Celebrated hood ornament’s clandestine past
VANCOUVER – February 18, 2011 —Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has launched a special limited-edition collection of Phantom cars to celebrate 100 years of The Spirit of Ecstasy, the most iconic of automotive hood ornaments, and its original designer Charles Robinson Sykes.In the early 1900s, Lord John Scott Montagu commissioned his friend, Sykes, to sculpt a personalRead Full Story
Call it what you may, but don’t call it ‘Original’
By Mike Tate— OK . . .OK . . .OK! Once again I realize that this article is going to make many of the purists madder than ruddy march hares, but there is not much I can do about that. Your problem. Try lots of Tums if dyspepsia becomes the problem! The real thing–FerrariRead Full Story
BMW Canada presents pricing…
BMW Canada has revealed pricing for two of its newest models. 1 Series M Coupé For the first time, the coveted M badge will appear on the 1 Series M Coupé. This 335-horsepower, twin-turbocharged, all-aluminum, 3-litre inline-6 engine will arrive at BMW retailers in spring 2011. The all-new BMW 1 Series M Coupé will startRead Full Story
Dates announced for 2011 BC Historic Motor Races
Vintage Racing Club of British Columbia announces the dates for its 2011 British Columbia Historic Motor Races The Vintage Racing Club of B.C. (VRCBC) announced today that the 2011 running of its annual marquee race weekend British Columbia Historic Motor Races (BCHMR) will be held on June 11 and 12 at the River’s Edge RoadRead Full Story
Porsche debuts hybrid-powered “Racing Lab”
Porsche 918 RSR Hybrid Mid-engine 918 RSR is a high-tech test bed for future technology DETROIT – January 10, 2010 — With the world debut of the spectacular 918 RSR “racing lab,” Porsche AG today highlighted its continued and intensive focus on combining ultimate performance and high efficiency in the field of hybridRead Full Story
Insurance industry picks 2011 safest cars
The insurance industry 2011 safety pick awards recognize 66 vehicles. South Korean automakers Hyundai and Kia and German car maker Volkswagen led the U.S. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s annual list of the safest new vehicles (2011 model year). Hyundai and its affiliate Kia Motors, and Volkswagen and its Audi brand received the most awardsRead Full Story
Volkswagen aims at domination!
Volkswagen is taking aim at world domination, starting with the 2011 Jetta. VW is on record as planning to be the biggest car company in the world by 2018, and one of the ways it aims to achieve this goal is by offering premium class vehicles at affordable compact, entry-level pricing. Such is definitely the caseRead Full Story
Think environmental regulations are the greatest threat to the future of the collector car hobby?
(Reprinted on the Historic Vehicle Association web site from Hagerty’s Magazine, Winter 2010) By Bob Butz A 2010 REPORT from the Earth Policy Institute spelled bad news for America’s car manufacturers: Americans scrapped 4 million more cars and trucks than they purchased in 2009 — the first significant drop in the U.S. auto fleet in more thanRead Full Story
Auto Talk: Jaguar’s all-new XJ!
The new cat builds on Jaguar’s new area design first seen in 2007 on the smaller XF model. The latest version is bigger and longer, featuring beautiful flowing lines, a high belt line, commanding front snout with hooded headlights and an overall get-up-and-go appearance. According to Jaguar Cars managing director, Mike O’Driscoll, the mission wasRead Full Story
You just know it's a Mustang!
Introduced on April 17, 1964, and demonstrated in dealers’ showrooms across Canada in 1965, the Mustang was Ford’s most successful launch since the Model A. The instant bond created with buyers was understandable—the car simply had character. Forty-five years later, North America’s favourite muscle car still exhibits that character. New exterior design, new interior trimRead Full Story
Infiniti competes in sports sedan M-class
It’s been 21 years since Infiniti started selling vehicles in North America and along the way the brand has matured and evolved into its own luxury marque, with global operations that include 230 dealers in 15 countries. Leading manufacturers such as BMW, Audi, Mercedes-Benz and Lexus were seriously challenged in 2003 when Infiniti introduced theRead Full Story
AJAC names 11 ‘Best New’ vehicles for 2011
Seventy of Canada’s top automotive journalists spent one week last month in the picturesque tourist town of Niagara-on-the-Lake, but not for the scenery or the wine tasting. The journalists, all members of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC), were there for the express purpose of determining the Best New cars and SUV/CUVs in 11Read Full Story
A masterfully engineered sports sedan – BMW 335is Coupe
Get the revs up, roll down the windows and enjoy the sensational, specially tuned exhaust note that emanates from the 320-horsepower, twin turbo, in-line six cylinder engine powering BMW’s latest sports sedan. Yes, it’s addictive, and if you are an enthusiast you will want to do it all day long. This future classic is simplyRead Full Story
More Events and More Fun for Canada’s Biggest British Classic Car Show!
All British Field Meet, May 21, 2011 at the VanDusen Botanical Garden Vancouver, Canada The Greatest Show on British Wheels began in 1985. Since those early days 26 years ago, the Show has grown to become the largest in Canada and the Pacific Northwest, overflowing the Garden with some 600-plus classic cars and motorcycles and moreRead Full Story
Porsche Invests 150 Million Euro in R & D
Through extensive construction projects, Porsche is implementing a long-term strategic site plan for its research and development centre in Weissach, Germany. The sports car manufacturer is investing around 150-million euros (CDN$200-million) in a high-tech wind tunnel, a state-of-the-art design centre and an innovative electronics integration centre. The technology implemented in the new wind tunnel willRead Full Story
Porsche 911 GT3 RSR Successes!
Once again, the Porsche 911 GT3 RSR is the world’s most successful GT race car. The fastest racing-911, developed following the rules of the GT2 category left its mark on the globe’s race tracks, winning against strong competition from Ferrari, BMW, Aston Martin and others. Read the full story under the Features – Motorsport menu.
MINI Announces Countryman Pricing
MINI Canada announces pricing for the new 2011 MINI Countryman MINI Cooper Countryman With an MSRP of $27,850, the MINI Cooper Countryman features the recently upgraded 1.6 litre DOHC 4 cylinder engine with fully-variable valve management, producing 121 horsepower @ 6,000 rpm and peak torque of 114 ft/lb @ 4,250 rpm. Equipped with the standardRead Full Story
Ferrari 599 HGTE Fiorano
Ferrari 599 HGTE Fiorano: New Handling Package By Steve Blake Half of November’s rainfall was due to fall the day I got to test the new Ferrari 599 HGTE. As I stood in Ferrari of Vancouver’s showroom looking outside at the bright red car waiting for me, the rain came down inRead Full Story