The 2015 Canadian International Auto Show #CIAS

It smells so good in there – new car smell turned up to 11.

First stop was the exotic room downstairs.

I was there hours before the rest of the media ha, but didn’t Tweet as much so not to bring heat to my interview subject.

Pfaff always brings the big badges.

Top is a Pagani (more about this car here, including me inside the thing), and bottom is my dream supercar – a Mclaren.

Because most cars make their debuts at either the LA or Detroit show, most of us auto journalists have seen all these cars already.

See my Top 5 list for the paper – Top 5 Favourite Things at the LA Auto Show.

Stopped by for the Acura NSX reveal. Why doesn’t everyone use this silver fabric? So dramatic.

Acura NSX Reveal

First time I saw this car in real life was Detroit a couple years ago, more about that here.

Best ad spec of the show goes to Honda’s selfie stick.

Which I used to capture the best part of any show – the people.

Here’s the website – Autoshow.ca – $23/adult, $7/kid, $45/family – February 13 – 22, 2015.

 

 

My Dream Supercar – a McLaren

This is a 2015 McLaren 650S Spider

In my dream though, I’m happy with any McLaren model.

So many new blog headers.

This model has ready… $100,000 IN OPTIONS.

Mine would have the least features, in fact, I’d pay more to have things deleted.

And not covered in carbon fiber.

I like them best because they’re subtle.

Ferrari is so flash, Lambo too, this is more understated.

Engine Specs

A twin turbo V8 outputting 641 hp and 500 lb.ft.
7-speed automatic
Top speed – 333 km/h
0 – 100 km/h in 3.0 seconds

Phft.

Below is one of my best pics in a while.

 

 

 

You Have to Break-in a New Car

Mark Basili of Pfaff Tuning, the customization division of Pfaff Automotive, educates me on why.

Short answer – to protect the piston rings. For the first 1,500 – 3,000 kms use a relaxed driving style, nothing too aggressive but not so far as babying it – giving it the occasional punch is good.

Read it online at Autonet.

Favourite line:

There are no fail safes in place. It all comes down to the human driving it – so make sure to protect the massive investment you just made.

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Back to ‘Keri on Driving’ – Index

 

 

Canada’s Most Exclusive Porsche

So exclusive that a party was thrown in its honour (same place as the Macan launch, the Magna Golf Club.)

It’s a 2015 Pfaff 50th Anniversary Turbo S Exclusive Edition

560 hp
553 lbs-ft of torque
0 – 100 km/h in 3.1 seconds

Only 5 were built, by hand.

Why? Porsche and Pfaff Automotive have been in partnership for 50 years now, and to celebrate they produced this car. It’s Canada’s first Exclusive edition, the interior is a nod to our country’s colours, and the hood’s red pin stripe is a nod to Pfaff.

New blog header.

The sun goes down so quickly these days eh, had to switch to an HDR filter to better show you the garden party covered in 911s.

I’d track this colour, but never buy it.

Congratulations on 50 years to you both!

 

 

Tracking a Porsche with Pfaff

Pfaff Automotive invited me to Mosport for a track day… in one of their day-lease Porsches.  Yes please!

It was my 2nd track time ever, bit spoiled huh, because here I go around in a Porsche Cayman.

Learned how executing a proper corner feels…. effortless?! Huh.

And did you know you can steer the car using only the throttle?  I did that once… accidentally.

That’s Brad Meise of Apex Driver Training you hear coaching me; thanks Brad! Liked your style: precise and non-stop.

My mistakes: I brake way too late, and enter the corners with too much aggression :|

That’s the thing though: so what I can fly around with a Brad in the passenger seat.

How about when it’s just me, and there’s no cones around the track to guide me, now add the pressure of competing in a race…

You can do this too.

Day-lease a Porsche or Audi from Pfaff and spend the day driving the above track, with coaching if you’d like it.

All information found here: Pfaff Track Days

A Porsche 911 is $1,699 +HST for the day rental at the track, and the other vehicles available are the Porsche Cayman, the Audi TTS and Audi S5.

Or track your own car.

That’s $449.00+HST for the DDT Track this 2014 season with the use of your own vehicle. Because the goal is not to learn how to go faster, but to better understand the physics behind driving.

And that’s what I wrote about for that week’s ‘Keri on Driving’ column.

Read it online at Autonet.

Favourite line:

It’s best to explore the limits of your car in a contained environment instead of a real life situation. This way, when your car gets away from you and starts to drift down an icy on-ramp, for instance, it’s not the first time you’re experiencing how that feels.

Back to ‘Keri on Driving’ – Index