2017 Ford F-150 Raptor

October 3, 2017 by Gary Grant 1 Comment

When one writes about a performance vehicle, rarely is fuel economy the lead discussion point, but the second generation Ford Raptor is not your average performance vehicle. Over more than a decade of reviewing vehicles, the single most expensive tank of fuel I have ever purchased belonged to the original Raptor. It was a whopping $167 and that was a few years ago, before gas prices skyrocketed. To be completely honest, while I was looking forward to driving the twin turbo V-6 powered 2017 model, I was dreading the cost of spending a week with it.

For the uninitiated, the Raptor is an off road edition of the popular Ford F-150. Unlike some such packages which amount to little more than a sticker package and bigger tires, the Raptor is heavily massaged to give it real deal desert racing type performance. Cosmetics in the form of fat fenders, an over the top sticker package and an aggressive wheel/tire package are backed up with some serious mechanical upgrades under the skin.

A classic Mercury pickup was waiting for the Raptor at one of our special events!

Make no mistake, the visual of the truck is nothing less than imposing and garners attention everywhere from the gas station to the girl at the drive through window who squealed “Oh my GOD, I LOVE your Raptor!” I even caught my next door neighbour poking around under the wheel arches, exclaiming that “This thing really is different from my base F-150”.

The first-gen Raptor was powered by a premium gas swilling V8 that provided swift performance despite the truck’s ample heft while sending an audio notice to anybody within earshot that this truck meant business. For the new model, engineers took a page from the Ford GT’s playbook and fitted a 3.5L V6 which is fed by a pair of turbochargers to fit the brand’s Ecoboost obsession. That 450-ish horsepower mill is mated to a 10-speed automatic transmission which offers silky smooth shifts and promises improved fuel economy.

The Ecoboost powered Ford GT roars into the night at the 2016 running of the Rolex 24 at Daytona.

Being a bit of an old school truck guy, I have to say that I was skeptical of the way the boosted six would sound. A performance truck should rumble like a Trans-Am car and I wasn’t sure what to expect. Around town, the Raptor sounds like Tim Taylor’s hopped up Shop-Vac. To be fair, at full throttle, it does sound like a Ford GT race car, but ain’t nobody can afford to drive it like that all the time! A big ol’ V8 rumble would be much more fitting.

Wary of my past history with the Raptor, my drive home consisted of setting the adaptive cruise control to 106 KM/H and letting technology look after the fuel economy. I posted an Instagram picture showing a very impressive 11.6 L/100 KM. My buddy Eric Novak over at EnviroDad commented: “Don’t get used to it…” Eric and I have VERY different driving styles, so this comment had me worried.

Pretty impressive fuel economy for my first stint in the 2017 @fordcanada Raptor #truckin #truckyeah #trucklife #turbo #ford #raptor

A post shared by Gary Grant (@thegarageguy) on Sep 18, 2017 at 12:06pm PDT

My kid drove the truck to his girlfriend’s and back. In 20 minutes, the average economy jumped to almost 14. I became more worried.

My Wife commented that I was driving like a little old lady every time I got behind the wheel and yet the consumption climbed to 16.9 L/100 KM while driving mostly around town.

Then, as we began to put the Raptor to work, some sort of magic happened.

We loaded the bed full of coolers and tables and towed the DCS Appliances event trailer to a gig in the country. Fuel economy improved. Then, we loaded up again for a trip to the MLRC Rallycross in Bancroft. No trailer this time, but lots of pop, water, ice, tables and a big camp stove, so there was some weight in the back.

After feeding the rallycross competitors, we headed out of Bancroft, the bed full of catering gear but minus all of the heavy stuff. I decided to take a road that we have never been down, just to see where it went. The semi-rural tarmac road wound its way past a few houses and then the tiny local air strip before degrading to gravel and becoming a bit more twisty. Soon, we came upon a yellow sign warning of “No Winter Maintenance”, which is Ontario’s notice that fun times are ahead. Game on!

At this point, the reasoning behind owning a Raptor become more apparent than ever. The track narrowed so much that at some points, the Raptor was wider than the gravel surface. So tight and twisty that 60 km/h felt like we were in a stage rally, the Raptor’s Fox Racing shocks soaked up every rock ledge that the Canadian shield threw its way. So much so that I commented on how smooth the ride was despite the rough surface.

The BFG A/T Ko2 is the perfect tire for tackling the rough stuff in the Raptor.

