Vicarious | Spring 2021 Issue by The VICARIOUS Magazine

SPRING 2021

JOIN THE CLUB! Subscribe and let the adventure begin. See pages 36-37

DISCOVERED You Can Sleep When You’re Dead

SPECIAL FEATURE Turbo Is Forever

106 FIRST DRIVE 2021 Rolls-Royce Ghost

SOMETIMES YOU NE E D TO D I SCONNECT TO R EALLY CONNECT WITH W HAT’S IMPORTANT.

TH E A LL- N E W INDIAN CHIEF. G E T LOST AND FOUND AT T HE SAM E TIM E.

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For those special moments you want to create, we are here for you. Personalized, memorable experiences are our specialty. For reservations please visit ritzcarlton.com/toronto © 2021 The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company L.L.C.

EDITOR IN CHIEF “Courage is like love; it must have hope for nourishment.” – Napoleon Bonaparte

ope. A four letter word that has more power than almost any other in the English language. Combined with love and faith, this literary trio delivers the perfect recipe for all that ails a world grappling under the weight of a global pandemic.

ful thing! Until then, stay safe and to quote that over-used British slogan plastered on coffee mugs everywhere, “Keep Calm And Carry On”.

In this issue, we are pleased to introduce you to more new talent. Our list of world-class contribuHope is not vain pursuit, a feeble notion that if I tors grows to include one of North America’s most believe strong enough, good things will happen. celebrated moto-journalists Costa Mouzouris as That’s a Disney movie. Rather, it comes from a he takes us on an unforgettable ride in Morocco. place of hard work and sacrifice, a willingness to Justin W. Coffey, a freelance photojournalist and look at things differently, take risks and trust that the co-creator of WESTx1000, goes inside the better days are ahead if you stay the calculated course. In other words, it’s just another day at Dakar Rally and Brendan McAleer, an independent automotive writer and photographer residing in VICARIOUS. beautiful British Columbia, explores his passion We start this issue with an image on the front cover for new and classic Porsche turbos. that speaks hope in a powerful way. Light breaking through the darkness to illuminate the road ahead At VICARIOUS, we are excited to take you places is not only a metaphor for our journey as people that inspire the traveller in all of us, while putting living in an unusual world, but the foundation on you in the front seat of some of the most exhilwhich we have formed the underpinnings of our arating vehicles on the planet. Watch for us this business. summer on newsstands across Canada as we take our exclusive print magazine coast-to-coast, or To continue delivering exceptional auto and moto travel stories during a pandemic is either folly at get VICARIOUS print magazine today. Use the QR the highest level, or the ultimate expression of Code below or go to vicariousmag.com and click hope. Better days are ahead, global travel will start JOIN THE CLUB! to get it delivered now to your again and life as we used to know it, will come home or office directly. Either way, we have many back in some recognizable form. It won’t, it can’t great adventures in store for you in this issue, so be exactly the same, but it will be a new adventure get comfy, pour yourself a favourite beverage and that we all share together and that is a very hope- let’s go!

JEFF VOTH Editor In Chief | VICARIOUS jvoth@vicariousmag.com

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EDITOR AT LARGE “Sometimes a car seems not simply to move you through the world but to put you into the world more thoroughly” – Matthew B. Crawford

few years back, some comments I had written in a review about the then-new Honda Rebel 300 were called out by a respected colleague. The US model of that bike wasn’t equipped with ABS brakes as standard and in my review I wrote not to bother with the option. My belief was and is that new riders are better served by spending the $300 it cost on additional rider training. My argument wasn’t that ABS isn’t important, only that riders of that particular bike would be better served by learning how to explore their limits without technological intervention.

manager said, at the time, that this “would be for those who want to relax a little bit and not stress out about falling over”. In 2018, a BMW R1200 GS rode itself around some roads and parking lots without any rider at the helm at all. The driverless car is all but here and clearly the bikes will follow.

The quote above was pulled from the book, Why We Drive, by Matthew B. Crawford. Throughout its pages Crawford warns us drivers (and riders) about the possible perils of our ever evolving technological world. Namely our obsessions with it and obediDucati’s new Multistrada V4 S offers bleedingence to it and how embracing those may ultimately edge tech in blind-spot detection (BSD) and laser destroy our ability to engage in a fun and spirited guided cruise control. The adaptive cruise appardrive. Or drive at all. In short, one of Crawford’s ently works wonders, even applying enough brakposits is that the proliferation of “driver aids” and ing to all but stop the bike when needed. As cool “safety features”, as beneficial as they can be, are as this sounds, it worries me a bit. When this tech also taking a toll. They’re eliminating skill sets and becomes widespread, will it dull riders’ senses our abilities to develop them. when the roads straighten? Clearly motorcycles and motorcyclists are not In 2016, BMW introduced a self-balancing motorimmune to this. cycle called the Vision Next100 Concept -- it used gyroscopes to keep it shiny side up -- and The relationship between driver and car, rider and promoted it thusly: “Glasses in place of a helmet, bike, can create the most rewarding means to how smart clothing, full balance without a kickstand”. we’re able to be “put into the world more thorIn 2017, Honda built a similar self-balancing- oughly”. As much as we applaud innovation and bike, only they took it a scooch further; Honda’s technology around here, we celebrate learning coding enabled the computer to take full steering from missteps, exploring limits and how doing so control at speeds of less than 3 miles per hour. Lee increases enjoyment and awareness. Much like Mr. Edmunds, Hondas Powersports’ marketing senior Crawford, I hope we never lose site of that.

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CONTENTS EDITOR IN CHIEF

EDITOR AT LARGE

CONTRIBUTORS 14

Discovered

FRANCE, THE LE MANS WAY

Featured Hotels

ROADSIDE CHIC

Discovered

YOU CAN SLEEP WHEN YOU’RE DEAD

Featured Road

THE DELICATE ART OF GETTING PROPERLY STUCK

Featured Car

2020 LAMBORGHINI AVENTADOR SVJ ROADSTER

Featured Region

A BRIEF WHIFF OF MOROCCO

Discovered

THE BUTTER TART TOUR

Special Feature

TURBO IS FOREVER

Featured Motorcycle

2022 HARLEY-DAVIDSON PAN AMERICA 68

OUR TEAM EDITOR IN CHIEF

Special Feature

THEY WERE BORN FOR THIS!

WEST COAST EDITOR

Power Brokers

KARIM HABIB, KIA HEAD OF GLOBAL DESIGN CENTER

Steven Bochenek sbochenek@vicariousmag.com

CONTRIBUTORS

Discovered

BACKROADS AND SUPERSPEEDWAYS

Matthew Neundorf mneundorf@vicariousmag.com

EV EDITOR AT LARGE

Discovered

IT’S HAMMER TIME CAN’T TOUCH THIS!

Dan Heyman dheyman@vicariousmag.com

EDITOR AT LARGE

EV Avenue

2021 VOLVO XC90 RECHARGE PLUG-IN HYBRID

Jeff Voth jvoth@vicariousmag.com

Brendan McAleer

Costa Mouzouris Justin W. Coffey Matthew Guy

Gear Up!

IT’S TIME TO RIDE

Stephanie Wallcraft William Clavey

Featured SUV

2021 CADILLAC ESCALADE

102

COVER PHOTO John Tower

DESIGN & LAYOUT

First Drive

2021 ROLLS-ROYCE GHOST

106

Jennifer Elia

PUBLISHER VICARIOUS

Time Zone

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ADVERTISING INQUIRIES advertising@vicariousmag.com 13

CONTRIBUTORS JUSTIN W. COFFEY Justin W. Coffey is a freelance photojournalist and co-creator of WESTx1000. He has spent the past decade traveling the world like Caine, shooting photos of things that go fast, eating Oreos and sleeping in uncomfortable places. When not on the road to ruin, he splits his free time between Baja California and the American Southwest, where he can be found eating tacos, and riding his dual-sport motorcycle on a desolate beach or down a forgotten dirt road. You can see more of his work at jwcoffey.com

MATTHEW GUY Living in rural Nova Scotia, Matthew Guy is a certified gearhead who enjoys coming up with and then writing about long distance drives few others in their right mind would consider attempting. Whether it’s wheeling a Land Rover across the deserts of western Utah or bidding on collector cars at the Barrett-Jackson auction in Arizona, Matthew is never far from something with four wheels and an engine.

STEPHANIE WALLCRAFT Stephanie Wallcraft is a multiple award-winning automotive journalist and is the President of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada. Raised by an auto worker, she spent her childhood honing her affinity for all things fast on four wheels in the grandstands at the Molson Indy. Today, she can most often be found either breathing ethanol fumes in grimy pit lanes, camping her way across Canada on road trips with her daughter, or testdriving new vehicles in far-flung locales.

BRENDAN MCALEER Brendan McAleer is an award-winning automotive writer and photographer based in North Vancouver, BC. His work appears in Car and Driver, Road & Track, Autoweek, The Globe and Mail, and elsewhere. He has strange affinity for unreliable British cars, oddball French cars, and basically anything weird on wheels. He is currently tricking his two young daughters into liking cars. It seems to be working.

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DISCOVERED

FRANCE, THE LE MANS WAY A LIFETIME MEASURED IN 24 HOURS

Story and Photography

Dan Heyman

he romanticism associated with France is undeniable; settling into a fine brandy in the chalet after a fine day of skiing Mont Blanc in the Alps; a drive along the sun-bleached and palm tree-lined Promenade de La Plage in Cagnes-SurMer on the way to Nice; the carpeted sidewalks in Monaco; the French Riviera is world-renowned, and so it should be. It’s the default when it comes to France. The Riviera and the cafés, historic sites and museums of Paris, of course. What if your romanticism was of a different persuasion, though? One that was perhaps tinged with the smell of burnt racing fuel and that sees the sound of crashing waves replaced with that of roaring engines? People tend to forget – if they knew at all – that for many, France is the breadbasket of the auto racing world. More specifically than that, there’s a little town in the northwest Loire Valley region that is a mecca of meccas. In the popular sense, the Loire Valley is best known

for its chateaux. For those in the know, though, it’s known for its place in the hallowed halls of motorsport. You see, the Loire region is where you’ll find the city of Le Mans, and you don’t have to look much past the recent film Ford v Ferrari to understand just how important the 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race was to the car world as a whole in its heyday. Its popularity has waned a bit in recent years, but the same can be said for auto racing in general so it’s unfair to go ahead and categorize Le Mans as some kind of cautionary tale. It has too much skin in the game; it doesn’t deserve that treatment. Plus, it’s so much more than a racetrack. It is hallowed ground, traversed by men named Bell, Andretti, McQueen (yes, that McQueen. The movie star one), Kristensen, Fellows, Schumacher, Haywood, Ickx, Shelby, Hill, Foyt – the list goes on and it’s a who’s who of racing royalty.

The race takes place on a 13.6km loop of tarmac that covers both private and public roads – which makes for an incredible add to any road trip if you’re a car or racing person – that winds through beech and pine trees, past houses (including a pretty famous white one that has a particularly harrowing section on the course named after it) that look like they’ve been standing since the prewar area, probably because many of them have been.

the chateaux can’t call themselves as much of an international sensation as that track can.

After that, it’s on to a state-of-the-art modern racetrack scalded by tire marks from a car list as eclectic as the driver one: Corvette, Ferrari, Porsche, Audi, McLaren, Viper, Mercedes, BMW, Lancia, Aston Martin, Jaguar, Bentley, Cadillac and again – the list goes on. Most every performance brand worth its salt has been there in one era or another. It’s just the kind of place that attracts the world’s most heralded motors. Even most of

Our itinerary would take us through the Normandy region in the North, which is a great destination if not a great drive from Paris. Indeed, Paris to Caen along the A13 Autoroute is not the most thrilling unless you like roundabouts and toll booths. The drive we’d end up doing from Le Havre to Le Mans, though – well that’s a different story.

Which is why the South of France wasn’t in the cards on this trip. I wanted to go where the ghosts of motor racing roam – I wanted to go to Le Mans. Our journey starts about two hours away, though, in the outskirts of Paris at Renault HQ where I picked up a loaner Infiniti Q60 coupe – yes, at a Renault facility due to there being alliance between the French manufacturer and Infiniti/Nissan and Mitsubishi. A low-slung, two-door coupe for a drive to the cradle of motorsport? Sign me up.

Especially if you go through Caen.

It pays to go for a walk on one of these beaches before you carry on with your journey, however. It’s a chance to pay respect to the fact that these very same waters looked very different at a time that, in the grand scheme of things, wasn’t that long ago. If you have the time, then check out the Juno Beach Centre in Courseulles-Sur-Mer, where you can learn all about the Canadian efforts on that faithful day and take a tour of the bunker network that the allies first had to contend with upon landing, then navigate immediately after. It’s absolutely worth the trip, as is a look at Canada House in Heck, if you were to continue along the Atlantic Berniéres-sur-Mer (there are a lot of “Sur-mers” coast past the diversion south to Caen and make your way to Arromanches-Les-Bains, you can even here, as it translates to “on water”), which stands see the monolithic remnants of the “Mulberry as one of the first houses the allies liberated upon Line”, which was the makeshift port the allies landing. You can literally see the chunks of various erected to supply their forces after the D-Day curbs that were carved out by the tanks as they landings on June 6, 1944. It’s all very sobering and advanced inland. They’re kept there for posterity it catches you by surprise because everything else because to this day, this kind of history matters to out here is so pastoral and pretty. the French, and so it should. One of the routes you can take is right along the coast through towns named Deauville, Benerville-sur-Mer and Honfleur and they all offer gorgeous coastlines. A word of caution, however: remember that what happened here in 1944 does not wash out easily and you will never travel too far before seeing yet another former bunker, gun emplacement or cratered field.

