From the Fleet: 2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302

By John LeBlanc

FROM THE FLEET are brief synopses of manufacturer-supplied rides that happen to end up in my laneway – JL

You only have to look at the front end of the new-for-2012 Mustang Boss 302 to know this is NOT your everyday stripes-n-spoilers special. Grille-in driving lights have been blanked-over. An air-dam-cum-spoiler-cum-quasi-air splitter hangs off the front end like fangs off a sabre tooth tiger. Under the Boss’s gratuitously-striped hood, the reworked Five-Point-Oh eight delivers 444 hp—effectively splitting the Mustang GT’s 412 and the Shelby GT500’s 550. No doubt, the latest, limited edition (only 300 examples coming to Canada) Mustang isn’t just another overpriced nostalgia machine. Read more

Top 10s: 1970’s Italian Wedge Supercars

By John LeBlanc

Like the French art deco cars of the 1930s or the classic chrome of Detroit in the 1950s, we’ll likely never see an era in car design like the Italian “wedge” cars from the 1970s. Read more

First Drive: 2012 Mercedes-Benz C Class Coupe

Class C Coupé

Mercedes finally drops a “real” compact two-door

By John LeBlanc

SEVILLE, Spain – With a portfolio that now includes the E-Class Coupe, CLS four-door coupe and the full-size CL-Class two-door, it’s understandable if you think Mercedes-Benz has gone a little, well, “coupe crazy.” And now for 2012, the German automaker is adding another two-door to the fold, this time based on the recently refreshed C-Class. Read more

Road Test: 2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe

Coupe de Thrill

Two doors adds styling spice to CTS menu

By John LeBlanc

A sexy coupe version of General Motors’ most competitive car was as predictable as Sunday following Saturday. We may not be at a point where there’s a CTS for everyday of the week. But mimicking the approach BMW has taken in growing its 3 Series from a lone two-door sedan in the mid-seventies, to today’s range of coupes, convertibles, sedans, wagons, and high-performance M3 models, for 2011, Cadillac is adding a two-door CTS coupe to a lineup that includes the original sedan, V—as in “very fast”—Series performance versions, and last year’s Sport Wagon. Read more

The Crank: Oh Canada!: Will this country ever have its own automaker?

By John LeBlanc

OTTAWA – With all the recent doomsday talk of Canadian PDA-maker Research In Motion’s seemingly imminent demise, while following the former high-tech giant Nortel’s death, the idea of a Canadian-owned global enterprise seems to be an impossible dream. So as we head into another Canada Day long weekend, I have to ask: Will this country ever see the day when we have our own automaker? Read more

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