Driving in Off Road mode, the transmission shifts were set to allow for higher revolutions, keeping the turbos spooled up for instant power availability. The stability control was dialed back a bit, allowing for a healthy dose of easily manageable tail wagging. That is a good thing on really loose surfaces, where the big truck initially wants to understeer towards the woods, until a bit of welly coaxes the back end to come around, pointing the front end in the intended direction. The standard B.F. Goodrich All Terrain Ko2 tires are the perfect choice for this type of driving.

Back on the pavement, we continued our sunny Sunday afternoon drive in comfort, as the Raptor rolled along cottage country roads surprisingly peacefully.

At our final event of our week with the Raptor, one participant arrived in his own Raptor, identical to the one we were towing with. He joked that the dealer promised that it was a unique truck and here he was rolling into a Holiday Inn parking lot and the caterer had the same machine! Given that he had just driven from Montreal, we talked about fuel economy. I told him about my early experience and he said “No way, driving that slow is way too boring”. He had set his cruise control somewhere north of 130 KM/H and still saw an indicated consumption of under 16 L/100 KM.

In a week of mixed urban highway, country roads, fully loaded and towing along with an hour of what could best be called spirited dirt track driving thrown in, the Lightning blue beast sipped just 14.4 L/100 KM. That is better than many small crossovers would have fared in the same driving.

With a base price of $68,399 here in Canada, our tester had a fully load of options that bumped the ticket to an additional $15,100. The honest truth then is that the buyer of a pickup truck worth 85 grand isn’t going to be quibbling over fuel costs, but the most I put in the tank was $125 which is a really good saving over the previous, V8 powered version. A bit of financial practicality never hurt anybody!

Reboot: 2017 Ram 1500 Sport

September 7, 2017 by Gary Grant Leave a Comment

Regular readers know that BBQ plays a big part in the other side of my business. Whenever we cater an automotive themed event, we do our best to incorporate an appropriate tow vehicle for the event trailer that we borrow from the good folks at DCS Appliances. On Labour Day weekend we were cooking up some BBQ for up and coming NASCAR driver Gary Klutt from the hit TV show Legendary Motorcar. Gary drives a Dodge in the NASCAR Pinty’s Series, so it only made sense that we should arrive with the event grill attached to the back of a RAM pickup.

For this event, the folks at RAM Trucks Canada set up up with a bright green RAM 1500 Sport. This truck was basically the same truck as we towed with back in the Spring, so we really shouldn’t have anything additional to report. There was however one really big difference: the colour.

With the red truck, people either didn’t notice the truck or if they were truck people they commented on it being a nice truck. The bright green with matte black hood striping caused people literally to stop what they were doing and stare. I watched a little kid ride off the sidewalk because he was craning his neck to watch the big green truck drive by!

Even while driving, the sporty element of the RAM 1500 Sport seemed more enthusiastic. It felt like a truck that you wanted to have more fun with, instead of just cruising on down the road.

That sporty influence behind the wheel was also somewhat evident at the pump, as our observed fuel economy was a bit more hefty than it was with the red truck. Last time we towed almost daily and the truck consumed 14 L/100 KM for the full week. This time, we only towed one day and we saw 14.7 L/100 KM for the week. I will attribute that to my right foot being a bit more sporty!

: The fold flat floor feature of the RAM 1500 makes the rear seat area really usable for daily tasks like grocery shopping. Even more so when picking up food for fifty!

: They say you never know you need a pickup until you actually have a pickup. We took advantage of the RAM’s bed space to pick up a used freezer for our catering kitchen.

Whether or not you would choose a safe colour on a pickup or something that screams “hey, look at me” is totally a matter of personal preference. At the end of the day however, colour choice can totally affect the way you appreciate a vehicle and the way it is perceived by others. Personally, given the choice, I would be driving the screaming green!

Gallery: 2017 Subaru BRZ Inazuma Edition

August 17, 2017 by Gary Grant 1 Comment

: Bright colours like the eyeball searing yellow used on the Inazuma tend to be of the love it or hate it variety and a quick glance around the web shows that a lot of fans are bemoaning the fact that the special edition is only available in yellow. Personally, the black wheels and accents play nicely against the intense hue and it is exactly the way I would like it to look in my driveway.

: Since the initial introcution of the BRZ/FRS twins, fans of both Subaru and Toyota brands have grumbled that the audi/infotainment systems have been an aftermarket afterthought at best. Still for the 2017 model year, an aftermarket unit which is difficult to navigate in included. While the head unit itself is not bad, it just is not up to the task of cruising on the highway with the windows open. This is an easy fix for the owner, but should have been dealt with by the manufacturer.