The Le Mans experience starts off as a bit of a strange one in that the outskirts of the city itself aren’t all that remarkable. It’s your average modern French city peppered with Fanta billboards, Total gas stations and those ubiquitous roundabouts; even one of the most famous “in-town” spots associated with racing isn’t actually in Le Mans, but rather in Chartre-sur-leLoir, nearly 50 km due south.

‘60s. It got so fast that by 1990, organizers had to toss a pair of chicanes in the middle of it because chassis, brake and tyre tech were simply no match for the ultra-high-pressure turbo engines that ruled the day. So chances are the 405 km/h top speed record set on the Mulsanne by Frenchman Roger Dorchy’s WM 88 Peugeot in 1988 will stand for many years yet. Which is cool because those chicanes only exist on race day so myself, my wife and our Infiniti were traversing a piece of the track that hadn’t been touched by actual racers in years!

As I said, though: it wasn’t until I saw the ASC Le Gars construction yard on my left – which I knew from countless hours spent virtually driving the track in the Forza Motorsport video game – that I knew I was on something special. Of course, since I hadn’t been able to fully enjoy it -- mainly Stranger still is the fact that you may be merrily because I was ignorant about it – I had to go around driving along and without even knowing it, you’ll be again. This time, though, I stopped for photos at on the track – Sarthe Circuit -- itself. a few memorable spots: the Indianapolis Corner Remember how we said it was partially made up for one, and the Mulsanne corner where the fastof public roads? Well, D338 is one of them but est modern prototype racers routinely slow from it’s perhaps better known as its racing alter ego: speeds of over 300 km/h to less than 60 km/h The Mulsanne Straight. It’s along this six-kilome- in a matter of seconds. Of course, at the normal tre stretch of tarmac that cars routinely crested speeds we were strictly told to maintain (turns out the 200 miles-per-hour mark as early as the late we weren’t the first folks that wanted to “drive It’s here that you’ll find Hotel de France, which throughout history has acted as the de facto headquarters for many racing teams during the event, and the cars are often staged there prior to the race.

the circuit”. Imagine that), these turns don’t seem quite so intense, but just seeing the yellow and blue kerbs and armco lining the road through Indianapolis is enough to transport you to a different world.

they are all here. Every single one of them. Porsche 917LH? Check. Mazda 787B? Check. Ferrari 550 Maranello racer? Right over there, between the Audi R8 and Panoz Esperante GTR-1. A strange pink and blue-liveried French car even I’d never heard of called the “Inaltera”? Sure! Why not? It’s If you want just a little bit more, though, then all here, and it’s glorious. of course there’s that, too – and the Musée The museum itself acts as a bit of a spoke-andAutomobile De La Sarthe has more. A lot more. wheel in that there is a central hub that all the other galleries surround. In said hub, you’ll find Technically, it’s a museum of 1:43-scale models of a huge number of cars that the track and its racing history first and foremost, but there’s have contested Le Mans, including one of that plenty of non-racing content ultra-fast green and-white Peugeot I mentioned to see as well interspersed earlier. It may not seem like much, but to be able throughout the 150 or so cars to see these vehicles in scale model form and then they have on display there. to turn around and experience them in all their 1:1 France, after all, has a proud glory is a strange contrast and a perfect harmony car-producing past so you’ll find exhibits that range from all at the same time. old Citroëns and Bugattis to service and tow trucks.

Same goes for the ability to drive on the same sacred tarmac that each and every one of the racers in the gallery traversed at one time or another. It’s Which is nice, but it wasn’t why I was here. rare – incredibly rare – to be able to study a rich I was here for the silver, blue and red colours of history, and then turn around and plant yourself the Martini race cars, the yellow and black livery of within it 10 minutes down the road. But you can the Alpine Renault team and the orange and green do that here, and that’s worth its weight in fine of the underdog Mazda team and, lo and behold, French wine. 23

FEATURED HOTELS

Story

Jeff Voth

t may come as a shock to some, but the world will start to travel again and the places we all have on our bucket lists will become a reality as the globe gets back to opening for business. While it is true we still have a long way to go, there is light at the end of the tunnel and hopefully common sense and staying safe will make vacationing and weekend getaways a part of our normal lives again.

THE GROVE A member of The Leading Hotels of the World, this UK gem offers superior service in an immaculate setting, a world-class hotel and spa, championship golf and superb dining. Rooms are divided into two unique buildings. The Mansion highlights a Presidential Suite and once hosted extravagant parties for Queen Victoria. The ultra sleek West Wing is where most of rooms 24

ROADSIDE CHIC In celebration of better days ahead, we present six exceptional inn and resort properties worth your time and consideration. All offer the best in accommodations, dining, spa, activities and are located on or near some of the finest driving roads around. Whether it is cruising top down on the Florida coast, or passing camels on a highway in Oman, these are the places you’ll want to stay.

are situated in the hotel. Dining takes place in three main settings across the resort. The Glass House offers an international dining experience in a theatrical, open kitchen setting. Activities at the resort include the renowned Sequoia Spa and The Grove Championship Golf Course. This is your secret UK hideaway. www.thegrove.co.uk

SHANGRI-LA BARR AL JISSAH RESORT & SPA, SULTANATE OF OMAN Located on the Sea of Oman, two distinct resorts sun-seekers, so too is the 500 metres of stuncomprise this luxury property set on 124 acres ning coastline. Fine dining takes place in 8 unique near the rugged interior mountains. Al Waha (The settings as well as three distinct bar areas serving Oasis) features 262 guest rooms designed specif- casual fare. Relaxation is the goal at CHI The Spa ically with the active family in mind. Al Bandar (The featuring a full menu of services. Of course, you Town) is the heart of the resort and highlights 198 can also rent an exotic sports car and take a drive large rooms, restaurants, a shopping center and 7 in the country. The roads here are perfect and the meeting rooms. scenery is unsurpassed. Six swimming pools are an attractive option for

www.shangri-la.com/muscat/barraljissahresort

HOTEL SACHER SALZBURG Constructed between 1863 and 1866 on the shores of the River Salzach, the halls of the Hotel Sacher Salzburg have welcomed royalty and celebrities from around the world for more than 150 years. A total of 109 rooms and suites define the property. They range in size from the 29-35 m2 Deluxe Room to the super chic 150 m2 Presidential Suite. Owned since 1988 by Alexandra Winkler, much time and attention to detail has gone into a painstaking recreation of this classic hotel.

Exquisite dining options abound within the hotel itself. Restaurant Zirbelzimmer serves an outstanding buffet breakfast or evening dining experience overlooking the Salzach River. Casual fare is enjoyed at the Sacher Grill or one of the city’s favourite hangouts, Café Sacher Salzburg. Here coffee and the renowned Original Sacher Torte reign supreme. www.sacher.com/en/salzburg 25

THE INN ABOVE TIDE Luxurious guest rooms and suites face the bay towards San Francisco, California. A short jaunt down El Portal from the main street of Bridgeway, the name implies just how close the ocean laps beneath the balcony. The real beauty of this Inn is the serene view out the terrace window. A glass partition and two teak chairs with a table are all that separate you from Pacific waters. Binoculars are provided to encourage peering out to sea. From a sundrenched deck it is easy to gaze

across the miles and see Fisherman’s Wharf, Alcatraz, Oakland and Angel Island. Sausalito is recognized in reality and song as a summer retreat. In-room breakfast is served at the Inn, but coffee shops, superb restaurants with names like The Trident, Angelino Restaurant and Poggio are close by on the long boardwalk making this the ideal setting for a carefree May to October existence. www.innabovetide.com

THE PEARL HOTEL Designed in a beach house style, the classic white and black colour scheme promotes relaxation the moment you step through the front door. A total of 41 guest rooms, 9 suites, 4 cabanas and the ultimate Pearl Suite offer guests signature bath amenities, complimentary beach chairs and an umbrella on a private beach. iPads provide ready access to guest services and there is also a free stocked mini-fridge with Keurig coffee and tea for 26

those early morning ocean sunrises. Dining takes place at 30A Restaurant under the promise of four guiding principles; your life, your happiness, your relationships, your success. More casual fare is enjoyed at the Havana Beach Bar & Grill and Havana Beach Rooftop Lounge. Ernest Hemmingway would be proud. www.thepearlrb.com

THE RITZ-CARLTON, ABAMA Tenerife is part of the Canary Islands, a Spanish archipelago off the northwestern coast of Africa. Getting there is easy, with flights from Madrid offered daily. Once on the island, white and black sand beaches provide the perfect setting for vacationers. Roads here are exceptional, another reason to visit for those who enjoy driving on winding, two-lane highways with incredible volcanic and seaside scenery at every turn.

scale of a small city. Rooms, suites and villas offer the very best in accommodations and décor. Dining takes place at 9 different locations throughout the resort. At the top of the list is M.B, awarded two Michelin stars and Abama Kabuki, also a Michelinstarred restaurant featuring a fusion-inspired Japanese and Western menu. Championship golf, the Abama Tennis Academy, a private beach, multiple pools and a world-class Spa are all onsite.

The Ritz-Carlton Abama is a grand resort on the

www.ritzcarlton.com/en/hotels/spain/abama

RITZ RECIPES

VICARIOUS has partnered with The Ritz-Carlton, Toronto to bring you some of their favourite recipes with each issue. Try these for yourself and enjoy the pleasure of fine dining in the cozy confines of your own home or home on the road.

ABOUT EXECUTIVE CHEF PAUL SHEWCHUK Executive Chef Paul Shewchuk hails from Kitchener, Ontario. Since arriving at The Ritz-Carlton, Toronto in 2018, he works closely with his team to elevate every guest’s culinary experience, from banquets, weddings and meetings to in-room dining and the TOCA dining room. He has a passion for bringing out the natural flavours of food in exciting and creative ways and inspires his cooks and chefs to bring innovation into the kitchen. He developed his passion for sustainability and quality ingredients during his tenure at the Eigensinn Farm, before working at Langdon Hall and various Fairmont Hotels in Canada and the US. He was the host Chef for the James Beard Foundation Taste America Event in Seattle in 2017.

ABOUT CHEF MARCOS SIERRA’S GRANDMOTHER’S CANNELLONI This cannelloni recipe was passed down to Chef chicken, pork neck and winter produce, which Sierra from his grandmothers, Presen and Dorotea they simmered for over 10 hours. On December in Spain, and adapted to be made at TOCA. After 25th, families would use the leftover soup to make the Spanish Civil War, families didn’t have a lot, the cannelloni filling and enjoy it with a delicious so they used what they had. In anticipation of a egg flan for dessert. Chef Sierra and his family large family gathering at Christmas, tradition- continue to make this recipe to pay tribute to their ally the grandmothers prepared a large dinner on grandmothers and we are delighted to be able to December 24th, which included a roast turkey share it with our TOCA guests at The Ritz-Carlton, and this recipe’s rich stock made with beef shank, Toronto.

MARCO’S GRANDMOTHER’S CANNELLONI

FOR 8 PORTIONS

CANNELLONI

Cannelloni pasta shells 24 shells Beef Shank 0.500 kg Pork Neck 0.500 kg Chicken Legs 0.750 kg Red Onion diced 0.500 kg Whole Tomato 0.400 kg Leek diced 0.100 kg Celery diced 0.100 kg Garlic diced 0.050 kg Cinnamon Powder 1 Tsp Nutmeg 1 Tsp Black Pepper 1 Tsp Pork Lard 0.100 kg Salt To taste Brandy 80g Sweet Jerez Wine 80g Sourdough Bread in milk 500g cut in cubes Cream 300g Olive Oil

Pour olive oil onto a hot pan. Add the meat and vegetables, season with salt, lard and spices. Cover the corners with the tomatoes. Cook 45 minutes at 190°C. Flip the meat and add the wines. Cook for 30 minutes at 170°C and flip the meat over. Cook for 30 minutes more at 150°C and remove all the bones. Add the bread. Remove the tomatoes. Pass the meat mixture through a meat processor. Strain juices from the meats with the tomatoes and then pour back over the meat. Add the cream and season to taste. Cook the pasta. Stuff the cannelloni with the mixture.

BÉCHAMEL SAUCE

Milk Butter Flour White pepper Dry Jerez

1.000 kg 55 g 45 g Qs kg 30 g

Warm the milk and reserve. Melt the butter in a pot. Pour the flour all at once and cook until small bubbles begin to form on a medium low heat. Cool down the roux slightly and pour in the warm milk. Continue cooking at medium low heat until is the sauce thickens and is smooth. Pour in the dry Jerez and season to taste.

