Sommaire pour Fall 2024 de Vicarious

THERE WAS A TIME NOT SO long ago when Canada and the USA were at war. That might seem like an impossible situation these days given the differences in military capability and population between the two countries, but it was very real in 1812. Back then, wooden ships armed with cannons plied the waters between what was known as Upper Canada and the United States. The British ruled much of the known world and the Americans were once again in search of independence, having first achieved it in 1776. But the Brits didn’t want to abandon their rule without a second fight. In the end, complete freedom from Britian was secured and today we simply refer to this area as Southern Ontario and Western New York. Thankfully, it remains peaceful and…

TO ANYONE WHO APPRECIATES the finer points of taking corners at speed on a race track, the word ‘Corkscrew’ means only one thing; turns 7, 8 and 8a at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. It’s iconic. Get it right and you will be smiling for a least the next 1:25.44 seconds as your work your way back for another go around should you happen to be driving a Czinger 21C Hypercar, the current record holder. Of course, there is an equally compelling use of the word corkscrew that evokes a sense of surprise and delight as you anticipate the simple joy found in a fine glass of wine or spirits. While it may be a different pleasure than deftly making it through the famous set of turns located just east of…

IT WAS A TRIP THAT SET in motion influences that shaped the rest of our lives. Of course, we didn’t know it nearly four decades ago, but that family vacation was instrumental in informing what each my brother and I would do for a living, decades later. The summer of 1985 officially started once the school year was in the rear-view mirror and we hit the road – my parents, my brother, Scott, and me – for a seven-week sojourn across the country and back. We stuffed the family SUV with all the essentials a domestic quartet requires for a summer-long vacation (and then some), hitched up our tent-trailer, and headed west. 39 years later, my brother, Scott, and I set off to relive a lot of that momentous trip again,…

I DROP DOWN A GEAR, and the M198 inline six starts to shriek as if I was on my final lap at Mille Miglia. The 300SL Gullwing feels every bit like the W194 race car on which it’s based. Meanwhile, I’m living my best life as I’m observing Stuttgart disappearing in the distance. This is what I signed up for. This is why I keep doing this job. Roman philosopher Seneca once wrote, “luck Is what happens when preparation meets opportunity”. It’s a phrase that was later rehashed by none other than Pierre Trudeau, an irony considering he owned a 300SL roadster. I must have been very well prepared when the opportunity to drive a 300SL came not once, but twice. My first acquittance with the German classic was during…

FIRST DRIVE DRIVING THE 2024 PORSCHE Cayenne Turbo GT is not for anyone looking to pass through the neighbourhood unnoticed. This is a serious sounding and looking automobile, especially in Arctic Grey, with the capability to go supercar fast. And it does so in an SUV body that stands out from the crowd. Not even the Lamborghini Urus captures my imagination with as much excitement as the Turbo GT. At the heart of this Cayenne is a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 engine producing 650 horsepower and 627 pound-feet of torque. All this power propels the Turbo GT to 100 km/h in just 3.3 seconds and a top speed of 305 km/h with summer tires. The engine benefits from numerous enhancements, including modified pistons and connecting rods, ensuring it can handle the demands…

SOMETIMES, YOU CAN FIND great pleasure in driving a car at very low speeds. While this may seem like a sacrilegious statement, especially for the pages of an automotive enthusiast publication, it’s a verifiable fact. Of course, much still depends on the car in question, the location and the circumstances. The Circuit de Monaco, site of the world-famous Monaco Grand Prix, is exactly 3.337 km in length. The hybrid-engined 2025 McLaren Artura Spider has an all-electric driving range of around 17.70 kilometres. Simple math then dictates that you should be able to drive the latest McLaren around this auspicious stretch of tarmac over five times. Now, a handful of caveats to take into consideration. First of all, it’s not possible to drive the entire circuit layout on a non-race weekend.…

IF YOU GIVE PEOPLE SOMETHING to complain about, they will. And if you don't, they'll likely find something anyway. Take the 2024 Honda Transalp, for example. Honda’s newest middleweight adventure motorcycle is right-sized (750 cc) and right-priced at $13,506 (including freight, PDI and fees). It’s got a goodly amount of tech and a decent enough catalogue of accessories right from Honda, to tackle nearly anything with confidence. So, what’s to whine about? Despite being the first time that the storied Transalp model has landed on our shores (save a brief gap-year trip back in 1989), the North American model has been detuned to make the EPA happy. Specifically, the engine management unit has neutered overall performance to ensure that noise regulations are satisfied. The cost of sonic compliance rings in…