: Today’s horsepower mad car fanatics have been wishing for more horsepower since the BRZ’s inception, when really they have been missing the point. A true sports car like the BRZ is all about balance and with 205 ponies going to the rear wheels, the BRZ achieves perfect balance. Sure, a bit more oomph would be nice, but you bought a manual transmission for a reason: drop a couple of gears and use those revs! Those who crave big horsepower will have to wait for the recently announced STI version, but we can expect that limited production model to be pricey.

: The only real boy racer addition here is this subtle rear spoiler. It accentuates the trunk lip just enough to give it a meaningful look without overpowering.

: The yellow seat inserts are just what the doctor ordered. If you are a fan of the yellow. The deeply bolstered seats are comfortable and would certainly be supportive enough for autocross use.

: The key performance upgrades that the Inazuma edition brings to the BRZ come in the form a SACHS dampers and Brembo brakes. We didn’t get to evaluate the improvement on track, but handling feels razor sharp, almost too much so. The Inazuma’s turn in is super crisp and one must pay attention at all times to keep the car straight at speed. I suspect this car would be a monster on an autocross course!

Road tripping with the 2017 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro

August 4, 2017 by Gary Grant Leave a Comment

Following the muddy launch of the TRD Pro models of Toyota’s Tundra and Tacoma, we headed to the Northern reaches of the Ottawa Valley for a week of work with a sweet Cement Grey Taco, with the DCS Appliances event trailer in tow. That combined rig stirred up attention everywhere we went, so when a similar trip came onto the horizon recently, it only made sense to see how the big brother Tundra would fare.

Last Fall, we put the Tundra TRD-Pro through its paces in the dirt in Ontario ski country.

The event would see us head from Whitby to Mont Tremblant, a ski town in rural Quebec which also is the home of Le Circuit Mont Tremblant, where we would spend a the better part of the week feeding our friends from Driveteq, who would be spending a couple of days lapping the historic race track.

Once again, we would be grilling on the trailer mounted DCS grill, but we would also be roasting a pig in our La Caja China roaster, which meant we needed a capable hauler with lots of space. We knew the Tundra is big and that the TRD Pro version is tough off road, but would it do the tasks we were presenting it with? We also knew that the Tundra can be a tad on the thirsty side so we were curious to know how it performed when fully loaded.

The traditional domestics have worked hard to surpass the traditional import truck makers when it comes to interior feel and some of them (specifically Ram’s attention to detail) have risen above the rest, including the Tundra. While the interior of the Tundra is both sporty and tough looking, our thoughts were more to the comfort side of things for a long week of driving. How would the seats fare under the weight of my 3XL sized frame and how would my back feel at the end?

Off road packages offered by some manufacturers tend to be of the mild, stickers and fluff variety while others go to the extreme in offering full desert racing spec for those wannabe Baja racers. The TRD-Pro version of the built-in-Texas Tundra falls somewhere to the right of that pendulum arc, offering subtle design cues along with carefully chosen performance upgrades. Beyond the visual branding cues, the most immediately noticeable is the addition of a high flowing performance exhaust, which gives the 381 horsepower 5.7L V8 some serious bark to go with its bite.

When knowledgeable off road enthusiasts start a new build, one of the first changes they often make is to install Bilstein dampers on all four corners, as much for their ability to smooth out a vehicle’s on road presence as for their excellence in the rough stuff. It is heartening that Toyota’s engineering team chose to go the same route when outfitting the TRD-Pro Tundra, as the highway ride is firm yet delightfully smooth for such a big truck.

Naturally, our trip began with the obligatory McMuffin stop!

Week long road trip to feed people must start with breakfast @sandy_grant @driveteq.ca @toyotacanada @dcsappliances #roadtrip #eventlife #bbqlife #barbeque #

A post shared by Gary Grant (@thegarageguy) on May 29, 2017 at 7:50am PDT

Our route would take us from Durham region, east of Toronto, through cottage country and skirting the nation’s capital before crossing over into Quebec and heading to ski country. For years, when heading to Ottawa, we would travel the route along Highway 401 like most drivers, until we learned that the trip following the two lane Highway 7 is just as quick. The driving is much more laid back, with great views and lots of little towns to explore and grab a coffee along the way.