DISCOVERED

YOU CAN SLEEP WHEN YOU’RE DEAD A PHOTOGRAPHER’S TALE FROM THE DAKAR RALLY

Story and Photography

Justin W. Coffey

t was well past midnight somewhere outside of Wadi ad-Dawasir, a dusty town in the Dawasir Valley, about 400 miles southwest of Riyadh, the capital city of Saudi Arabia. I’d just crawled into my sleeping cubby and set my alarm for the next morning. Three-hours and twelve-minutes was all I was gonna get tonight. I had just finished editing all of my photos from Stage Three of the 2021 Dakar Rally, transferred the shots from my laptop to my phone, and then used my cell data to upload the images to a shared Dropbox folder which would be sent to a smattering of North American media outlets around 3am local time. That’s when I needed to be up. It’s also when my partner Kyra would typically finish her press releases and stage reports. By the time her email went out the door, I was already awake and busy trying to make sure I had all of my kit for the forthcoming Stage. Three hours of sleep was the average. I managed to find five one night, having edited all of my shots from the back seat of the Toyota Land Cruiser we use to chase and shoot competitions like the Dakar. But most nights I was setting an alarm, allowing a small window before I had to be awake again. And honestly, by the six or seventh day, you don’t know the difference between four hours or fewer. The days begin to blend, and your ability to gauge exhaustion becomes kind of complex – nodding off at the wheel while driving down a desolate dirt road becomes commonplace at any hour.

I’ve been photographing international rally racing since 2015. Prior to that, I covered motorsports that were predominately on paved surfaces, as well as documenting an assortment of motorcycle travel stories, among other things.

But unbeknownst to me, a phone call in late 2014 would change the course of my life. Kyra and I were asked to work as the media team for two American friends who were planning to race the Sardegna Rally, an FIM sanctioned event held on the tiny Italian island. Our photo-editorial work from this event found its way into a few prominent publications in America, and the next thing we knew, we’d taken on the role of Media Managers for the Baja Rally, the only roadbook rally in North America at that time. A few years later we found ourselves in South America for the final edition of the Dakar Rally held on that continent. It was a grueling test of our skills, and a true test of our ability to work in inclement conditions. Later that year, we traveled to Russia to document the Silk Way Rally, a crosscountry race taking participants from Siberia to Mongolia and then into the Southern stretches of the Gobi Desert in northern China. All the while, sleep remained a luxury, and often took place in the passenger seat of the aforementioned Toyota, on the floor of abandoned buildings, atop collapsible

travel cots in the desert, or just about anywhere win, but in the summer of 2020, another phone you could squeeze your eyes shut for a few extra call came which would change our fate yet again. minutes. In 2020, Dakar Rally moved to Saudi Arabia, despite much ruffling of feathers. Landscapes there were unlike anything participants had faced in years prior and proved the perfect backdrop for American motorcycle racer, Ricky Brabec, who brought home a first-place finish not only for himself, but for the USA. Brabec also led Honda to their first victory since 1989, thus ending KTM’s 18-year win streak in the motorcycle category. Unfortunately, Kyra and I were not there to witness Ricky’s historic

An invitation for Kyra and I to work as the media coordinators, press managers and photographers for Polaris, who would be making their debut as an American OEM at the Dakar Rally. I secured my seat in the Land Cruiser, which lives in northern Italy and only comes out for cross-country adventures like this one.

I was joined by my two Italian friends, Edoardo Bauer and Cristiano Barni, as well as a young Indian photographer by the name of Ishaan Bhataiya. All four of us were tasked with shooting photos of the seven major motorcycle brands competing this year, plus an assortment of privateers and race teams. A task which would further test my skills, as well as my ability to operate on ten percent of the sleep a normal human would need.

than a makeshift shelter with picnic benches where Dakar Classic participants could eat dinner before retreating to their tents for the night. In our haste to shave hours from the following days drive, we neglected to account for how cold it would be in the mountains and had left much of our camping kit in a truck traveling ahead to the next town. And besides, on the two nights prior, camped in the sand dunes southeast of Jeddah and then at the bivouac on the grounds of a local airport, the The sun had begun to set in the northern reaches weather had been temperate, warm even. But of Saudi Arabia following Special Stage Seven. We tonight, tonight would be different. were in transit on the lonely highways connecting Ha’il and Tabuk enroute to the next bivouac, a travOpting to sleep inside the eling camp where racers and their teams eat, sleep, makeshift shelter amongst the picnic tables and tangled cables and prepare their vehicles for the next day’s stage. of charging devices, the four of Edoardo, who has more than a dozen Dakar Rally us huddled up and prepared for adventures under his belt, suggested we stop at a the long cold night. remote bivouac in the mountains where the Dakar Classic vehicles were staged for the following day. It would save us hours of driving time the next Without a sleeping bag, I slid my arms inside my morning and might afford us some extra shuteye down jacket, pulled the hood tight around my face and tried to make a pillow out of my half empty this evening as well. backpack. Hours passed, and the temperature We turned off the highway and climbed a dirt road slowly dropped. From nearly freezing to just below, into the distance. The bivouac was nothing more evident by my ability to see my own breath.

A few locals who had helped serve the last supper for the Dakar Classic racers had also found shelter among the picnic tables and four idiot photographers. Sometime around 2am, I noticed I couldn’t feel my feet and decided to do hot laps around the building to put blood back into them. Aimless and in a deep state of delirium, seven stages into the 2021 Dakar Rally, working on roughly 20-ish total hours of sleep made the sight of local kids climbing into big black plastic garbage bags in an effort to stay warm themselves seemed totally normal – genius really. And as I paced the building – the loose sleeves of my jacket dangling back-andforth, with my hood cinched so tight that my eyes were the only visible feature of my face --I took solace in the fact that the black plastic garbage bags strewn about the floor were also squirming, tossing-and-turning in an effort to stay warm. My comrades in the cold. 4am couldn’t come soon enough. And the comfort of a chilled race seat in an old Land Cruiser was a welcome reprieve from that long night walking circles outside of Al Hawi.

According to the alarm I had set before we tried to go to bed, two-hours and twenty-three minutes might as well have been a lifetime. I wish I could say it was “all downhill from here,” but that’s not the job. It’s not Dakar. This event, and others like it, are meant to challenge every person at every moment in everything from dodging race trucks, navigating local traffic, to finding a flushing toilet within walking distance. Even though with each new stage my body would sink deeper in the ground as I trekked my way to the next vantage point, I’d pulled my legs out of the holes with fervor every step. Because the more you suffer, the more important it is the hold onto your reasons for being there in the first place. Remembering that the sacrifice was worth it. That slumber is a state of mind. And whatever brought you across the world, if you want to document something like the Dakar Rally, you’d better be prepared to sleep when you’re dead. 35

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OFF ROAD

THE DELICATE ART OF GETTING PROPERLY STUCK 2020 LAND ROVER DEFENDER

Story and Photography

Matthew Neundorf 39

he plan was to get some photos. Something unique and interesting. To do so, I’d take the Fuji White, snorkel-equipped 2020 Defender 110 I had and drive it in front of or on top of something sufficiently snowy, outdoorsy and adventure-y. The Defender has a legacy to protect so I wanted to make it look like the new-hotness and I had just crossed the tundra or summited something of near Eiger-like proportions. A heroic image that would aptly summarize the continued capabilities of this beastly SUV. Then I’d post it to social media with a pithy hashtag -- something like #RoverOverEverything, maybe -- then retire to a warm cabin for chicken and avocado sandwiches and a cold IPA; job done. This, my friends, is what the kids call “doing it for the ‘gram”.

We hadn’t even made it all the way to the outhouse. And I’d already walked there once. I leapt from the warmth of my Defender to enlist my boots as shovels, kicking and sweeping the snow that was framing the LR3’s M+S-rated tires to help free them for purchase. We didn’t bring any actual shovels with us. Or traction mats. Or ropes, chains or slings. And neither truck had a winch. I wasn’t even really wearing proper boots. Hey, I never said my plan was a good one.

Just kidding. The plan was to get stuck.

So, my trusty Vans and I dug in and did our damndest. Our adventure would begin in earnest, me with two quick and cold soakers and Ryan’s 15 year-old, 280,000 km LR3 straddling the centre pack of a snowmobile trail, spinning, sinking and spinning some more.

Properly stuck.

Sweat and profanity ensued.

Before long though that sweat and profanity prevailed, we’d reversed out to solid ground and With hundreds of private, snow-covered acreage swapped positions. Figuring that the Defender, to explore, complete with a couple three-storey with its taller, 280mm ground clearance and boxberms to climb and descend, I watched in a state fresh technology could better blaze us both a trail. I of disbelief as the Land Rover LR3 my Defender selected “Grass, Gravel and Snow” mode from the was following bogged down to its skid plates barely Terrain Response 2 system and ticked the box for two-hundred metres from where we had started. “Low Traction Launch” and set-off. I just didn’t think it would happen so quickly...

The outhouse came and went as a myriad of silicon chips conversed and conspired with gears and motors, locking and unlocking the automatic differentials while the Defender plodded along admirably. With one of those berms now coming into view, I broke from the snowmobile trail we were following to head its way.

Sticking those Vans back into the fluff for a bit of scouting revealed that conditions would get deeper before they didn’t. Another round of “shovelling” and the tires clocked back in. We freed my beast and backed both machines out again to re-consider angles of approach: Sometimes, to go forward one needs to go backwards first.

The Defender punched through the powder but quickly shuddered to a halt. Rocking back and forth did nothing. Steering left and right did less. I enlisted the 4WD-Low setting, killed traction control and made a few inches of slow progress before digging in even deeper. The tires screamed their high-pitched scrambles for purchase while the whine and whirl from the straight-six’s turbo chimed in, seemingly in mock-accompaniment but truly howling “I’m doing my job, why aren’t you doing yours?”

The next trail was overlanding bliss. Set to sort things out on its own in Automatic mode, the Defender plowed over and through all of the knee deep powder I could throw at it. It slid to and fro but the computers did what they had to and kept the tires moving while I dutifully kept its nose pointing towards where we wanted to go. A cloud of snow and mechanical fury, the Defender made mincemeat of a buried bank of ice and debris in the apex of a left-hander while I calmly warmed my paws while shuffling the heated wheel and directed the vents to help dry my tootsies.

Snow-nuts are fun.

After getting the LR3 back on track we agreed it would be an excellent idea to follow one of our Sadly, the LR3 didn’t quite have the pluck to pivot helpers into the depths, behind his Ski-Doo. We and follow in my wake. Maybe there was too much and our Rovers stupidly tried to match his pace and momentum? or maybe not enough? or maybe all technique but skis and tracks will trump tires and of the slop from my tracks turned the surface into tonnage in this kind of fluff every time. Buried up mush? to the sills, we’d found the limits to our respective machines as well as those our feeble bodies could Either way, before long we were back at it, this time offer to free them. with some extra hands and feet enlisted. Digging, “shovelling”, pushing, sweating, swearing, laugh- With only a dozen or so metres between us, we ing. Four grinning, winded idiots and one slightly were both completely and properly stuck. I love it tired and dodgy chunk of beige British history, all when a plan comes together. of us steaming away in a pile of filthy shaved ice. Despite its levels of technology, decades of bona I’ll take this over time on a Peloton any day of the fides and legitimate demonstrable ability, the new week. Defender is not a limitless machine. And I’m glad

it’s not. I’m glad it got stuck. Those Camel Trophies didn’t come easy and bombing through acres of snow-packed Ontario shouldn’t either. You push the limits of a vehicle’s capabilities, and it will push yours. Sometimes physically, sometimes mentally, always emotionally. And that is a beautiful and rewarding thing.

Most impressive of all was not that this new Defender made it as far as it did -- it truly performed exceptionally given the tires it wore -- but that that aged LR3 did it too. This is a testament to the raison d’etre of not only Land Rover’s machines but all proper SUVs, too. Whether it wears a Jeep, Ford, Toyota or Land Rover badge, these machines are over-engineered, consummate performers, able To conquer the lands you wish to rove, the Defender to go places well beyond the Whole Foods parking needs a driver as much as the driver needs it -lots that they typically inhabit. The fact that they it will take you as far as it can, before asking you can now do so in such elegance and poshness, is for some help. Sometimes that help comes in the truly astounding. And getting one stuck makes for form of soggy sneakers or a push from a friend an entertaining day behind the wheel, regardless or three. Other times it comes in the form of a of age or model. 110-ton excavator that just so happens to be kicking around. Just remember to pack a shovel.

FEATURED CAR

ROAD TEST 44

2020 LAMBORGHINI AVENTADOR SVJ ROADSTER Story Jeff Voth

Photography Steve Enns

he 2020 Lamborghini Aventador SVJ Roadster is an assault on your common sense, a fairground ride on steroids, a smack to the side of your head that brings everything around you into sudden, sharp focus. Treat it right and you will exit the car with nothing but a smile on your face and a strong desire to get back behind the wheel as soon as possible.

run over with phones in hand to take selfies, but that’s all part of the fun. Top speed reaches 3.5 times the speed limit and zero to 100 km/h takes a scant 2.8 seconds.

