#SanFrancisco

If you live in California, you won’t be surprised to learn that driving there continues to be terrible.

I tagged along for a two legs of MINI Takes the States, an epic cross-country road rally that’s put on by the company. I participated in just two sections of this continent-spanning trip, but that was still enough for me to experience four Midwestern states and some 700 miles of America. But there’s much more to than this event than just the sliver I experienced.

Once again MINI and its legions of enthusiasts are going all the way, traversing the US of A by driving from sea to shining sea. The iconic British brand is celebrating summer with a cross-country road trip and you’re invited to participate.

In a ploy to pick up some popularity in a state where Honda and Toyota are king, Ford is opening temporary storefronts aimed at showcasing the brand’s products. 

Set to kick off next month, BMW will launch its DriveNow program – a new kind of car sharing service that will allow for one-way trips.

Can’t wait until July 9th to get your gymkhana fix? DC Shoes has released a trailer of Ken Block’s upcoming Gymkhana Five flick, ahead of its official debut in a couple of weeks.

The extravaganza known as Ken Block’s Gymkhana videos will see its latest addition on July 9 when Gymkhana Five will be released onto the Internet for all of us to enjoy.

If you live in Portland, Ore., you can make some extra cash renting your car out thanks to the Getaround car sharing program.

Insurance.com has published a report on DUI citations in the nation’s largest US cities with California playing home to three of the top five. San Diego and Los Angeles topped the list at first and second respectively, while Indianapolis, Jacksonville (Florida) and San Francisco rounded off the top five.

It’s worth mentioning though that these cities with a high-percentage of DUI citations doesn’t necessarily mean there’s more drinking and driving occurring. It could also mean that there’s less public transportation or a police force that’s good at doing their job – or really the more densely populated a city is, the more people there are to do stupid things.

Nationwide in 2010, there were 1.4 million DUI arrests according to the FBI. This is also the second year in a row that San Diego has topped the list in the study.

Despite the study supposedly listing the top 20 cities, the website only publishes 19 – see it after the break.

[Source: Insurance.com]

Residents of San Francisco will be happy to hear that the city is getting its public transit system overhauled by BMW.

To celebrate its 50-year milestone, the Gull Wing Group teamed up with Mercedes-Benz to recreate their infamous group photo at Fort Point Park with the Golden Gate Bridge as its backdrop. The Gull Wing Group was originally founded in 1961 by Ernie Spitzer with just eighteen 300 SL Coupe owners. 50 years later, the Gull Wing Group now has over 600 owners, all sharing the same passion for the 300 SL.

When you think of San Francisco, several things come to mind, like the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, and a population of politically progressive individuals. And while the residents of the city are considered to be an open-minded bunch, they’re not at all receptive to the idea of owning a domestic vehicle. Evidence of this came at the end of last month when San Francisco Ford Lincoln Mercury suddenly shut its doors. As a result, there isn’t a single domestic car dealership inside San Francisco city limits.

It’s a great day to go shopping in San Francisco. And that’s because the Porsche Design Group just opened a new Porsche Design franchise store.