RENT-A-THRASH

Nothing goes harder than a rental car. That’s just a fact. The lack of mechanical sympathy and/or concern over having to fix issues by way of your own hands opens up a whole new playing field when it comes to pushing the limits behind the wheel. I’m not talking about the econo-specced hatchback that you just picked up from the airport click-and-collect zone—they may be fun to limmy-bash for laugh and struggle your way to 100kph in 20-plus seconds—no, no, no! For those who know where to look, cold hard cash can be exchanged for the pleasure of driving full-blown race cars—some even in streetcar guise—without all the drawbacks that come with ownership. These examples don’t get booked online, they aren’t used by clueless tourists, and they definitely aren’t for the faint of heart.

I find out first-hand just how hard these rentals go when Dustin at DNG Automotive chucks me the keys to a freshly built Mitsubishi Evo X tarmac rally car. It’s the latest addition to a growing fleet of Evo X–based entries