Road Trip: 2008 Targa Newfoundland – Part 2

Story and photos by John LeBlanc St. John’s, Newfoundland – A lot of things run though your mind when you realize your Targa Newfoundland racecar is no longer pointing in the desired direction, but rather heading swiftly towards a ditch – sideways – at about 60 km/h. You think … 1) Oh! So that’s why […]

Road Trip: 2008 Targa Newfoundland – Part 1

Story and photos by John LeBlanc My road to this year’s Targa Newfoundland road rally started on the last stage of the last day after completing the 2006 event. Arriving back where I had started five days earlier, near St. John’s harbour, overwhelmed by simply surviving such a grueling event as a navigator, I swore […]

Comparo: 2009 Audi A3 3.2, BMW 135i, Mitsubishi Evo, Subaru WRX STi

Story and photos by John LeBlanc CALABOGIE, ONT.–Essentially a gussied up Volkswagen Golf, Audi’s A3 started the premium compact genre in Europe 12 years ago. Today, almost every automaker has a compact car with a big car price in its stable. With all the features and performance of larger cars – but in a more […]

Road Test: 2008 Lexus GS 450h

Story and photos by John LeBlanc Looking for a car that makes you feel like you’re saving the planet, but that also rewards your hard-earned successes in life? The Lexus GS 450h is a mid-size, five-passenger luxury sports sedan that is also a H-Y-B-R-I-D. As such, the automaker says it’s a synthesis of both the […]

Comparo: Aston Martin V8 Vantage Roadster vs. Porsche 911 4S Cabriolet

Story and photos by John LeBlanc Let’s assume 18th century math geek, Sir Isaac Newton, wasn’t a “car guy.” Yet his Third Law rather nicely sums up why Aston Martin’s V8 Vantage exists: It’s the “opposite reaction” to Porsche’s forceful 911 Carrera. Until the two-seat V8 Vantage Coupe came along in 2005, Aston had only […]

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