READ THE FULL REVIEW IT’S AMAZING; SEEMS THAT JUST yesterday, hybrid vehicles were complete oddities in the car and light truck world. Today, the tech can be found in everything from pickups to…hypercars? In the case of Lamborghini’s latest hypercar, that hybridization means one thing: power. This is a 6.5-litre V12-powered mid-engine road racer that even without its three electric motors, is good for over 810 horsepower. Add that EV boost and you’re over the 1,000 hp mark – and yes, you can plug it in and drive on EV power – for about 10 km. While the Revuelto may not be about full EV motoring, it’s definitely about making one’s hairs stand on-end with little more than a tickle of the throttle; accelerating to 100 km/h from stop is…

IF YOU’VE HAD THE PLEASURE OF attending the Grand Prix du Montreal, you know that getting into and out of the race site can be a challenge. The F1 race is held on the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, which is on the narrow Isle de Notre-Dame in the St. Lawrence River. There are only two small bridges connecting the site with the adjacent island, which then connects to the city’s roads and transit. On a busy afternoon, spectator egress from the race is slow. The bridges are restricted to outbound foot traffic only, and it can take a while to leave. Imagine, then, the feat of logistics involved in getting the circus that is the F1 itself – 10 teams, twenty priceless race cars, equipment, volunteers, stands, merch and food –…

GENESIS ISN’T SHY ABOUT who its new GV80 Coupe is competing against. With German luxury brands saturating the SUV Coupe segment, buyers expect a certain level of refinement and performance rolled into a stylish package. Something that doesn’t scream family transport but instead symbolizes affluence and success. With an array of genuinely impressive vehicles, Genesis has moved quickly to make a name for itself as a luxury car company in just 8 years. The GV80 Coupe is based on the SUV which provides a solid foundation. This whole four-door coupe trend can be credited to the Mercedes CLS which came out in 2004. Its downward-sloping roofline typically reserved for sports coupes restricted rear seat headroom but led to a more streamlined and elegant silhouette. From some angles, it looked like…

I REMEMBER MY FIRST CIGAR as vividly as I recall saying "I do." It was a Montecristo No. 2, the classic Cuban stick that I'd carefully selected for my wedding day. I'd bought an entire box, determined to share this indulgence with friends and family as we celebrated. Little did I know that this choice would not only mark the beginning of my marriage but also ignite a lifelong passion for premium cigars. Twenty-nine years later, I'm still happily married, perhaps I owe some credit to that auspicious start with the Montecristo. That wedding day experience was a far cry from the clichéd image of a novice choking on acrid smoke. Instead, as I puffed on the Montecristo, I found myself intrigued by its complex flavours that danced across my…

CHANCES ARE YOU’VE PROBABLY heard about the early Porsche 911 club called “R Gruppe”, or maybe you just appreciate “hot rod” car culture born in California. Perhaps you’ve even heard of the annual R Gruppe “Treffen” event, where ogling each other’s tricked-out early Porsche 911s is something everyone looks forward to. Each year, since it’s humble beginnings back in 1999 (except during Covid), the members of R Gruppe have met in a location somewhere in California or Utah. In 2024, R Gruppe celebrated its 25th year by hosting a car meet in Santa Fe, New Mexico over the U.S. Memorial Day weekend. The R Gruppe club was inspired by Porsche’s racing history, the 911R Sports Purpose Manual, and the outlaw spirit of Steve McQueen. It was founded by Freeman Thomas and…

JEFF WILSON Jeff Wilson is a producer with Emmy-nominated production company Echo Bay Media, known for travel productions like Departures, Descending, Into The Rising Sun, and Over the Horizon, enjoyed around the world on Travel Channel, National Geographic, Netflix and Discovery to name a few. The team’s adventures have enabled Jeff to experience Sudan, Djibouti, remote islands in Papua, and motorcycling across the Jordanian desert, although producing a culinary series in a 12th century French chateau was decidedly more comfortable. Jeff ’s passion for travel is only surpassed by his love of machines and he’s spent the past dozen years sharing his award-winning photography and writing about cars, trucks and motorcycles in several notable online and print publications. When not behind the camera or keyboard, Jeff’s happiest behind the handlebars…

