At the Battle of Puebla, in 1862, the Mexican Army defeated the French, even though outnumbered 2 to 1. This was a huge moral victory for the Central American nation seeking independence from their European occupiers, and is celebrated to this day as a civic holiday in Mexico, and an opportunity to quaff margaritas or CervezaTecate for the rest of us.
Interestingly, the battle commemorated by today’s Mexican holiday also has an automotive connection as Puebla is now the site not of firepower but horsepower. Well, not exactly, but the municipality of Puebla is currently the location of the largest Volkswagen plant outside of Germany, and if you’ve driven a Golf or Jetta in the U.S. the past decade or so, chances are it came from Puebla.
Mexico also has a rich history of car culture, from the stereotyped Tijuana tuck and roll, to the entire lowrider culture that grew here in the U.S., but has its roots in the Latin American immigrants that made up the Chicano communities. These cars, featuring intricate paint schemes and hydraulic suspensions requiring a trunk full of batteries run the gamut of old and new, and are an entire genre unto themselves.
So there’s a couple of choices that are appropriately relevant – but what do you think, if you had to choose what to ride down to the Paseo del la Plaza in, what Cinco de Mayo car do you think would be muy bueno?
Image source: [LateralGPhotography.com]