“Hang onto your breakfast,” Les Betchner, the driver/instructor, shouts as the 13-passenger Chevrolet Club approaches the first big turn on the 1.6-mile Bondurant Road Course in Phoenix, forcing a dozen formerly vertical passengers to lean right simultaneously. Equilibriums askew, our senses are immediately overwhelmed by a series of gut-wrenching sideways corners, continually screeching tires, and […]
Under normal circumstances, driving a Lamborghini Murciélago at top speed provides enough excitement for one day. Twelve cylinders wailing away behind your head as you floor the accelerator is enough to get anyone’s adrenaline pumping. However, the circumstances under which I drove this latest, lightest Murciélago were not exactly normal. The sun had just set […]
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American Beauty Perhaps General Motors could have avoided its current financial predicament if all of its products had been as stellar as the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1. This car can lay rubber in third gear, at 100 mph, using nothing more sophisticated than a supercharger affixed to an old-technology pushrod engine. Performance aside, the ZR1’s low-rent […]
Hard of Gearing I felt shaken, not stirred, after driving the Aston Martin DBS. The car’s V-12 engine makes it front-heavy and loud. Its center console is busy with buttons and includes a slot for a key fob that must be pushed into the dash and held in place to start the car. The manual […]
Shifting Gearboxes The BMW M3 is the dark horse that almost took this year’s title. None of our judges expected the top-level 3 Series to blow them away with its perfectly balanced combination of engine performance, handling prowess, and what can only be described as the best automated shifter on the planet. BMW’s long-reviled sequential […]
Perfection Pursued If Las Vegas bookmakers had set an official line, the new Porsche 911 Carrera S coupe and cabriolet would have been the odds-on favorites going into this contest. The 911 Turbo virtually tied the Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano for second place in last year’s judging. The latest model is impressive, particularly its dual-clutch […]
Not Just Hot Air That the Mercedes-Benz SL63 AMG placed second in this group testifies to the hardiness and resiliency of the SL platform, which won back-to-back top honors in this competition—first as the SL500 and again as the SL55 AMG—more than five years ago. Of course, near perfection never loses its appeal. Although it […]
Bullish on the Bull The Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 is the third in a series of award-winning automobiles produced by a manufacturing conglomerate better known for its Beetles than for its unbeatable exotic sports and luxury cars. Yes, the Volkswagen Group has scored a hat trick. Two years ago the Bentley Continental GT Convertible won Robb […]
The Suit Fits The Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupé is what would happen if the BMW 7 Series were built on Savile Row. Forget that only contortionists will be able to sit in the rear quarters for more than 15 minutes at a time. Forget also the sticker price and the novelty or necessity of a starlight […]
THE GIFT One 2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, a 638 hp American sports car. One 2010 Fisker Karma, a plug-in hybrid American sport sedan. Participation in the Quail Rally, a two-day driving event on northern California’s Monterey Peninsula. Transportation to Monterey and access to all events during Monterey Car Week, August 10 to 16, 2009. One […]
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