GOLF ISN’T JUST A GAME. Nor is it solely a sport. It’s a lifestyle. It’s an obsession. It’s a way of life. From its earliest roots in Scotland to today’s technology-backed iterations, golf represents something unique to each person who has ever picked up a club. Golf can offer a much-needed reprieve from the modern-day rat race. It can provide valuable quality time among family and friends. It can scratch a competitive itch, especially for former athletes. It can be a never-ending quest for perfection. Ultimately, golf is the great equalizer. Whether your annual salary is $3 million or $30,000, you’re a famous actor or Kindergarten teacher, or are from Toronto or Timbuktu, golf doesn’t discriminate. Golf is man vs. nature. Nothing more. Nothing less. I first started playing in…

“THIS COULD NEVER HAPPEN IN Southern Ontario where I live,” I joked to my driving partner as we rounded a severe lefthand turn followed in quick succession by a sharp right and then a steep uphill climb before plunging hurriedly back down toward the crashing waves off the coast of San Sebastien at speeds exceeding the posted limit, but keeping pace with the locals. Roads like this don’t exist in Canada and I am not convinced we would even know how to construct them. But they do in Spain and, as a character in Seinfeld once claimed while referencing something completely different and not created by man, “They’re real and they’re spectacular!” The 2025 Audi Q6 e-tron is the third in a series of electric SUVs and it now completes…

JULY 6, NOON, TRACKSIDE: it’s almost my turn behind the wheel of a bona fide race car, coached by a national champion. First, some naked honesty: I’m kind of a lousy driver. (In the past, I’ve been known to signal turns on the racetrack). So, I’m a touch nervous. All the voices around are excitedly speaking French and I’m taking in about a quarter of the conversation. I’d love to contribute a joke but can’t remember whether ‘nerveux’ is expressed using the verb avoir or être. Instead, I get on my knees and pretend to pray beside the race car. Such physical humour goes down well and lots of cameras come out (would love to see that photo! – Ed.). Three minutes later, I’m attempting to follow advice that’s coming faster…

THERE ARE OF COURSE MANY things that can been said/have been said/will be said about the United Kingdom. Whether it’s talk about weather, looking left instead of looking right or – shudder – Brexit, it will never be far from the headlines, the Google search bar or indeed, popular culture. The treatment is often unfair, of course – look to an American character using nothing more than buzzwords like “bad food” and “worse weather” to describe the country in Guy Ritchie’s Snatch – but there’s a reason Ritchie, a Brit, can poke fun at his own peeps; they’ve always had a great sense of humour and can be quite self-defacing. For the purposes of this story, however, it’s the UK’s ingenuity and indelible impact on cultures the world over that…

IMAGINE THE WARMTH of the sun on your shoulders. Imagine no longer needing a calendar for work appointments. Now imagine you’re piloting a two-seat, open-air, pleasure machine pointed at the open horizon, with your favourite travel companion along for the ride. The Honda Goldwing and Mazda MX-5 Miata are just the sort of machines that can whip up an imagination cocktail with a double shot of dopamine and serotonin. That many (most?) of the buyers of these machines tend to be of the grey-haired (or no-haired) demographic is inconsequential. They’re each brilliant enough that anyone who experiences them should appreciate these two for what they are: feats of tremendous engineering. And, yes, we know comparing a car and a motorcycle is a little odd, and that someone about to spring…

Welcome The Wanderer AS THE DAYS GROW SHORTER and the air turns crisp, it’s natural to find our minds wandering back to summer’s warmth. Yet, there’s something about fall that stirs a different kind of wanderlust—the allure of the road less travelled, the charm of hidden gems waiting to be discovered, and the thrill of an adventure that awaits just beyond the horizon. This summer, many of us were captivated by the global spectacle of the Olympics, not just for the athletic feats but for the glimpses of distant lands and cultures that came with them. These moments sparked a curiosity in me, a desire to explore new places and revisit old favourites. Whether it’s the call of a sun-drenched coast or the serene beauty of a snow-covered landscape, the…