The Crank: 2011 CAJ Best of the Best nominees released

By John LeBlanc Here’s the deal. If you’re reading my blog, it’s safe to assume that you’re one of the wisest, sharpest, most knowledgeable car enthusiasts on the planet. So it goes without reason that if yours truly is to put his name behind an annual new car award, it’s going to be the “best” […]

Paris 2010: Design Disasters

By John LeBlanc PARIS, France – Is it me, or is car design in a bit of a funk? Maybe it’s the new pedestrian laws—that are demanding higher hoodlines and subsequently taller (i.e. odd) proportions. Or maybe the financial demand of making the tougher fuel economy and emissions regulations has crunched automotive design department budgets. […]

Top 10s: Best Sounding New Cars

[svgallery name=”Top_10_Sounding_pics”] By John LeBlanc Eye-grabbing styling, gut-punching acceleration, track-ready handling – these are all qualities that can make or break a driving enthusiast’s new car purchase decision. Yet like a gorgeous supermodel that eventually opens their mouth with less-than-stellar acoustical results, how a car sounds can help you pick your next set of wheels […]

Feature: AMG Performance Tour

[svgallery name=”AMG_Performance_Tour”] By John LeBlanc PAHRUMP, Nev. – Over the past four decades, Germany’s AMG has grown from a couple of guys hot-rodding Mercedes-Benz in a barn, to a full-on subsidiary of the automaker that now employs over 900 employees.

First Drive: 2011 Mercedes-Benz R Class

[svgallery name=”2011_R_Class_pics”] R Class gets schooled Does new looks and calling it a “crossover,” change your opinion about Mercedes’ former Grand Tourer? By John LeBlanc HOBOKEN, N.J. – You might know this New Jersey city from the classic 1950 cartoon short that matched Bugs Bunny with Hoboken Penguin, the top-hat-wearing penguin from the Brooklyn Ice […]

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