First Drive: 2009 Aston Martin V8 Vantage Roadster

Story and photo by John LeBlanc DALLAS–As stereotypes go, Texans are about as big as the Lone Star state they live in, so a drive in search of the “real Texas” should have been easy pickings. Especially when the locale is the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metropolis, which, in my mind, should have been about as “Texan” […]

Road Test: 2009 Audi A5 3.2 Quattro

Story and photo by John LeBlanc Like in “The Hamptons” episode of TV’s Seinfeld — where the doctor calls the baby breathtaking, while Elaine, Jerry and Kramer can’t stand the sight of it — defining what is, and what isn’t attractive, is a purely subjective act. So if beauty truly is in the eye of […]

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 […]

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 […]

First Drive: 2009 Aston Martin DBS

Story and photos by John LeBlanc DALLAS–Unlike other exotic brands like Ferrari or Porsche that have been consistently in the sports car spotlight for decades, Aston Martin’s long history of fading in and out of insolvency has sometimes meant lapses between new cars. But since the British automaker’s amicable divorce from 20-year steward Ford last […]

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