First Drive: JDM Nissan Cube
Story, video and photo by John LeBlanc
DETROIT–Affordable transportation in the not-so-distant future will need to be smaller, lighter and have minimal horsepower – it’s as inevitable as death and taxes. Instead of speed and power, strong functional design will be the new emotional draw for new-car buyers.
For those hooked on burning rubber or driving vehicles larger than a one-room apartment, this “future of driving” may sound like a scene from a post-apocalyptic sci-fi movie.
But after spending a day driving Nissan’s Cube in Detroit (parts of which definitely qualify as “apocalyptic” right now), the prospect of affordable family vehicles will be anything but dull or lifeless. Read more
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Road Test: 2009 Audi A5 3.2 Quattro
So if beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder, how does one explain the 2008 Audi A5 3.2 quattro coupe? A two-plus-two synthesis of German Bauhaus and Italian haute couture, the Audi coupe’s classical lines deflect subjective criticism as if it was made of Teflon instead of aluminum, plastic, glass and steel. Better yet, it won’t burp up on you either. Read more
First Drive: 2009 Nissan GT-R
Story and photo by John LeBlanc
RENO, Nevada – Although it hasn’t gone on sale yet, by now some of you may have already heard of Nissan’s new high performance two-door coupe, the GT-R.
First seen as a concept in 2001, GT-R fans have had to settle for driving virtual versions in video games like Gran Turismo or watching L.A. street racers abuse gray-market import versions in the Fast and the Furious series of films. That is until this July, when the real-life, 2009 production version finally goes on sale in Canada at certified Nissan GT-R dealers in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary. Read more
Feature: The story behind Mercedes’ factory hotrodders
Story and photo by John LeBlanc
Forming the “Triple Crown of Motor Racing” with the Indianapolis 500 and the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Monaco Grand Prix is thought of by racing cognoscenti as one of the most important and prestigious automobile races in the world.
The cars first raced on the narrow streets of Monte Carlo in 1929. The initial victory went to William Grover-Williams driving a Bugatti. Except to accommodate eventual harbour and hotel expansions, the actual layout of the track hasn’t changed much in 80 years.
Drivers still consider the narrow and tight Monaco course one of the most challenging – and dangerous – to drive. Read more
Road Test: 2009 Mercedes-Benz SLK 55 AMG
Story and photos by John LeBlanc
Monte Carlo–What does it take for amaudit Anglais to get arrested in this two-bit Mediterranean town?
Good question. Especially after squealing the rear Pirelli P-Zeros of my 2009 Mercedes-Benz SLK 55 AMG Roadster within an arm’s length of one of the stoic gendarmes who patrol the narrow streets here in Monte Carlo.
Why the flagrant driving gesture?
It’s quite simple. Read more
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