PONY TALES {
NEWS IN MUSTANG WORLD}
See Route 66 in Your ’66!
R
oute 66—the Mother Road.
Every car enthusiast’s bucket list
item, yet how many really see to
it that this bucket list line item is
indeed checked off? Sure, many
of us have driven a part of it,
and some probably even drive a portion every
day if they live near it. We’re talking start to
finish—from Chicago, Illinois, to Santa Monica,
California, covering some 2,400 miles. It’s a
trip few get to take, yet so many should.
Jim Diorio, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is one of those
who wanted to accomplish driving the complete Route 66,
and he set out to do it in 2018. However, he didn’t have a
classic car to pay homage to the drive. In July of 2017, he
found a ’66 Mustang hardtop that was on its way to the
salvage yard and brought it home for $400. Jim rebuilt
the car over the course of six months. In February of 2018,
he wrapped the build by installing the custom Route 66
graphics and turned the key for the first drive.
After a few months of weeding out new build issues
and putting some local car show/cruise-in miles on the
’66, Jim set out for Chicago from his home in Pennsylvania
and drove the complete Route 66 in September of 2018
as planned. Jim put roughly 3,500 miles on his Mustang,
crossing our great country on Route 66 from beginning to
end, and he had absolutely zero issues with his
Mustang on the drive. Though his trip is in
the books, you can relive his build and
the drive itself by visiting his blog
at 66onroute66.com.