Inside, sculpted, Alcantara seating for two with blue leather accents and bright yellow stitching grabs you like a best friend who has just won the lottery. A jet-inspired start/stop button hidden underThe glorious banshee howl of the 6.5L 48-valve neath a red flap is the key to releasing what can V12 engine revving at 7,000 rpm is made sweeter only be described as true automotive greatness. with the knowledge your feet and fingers are playing with 759 horsepower and 531 lb-ft of torque. This is a supercar driving experience you will never Yes the neighbours will notice your passing and forget. Act quick, there are only 800 available.

FEATURED REGION

A BRIEF WHIFF OF MOROCCO TRIUMPH TIGER 900

Story Costa Mouzouris I Photography Costa Mouzouris, Kingdom Creative and Marrakech Tourism 49

©VISITMARRAKECH

queezing and snaking between a sweaty mass of bodies while walking though an endless labyrinth of narrow corridors might not sound like a lot of fun, but I’m actually having the time of my life. If you treasure your personal space, though, the medina (old town) of Marrakesh is no place for you. Even though the confined lanes that comprise the majority of this massive market are outdoors, over the years corrugated steel has been hung between buildings and transformed them into catacomb-like tunnels. Mopeds zip by where there’s barely room for a stray cat to slither through. Although we’re in Morocco to ride the latest Triumph Tiger 900, we opt to leave the adventure

©VISITMARRAKECH 50

tourer at the hotel today, and instead grab a cab into the centre of Marrakesh. While I don’t usually turn away from a challenging ride, the bike is nixed to avoid the convoluted jumble of people, horsedrawn carts, cars, motorbikes, and motorised cargo trikes — all of which share a complete disregard for the rules of the road. Negotiating the busy streets of Marrakesh demands a level of concentration I’m not willing to expend before my upcoming ride. You enter the medina by crossing Jemaa el Fna, a large square where you’ll find snake charmers and dancing monkeys, or you can commemorate the experience by getting a henna tattoo. The seemingly boundless bustle of merchants, performers, tourists and hustlers starts everyday at around 8

AM and carries on well into the night. The slender passages within the medina are lined with a multitude of tiny shops selling rugs, fabric, spices, handcrafted wooden trinkets and furniture, and a multitude of other products. Blacksmiths are confined daylong in claustrophobic, windowless workshops, hammering out their ornamental wares in a ceaseless cloud of thick smoke. Elsewhere, men spend the day soaking wool in the modern equivalent of Tyrian purple, giving the yarn various hues of the shade, and staining their entire bodies red. This is not a place where workers’ comp is claimed, I’m sure. If you do plan on buying something at the market, haggling is mandatory, and it’s part of Moroccan

culture — affixed prices are for the truly gullible. I have an advantage here when bartering, as I speak French, which is Morocco’s second language behind Arabic. After I step into an intense negotiation in English between a riding colleague and a rug merchant, I manage to knock off another 500 dirham (about $70CDN) because I intervene in French — and perhaps because, as it turns out, the seller has family in my home province of Quebec.

these spindly 50cc two-wheelers with backup pedals are everywhere. The nostalgia is almost overwhelming. I even ponder how I can possibly buy one and send it home.

But my priorities are realigned the next morning, when I hop onto the Tiger and head west out of Marrakesh toward Essaouira, a fortified seaport town on the Atlantic coast. The paved roads are mostly smooth and sinuous, though they are While I’ve ridden hundreds of new motorcycles in sporadically peppered with sandy curves to keep one alert. the last two decades, from entry-level dirt bikes to hypersonic supersport machines to colossal luxo- The Portuguese used Essaouira as a trading post in tourers, the bikes that fascinate me the most here the 16th Century, though archeological digs have are the mopeds. My first motorised vehicle was revealed that it has been inhabited for more than a French-made Motobecane, and in Marrakesh a millennium. Its mid-18th Century fort and city 51

walls prompted Orson Welles to use it as the backdrop for his film, Othello. Despite the city’s storied past and beauty, our stay is brief, and we ride into the desert to the southeast.

Winding across kilometres of desolate landscape, we occasionally come across isolated ruins of what were perhaps once homesteads. So remotely located in the desert, it’s no surprise they’ve been long abandoned.

The real fun begins when we turn onto the hardpacked, rocky and sandy trails that intertwine the parched western Moroccan landscape. And since we’re here to ride, we wick it up to a fast pace, which the Tiger 900 Rally Pro — the more off-road oriented variation of Triumph’s adventurer — handles readily without overwhelming the suspension. It’s also equipped with a 21-inch front wheel, which is a must for serious dirt chucking, and especially handy in soft sand, of which there is plenty in Morocco.

Our three-day journey takes us along hundreds of kilometres of serpentine paved and gravel backroads, as well as challenging off-road tracks through the desert — though they were probably easier to navigate than the convoluted streets of central Marrakesh. My visit has also left me with the desire to return and further explore on two wheels this fascinating country in North Africa. It has also left me with an affinity for Moroccan mint tea, a bunch of which I scored in the medina of Marrakesh for a steal.

DISCOVERED

THE BUTTER TART TOUR STUCK IN THE MIDDLE WITH GOO

Story Matthew Neundorf

Photography Matthew Neundorf and Carolyn Merey

stablished in 1998, Canada’s Walk of fame was created to recognize excellence in Canadian achievement and celebrate those that have contributed to Canada’s cultural heritage. As it exists now, with 168 stars dotting thirteen blocks of downtown Toronto, “The Walk” is pretty comprehensive -- heck, even “Sookie” from True Blood has a spot. Yes, you read that correctly -- but it’s missing one of our country’s most important figures. That’s because she’s someone you’ve probably never heard of. Mrs. Mary Ethel MacLeod, a Scottish born immigrant to Canada, is the culinary mind credited with one of Canada’s sweetest homegrown creations: the butter tart. Her recipe, a simple “filling for tarts”, called to mix 1 cup of sugar, a half-cup of butter, two eggs and one cup of currents, before adding them to a plain pastry crust. It occupied only a couple lines in the 1900 publication of The Royal Victoria Cookbook, a book that was created to raise money to better outfit the then new Royal Victoria Hospital in Barrie, Ontario.

filling dribble onto your chin after biting into what is arguably the perfect dessert, I’m sure you’ll side with me. Butter tarts are incredible (although I’d argue that the currents are an unnecessary addition) and Mary MacLeod deserves her star. I’ll admit that I’m not really thinking about “The Walk” or Mrs. MacLeod as I lean into the driveway of Betty’s Pies in Cobourg. I’m wondering whether I should start this journey by eating one of their delectable examples. And if I do, does that mean I should scarf down another tart at each of the seven stops I have planned?

I’m also wondering whether my wife, Carolyn, is enjoying our ride as much as I am. It’s not often that Carolyn has any real enthusiasm for tagging along on my moto adventures. To be fair, her disinterest typically resides in the discomfort associated with the pillion mount that most motorcycles have -- I wouldn’t want to ride on that postage stamp I doubt Mrs. MacLeod had any idea of the impact either. But this time is different. We’re connecther contribution would make aside from maybe ing dots along parts of Kawartha Ontario’s Butter some new bedding or other comforts for patients, Tart Tour and we’re riding Honda’s flagship Gold but if you’ve ever experienced having that runny Wing, the DCT Tour Airbag model. That means it

comes with a heated barca-lounger for a backseat, complete with proper back support and armrests. In the motorcycling world, Carolyn is being treated like a queen. A queen that loves butter tarts nearly as much as I do. Betty’s has long been a staple in our butter tart inventory. Their award-winning take on Mrs. MacLeod’s recipe packs just the right amount of goo in an expertly baked, flaky crust. Truthfully, my taste buds and gut would be fine with just loading up here but the Wing behaves so sublimely that I have no desire to cut the trip short. Besides, neither Carolyn nor I want to neglect those other bakers.

When the wind noise starts to drown out our soundtrack pumping through the CarPlay equipped stereo, I toggle the electric windshield to its upper reaches and ride on in my winddeflected bubble. This is bliss.

The Dutch Oven, also in Cobourg, is our second stop. Masked and distanced patrons wait dutifully in line and a few, spotting our riding gear, ask if we’re on “The Tour”. We nod and smile knowingly and immediately have two other stops offered up with affirmations of gooey greatness. We score a pair of tarts, pack them into the back of the Wing Equipped with a seven-speed DCT transmission, and make tracks towards Just Like Granny’s, in the 2020 Honda Gold Wing Tour DCT Airbag is Brighton. an effortless beast to ride. Typically, I’d bemoan the lack of clutch and shifter but the “automatic” A slight detour along the way has us searching for Wing just makes sense. In Touring mode, with parking at the bakery-cum-carnival known as The the electronic suspension adjusted for passen- Big Apple. It’s been decades since either Carolyn gers and luggage (all via a few simple and intuitive or I have stopped in but we’re told they have tarts button touches) our Wing simply glides along the and figure that’s a good enough reason to justify 401 and deftly manoeuvres through slower moving snapping a pic of their recently masked mascot, traffic on the B-roads. the 40-foot “Mr. Applehead” visible from the 401. 57

If, like us, you’re in search of stellar butter tarts, leave the Apple off your tour. Their tarts are the least desirable of the bunch, tasting “fabricated” and lacking the “homemade” quality of every other stop we made. Clearly quality has been replaced by quantity here, at least in terms of what we sampled. I did however find a friend at the cider stand. A Gold Wing aficionado, I learn the man behind the bar at the 401 Brewery has owned five throughout his riding career, including a 1976 example with the Vin ending in 0002, that he still has in mint condition no less. I buy two bottles of cider from him for a post ride celebration and ask if any of his Wings have Walking Mode. While Honda has equipped the Gold Wing with a reverse gear for some time, only the DCT equipped versions (since 2018) have this neat little device for effortless parking lot manoeuvres. Using the up and downshift paddles flanking the left handgrip, the rider can slide into or out of any tight spot or inclined area without fear of stressing leg muscles or worrying about a foot slip causing a tipover. Sliding out of my gravelled spot at the Apple takes no effort at all. Genius. From Brighton our route takes us north along the winding route 30, towards Campbellford and the famous Dooher’s Bakery. In business for over 70 years, Dooher’s is a fourthgeneration family run joint that commands long lines along Bridge Street even when there isn’t a pandemic. On this day it’s at least seventy-five people deep. And for good reason: they took home “Canada’s Sweetest Bakery” honours in 2018.

After punching in our next destination in the Gold Wing’s 7-inch nav system I realize we’re a bit behind schedule. With just shy of 100kms to cover and less than an hour to do so, I let Carolyn know that I’m switching the Wing into Sport mode and that she’d do well to brace herself. When this latest generation of Gold Wing launched in 2018, a select group of journalists were invited to Japan to test their efforts at the Twin Ring Motegi circuit. I wasn’t among that group but it takes only two switchbacks and a sweeper to know that wasn’t just a vanity project. This bike can hustle better than its curb weight or physical girth should allow -- even without the two of us tart-gluttons and our bounty on board. Fully loaded as it is, it will still hit 100km/h quicker than a Porsche Cayman S. We make it to the Bobcaygeon Bakery with time to spare and add to our growing collection of sweets in the Gold Wing’s 50L top case. The Lakefield Bakery is next on our list and it happily provides two more tarts and a loaf of herb-speckled focaccia. Clearly, we need something savoury to appreciate the sweet, right? Surveying our haul, we agree to cut a few bakeries from our initial plan and make tracks back towards Toronto. We weave our way south-west through bits of B-road and minor highways south of Peterborough that I often visit on solo rides and again, the Gold Wing is just effortlessly making the mileage disappear. The temps have dropped a bit, so now I’ve got my bun-warmer cooking and the heated grips on too. Sure, we’ve had plenty of stops along the way but I’m suffering zero fatigue from the ride.

The seat is extraordinarily comfortable and the handlebars sit at just the right spot to keep elbows bent while affording total control. There’s no cramping in my legs and the cruise control flawlessly holds speed allowing my right wrist a break.

Carolyn is also impressed with the comforts of her seat, its excellent heating, supportive backrest and, compared to her normal perch aboard my Tiger, can’t believe how smooth things are overall. Arriving home after six plus hours of touring, we both feel as though we’ve been pampered the entire time. Over forty years of research and development have gone into this generation of Gold Wing and it shows. If I owned this bike -and this DCT equipped version is the model I’d

choose (which isn’t something I ever thought I’d say) -- I’m convinced every Sunday would turn into an Iron Butt (1000 miles in 24hrs) excursion. It just does everything extremely well. At the very least this Rolls-Royce on two-wheels would provide an easy excuse to get out and visit those other bakeries we crossed off our list. In fact, there are over fifty plotted destinations to choose from on the Butter Tart Tour website (buttertarttour.ca), so I know Carolyn and I will be revisiting these parts of Ontario again. Because, even after scarfing down our collected goods (over the course of a week; we’re not animals) like millennials regard their Pokemon, I vow to taste them all: if only for scientific reasons, to better research my case for Mary MacLeod getting her Star and an induction onto Canada’s Walk of Fame.