Ceement grey #trdpro Tundra and a caboose! @toyotacanada @dcsappliances @driveteq.ca #havelock #roadtrip #roadlesstraveled #ontario #discoveron @sandy_grant #bbqlife #eventlife

A post shared by Gary Grant (@thegarageguy) on May 29, 2017 at 8:50am PDT

We know the route well now, so our exploration began after our usual visit to Costco in Gatineau to pick up beer for the week. For Ontario residents visiting the Ottawa area, it is worth mentioning that beer in Quebec is seriously cheap. At Costco, which is less than 10 minutes from Parliament Hill, a 24 bottle case of Stella Artois is $46.95 plus deposit at The Beer Store. The same package at Costco is just $27.95 plus deposit.

Having allowed ourselves an extra day before we had to feed the masses, we decided to take a fairly direct route to Mont Tremblant, so we could make the most of our time away. Our drive took us north east on the scenic Highway 50 headed towards the Laurentians, before turning north on the more interesting 323 at Montebello.

As the countryside switched from riverlands to mountains, we began to encounter long, steep climbs. These ascents were of little concern to the heavily loaded rig, but there was one really cool side effect: the six speed transmission dropped to fourth for long stretches, the big V8 spun up to 3,500 rpm at 100 km/h, with a bellow worthy of a Trans-Am car bouncing through the neighbouring forest.

It is worth noting that during our first two days with the TRD-Pro, just booting around town with an empty truck, we averaged about 16.8 L/100 km. As I said before, we knew that the Tundra was a bit thirsty. We were pleasantly surprised to find that even with a very full load, the Tundra’s fuel economy improved to an impressive 16.2 L/100 km at highway speeds.

If you talk to any car racers from the golden age of the late Sixties about Le Circuit Mont Tremblant, inevitably the call it St. Jovite. This is largely because the largest neighbouring town, the one which actually has stores etc. is called St. Jovite. The actual town of Mont Tremblant is a tiny hamlet in between the racing circuit and the gigantic pedestrian village at the base of the historic mountain.

We spent our first night in a wonderful, independent resort called Château Beauvallon, just a few minutes from the pedestrian village. This was the last week in May and we learned that while visiting ski country in the off season can mean that some features, like restaurants, are not available, there are also some perks. We were one of only three rooms occupied in the 70 room hotel and staff had nicely located us directly next to the outdoor hot tub, while the other guests were on the opposite side of the hotel. Even though the on site restaurant was closed, dinner was no problem, as the hotel offered a free shuttle to and from the village.

The draft beer rail at Le Diable micro brewery in Mont Tremblant.

Several of the restaurants in the village were also closed given the time off year, so we settled on dinner at the chain restaurant Casey’s. To say we were unimpressed would be charitable.

I was determined to have a bit of fun so I decided that a visit to Le Diable, a micro brewery right in the pedestrian village, was in order. I have been to the joint on a bunch of press trips, and every single time had a great time. Named after the river which winds its way though the region, Le Diable is night time hub where locals and visitors congregate to consume adult beverages in a setting that is part ski chalet, part sugar shack. On this trip, we spent our evening chatting with a lady who works for the company which owns the resort, watching the shenanigans of a gaggle of off shift employees who were treating the bar like their own playground. It really was quite entertaining!

Our next few days were spent trackside at the iconic racing track, which hosted the Canadian Grand Prix in 1968 and 1970. We were providing catering for the guests of Driveteq, a company which provides multiple levels of service to driving enthusiasts, from track days and instruction to race car rentals. They have recently included travel in their repertoire, shepherding participants to “bucket list” tracks such as Mosport, Tremblant and The Glen. That meant that we spent our week surrounded by all sorts of sporting machinery, from Alfa Romeo and Porsche to McLaren and Ferrari.

For our final day in town, we took the opportunity to drive some of the spectacular roads around the area. Most are well groomed pavement, with literally hundreds of challenging curves and elevation changes. Mindful of the reality that ski country is usually also cycling country, we learned that the off road focused suspension tuning is remarkably adept at handling twisty roads. The Bilstein shocks do a great job of keeping the wheels planted on hard acceleration over uneven pavement.

The countryside is dotted with cool little hamlets, vintage resorts from days gone by and spectacular views, making a drive through the area almost as much fun as taking in a track day. Watch out for wildlife though, as deer are plentiful and closer in to the ski resort they are not shy.

For the drive home, we took a similar route home through the Laurentians on our way back to Gatineau, but didn’t think about stopping thanks to the torrential rain. Until of course we came across the home town of Canadian hockey legend Guy Lafleur. Ville de Thurso has a large sculpture of the famed Canadien, so we had to stop by for a quick pic.

