We've debated which car stories of 2011 were the most important. But the most important story may not have been the one that grabbed you the most this past year. What was your favorite Jalopnik story of 2011?
I know we're all broken records, yammering on about the old Group B rally cars. But my favorite story of 2011 was a sorely overlooked Caswell piece on getting a ride in a Group B Metro 6R4. Sure, it's not the most emotionally moving or earth-shattering narrative around — just a raging car guy's urgency to nab shotgun in one of the greatest pieces of engineering in motorsports history.
It didn't hurt that the setting was the Goodwood Festival of Speed, which could be the most high-profile host of Group B iron in the world, and as Caswell searched the pits for someone who'd give him a ride up the hill, he happened upon Walter Rohrl's Audi S1 E2, a Lancia 037 in East Africa Safari trim, Ari Vatanen's Climb Dance Audi and of course a pristine Ford RS200 (sadly not on hand for racing). His first-person account conveys a special kid-in-a-candy-shop feeling — bringing readers in on the action and imparting that insane motoring enthusiasm many of us have — a quality that is the best we can strive for around here. Happy new year.
(QOTD is your chance to address the day's most pressing automotive questions and to experience the opinions of the insightful insiders, practicing pundits, and gleeful gearheads that make up the Jalopnik commentariat. If you've got a suggestion for a good Question of the Day, send an email to tips at jalopnik dot com.)