It was a wheeling wonderland! Dunlop's Off Road Camp, held in Dieskau, Germany, last November, gave six U.S. competitors the opportunity to motor on both two wheels and four in an event that seeks to find the best amateur drivers in Europe and the U.S.
Started in 1999 in Germany, the Off Road Camp hosted U.S. teams for the first time, following national selections held in Phoenix. Proceeding to the Dunlop Driver's Cup finals, to be held in California in March, are Discount Tire store managers Jim McCauley of Las Vegas and Albert Andrade of Upland, California; Brad Sutika, an ad agency executive for J. Walter Thompson from Farmington Hills, Michigan; and Wallace Hattanhauer, an SBC telephone company engineer from Little Rock, Arkansas.
The finals, which will take place in a variety of Southern California locations over the course of a week, will pit drivers in events that include 4WD, ATV, motocross, racetrack, and autocross.
-Sue Mead
Review: Driven by a Dream, Mark A. Smith's Journal, by Mark A. Smith, 352 pages, hardbound, published by Mark A. Smith
Jeep Jamboree founder, world explorer, off-roading consultant, environmentalist; Mark Smith has accomplished a tremendous amount during his lifetime, and this large-format chronicle of his life and adventures is a fascinating read. "Journal" is an apt description of this book. Reading it is like having a conversation with Mark while he shares photos from his own scrapbook. As you'd expect, entire chapters are devoted to the story of the Rubicon Trail and its impact on his life, as well as his "ultimate adventure" crossing the Darien Gap in South America. What's unexpected are the smaller details that Mark recounts with as much enthusiasm: being robbed at gunpoint in Panama, favorite trail-side recipes, and even photos of the storied Jeep tattoo on his bum.
Copies of Mark's book are available for $49.95 from the Jeep Jamboree USA Web site (www.jeepjamboreeusa.com). Just click on the "gear" button on the home page.
Did you know that Thailand is the largest market for pickup trucks outside of the U.S.? Neither did we, but it explains why Ford would develop products specifically for Thai drivers. This is the 4-Trac pickup concept, recently unveiled at the Thailand International Motor Expo in Bangkok. Unfortunately, the overseas press material was light on technical details, saying only that it offers "true off-road capability, rugged features, and durable aluminum surfaces." Look closely at the photo, though, and you can see a winch hidden under the three-bar grille as well as very prominent tow loops in the front bumper. One interesting design detail not visible: the two-piece tailgate that can be used as "either a seat or ramp."
An era has passed. Citing a scarcity of good, salvageable units, Currie Enterprises has stopped tearing down and rebuilding 9-inch rearends. Since beginning operations in 1967, Currie estimates it has rebuilt more than 300,000 of the venerable 9-inch diffs, maintaining an inventory that was stacked 12-feet high and covered two acres at its Anaheim facility. At its peak, the company would disassemble, clean, and rebuild the Ford pumpkins at a rate of 55 per day. Currie customers who want the flexibility and reliability of a 9-inch can still get it in the form of the company's own 9-Plus rearend products.
For the fourth year in a row, the Chrysler 5.7L Hemi has landed on the Ward's AutoWorld list of 10 Best Engines. You've probably read and heard enough about how great the Hemi is, but here's a factoid you may not know: the "take rates" (percent of vehicles ordered with the engine) of vehicles offered with the Hemi. The Durango and Ram pickup lead the way on the truck side with 50 and 49 percent, respectively. Jeep owners aren't as enamored; Commander and Grand Cherokee take rates are 27 and 19 percent, respectively.