The @dcsappliances @toyotacanada #bbq rig with Canadian hockey legend Guy Lafleur. #toyota #trdpro #bbqlife #eventlife #quebec #bbq

A post shared by Gary Grant (@thegarageguy) on Jun 3, 2017 at 8:44am PDT

The drive home through Ontario cottage country was uneventful as the sun finally broke through and the roads dried out.

It should actually be pointed out that Quebec is Toyota truck country as there seem to be more of them than any other brand on the roads. Local truck fans knew instantly what our truck was and parking lot compliments were made frequently. One guy event took a picture to send to a buddy.

Overall, the Tundra proved to be a more than willing work partner during the entire trip. We actually spent two full weeks with the truck and it averaged out to 16.3 L/100 KM which is more than acceptable given the tasks it was given. From a comfort level, both driver and passenger were in great shape at both ends of the trip, never feeling anything but comfort.

The Tundra TRD-Pro is one of those test vehicles that I was sad to see go. Very sad.

Gallery: Oshawa Motorsport Club autocross action

July 3, 2017 by Gary Grant Leave a Comment

Something really cool happened last Fall, when I introduced my kid Duncan to the world of autocross: He brought his best friend and his Fifty-something year old Dad along with their respective machines. Since that first event, the trio have become autocross buddies, learning the ropes of competitive driving from the ground up. Watching from the edge of the circle so to speak, has been good fun and surprisingly satisfying. Yes, I am still addicted to driving, but it is just so cool watching these guys grow. Even the old guy!

On Sunday, they took in their third event with the Oshawa Motorsport Club in the parking lot at Durham College here in Whitby, where there was a super mix of rookies and old dogs competing in a wide variety of equipment.

Forgive me if there seems to be an overabundance of images of my kid’s Subaru shod with Toyo R888Rs, mounted on FASTCO wheels. I think it looks pretty sweet.

2017 Ram 1500 Sport

June 23, 2017 by Gary Grant Leave a Comment

In today’s truck market, it is pretty safe to say that there is no such thing as a bad pickup truck. I suspect that for many buyers, the truck which best fits their sense of style is the one they buy. With fuel prices on the rise however, real world fuel economy has to be just as important for many.

Last Fall, in a Toronto Star special section, I named the Ram 1500 Ecodiesel as the best truck on the market for just that reason. With a full week of towing the DCS Appliances event trailer, the diesel Ram sipped just 11.1 L/100 km. That was a stark contrast to the little Ford Escape Ecoboost I had driven the week before, which chugged down 12.2 L/100 km and that was without a trailer.

Our 2017 catering season began with a bang last month, with 6 events in 5 days, and I was excited to see how the HEMI powered 2017 Ram 1500 Sport would perform when towing.

Our tester was outfitted with the 5.7L HEMI V8, mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission with four wheel drive. This engine generates 395 horsepower and 410 lb-ft of twistie goodness. The silky smooth shifting 8-speed is an effort to improve the fuel economy from what could conceivably be a rather thirsty powertrain. It is a HEMI after all!

As equipped, our Sport version of the Ram 1500 is configured to be capable of towing 10,140 lbs according to an FCA tool located at Ram Body Builder. Like some other truck manufacturers, Ram chooses to make it difficult to find actual tow ratings for a specific vehicle. While we were nowhere near that max number, we did tow the event trailer, weighing in at around 2,500 lbs, for more than 500 km. Not surprisingly, the trailer was barely noticeable from behind the wheel. We did however see quite a difference on the trip monitor.

Before we hitched up our little party on wheels, the Ram averaged 14.2 L/100 km. Not as miserly as the Ecodiesel, but we expected that. Once the trailer was hooked up, that number climbed to 15.8 L/100 during mostly highway driving. Still, this is not bad compared to some of the other trucks we have driven. The Toyota Tundra has shown us 16+ l/100 km on a couple of occasions.

As one might expect, the interior of the Ram Sport is more than up to the task of bolstering the masculinity of its owner. The challenge is that the days of cheap plastic interiors are long gone and just having a decent interior isn’t good enough to make a truck stand out. The Ram squad gets this and where their trucks shine is in the attention to detail. Quality surfaces, intricate stitching and cool contrasting trim are the norm. The lounge in an historic country club would be a good comparison.

