2010 Toronto Auto Show – “Must See” Performance Cars

By John LeBlanc Environmentalists and politicians can't seem to kill high-performance cars. Despite rising fuel prices, congested traffic, draconian speeding laws and political incorrectness, there's still plenty of new-car buyers who want a fun-to-drive and powerful car. While there is still be plenty of "diesel this" and "hybrid that" at this year's Canadian International AutoShow, here are my five "must see" performance cars for those who still love to drive: 2010 Audi R8 5.2 & R8 Spyder (above) You gotta love Audi. The German company could have sat back, put up its feet and still sold every R8 sports car it brings into Canada. Instead, for 2010, a V10 engine is being added to the R8 range, while Audi Canada will also display the R8 Spyder – a future convertible version of the existing V8 model. By adding a V10 to the R8 mix, Audi has graduated its flagship from "high-end sports car" to "supercar" status. For an additional $32,000 over the existing $141,000 420-hp V8 two-seat mid-engine all-wheel-drive coupe that was introduced two years ago, the new R8 5.2 offers 105 hp more from virtually the same V10 found in a more-then-quarter-million-dollar Lamborghini Gallardo. With the help of launch control, Audi says the V10 is almost a full second quicker to 100 km/h than the V8, just under four seconds. 2011 Ford Shelby GT500 With news that run-of-the-mill 2011 Mustangs were getting new V6 and V8 engines, it's not surprising to find out that a new, top-line Shelby GT500 would be making its Canadian debut at this year's show. Like the cooking Mustangs, the GT500 was heavily refreshed just last year, but used a carryover drivetrain. For 2011, Ford has fixed that with an all-new aluminum-block supercharged V8 with more horsepower than ever. Ford says, the GT500's 5.4-litre eight will make 550 hp and 510 lb.-ft. of torque. That's a 10 horsepower upgrade over the 2010 model. Plus, 80 per cent of the torque is made between 1,750 and 6,250 rpm, giving the car a higher level of performance feel, says Ford. Also new for 2011 is an SVT TrackPack available on both the GT500 coupe and convertible. The track-oriented package adds unique styling, lighter wheels, a higher rear axle ratio, stiffer springs, and all-new Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperCar G:2 tires that SVT engineers worked directly with the tiremaker to develop. 2011 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Gullwing Also making its Canadian auto show debut, the new SLS AMG Gullwing supercar replaces the outgoing SLR McLaren that debuted way back in 2003 as Mercedes-Benz's top performing car, this side of a certain Mr. Schumacher's Mercedes Formula 1 race car. The new SLS AMG follows the old SLR's philosophy, yet acknowledges Mercedes' from the past with its signature "gull wing" doors, a tribute to the original 1950's 300SL Gullwing sports car. Like the previous SLR, the SLS is a front/mid-mounted design and jammed with the latest high-tech goodies that tuner AMG could find in its well-stocked cupboard. Instead of a supercharged V8 as per the old SLR, AMG's naturally aspirated 6.3-litre V8 with 563 hp and 479 lb.-ft. of torque is under the hood, mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox via a carbon-fibre driveshaft. Performance is SLR-like: 0-96 km/h in 3.7 seconds. Yet compared to the $500,000 SLR, the new SLS AMG looks like a deal at its expected $250,000 price tag. And just to make sure you don't forget that the new SLR AMG is a serious supercar, it will serve as the official Safety Car for this year's Formula 1 World Championship.It will become the ninth Mercedes to perform such duties, replacing the SL63, which has been used since 2008. 2011 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport With all the song and dance Chevrolet is doing these days over its Volt plug-in hybrid and itty-bitty gas sippers like the upcoming Spark, Aveo and Cruze, it's easy to forget the General Motors brand still makes The Great American Sports Car: the Corvette. New for 2010 is the Grand Sport model. About $7,000 more than a stock 'Vette and over $53,000 less than where the top-line ZR1 starts, the newest Corvette trim level may be the best performance value in the lineup. Replacing the old Z51 package, stepping up to the Grand Sport gets you the base Corvette's 430-hp V8 (436 hp with the optional exhaust), but adds many bits from the $95,620 Z06 model, like a wider track, bigger rubber, cross-drilled brake rotors, and exterior styling that includes a front air inlet, wider fenders, and rear brake-cooling ducts that GM says reduces aerodynamic lift by half. Nissan Stillen GT-R Okay. Full disclosure: you can't just roll into your local GTA Nissan dealer and buy the Stillen GT-R that will be on display at the show. But the car, conceivably, could be built if you showed up with enough money at racer/tuner Steve Millen's shop and asked nicely for a a replica. If you did, you'd have one race-ready machine. The 2009 Stillen GT-R competed in last year's Targa Newfoundland road rally. Nissan says the major changes to the stock GT-R happened when the Stillen team put the iconic "Godzilla" on a diet to make it lighter (about 78 kg less than the 2010 stock GT-R). Modifications were also made for increased throttle response, while the suspension was tweaked for more adjustability. In the end, the Stillen's GT-R can run to 96 km/h in 2.9 seconds, versus 3.5 in the stock version.

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