SPECIAL FEATURE

TURBO IS FOREVER PORSCHE CLASSIC MEETS ELECTRIC

Story and Photography

Brendan McAleer 61

even Porsches bearing a Turbo script on their backs arrive on the mountain. Six rumble in with a characteristic flat-six snarl; one glides into place with little more than a hum of electrons. The outsider is a Taycan, Porsche’s new electric sedan, and while its electric motors and huge 93.4kWh battery pack are the future of fast, this one’s badging is a nod to Porsche’s past.

dominant model that Stuttgart offered. Joining me today, six real-McCoy air-cooled turbos arrive as if to sit in judgement of the electric interloper. “Turbo” is one of those words that long ago lost its technical meaning in the common lexicon. Michael Knight had a Turbo button on KITT that just made it go faster, and anyone that’s used TurboTax was presumably not looking to strap a Garrett AiResearch T3/T4 to their local accountant. Turbo buttons were also common on computers and calculators from the 1980s onward.

In the automotive world, words are always under assault. We are besieged by four-door “coupes,” “shooting brakes” that are just fancy station wagons, and “bespoke” styling that’s massproduced on a scale that would make Henry Ford Here’s what “turbo” really means. A Turbocharger, or formerly a turbosupercharger, is a device for fall out of his chair. increasing the input of an engine by pressurizing air But before definitions got all loosey-goosey, into the intake, and thus the cylinders. Mechanical having a Turbo badge on the back of your Porsche superchargers, as seen in a Dodge Hellcat’s engine meant that you had the fastest, wildest, and most bay, use engine-driven belts to drive a fan that

rams air down the engine’s gullet. A turbocharger cleverly harvests the wasted energy of the exhaust gases by routing the exhaust through a turbine, and using a shaft attached to that turbine to spin an impeller to force air into the engine. For Porsche, turbocharging was secret formula that allowed the company to breed monstrous racing machines. The 917/10 and 917/30 dominated Can-Am racing in the hands of George Folmer and Mark Donohue, with the 917/30 in particular being one of the most terrifyingly powerful racecars ever created.

that’s the key – while turbocharging has less of a parasitic drag than supercharging, early efforts didn’t make much power until that exhaust impeller was spinning like mad. Below 4,000 rpm, a 930’s flat six isn’t doing much. Get the revs up and boost comes on in a rushing surge, capable of catching an unprepared driver off-guard.

However, if you have the slightest idea of what you’re doing, an air-cooled 911 Turbo is endless fun. You treat the throttle pedal like a hearingimpaired, burly and grumpy German uncle with an ear trumpet, slow to react, but quick with a boot In 1975, Porsche brought that racing technol- in the backside when it does. In terms of engageogy to the road. The first was the 930, equipped ment, it’s peak driver involvement. with a pressurized 3.0L that made 245 horse- By the 1980s, Porsche was offering the 911 Turbo power during its earliest, not-intercooled iteration. in a special-order flachbau (slantnose) version Curiously, the first cars didn’t actually have Turbo that aped the looks of the monstrous 935 Le badging. However, the public soon learned what Mans racing machines. By 1989, the last of the turbo meant, and the 930 quickly gained a reputa930s was now equipped with a five-speed manual, tion as an experts-only car. with a 3.3L turbocharged and intercooled flat six Fitting a 930 with modern tires does tame the producing 282 hp in North American spec, or 325 behaviour somewhat, but a genuine 930 provides hp in European markets. It was among the fastest an experience that’s not to be missed. It’s the lag cars of its day. 63

The 964 Turbo that followed it lasted just three years and brought more power to the table. In its last year, the engine size grew to 3.6L and now produced 360hp. The 964 3.6 Turbo captured the public’s attention on screen as the hero car of 1995’s Bad Boys, and automotive enthusiasts’ imaginations as a very tricky car to drive fast. The 930 takes skill, but the 964 3.6 Turbo is so fast as to be dangerous if you don’t respect it.

ered on the future that Porsche’s 959 supercar had promised. It was still exhilarating to drive, and the air-cooled soundtrack was much the same, but technology had finally tamed the turbo. These are the cars that captured our attention in youth. You know the ads by heart: an airborne 930 wheels-up with the caption, “One ride and you’ll understand why most rocket scientists are German.” Or perhaps it’s a 993TT’s wide haunches and the simplicity of “Kills bugs fast.”

The last of the air-cooled 911 Turbos had an entirely different character. Now fitted with twinturbocharging and all-wheel-drive, the 993 deliv- Compared to the frog-eyed machines we grew to

love, the Taycan, Porsche’s EV bug-zapper, has a completely different feel. Its character is in its complete lack of lag. Off the line, the acceleration is literally organ-compressing. The performance is astounding, but the car can also feel silent and weighty, a land-bound Learjet next to the 930’s early jet fighter. However, the instantaneous power delivery and sheer speed of the thing is intoxicating.

ested in the Taycan and deeply impressed by its scorching acceleration. The shared opinion seems to be that it’s a real Porsche (although maybe not a real turbo).

One of the 993 owners has brought his young son with him. By the time that boy is grown and ready to drive, the world will be a very different place. Battery-electric cars, and hybrids, and small-displacement turbocharged engines will be Today, nearly every 911 variant is turbocharged, not the norm. Manual transmissions will be even rarer. to mention every Macan, Panamera, and Cayenne. High performance will universally be electrified in Having tamed the turbo, Porsche now puts them in some form. everything. If you see a Turbo badge on a Porsche, it doesn’t mean it features a unique technology Perhaps, when that boy is a grown man, he’ll have born from racing, only that it is the most power- done well enough for himself to buy some dailyful and most expensive variant. “Turbo” no longer driver Porsche with a Turbo badge out back. Maybe means turbocharged in Porsche-speak, it means it’ll be an electric Macan, or a hybrid 718 Cayman. top of the range. The modern 911 Turbo produces some eye-watering numbers, but it’s the natu- But an air-cooled 911 Turbo isn’t just a part of rally-aspirated GT models that provide maximum Porsche’s heritage. They are incredibly durable machines that stand the test of time. Perhaps, on excitement. special days, that boy will drive his father’s old 911 The half-dozen owners of the air-cooled Turbos up the mountain. He’ll hear the flat-six sing again, chat quietly as the last rays of the sun cast a and feel the turbines surging into boost. The hiss burnished glow over their cars. We talk of the of forced air, and the sensation of speed. year’s cancelled events, of the luck that the weather has held today. Everyone’s politely inter- Sometimes things change. But Turbo is forever.

FEATURED MOTORCYCLE

DEBUT! 68

2021 HARLEY-DAVIDSON PAN AMERICA 1250 Story

Matthew Neundorf

here is no denying the importance of the Harley-Davidson Pan America 1250. Outside of experiments under the Buell brand, conducted fifteen years ago, this all-new Adventure Touring bike marks the first time Harley-Davidson has concentrated its engineering efforts towards an entirely different rider. And I say it’s about time. I also say it appears as though they’ve delivered a winner.

power and develops 94 lb-ft of torque, all while spinning up to 9,500 rpm. Despite its bulky appearance, the Pan America is also relatively light. It tips the scales at 242kg, fuelled and ready to roll. It’s also a bit of a high-tech bike, too. The suspension set-up is semi-active and can even be optioned to automatically lower itself up to 2-inches when it comes to a stop. There’s Bluetooth connectivity, multiple rider modes, a six-axis IMU controlled suite of safety software and integrated navigation.

First of all, it’s powerful. The all-new, liquid-cooled, Revolution Max 1250cc V-Twin, which has been So, what do you say? Would you take this Harley mounted as a stressed member, has 150 horse- on your next long way ‘round?

SPECIAL FEATURE

THEY WERE BORN FOR THIS! MUST RIDE MOTORCYCLES IN 2021

Story

Matthew Neundorf 73

ith longer days and warmer temperatures creeping into view, my excitement for getting back onto two wheels is reaching a fevered pitch. Travel restrictions have meant most of us pampered journalist types have had to suffer through the off-season, watching new bikes debut digitally, instead of getting a hands-on sample in some idyllic locale. And man, 2021 certainly has some tantalizing motorcycles coming our way. While I firmly subscribe to the “I want to ride all of the motorcycles” philosophy, these are the ones that have me most stoked, and the roads I’d most like to sample them on. TRIUMPH SPEED TRIPLE 1200 RS ORTEGA HWY, SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, CA Built as an all-new bike from the ground up, the 2021 Speed Triple 1200 RS looks like it should slot right back into the fight for street supremacy. The new engine -- a 1,166cc, inline three-cylinder unit -- is good for 177 hp and 92 lb-ft of torque, making it the most powerful triple to grace a Triumph yet. And that engine should sound incredible, thanks to a bump in redline up to 11,150 rpm. On top of these power gains, the bike has also lost weight. Seven kilos alone have been shaved via the new engine

and an extra three were trimmed elsewhere, meaning this bike tips scales at 190kg, fuelled and ready. That’s about a 25% increase in terms of power to weight. Triumph has also fitted the top of the line Speed Triple with its latest suite of rider aid technology which includes a 6-axis IMU to control cornering ABS and wheelspin as well as five rider modes, including a “track” mode. A five-inch, TFT display conveys all of the niceties back to the rider, including tire pressure monitoring and comes equipped with Triumph’s My Triumph Connect software meaning you can pair and control your phone as well as a GoPro. The Speed Triple 1200 RS is also the first Triumph to run with a fully keyless system, which includes a keyless fuel filler cap. If given the chance to swing a leg over the new Speed Triple 1200 RS, I’d set my GPS for the Palms to Pines Scenic Byway. Better known as route 74 or the Ortega Highway, this winding stretch of tarmac flows through the Cleveland National Forest for just short of forty-eight thrilling kilometres. Slightly less technical and crowded than the famed Angeles Crest, Palms to Pines may be the perfect setting to unleash the fury and handling available in Triumph’s new streetfighter.

DUCATI MULTISTRADA V4 S - RT 245, THE DOOLEY MOUNTAIN HIGHWAY, OR The Tail of the Dragon is a road of legendary status amongst riders and drivers alike. But for all of its fanfare (mine included), it often suffers from both a congestion problem and an achingly low and diligently enforced speed limit. Conversely, the Dooley Mountain Highway in Eastern Oregon

is almost empty, devoid of police presence and, I’d argue, an equally engaging road. Winding up and over Dooley Summit, route 245 continuously trips over itself in a fashion that indicates its pavers were just as enamoured with the scenery as you will be. Best of all, the posted limit is 55 and there are plenty of trails to explore in the neighbouring areas. My mount of choice for this section of heaven would be Ducati’s Multistrada V4 S.

DOOLEY MOUNTAIN HIGHWAY

ORTEGA HIGHWAY

Stuffing a MotoGP derived V4 engine into an adventure touring bike might sound like a recipe for roasted rubber and frequent dealer servicing but the new Multistrada appears to have its ducks, or should I say, ‘Ducs’, in a row. Valve servicing has a 60,000 km window and Ducati’s Multistrada V4 S is equipped with Ducati’s complete Safety Pack sampling. That means the new Multi has every rider aid and tuneable parameter you could ever want to help get the most from that 170 hp mill, and even one you didn’t know you might. Adaptive cruise control, the first ever appearance on a motorcycle, 76

is available and when equipped also brings blind spot detection to the table, thanks to both front and rear radar sensors. There are heated grips and seat as standard and the tall, upright ergonomics offer a comfortable perch. What’s different from Multis of yore though, aside from doubling the cylinder count, is that the new model was packaged with a 19-inch front wheel. That means one could easily spoon on a decent set of knobbies and make the most of the areas fire roads and backroads discovery routes too.

SUZUKI HAYABUSA ANTRIM COASTAL ROUTE, NORTHERN IRELAND Although touted as being all-new for ‘22, the latest generation Hayabusa should be viewed as more of a refresh than an actual redux. The chassis, although tweaked, is a carryover unit and while Suzuki’s engineers have diligently re-worked many of the internals, the engine remains a 1,340cc, naturally-aspirated, inline 4-cylinder engine. So no, the long-teased new release isn’t the bonkers turbo ‘Busa some would have liked. Worse still, all of those changes actually caused a decrease in both overall horsepower (from 194 to 187 hp) and torque (from 114 to 110 lbs-ft) while also raising the price of admission some $6,700 from last year’s model, to over $22k. So why exactly am I excited about the new ‘Busa? While overall power numbers are down, the manner in which the 2022 Hayabusa churns it out should actually be better. Torque and horsepower are less peaky than previous generations, meaning the new ‘Busa should be not only easier to ride but quicker to speed as well (although I don’t know that a lack of mid-range punch was a complaint anyone ever really had). Add to that Suzuki’s full suite of rider aids -- that include three swappable modes, a six-axis IMU controlled ABS and Traction Control set-up, launch mode and an active speed limiter -- as well as bigger, better Brembos and wind-tunnel shaping that makes it the slipperiest ‘Busa ever and you have an evolved yet formidable two-wheeled weapon.