As I get older, my assessment and appreciation of the comfort a vehicle provides has changed. I still love sports cars, that will never change, but at the end of a long day of grilling at an event, certain things are important to me. Ease of entry is a big one. While as an off road enthusiast, I abhor side step rails. In the interest of clean and sporty good looks, the Ram Sport does not have them. Normally, that would be a good thing, but when my back and legs are sore from standing all day, the climb up into the cab is a pain in the back. Of course, other models of the Ram 1500 have them, so this is a quibble. Once my aching back is inside, it is a different story.

It sounds lazy, and it totally is, but I don’t want to work too hard to do anything. Everything I might use should be one touch or simple. The Sport does all of this, with simple controls, auto down windows, auto climate control etc. The seats are perfectly comfortable for a big guy like me, better than several other models in the class.

Naturally, the back seat is spacious enough to seat 3 adults. For most of our time with the truck however, we had the back seats folded up and deployed the Ram’s cool flat floor which turns the back seat into a massive, secure, second cargo area. Coolers, storage bins and even propane tanks fit easily into the space. Just remember to never leave propane tanks inside a closed vehicle!

I have never been one to have a favourite vehicle. I tend to like conveyances that offer either total utility or outright performance. The cost of operation has never really factored into my desires. Fuel prices have risen so much these days though if I were shopping today I would have no choice but to be more picky about economy. I would have to choose a diesel variety over gas if I were choosing a Ram 1500, despite the awesomeness of the HEMI powerplant. The Sport is not available with the excellent 3.0 L Eco-Diesel, so I think my own choice today would be the similarly priced Outdoorsman model over the Sport. It has fewer sexy options, but more work oriented options.

Meet Randy Rod-Knock and his flying Subaru

June 16, 2017 by Gary Grant Leave a Comment

“Faster than Travis Pastrami and Sébastien Ear Lobe combined”

Forget pickup trucks, Canadian rednecks prefer to hoon in Subarus! At least the rally focused brand is the vehicle of choice for rural Ontario funny guy Randy Rod-Knock!

Taking over a property just a few minutes away from the historic Mosport circuit at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, the guy shreds the lawn before taking flight off a berm in the yard.

Caution: NSFW language to follow.

9 questions to answer before buying your first track car

May 24, 2017 by Gary Grant Leave a Comment

More than half of the twenty-some thousand track cars in the United States are powered by Mazda engines. Is a Mazda the right car for you? These questions will help determine the best track day car for you.

Once upon a time, starting out in motorsport was difficult. At the entry level, you could take part in an autocross, a low speed event in a parking lot. Good fun, but not fast enough for many adrenaline junkies. To get onto an actual race track involved going to school, getting a racing license, buying or renting a race car and then actually going racing. Lapping days as we know them today did not really exist.

Part of that was because the cars really weren’t very safe and neither were the race tracks. Today’s cars are safer, more reliable and definitely perform to a much higher level. Likewise, most tracks in North America have evolved so that they are more friendly (as in safer) for lapping day type events.

My cousin John, a one time Supercross racer who was known for his crash-tacular style, recently made a return to motocross action after three decades away. Today’s bikes jump higher, farther and faster than they did back in the day and when Cousin John hit the dirt this time, his body was quick to point out that he is no longer a spring chicken. The speed bug has bitten again however, and John is determined to feed it, but has decided to come over to the dark side and do it on four wheels, with a roll cage. The inevitable question has arisen: “What kind of car should I start with?”

Over on the Grassroots Motorsports forums, the answer to every question is “Miata”. While I don’t disagree at all, I myself don’t fit in most Miata race cars and I suspect that my cousin (we haven’t been face to face in years) wouldn’t be at home in one either. Rather than start throwing out potential ideas, I have put together a series of questions for him so we can narrow down the field a bit.

