription included), Bluetooth phone interface and iPod integration. Before commuter-types scoff at the price of the nav systems, you should know that this generation uConnect doesn’t exactly love the iPhone 4 and browsing your iPod playlists on the base radio is a real drag. Step up to the basic nav or just go aftermarket.

Despite complaints of high sticker prices, a base $29,995 Wrangler Rubicon is firmly “average” in the new car market according to last year’s sales data. Take solace in the fact that the Wrangler only increased $225 for the Sahara and $175 for the Rubicon vs last year’s model. Our Wrangler was equipped with $2,930 in options including: the $735 hard top, $385 Bluetooth and iPod connectivity, $685 for power windows, locks and mirrors and $1,125 for the automatic transmission.

Toss in the steep $800 destination charge and our Wrangler topped out at $33,725 or about $1,500 less than a similarly configured Toyota FJ cruiser. While I was temped to draw FJ comparisons, the Wrangler is more powerful, smaller, considerably lighter, and is available with a locking front axle for the serious off-roader. In the end, the Wrangler continues to be a unique vehicle in a class all to its own. Despite some serious on-road shortcomings, with the 2012 improvements, the Wrangler has achieved a decent balance of being a passable commute car for the weekend trail warrior.

Jeep provided the vehicle, insurance and one tank of gas for this review.

statistics as tested

0-30 MPH: 2.63 Seconds

0-60 MPH: 7.27 Seconds

1/4 mile: 15.67 Seconds at 86.9 MPH

Observed Fuel Economy: 18.3 MPG over 629 miles

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Lamborghini is mulling a return to the utilitarian off-road market after being absent from the field for nearly two decades, according to Reuters.

The SUV would take stylistic influences from the Lamborghini LM002, shown above, which portends a more rugged, Hummer-like look for the new model rather than a high-performance one.

Bentley is also planning an SUV model that'll likely compete with the Lamborghini version. Both Lamborghini and Bentley are owned by parent-company Volkswagen, and both models would likely share mechanical parts with Volkswagen, Audi and Porsche vehicles, says Reuters.

A concept version of the SUV is likely to show up at the 2012 Beijing auto show in April. If it gets the green light, a production-ready model would likely show up for model-year 2016.

Lamborghini is currently a loss-maker for Volkswagen, which is trying to make the brand profitable. SUV models have worked wonders at Porsche and Audi; VW officials think the same could work for Bentley and Lamborghini.

Lamborghini to follow Porsche with SUV (Reuters)

Trophy trucks dominate Baja off-road races, but when it comes to the annual Dakar Rally, they play second fiddle to SUVs and Minis. Yes, Minis finished in first and second place this year. A Toyota Hilux pickup finished third, though.

In reality, there is not much difference between a truck and an SUV (apart from the body) in the fastest crop of vehicles. The Mini is based off a BMW 3 Series that has minimal resemblance to a production version. It would even be fair to describe Robby Gordon’s Hummer as a truck, as it is essentially a trophy truck underneath the bright-orange fiber-glass Hummer shell. If Chevrolet were to sponsor him, it would become a Chevy Silverado!

This year the Dakar Rally covered 5,000 miles, largely in deserts, through Argentina, Chile and Peru. For competitors, it was like competing in a Baja race each day for 14 days. It is quite rightly regarded as one of the toughest auto races in the world. Just to finish is a major accomplishment.

In many ways, Giniel De Villiers’ third-place finish in a Hilux is truly significant. Ever since the Dakar Rally started in 1979, the event has been won by SUVs, cars or buggies. Pickup trucks came close to winning when Nissan South Africa entered the event with top drivers, such as Colin McRae.

De Villiers won the Dakar in 2009 driving a factory Volkswagen Race Touareg. That year, Dakar moved to Argentina and Chile for the first time after terrorist threats in Africa. After winning Dakar for the third time last year, Volkswagen switched to competing in the World Rally Championship, leaving De Villiers without a ride for Dakar. He turned to Toyota South Africa, and at the last moment, three Hilux pickups — with almost stock V-8 engines — were built for the Dakar race.

Most top teams need several years to develop a winning car, so De Villiers didn’t expect to win in 2012. Instead, the truck was built to meet new rules for 2013. With less power on tap, he had a slim chance against the X-raid Mini team from Germany.

Thanks to his consistent driving, De Villiers was battling for second place by the middle of the race. The Minis were firm favorites, and yet they were being challenged by De Villiers.

Gordon ran as high as second overall, but over-exuberant driving cost him time on several stages and despite winning three stages, he finished fifth. De Villiers was much more consistent, and although he did not win any stages, he never finished out of the top 10. The only other driver who did that was Stephane Peterhansel, the winner of the race. The other two Hilux pickups finished fifth and 11th.

In all, more than 40 “regular” pickup trucks competed among the 161 vehicles in the car class. Half of these were Toyotas. The Argentinean-made Amarok, which was also an official vehicle for the organizers, was the next most popular truck. There were five Nissan Navaras (aka Frontiers) and five Mitsubishi pickups and, amazingly, a couple of Honda Ridgelines.

There was just one lone American truck, a Ford Raptor. This was the same vehicle that Sue Mead and Darren Skilton raced in last year’s Dakar when they finished 40th overall. Skilton prepared the truck again this year, but it was raced by Pedro de Uriarte from Mexico. He did not finish.

Skilton, on the other hand, entered his special prototype Revolution VI buggy that’s close to being a pickup, and he persevered, finishing 62nd overall. Among his support crew was Mark McMillin, a veteran Baja competitor who had withdrawn earlier while driving a Jeep. His pit crew in their Ford F-250 happily crewed for Skilton the rest of the way. Aside from the giant “real” trucks that compete in the actual event as well as provide support for race vehicles, full-size Ford pickups are a popular support vehicle.

Based on Team Toyota’s inaugural success with the Hilux, we might well see a pickup win next year’s Dakar for the first time. For a list of all the “car” category finishers and their times, Download General ranking stage summary car page.

This year, the Rally threads through some of the toughest sections of South America as it navigates through Argentina, Chile and Peru. You can find all the action, team info and real-time updates at Dakar.com.

Some of the most impressive racing so far has been among the team of four custom-modified, Monster-sponsored Mini Countrymans; Robby Gordon's Hummer team; and the huge number of teams using the stout Amorak turbo-diesels. We especially like the giant commercial rig Tatras in the Truck category as they blast through the same extreme terrain that that the smaller racetrucks and motorcycles have to overcome.

The Dakar Rally is scheduled to finish Jan. 16 in Lima, Peru.