With nearly 300 miles of scenic and fairly speedy A-roads winding through small villages and flanked by cliffs, the Irish Sea and a patchwork of green, the Antrim Coastal Route would make an ideal stretch to experience and exploit the new Hayabusa. I’ve ridden the road from Belfast to Coleraine before -- with parts of it making up the famed North West 200 race route -- and have been properly gobsmacked by all there is to see. With plenty of stops along the way that include the Giant’s Causeway (as well as a potential detour to Joey’s Bar to raise a glass in honour of “yer maun”) and some proper fast roads between Londonderry and Enniskillen and again slinking from Newry back into Belfast, this a route that pays proper homage to two-wheeled speed and the Hayabusa might be the perfect bike for it.

POWER BROKERS

KARIM HABIB, KIA HEAD OF GLOBAL DESIGN CENTER DREAMS REALLY DO COME TRUE

Story

Stephanie Wallcraft 79

arim Habib is walking proof that Canadian kids with lofty dreams should accept no less than shooting for the moon. Born in Beirut, Lebanon, and raised in Montreal, Habib studied mechanical engineering at McGill University before moving overseas to work in the design departments of BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and later Infiniti, where he spent two years as the brand’s chief designer. Today, he is the global head of design for Kia, overseeing the operations of the brand’s four design studios in Southern California, Frankfurt, Shanghai, and Hwaseong, South Korea. In conjunction with the reveal of the Kia EV6, Habib discussed Kia’s latest design philosophy dubbed ‘opposites united.’ Habib reflected on how the rapidly evolving world around us is influencing automotive design and how a more open and flexible approach to its application helps Kia serve the unique needs and expectations of its customers around the world. This interview, based on a media roundtable session, has been edited for length and clarity. for flexibility. Kia is a brand that needs that flexibility for the different characters that we have in different parts of the world. For example, we have Telluride in the U.S. and Canada, but it’s not in Kia’s previous design philosophy was the simplic- Europe. We have the Ceed in Europe that is not in ity of a straight line. That aspect of simplicity North America. So, that design philosophy needs and clarity is something we want to keep working to allow for that bandwidth. That being said, Kia toward, but we felt we needed a certain evolution. is working very hard on defining and clarifying the meaning of the brand. We also realize that a brand We notice that moving and traveling is essential should be above the individual character of the to not only economy and society, but also human products. evolution and learning and growing, and crossfertilization from different cultures and different The design on the new EV6, Kia’s parts of the world. That idea implies something first product build on a platmore complex. We wanted the different layers form dedicated to EVs, is a bold of that complexity to be there visually. That was approach. Why, in your view, are our way of creating an image for the team to work we seeing increasingly bold interpretations in automotive design? toward, by creating this idea of opposites united. How does the concept of ‘opposites united’ translate into vehicle design?

I think boldness is a symptom, or a mirror, of the society we find ourselves in. There’s so much visual input everywhere. Standing out is what a lot of people want to do, and that requires provocation. But boldness can mean very different things. Boldness doesn’t have to be brash. I think boldness can be about courage. Boldness can be about This philosophy is not meant to be one thing. It’s making a clear commitment to something. That’s not meant to be one style that is to be executed the kind of boldness I’d like to subscribe to and I’d in the same way for different products. It allows like our design to subscribe to. In our new brand Kia is a brand that has typically not shied away from evolving quickly or experimenting with different looks across its product line-up. How does this new philosophy fit with that approach?

values, we talk about being bold and original and inventive. And I think in that combination being inventive is about researching, trying, coming up with a great idea, and then having the boldness to go for it. That’s the kind of boldness that inspires us.

it’s balanced by something that opposes. We will be using more fabrics and wools and things that have texture. If you have something high-tech and very smooth and high-gloss, that will be balanced by something more low-tech, more human, more handmade.

We’re lucky enough in Canada to have a lot of nature around us. In Korea, there’s a huge trend toward camping. A lot of people now camp more, so much so that we really think about that in our cars. For example, in the Carnival minivan, we’re thinking of how to integrate camping ideas like We are going into a very high-tech world where sleeping in your car and having a tent connected. screens and head-up displays and touch sensitiv- Growing up in Canada, you understand that. It’s ity are very important. That technical quality has to nice to see that that’s, I think, part of our future be felt in the product. But for us, it’s important that world. Another aspect of the new philosophy involves creating juxtaposition between the technological and natural worlds. Why is this important?

EV AVENUE

2021 VOLVO XC90 RECHARGE PLUG-IN HYBRID GETAWAY IN THE YEAR OF LIVING PATIENTLY

Story | Steven Bochenek 83

“Flattening the curve” … “putting in measures to protect our most vulnerable” … and “finding the balance” … When it comes to jargon-babble, health professionals could give auto writers a schooling. Here we are, twelve months into one unending Zoom call and, you’d think, ready for some R&R. But now, at the opening ascent of a “third wave” with “variants of concern” potentially lurking within a two-metre radius of every moist face you see, you also wish people came with “available radar sensor technology.”

PART 1: A COMPLICATED URGE TO ESCAPE ROUTINE hat follows are some episodes from a minivacation my wife and I returned from two days ago in this year of living patiently. We drove the largest of Volvo cars, the XC90 Recharge Plug-in Hybrid Inscription Expression SUV. Even its name is oversized. We had the XC90 Etc. for nearly a week and drove it nearly 200km north for three days and nights for some late-winter outdoorsy fun. First, we need to get off our property and out of the city.

but thankfully bleeps warnings and flashes graphic images of its peripheries where the driver’s threatening to scrape paint or panels off the sides as it backs out past the narrow gate.

With just the two of us and our reluctant Labrador — if he could speak, he’d tell us he hates traveling but he doesn’t need to; it’s clear — the XC90 was bigger than we needed but we adjusted easily. During a pandemic, rather than shopping near your destination and feeling the stink eye from locals burning through your mask, you want to bring all the food (and, let’s be honest, booze) you’ll be Speaking of radar sensors, the bigly named XC90 consuming with you. So, the extra space in the Etc. fortunately comes with all sorts of tech to keep rear was welcome. The XC90 seats seven but we a poor parker from skimming off the glossy deep left the 3rd row down and stuffed the 962.7 litres blue paint job. Just how big is the XC90? 1.775m packing space there with two backpacks, two roll(69.9”) tall, 4.95m (194.9”) long, and a maximum ing carry-on suitcases, three coolers, a box full of width of 2.001m (79.1”) with mirrors still folded. It towels and sheets, two coats, five sets of boots, does fit one of the two spaces on our parking pad two sets of crampons and my cross-country skis 84

and poles. The second row of seats folds in a 40/20/40 set of possibilities and we elected to flatten the one behind the driver to accommodate all the stuff. The remaining two seats leave enough space for the 90-pound yellow Labrador retriever to clumsily luxuriate upon. Those back seats are heated and, yes, he’s utterly spoilt.

aforementioned parking spot.

If you look up The Church at Duncan on Airbnb, you’ll come across a weekender’s funhouse charmingly converted from a tiny late-Victorian church in the hamlet of Duncan. (Hence, the name!) If you look up directions to it from Toronto using Google, beware! The final 3km of the shortest route, which Google recommends, is a dipping valley road that could also be described as a deadly crevasse with traffic signs. Indeed, here you are, just 2.5km from your destination and the road on the cusp of the dip is ¾ blocked with a 7-foot snow barrier, flanking a sign that reads, “Road not paved in winter.” Mind, road is a flattering description. At points, on the initial descent it’s not much wider than our

Deadly dips like the one Google recommended permeate this area. So, early on our first morning, I do use the XC90’s nav for a safe route to Duntroon Highlands Nordic skiing park, a looping, undulating set of trails extending as long as 40km at the height of winter. However, on this day it’s down to 30km. As the crow flies over crevassesque dips, Duntroon is only 15km from the Church. As the XC90 safely drives in winter, it’s 40km!

But we’re not taking that Google route on this trip. We did at Christmas, nearly got stuck and learned a valuable lesson. Instead, we navigate a longer but no less scenic route to the converted Church. This is Grey County. Sections are part of the UNESCOprotected Niagara Escarpment biosphere. It’s Altogether, this is a lot of content for three days already a winter-driver’s wonderland, rich with of mostly reading by the fire but we didn’t wish to steep snowy hills, sharp turns and refreshingly be within two kilometres of anyone’s breath, never little traffic. No need to brave the crevasse. mind two metres.

That’s OK. It’s a beautiful morning and an opportunity to put the XC90 Etc. through its paces without toppling a nervous canine from the rear bench or an open a case of wine from its perch on skis.

PART 2: SOME HIGHLIGHTS OF DRIVING THE XC90 RECHARGE PLUG-IN HYBRID INSCRIPTION EXPRESSION Hybridity: It’s pretty much impossible to discern the change between electric and gasoline drives in this hybrid. Ten years ago, hybrids were more like reluctant roommates sharing a TV remote. There was noticeable difference in the content of the output. Ten years from now, Volvo will only be making fully electric cars but in this 2022 hybrid they’ve thoroughly solved what was once an awkward transition between electric motor and gasoline engine.

I let it slow and ease into the apex with a vigorous thrust of throttle. Goodies: This package of Inscription Expression (bet you can’t say it three times fast) includes high performance sound which intelligently notices changes in ambient noise. If you’re not gunning the engine or the wind stops whipping against the vehicle, the sound attenuates to a volume similar to how it sounded to you when you popped it on. Smart.

Heart: The combination of an electric motor and gas-powered engine controlled by an 8-speed Geartronic transmission provides oodles of power: Driving: Despite its size, the XC90 handles well 400 horsepower and 472 lb-ft of torque. So, and is easy to control in corners. SUVs of such again despite its bulk, the XC90 takes off unlike girth can turn and stop like a train but this moves a train and is almost nimble. It has a pure electric with impressive agility. Near the Church, the nav range of 29km but we never elect to plug it in the offered a couple of right-angle turns that a more evenings, so the electric’s gone early in the weekaggressive driver might accept as a challenge but long experience. 86

EPILOGUE FROM BESIDE THE FIRE LOG Consider the sentiment in Mark Haddon’s novel The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. The quirky narrator is a young boy with autism who doesn’t understand people; he explains why he likes dogs, saying something like “They can’t Maintenance: It’s March and there’s much snow speak, so they can’t lie.” How, evocative and simple but everything is melting. Outside here, if it isn’t like all the best wisdom. white, it’s brown. The dog has smeared mud across the plush white leather seat. At the end of our After I’ve skied on the first morning, for the rest three-day escape from endless repetition, clean- of the three days, we do little but cook and wander ing that should be a terrifying hours-long curse- on the Bruce Trail. After nearly twelve months of fest but the plush surface is forgiving and the dirt staring at pixeled heads with hair sprouting in all comes away easier than a retriever following the directions, it’s lovely to turn off our devices, read scent of a liver treat. Yes, it’s a $1,950 upgrade, but good books (and some trash too) by the fire and the leather seats seem good value from this side walk through quiet woods with a companion who of the washcloth. doesn’t say much and never lies. Roominess: The panoramic sunroof is covered by a see-through shade. Open it and the already stadium-like interior feels even bigger. On Friday morning, skis two metres long rattle around in the emptiness, almost echoing. Yes, this is a huge vehicle but useful for social distancing.

DISCOVERED

IT’S HAMMER TIME - CAN’T TOUCH THIS! THE WORLD’S TOUGHEST ONE-DAY RACE

Story | Matthew Guy 89

ou’ve seen those paint shakers at the contractor’s desk of your local hardware store, right? Junior loads a fresh can of Benjamin Moore into the cartridge, closes the plastic door, and all hell breaks loose. The silver canister is grabbed by the scruff of its neck and agitated in three dimensions of simultaneous movement: orbital, sideways, and vertically. Its mixing cycle shakes the can faster Social distancing, masks, and testing - the new normal at competitions like these - added a new than the human eye can register. and alien layer of work for competitors. Racers in Multiply this by over 250 kilometres of scorching the main event line up side-by-side for the 8:00am desert and you’ve a good idea of what it’s like to green flag, firing up their engines five minutes’ compete in King of the Hammers. prior and setting off into the desert sun two at a time based on qualifying results from earlier in There are several classes of the week. It would be 3:08pm before this year’s machines at KOH, ranging from winner, Randy Slawson, would roll into victory lane. purpose-built monsters (we’ll go for a ride in one of those in a minute) to factory-backed rigs from companies like Can-Am and Polaris.