Roughly what sort of budget parameters are we looking at? The conversation has to start here. There is no point in looking at ex-Chumpcar entries if you are willing to spend six figures on your first car. Let’s start with some basic idea of how much we are going to spend.
Are you planning to drive the car on the street or will it be track only? If you have the space to store a dedicated track car, a tow vehicle and are willing to buy and store a trailer, then your options open up greatly.
What is your own physical shape? If you are a round guy like me, or a very tall guy, you should plan accordingly. There are lots of great track day options out there that I simply do not fit in, because I am too fat. No NASCAR style road course cars in my future. Likewise, as much as I love the Ariel Atom, it just isn’t comfortable for more than a dozen or so laps.
How fast do you think you want to go? For some people, fast isn’t really that fast. For someone like my cousin, who has experience with speed, fast is likely going to mean FAST.
What type of track is your “home” track? Is it tight and twisty or is it a high speed monster? Having a track day car that suits the place you are starting out will flatten out your learning curve a bit.
What do participants at your local track drive at lapping days? Sure, it is fun to stand out from the crowd, but if everyone drives Mustangs and you show up with a Camaro, you will notice the difference. That is not to say that you won’t be welcomed with open arms, but you might not meet anyone who knows your specific car well enough to answer any questions you have along the way. You might also become the target of some friendly ribbing every now and then.
Do you have any aspirations or expectations that you might move on from lapping into competition? If you have unlimited budget, then this may not be so much of an issue, but if you are scraping together your shekels to buy a track ready car, you might want to find out if there is a class that it fits into at your local venue. This will make the transition that much easier.
Do you enjoy wrenching on your own car or would you prefer to just show up and drive? For some people, there is just as much fun in building and maintaining a car as there is in driving it. That is cool, but others have no interest in that aspect and would rather just strap in and go. Those guys might be more inclined to drive a newer, production based car that is turn key, or have a local shop look after the car and bring it to the track for you. That is another budget consideration.
What kind of cars do you actually like? While Miata may be the answer to just about every question, the roadster platform might not fit the bill if you are addicted to the angry rumble of a big, hairy muscle car. Yes, I know that you can shoehorn an LS into a Miata, but that might not be an optimal choice for a first time track toy.

Answer these questions as honestly as you can and list them in the comments below, so we can begin the decision process!

Road tripping in the 2017 Nissan Versa Note

April 12, 2017 by Gary Grant 1 Comment

When most people think of a great road trip vehicle, they have visions of a fancy grand touring car, or maybe a luxurious sedan. We aren’t like most people. For us, the perfect road trip vehicle is a car that is light, nimble and fun to drive, has lots of space for our stuff and whatever junk we might accumulate along the way and gets great fuel economy. If it can catch the interest of some onlookers along the way, that is even better.

With our event season about to go crazy, Mrs. G and I decided that a bit of a road trip was in order, so we poked about on Google maps to find an Ontario destination that we had not previously explored. We settled on the town of Perth, about an hour west of the nation’s capital. We had driven through the town before, in the Summertime, and took notice of the historic limestone buildings and bustling pubs and patios so we thought it was worth a look.

Our steed for the trip would be the second smallest roller skate in Nissan Canada’s fleet, a Monarch Orange 2017 Versa Note SV. Long time readers may recall that back in the day, we used to rally a tiny, front wheel drive Suzuki, and we are still passionate about sporty little econo-boxes. From a specs standpoint, it wasn’t too different from our old rally car, albeit a lot more comfortable and about 30 decibels quieter. The extra pair of doors makes the Versa a bit more practical too.

The Versa Note boasts 1.6L DOHC 4 banger which sends a massive 106 horsepower to the front wheels, through a 5 speed manual transmission, just like our old rally car too. Yes, I know it isn’t really massive, but it is just enough for a real enthusiast to be able to have a bit of fun on a challenging road.

We loaded our stuff into the cargo area, with no need to fold down the split rear seats, leaving the back seats open for any hitchhikers we might have picked up along the way. If this was 1976. A quick dive into the local McDonald’s drive through for breakfast and we were on our way. Unlike most people these days, I don’t look for the quickest way from A to B on a road trip. Most people leaving the outskirts of Toronto on Highway 401, but the reality is that the major highway route only saves about 10 minutes off this trip. Instead, we headed north on Highway 115 to Peterborough and then turned to travel east on highway 7. The speed limit on 7 is 80 km/h, but the average flow of traffic is about 105 km/h and the scenery is infinitely more interesting to look at.

Our first stop was in the tiny town of Norwood, where I dropped in for a bit of a sales visit at the well known Ralph’s Butcher Shop. Just opening up for the season, the owner, a delightful gent named James(?), told me that they make a whopping 81 different varieties of sausage. Needless to say, Ralph’s is a popular spot for cottagers on their way up from the city.

About 10 km up the road, we made a quick stop in Havelock to take some kissy face selfies by an old caboose, before heading towards the cool mid-sized town of Madoc. We were on the hunt for a pub, but we found butter tarts instead. On the town’s main drag, we came across a shop called Hidden Goldmine Bakery which is a nifty combination of bakery, antique shop and home decorating place. We picked up a six pack of tarts (with raisins of course) and were headed out the door, when Mrs. G spotted it. A vintage bacon press! If the words bacon press on the top weren’t already cool enough, when I turned it over, there is the image of a chubby pig on the bottom. Not only did I have to buy it, but that pig is going to be my next tattoo!

