First Drive: 2012 Aston Martin V8 Vantage S

RONDA, SPAIN—If you pick up on the clues, it’s obvious the CEO running the very British Aston Martin brand, Ulrich Bez, used to work at the very German brands BMW and Porsche, applying a very Teutonic (i.e. methodical) approach to the perennially money-losing British brand. First, upon the German-born Bez’s arrival at Aston Martin in […]

2011 Geneva: Skoda Vision D Concept

Story and photos by John LeBlanc GENEVA -Unlike any North American auto show, here in Geneva the massive VW Group gets to show off all of its brands, including the ones we Canadians don’t get, like Seat and Skoda. So while some may pine for such forbidden fruit, the Skoda Vision D concept won’t create […]

First Drive: 2011 Chevrolet Camaro Convertible

[svgallery name=”2011_Chevrolet_Camaro_Convertible_hirez”] Topless bar-none Dropping its top solves a bunch of the Camaro’s critiques By John LeBlanc SAN DIEGO, California – In one fell swoop, Chevrolet has fixed one of the biggest flaws in its Camaro coupe. Simply tug on a release header latch, push a button — et voila! — the existing hardtop’s horrendous […]

First Drive: 2011 Aston Martin V12 Vantage

[svgallery name=”2011_Aston_V12_Vantage”] More is more Adding four more cylinders only betters Vantage’s already capable road manners By John LeBlanc CARMEL VALLEY, Calif. – One look at the latest Aston Martin Vantage’s spec sheet, and one would have thought that that ‘ol Texan chicken farmer, Carroll Shelby, had a hand in its creation. By taking the […]

The Crank: Will former Explorer SUV owners buy into new metrosexual model?

By John LeBlanc Like the lampshade-wearing Christmas get-together guest who doesn’t know when to call it a night, the old, truck-based Ford Explorer hung out at the SUV party way too long.

« go back — keep looking »