Drivers must complete a series of challenging obstacles in order to be successful at KOH, all of which bear entertaining names like ‘Kings Graveyard’ and ‘Crowbar’. In fact, this is exactly how King of the Hammers was founded: a group The latter are often test beds for off-road features of California off-roaders had established chaland options planned for machines that will even- lenging routes through the Johnson Valley, most tually land in showrooms for customers to buy, of which were littered with rocks the size of a Kia. putting a whole new spin on the old phrase ‘Win Eventually, someone mused aloud “has anyone on Sunday, Sell on Monday’. ever done all these Hammer trails in one day?” Except this year, the main event took place on Saturday. Following several days of pre-running in which there is a myriad of practice and qualifying and other supporting events, competitors lined themselves up for an 8:00am start. Most had been awake for ungodly hours by this time, carrying out pre-dawn prep and perhaps eating a length of rough-cut pine sprinkled with roofing nails for breakfast. These are tough people. 90

Chalk up one more for the famous push of the phrase ‘Hey, y’all; watch this.”

As with most racing leagues, there are multiple classes of vehicles, with the UTV class counting itself as the largest group of racers in 2021. This year, their race course length was 193km long and each racer had to complete two laps in order

to record a finish. The route includes wide-open desert stretches and rocky mountain obstacles, meaning the breadth of talent required by driver and machine to win this event is nearly as broad as the desert itself. In 2021, a procession of yellow Can-Ams took places on the finishing podium but companies like Polaris have found ample success in years past, as well.

ment like the Lowrance GPS receiver that’s about the size of a small television. A bank of switches resembles control panels routinely found in a 747, while multiple levers for gear and axle commands sprout from the floor like overgrown alders. The prominent first-aid kit does not go unnoticed. Mashing the starter - and you had better mash it as KOH machines are not vehicles in which you ‘touch’ or ‘press’ buttons - the 350 horsepower lights on the first try, growling like Chewbacca on a bad fur day and sending plumes of dust skyward in quantities sufficient to satisfy the personal hygiene needs of at least three Persian cats.

Your author was fortunate to get a front-row seat to the audacity of these machines in the Before Times, a couple of years prior to social distancing and the pestilence currently impeding our ability to travel the continent. Darel Crowder from Washington has over 30 years of experience racing off-road machines and built the one you see here for King of the Hammers. It started life as a Jeep Wrangler YJ but precious few bits remain of the machine that rolled out of the assembly plant A simple flex of Darel’s big toe is enough to break in Toledo, OH. traction while scampering up a dirt path in the Oregon wilderness. He’s taking it easy but his Crowder ran in the 4500 Class, a cat-who-ate-the-canary grin is more than enough class requiring a modified OEM confirmation that the man knows the level of hell chassis while placing limits on riot this thing can unleash when pushed. Peering shock and tire sizing. over the edge of the trail reveals the stand of fir This hand-built brute deploys 37” BFGoodrich trees far below in the vast yawning chasm of KM2 tires and gonzo 14” Fox shocks giving it what’s known as the Yacolt Burn. I tighten my belts as Darel hits the loud pedal, hammering over suspension travel that’s nearly long enough to dirt as the exposed suspension does the Watutsi earn Air Miles. It has a 108-inch wheelbase - over while exercising its travel. Even at this relatively a foot longer than stock - but was within a couple disciplined pace it’s loud, dusty, and trembly. And, inches of a workaday Jeep in terms of width. it must be said, absolutely thrilling. Under the custom hood we found a 6.0L LQ4 V8 Now extend that experience into fourteen hours of plucked from the pages of GM history and backed desert racing, rock climbing, and precision checkby a durable Turbo 400 transmission. Climbing point timing - and you’ll begin to get an idea of into the rig requires the sort of calisthenics to what it’s like to compete in King of the Hammers. which your author is not accustomed, navigating through a web of safety equipment and taking Suddenly, that paint shaker at the hardware store care not to smack important electronic equip- looks kinda tame, eh?

DISCOVERED

BACKROADS AND SUPERSPEEDWAYS 2021 TOYOTA GR SUPRA A91 EDITION

Story William Clavey I

Photography Guillaume Fournier 93

enturing through a Canadian blizzard in a rear- weight. As I was driving towards the track. Sanair’s wheel drive Toyota Supra is both thrilling and organizers contacted me with information that they’d have to shut down the facility until the blizgut-wrenching all at once. zard had passed. Since I was already on my way The original plan was to bring the 2021 Toyota GR there, with a photographer sitting in my passenger Supra to Sanair Superspeedway’s winter track for seat, I decided to transform my day into a winter some good old snow drifting action. What made road trip. And boy was it an adrenaline-packed this proposition even more exciting was the fact experience. that the province of Quebec was being attacked by a potent Canadian blizzard the day of the event. I Before I go on telling the story about this immensely had figured that a fresh batch of the white stuff exciting and somewhat terrifying adventure, allow me to give you a quick update on the Toyota Supra would only make our adventure more enjoyable. one year into its life cycle. A collaboration between BMW and Toyota, the Supra remains a compelling I was already picturing slick photography of me kicking choice if performance is your fancy. snow off its rear tires like a professional driver. I remember telling the photographer: “man, this is going to be so much fun!”

For 2021, the turbocharged 3.0-litre straight six is cranked to 382 horsepower (up from 335 hp), with torque remaining untouched at 368 lb-ft. All of it is sent to the rear wheels via an eight-speed autoBut then, reality sunk in. The snow was too fresh, matic transmission. Currently, there’s no manual which meant it hadn’t yet been compacted, result- option, which remains a topic of controversy for ing in cars that would simply sink from their own the Supra faithful given its sporty heritage.

The 2021 model year also brings the A91 Edition to the lineup (as tested). It’s mostly an aesthetics package that allows it to look a little meaner than other trim levels. Toyota also apparently fine-tuned the suspension on the A91 to make it a tad more engaging at the limit.

When equipped with the proper tires and driven on warm tarmac, the Supra will bolt to 100 km/h from a standstill in just under four seconds. The quarter mile, as per Toyota, can be achieved in just over 12 seconds in the right conditions. Except, this time around, I wasn’t driving the car in the right conditions. Average outdoor temperatures hovered around -5 degrees Celsius, or to put it another way, the perfect weather for transforming wet pavement into a fresh sheet of black ice. Add to that violent winds and persistent snowfall, and what you end up with is the ultimate test of man and

machine versus the elements, especially when you’re behind the wheel of a nearly 400 horsepower, rear-wheel drive sports car. Thankfully, Toyota Canada had fitted the Supra with a fresh set of Pirelli Sottozero 3 winter tires. It’s no secret that Pirelli’s Sottozero brand remains a weapon of choice for performance-oriented drivers who dare drive their machines year-round in the Great White North. As I pulled off Quebec’s highway 10 and onto route 235 that heads south towards the US border, I immediately realized what I had gotten myself into. The moment I’d try to change the Supra’s trajectory, its wanted to kick sideways. That’s because Toyota has purposely tuned the GR Supra to be a tail-happy machine, one that’ll enthusiastically take part in majestic power slides, all while encouraging you to keep your focus on the task at hand. This is a driver’s car in every respect, one that requires the driver to remain alert behind the wheel. And in these conditions, my attention had just been cranked up to 11.

As I stormed through the Montérégie region’s frozen corn fields while violent winds threw large chunks of snow on the car’s flank, I couldn’t Yes, this is a BMW drivetrain, but help but acknowledge the Supra’s performanceToyota’s tuning here is obviously apparent. The Supra, then, really focused personality. Sure, grip was always an has its own bespoke character. issue, but even if the rear tires seemed to spin with the slightest throttle pressure, it remained wellplanted on the road, always heading in the direction I wanted it to go. If there’s a lesson to be learned from my experience it is confirmation the 2021 Toyota GR Supra Power from the straight six engine is butter- was designed for warm weather driving and tight smooth, while the automatic gearbox shuffles corners, not snowy and icy winding roads. But it through gears in utmost efficiency. Contrary to a is possible to do so and have a lot of fun in the BMW Z4 M40i, which allows you to cycle through process. a wide scope of available drive modes, the Supra only gets one: Sport. Activate it, and its exhaust It takes a special kind of resolve to attack Quebec note pops a little louder upon upshifts, its steering backroads in a powerful rear-wheel drive sports wheel responds quicker, and the gearbox instantly car during a winter blizzard, but the reward is well goes into attack mode, delivering the required cogs worth the risk. After all, isn’t this what an exhilawith even more effectiveness. rating drive should be all about?

GEAR UP!

IT’S TIME TO RIDE Story Matthew Neundorf

Photography Matthew Neundorf and Carolyn Merey 99

Saint Unbreakable Slim Jeans (w/ armour)

Oscar Bomber Jacket

Racer Mickey Gloves

Alpinestars Motochino Pants

onger days? Warmer weather? Melting snow? Spring is in the air folks and, more importantly, it’s also on the streets. You know what that means, don’t you? It’s time to unplug those battery tenders, check tire pressures and get those motorcycles back on the road. But before you do, give your riding gear a quick peek, too. It might be time to upgrade. When it comes to stylish, high quality and highly protective riding gear, the world is truly a rider’s oyster. But while that can make it hard to go wrong, it doesn’t necessarily make it easy to go right. Our tastes around here tend towards the fitted, functional and fashionable approach for street riding. As such you won’t see anything here that would be at home on either the track or the trail -- we’ll get to those items another time -- so if that’s the kind of riding gear that suits your ride and style, here’s a few pieces worth giving consideration. Full Disclosure -- The brands indicated provided and shipped the items below, free of charge. OSCAR BY ALPINESTARS BOMBER JACKET A black bomber is about as timeless and versatile as a jacket can get. Launched under their Oscar line, this new Alpinestars version epitomizes the blend between form and function for motorcycle gear.

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Cardo Systems Packtalk Black

The fabric is soft to the touch, flexible and the cut is fitted although still roomy enough to accommodate a reach to the bars. It ships with a removable fleece liner that adds more warmth than I thought it would and the twill shell has been given a polyurethane treatment to keep wet weather out. There’s even a set of elasticized thumb loops that will slide into a glove, to keep everything in its right place. Armour comes in the form of slim, proprietary padding at the shoulders and elbows and there’s a pocket sewn in for a back protector too. I started wearing this jacket towards the end of 2020’s riding season and it stayed in my rotation long after the bikes were put away. It’s comfortable, stylish, pairs well with anything casual and looks far more sophisticated than those nylon bombers sold at army-surplus stores. The branding above the chest pocket could stand to disappear (at least in my eyes) but I’m sure with use, it’ll fade away nicely. ALPINESTARS MOTOCHINO PANTS Few items other than chinos can skirt the line between dressy and casual with such relative ease. They’re the official trouser of adventuring archaeologists, corner-office types and everyone in between. The Motochino pants from Alpinestars not only beat anything from Bonobos or J. Crew in terms of style and comfort but they pack legitimate rider protection into the equation too. There are interior panels of aramid fibres stitched

into the sides, seat and knees of the pants that provide abrasion resistance. Add to this some impact protection in the form of CE Level 1 armour that can be fitted at the knees and you’re ready to ride. The Fit is Euro-slender and true-to-size (so be honest if you’re ordering) and creates a slimming, flat-fronted silhouette. The leg opening is just wide enough to accept riding boots of equal style but also tapered enough to tuck-in, should you rather. The only other thing to know is that, unless you take the time to remove them once you arrive (which will involve taking the pants completely off), people will be able to spot those knee pads, even from a distance. SAINT UNBREAKABLE SLIM JEANS (W/ ARMOUR) Looking for something a little more rugged than chinos? Check out Saint’s Unbreakable line of jeans. Constructed from a blend of 25% Dyneema -- a lightweight poly-fabric that boasts being fifteen times stronger than steel -- these slim and tapered jeans provide single-layer abrasion protection while also coming equipped with internal pockets for armour. Saint doesn’t ship the jeans with armour, sadly they’re an extra, but the recommended D30 Ghost is slim, flexible and earns a CE level 1 rating for impact protection. I’ve found the finish of these to be a huge improvement over Saint’s original Unbreakable efforts. The original versions were stiff, overly hot and the inner seams would chafe: not what you want when crunched up on a bike. These new iterations have less Dyneema and incorporate some flex into the mix, making them nearly as comfy as they are stylish both on the bike and off. My only gripe is the sizing. I had a size 34 shipped over for testing (which is what Saint’s size guide recommended) but they fit more like a liberal 36. Even the tagging Saint stitched onto the jeans was inconsistent showing that a W34 x L34 equated to W89cm x L86cm cut -- how does that work? And when I measured the waist myself, I showed a circumference of 95cm (37-inches). Now don’t get me wrong, they’re great jeans but I’d definitely say try ‘em before you buy ‘em to get a proper fit. RACER MICKEY GLOVE The slogan at the top of their webpage says that Racer Gloves are the best fitting gloves you can buy. They’re not lying. I’ve yet to find a pair of riding gloves that fit me as well as their offerings do. The

Mickey Glove is a personal favourite. A short cuff design, the Mickey has soft clarino leather palm and uses what Racer calls SuperFabric to provide hard-shelled slider protection at the knuckles and palm. They don and doff easily, breathe decently in hot weather and provide protection exactly where you need it. They only come in black but they’ll pair with anything. My only complaint is that they’re not touchscreen compatible like some of Racer’s other offerings but they are relatively cheap and pulling over for ice cream (and to check messages) is never a bad call. CARDO SYSTEMS PACKTALK BLACK I’ve been riding with some form of communications system for years now. Having music, podcasts or turn-by-turn directions piped into my helmet is mandatory. Being able to chat with a riding partner or 15, well that’s just a bonus. The Cardo Packtalk line is the current industry favourite and, after riding with both the Packtalk Black and Bold over the last few weeks, I’ve officially retired my triedand-true Sena system. It’s not that my Sena kit was bad -- in fact, it’s great -- it’s just that the Packtalk Black is, well, greater. The 45mm JBL speakers are clearer, cleaner, crisper and deliver far better sound quality, even at speed. Pairing my phone just worked flawlessly the first time I tried and it reconnects every time I power things back on -- this is not something comms systems are necessarily known for. If you run with a phone and a Bluetooth GPS, it will play nicely with both. Connecting to other riders (my wife and cousin -not the same person) was easier too. The headsets immediately recognized one another and if your group has riders using other brands, its mesh network will likely talk with them, too. The Packtalk Black commands a premium over the Bold and for that money you score larger speakers (45mm vs 40mm) and an extra year’s warranty (3 vs 2). I’ve found the sound quality of the Black to be fuller, with better mid-range. As such, my wife has inherited the Bold -- sorry, honey. If neither of those things are of concern to you, the savings can fill your tank a few extra times and score you twoscoops and a sugar cone at the next stop. 101

FEATURED SUV

ROAD TEST 102

2021 CADILLAC ESCALADE Story Dan Heyman

Photography Dylan King 103

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he 2021 Cadillac Escalade is an epic vehicle. It is the flagship of the Cadillac brand, and after a total redesign for 2021, it’s become even more extravagant than ever before, starting with the styling which sees an enlarged grille, horizontal as opposed to vertical headlight lenses and taillights that span the length of the rear fascia. The taillights are a significant part of the big Caddy’s welcoming sequence light show that starts as soon as you approach with the key fob in your pocket.

