Tag: track test

Lamborghini Aventador S Coupe | Shaun Keenan for Ignition

Tested: 2017 Lamborghini Aventador S Coupe

Eight Seconds or Bust! _ Born out of spite and a general malaise for Ferrari in 1963, the Lamborghini brand has always been synonymous with excitement, panache and wow factor! The gorgeous Miura, extreme Countach, bodacious Diablo and menacing Murciélago are some of the important monikers that have defined this insatiable lineage of raging bulls from Sant’Agata Bolognese, Italy throughout… Read more →

2017 Mercedes-AMG C 63 S Coupe | Shaun Keenan for Ignition

Tested: 2017 Mercedes-AMG C 63 S Coupe

Improving awesome! _ Driving the new C 63 AMG S coupe is an exercise in restraint. I suspect that owning one, then, will be that and many more things. The car’s purpose is simple. To be the best C-Class ever. And it just might be. Along with its sedan counterpart, the C 63s are head and shoulders above the rest.… Read more →

2016 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350R | Shaun Keenan for Ignition

Tested: 2016 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350R

The Ace of Laguna Seca _ Carroll Shelby would be proud. No question. Were the Godfather of factory performance still here to take one of these out for a rip, he’d be impressed. Undoubtedly. Perhaps even in tears. They’re that good. The 2016 Mustang Shelby GT350 and GT350R are not only the most powerful naturally-aspirated ’Stangs Ford has ever built,… Read more →

2015 Mercedes-Benz C 63 AMG S Model | Shaun Keenan

Tested: 2015 Mercedes-Benz C 63 AMG

The Sultan of Studio 63 _ (Yawn) My chauffeur seems slightly miffed. “The guy behind just turned left,” he says while checking the rearview mirror. “On the straight!” he chuffs before saying something in German to a colleague over the two-way radio in his right hand while nonchalantly holding the steering wheel with his left. My German is at best… Read more →

2015 McLaren 650S Spider| Shaun Keenan

Tested: 2015 McLaren 650S Spider

Indulgence yes! _ From the front, the 650S looks like the McLaren P1. From the rear, the hindquarters taken from the 12C make it look like a spaceship! It certainly screams ‘Hey, look at me!’ and it blasts off like a rocket. That it costs more than many houses, I can only imagine what the neighbours were thinking. The interior… Read more →

2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat | Shaun Keenan

Tested: 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat

#WTHellcat?! _ The first time I drove the Dodge Challenger wasn’t back in the summer of ’71 (I wasn’t event born yet) and, no, it wasn’t an original coupe from the last days of the penultimate muscle car era. But it feels like just yesterday that I and the then-new 2009 Challenger SRT bonded on the high-performance test track during… Read more →

2015 BMW M4 Coupe Austin Yellow

Tested: 2015 BMW M3 Sedan & M4 Coupe

M Stands for Moar _ I’m in the heart of Kohler country to test drive the new 2015 BMW M3 (F80) and M4 (F82). The village of Kohler, Wisconsin has been chosen to launch these fraternal Bavarian beauties not because of its great deals on bathroom faucets or kitchen sinks, but because everywhere you look you’d swear you’re smack dab… Read more →

Wolf GBO8 | Shaun Keenan

Featured: Wolf Racing GB08 Sport Prototype

The Wolf of Mosport _ Walter Wolf stormed onto the Formula One racing scene in the mid 1970s with visions of grandeur. After purchasing a major stake in Frank William Racing Cars and rescuing the defunct Hesketh Racing team in 1976, the Austrian-born Canadian oil baron gave it the old college try and formed Walter Wolf Racing to compete in… Read more →

2012 Fiat 500 Abarth Test

B-class Betty is wicked quick I’m back at the Motorsports Ranch in Pahrump, Nevada to drive the all-new 2012 Fiat 500 Abarth on the 5.0-km long road course where this pint-sized car is proving you don’t need a ton of horsepower to create a super-sized grin. The Abarth is the high-performance version of Fiat’s 500 subcompact that is gaining popularity… Read more →

2013 Hyundai Genesis Coupe Test

Genesis Coupe reborn as bona fide sports car Last fall, I drove the best-selling Hyundai Genesis Coupe 3.8 GT at Mosport and was quite impressed with the car’s superb balance and exciting performance. But, today I’m at the Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch in Pahrump, Nevada to drive the significantly-refreshed 2013 Hyundai Genesis Coupe – both the 2.0T and 3.8 GT models… Read more →