The gauge cluster is also fully digitized and can be set to display any number of screens, from a traditional gauge cluster, to augmented reality navigation and full night-vision. It’s obvious, you are sitting in something special

All this happens before you even fire up the engine, which is saying something because the 6.2L V8 under the hood is good for 420 horsepower and 460 lb-ft of torque, fed to all four wheels Inside, you’ll find the expected luxury features through a smooth, responsive 10-speed automatic such as hand-finished leather seating and real transmission. open-pore wood inserts, but it’s the technology on display that really catches the eye. The dashboard It has the power; it has the panache and it has is fully digitized and provides 38-inches of total the tech. It’s what a flagship luxury vehicle should display area thanks to dual nested OLED displays. be.

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FIRST DRIVE

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2021 ROLLS-ROYCE GHOST EXPLORING THE BEAMSVILLE BENCH

Story and Photography

Stephanie Wallcraft 107

tell you this from experience: there are few a million Canadian dollars, its buyers can afford to things as frustrating as having a Rolls-Royce in be discerning. your driveway with next to no freedom to take it Unfortunately, the timing in question is the height anywhere. of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Ghost arrives in The car in question is the new Rolls-Royce Ghost, my driveway mere days after my city’s stay-ata car that’s intended both to be driven and to be home order has been lifted, so I’m at least permitdriven in. Available in standard or extended wheel- ted to leave my house. But my region is in lockdown base and equipped with all-wheel drive and all- and the surrounding areas are less restricted, so I’ll wheel steering, its 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged either need to keep the Ghost within the confines V12 creates 563 horsepower and 627 pound-feet of the city or I’ll need to get creative while ensuring of torque so glidingly as to live up to its paranormal I’m traveling responsibly. name. It integrates traditional luxury touches such as bespoke customization and fully adjustable rear After mulling it over, I come up with a plan: with a seats, and modernizes them with an illuminated few phone calls, I’ve got orders placed for curbside front grille, powered button-close front and rear pickup throughout the Beamsville Bench. With doors, and a branded dashboard insert with 850 dozens of wineries and points of interest on the hand-drilled stars lit through six layers of etched Niagara Escarpment alone – and nearly double that glass. This is automotive art, and no detail has again if you’re willing to venture a little further into been overlooked. At a starting price of roughly half Niagara-on-the-Lake – one could make a Saturday

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afternoon habit of this and not visit the same place twice for months. Attempting it meaningfully just once requires some focus, though, so I set out with purpose to assemble the pieces needed for an opulent night at home.

combination of GPS data and the forward camera to assess the conditions ahead and adjust the dampers to respond in real time. If I’d been brave enough to bring a cup of coffee into this off-white interior, I doubt I would have spilled a drop.

The first stop is Kew Vineyards Estate Winery, A few turns later and I’m pulling into Upper Canada located directly on King Street just east of down- Cheese Company to place a second phone call and town Beamsville. Many of Kew’s wines are excel- have a bag full of delicacies dropped through the lent, but it’s the sparkling wines, prepared in both traditional and tank methods, that are especially celebrated. I call to announce my arrival, and a masked staff member emerges with my requested bottle of Blanc de Noirs, a wonderfully dry sparkling wine made entirely with Pinot Noir grapes. I tap my payment card and immediately drop the bottle into the Ghost’s wine cooler, located between the rear seats, so that it can chill while I continue on my mission. To reach my next destination, I turn back onto King Street toward the village of Jordan. The road becomes increasingly scenic and winding here as it continues to the east. A lesser car might rattle its occupants on the winter-ravaged pavement, but the Ghost’s predictive air suspension uses a

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passenger-side window. The wedge of Nosey Goat is for me; it’s not for the faint of budget, but it’s one of the mildest and creamiest goat cheeses to be found anywhere, so it’s well-suited to the occasion. While I’m there, I pick up some wedges of Niagara Gold to surprise friends and family with on socially distant porch drops.

makes wonderful gins and other spirits with locally sourced ingredients; they were also one of the first distillers in Ontario to pivot to making hand sanitizer for front-line workers early in the COVID-19 pandemic.

I’m a fan of the Unfiltered Gin 22, but it’s readily available close to home, so I don’t waste the staff’s Off to the final stop: Dillon’s Small Batch Distillers, time on gathering it up for my curbside order. a boutique producer of spirits and a wide range of Instead, I opt for a bottle of Black Walnut Amaro, bitters found just off the Queen Elizabeth Way, a an untraditional take on a classic Italian liqueur stone’s throw from Lake Ontario. Dillon’s not only that’s ready-made for creative use in cocktails.

A staff member meets me by the front door and places the bottle on an oak barrel; I tap my card one more time, and then I’m back in the Ghost and on my way into the city. A little while later, with the Ghost parked once again in my driveway, the iconic Spirit of Ecstasy tucked away for the night, and the key placed safely in my purse, I’m enjoying the results of my travels within 10 minutes of arriving at home: a cocktail made from amaro, that pre-chilled Blanc de Noirs, and some sparkling water on ice, with 110

a plate of decadent goat cheese and crackers, all gathered responsibly over a full afternoon of driving. While it’s a rare pleasure to enjoy a hand-crafted cocktail with unique local ingredients these days, the more significant treat is finding a way to safely spend a day behind the wheel of a car that’s truly exceptional.

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TIME ZONE

elcome to Time Zone, our recurring column for Vicarious’ readers. In this space we will attempt to introduce and explore a myriad of timepieces, including icons from the past as well as new and exciting interpretations, that exemplify our ethos of ‘Auto | Moto | Travel’. We will also include hands-on reviews of what we hope you will find to be interesting and inspiring watches and, with a little luck, will get up to some adventurous hijinks with them as well. We hope you enjoy! The Jaguar E-Type is one of the most gorgeous and iconic creations of its era. Slippery, sexy and distinctly British in execution, even Enzo Ferrari would declare it “the most beautiful car ever made”. Sixty years on and I’d say Enzo’s opinion still stands. Nick and Giles English, the brothers behind the Henley-on-Thames based watchmaker, Bremont, also agree and to celebrate the anniversary have released an enticing, limited edition collection.

Each wearable timepiece is also hand built in Bremont’s UK facilities and powered by the brand’s moulded and decorated calibre 13 ¼” BE-50AE. A modified version of the ETA 7750, 25-jewel, automatic movement it features a Glucydur balance, Anachron balance spring and Nivaflex mainspring, which provide a 38-hour power reserve via the rotor, which has been machined to match the steering wheel of that iconic E-Type. Sitting on a leather Rally Strap (naturally), is a hardened, stainless steel, DLC treated case that measures 43mm in width and 16.42mm tall. The bezel is an aluminum, bi-directional tachymetre ring that is colour matched to the strap and the crystal is a domed, anti-reflective sapphire crystal. Petrolheads will no doubt spot the small seconds counter at the 9 o’clock position, thanks to its tachometer inspired “redline” between 15 and 20. A 30-minutes counter sits at the opposite side and both are operated via screw-down chronograph pushers. Those subdials and the dial itself are based on the styling from the original E-Type. Personally, my eyes gravitate to the exquisite detailing on the crown, which resembles the tread pattern from a set of old ply Dunlop racing tires. Brilliant.

The Jaguar E-Type 60th Box Set consists of your choice of two differently hued chronographs, one in Flat Out Grey or one in Drop Everything Green as well as Bremont’s first ever Rally Timer. We’ll touch on those watches in a second but first: the This celebratory collection is limited to only oneRally Timer. hundred and twenty units (sixty in each colour) Mounted atop an engine-turned backplate, the and has been released to coincide not only with the E-Type’s 60th but also Jaguar Classic’s release of instrument perched on the left side is a dedicated their E-Type 60 Collection, which consists of six stopwatch with tachymeter ring while the one on limited edition, matched pairs that are painted the the right acts as a traditional clock, with a seconds same hue as those Bremont timepieces (coupes sub-dial. Both timekeepers and the mount are in grey, roadsters in green). As such, Bremont built in Bremont’s facilities. As an art piece alone, buyers will be treated to a truly unique experience the Rally Timer would look the proper business on that will surely help validate the $16,495 (USD) any executive’s desk but Bremont has done one asking price: putting three different E-Types from better: it can also be taken from its varnished, that collection through their paces during a day wooden stand and mounted into your car. out at Jaguar’s Fen End facility.

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THE JAGUAR E-TYPE 60TH BOX SET Story

Matthew Neundorf

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EXIT LANE

t’s true; you don’t have to look too far among any given group of Canadian car enthusiasts to find one that isn’t prepared to wax poetic about how the demise of General Motors’ defunct Canadaspecific Acadian and Beaumont models spelled the downfall of the car business in Canada. Well, I’ll stop that narrative right now as Canada remains instrumental in car development.

because a) it allows us to showcase our winters instead of having to just take barbs about them and b) it’s a crucial part of a vehicle’s gestation and the fact that these massive American automotive conglomerates are coming to our own backyard for testing is a pretty big deal.

The public roads around the facility are also used for testing – a track is one thing, but you can’t beat Take the town of Kapuskasing, ON, for example. real-world stuff – so if you want to catch a glimpse It’s a small hamlet right smack in the middle of of the new Corvette Z06, forget the Nürburgring Ontario with a population of less than 10,000 in Germany; make your way to central Ontario in residents. And, since temperatures regularly dip to December. You’ll likely have more luck snapping -35 degrees Celsius there, it provides the perfect that perfect “spy shot” there. climate for cars to undergo cold-weather testing as they’re being developed. So perfect, that GM It’s not just the Americans, either. developed a 272-acre Cold Weather Development Centre there out of a former military testing facility. According to relative newcomer Genesis who, as of 2021, sells only AWD vehicles in Canada, Canada’s “Historically, there have been other (testing sites) perfect for development. that have been used by GM,” said Connor Sutton, cold-weather exposure test lead at Kapuskasing. “Canadian winters can be quite harsh and vari“But if we’re talking about anything in terms of a able,” said Malaka Peris, quality assurance analyst North American-offered vehicle, then Kapuskasing at Genesis. “Through (our testing), we make sure is the go-to location.” That means that almost all our vehicles are operating as expected, even in every single GM product you see on roads here, the most extreme conditions.” from Escalades to Corvettes, have seen their development path wind through this town in freez- They don’t have quite as extensive a facility, does ing Ontario. It also means that between 50 and 70 Genesis, but they do travel to a number of spots vehicles can be found on the grounds at any given throughout Canada to see just how well their vehitime, being put through their paces by 50 engi- cles cope, from the aforementioned AWD system neers on an icy four-kilometre track, in freezing (which gets a “snow” mode in Canada, but not the cold chambers that are basically cubes rising out US), to how quickly it takes the seat warmers and of the frozen ground below, and in all manner of windshield defroster to kick in. extra-cold scenarios. Basically, if a car can survive Far as I’m concerned, if it wasn’t for Canada, the a winter here, it can survive a winter anywhere. cars we see on Canadian roads wouldn’t be as Which may seem like a frivolous comment but capable, as confidence-inspiring, as safe or even is actually a source of pride. It’s a source of pride as comfortable as they are.

Dan Heyman West Coast Editor | VICARIOUS

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Harold Island, Lake Muskoka

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