Leaving town, we chose a sort of backwards looking route back to Highway 7, which led us down a rough cottage road towards a closed Summer resort, where we were surrounded by a working sugar bush. While most trees were joined, modern style, by plastic tubing to collect the liquid gold used to make maple syrup, here and there were clumps of trees with old school collection buckets.

Back on to the main highway, we got into a less interesting rhythm and we were itching for a bit more fun. There aren’t many side roads that run east/west in this part of the province, because there are so many lakes and rivers, so we were excited to find Fall River Road. With a coarse gravel surface, this path has so many tight turns that the map doesn’t do it justice.

Fall River Road is pretty rough in sections, which means that speed must be kept lower than one might hope for, which is probably a good thing in a street car, as this road throws out a few gotchas! The first thing I did of course was flick off the Versa’s stability control, remembering that the ABS is still fully functional. That means that I would be able to get the car sideways to set-up for fun corners but that if I did anything silly like enter a turn too fast, the little car would understeer into the woods. That was not going to happen under my watch!

After about 10 minutes of super technical fun, we turned left on Armstrong Road and the road surface transitioned to the most beautifully smooth hard pack gravel. The turns were a bit more open, allowing for a bit more speed. The Versa Note is quite simply a champ at dealing with fun mixed surface roads like this at a somewhat enthusiastic pace.

This is the area in which the annual Lanark Highlands Rally takes place and most of the time, these roads are devoid of any traffic. Eventually, Armstrong Road straightens up and the occasional farm makes way to rural family homes and our drive takes on a more leisurely tourist pace.

Arriving in the town of Perth, we make a stop at the Perth Brewing Company to stock up our room before setting out on foot to explore the town.

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Exploring Perth, Ontario

April 12, 2017 by Gary Grant Leave a Comment

2017 Nissan Versa Note with statue of legendary Canadian horse Big Ben on the shore of the Tay River in Perth, Ontario.

Dating back to 1816, the town of Perth, Ontario is primarily a Summer tourist destination these days, with shops and eateries all through the town. When checking in to the surprisingly cool Best Western Plus right in downtown Perth, we asked the Front Desk Dude where he would go if he were looking for a late afternoon snack and a pint. Without hesitation, FDD suggested we check out Fiddleheads, which is conveniently located directly across the street.

Situated in the basement of the historic Code’s Mill, Fiddleheads has a super cool pub vibe that features 176 year old stone walls and wood beams. Our waitress had a lovely Irish accent, which made the place that much more inviting. We nibbled on fresh, house made pizza with locally sourced toppings. It wasn’t the best pie we’ve ever had, but it hit the spot. We will return.

It is kinda wrong just how badly I want this van.

After a swim and a nap, went for a walk around the town and eventually wandered over to O’Reilly’s Ale House, which has some pretty solid reviews on Yelp and a pretty sweet looking location. It was a Thursday evening, about 8 o’clock and every other place we passed was almost empty, but O’Reilly’s was packed.

We grabbed the coolest table, which was elevated above the bar, ordered drinks and a charcuterie platter. It looked fantastic and came on a wonderful, live edge wood tray. The ciabatta demi was nice and warm and the cheese duo were fantastic if a little bit on the skimpy side. The meats however seemed like a bit of an afterthought. Too thickly hand cut, basic, middle of the road grocery store deli meats were not what we expected. The quick pickled red onions were fab. The real surprise however, and the absolute star of the platter, was the dipping sauce, of which no specific mention was made.

That little, red dish of heaven is TOTALLY worth a mention of its own. Made by local company, Perth Pepper and Pestle, this stuff is a Curry Cardamom Everything Sauce. Click the link and either order some online or find some in a store if you live up that way. It will change your life forever!

While we were there, we noticed a tiny shelf on the way to the bathrooms, with nothing on it. We asked our waitress about it and she had never noticed it. She asked a long time employee and she hadn’t noticed it either. A couple of days later, we returned for a pint and left a friendly surprise on the shelf. I can’t wait for our next visit to see if it is still there.

The following day, we made a short trek over to Smiths Falls to grab some shoes. Yeah, I know, flip flops in March are a gamble. Anyway, we found the town to be absolutely gorgeous and yet hideously depressed at the same time. There wasn’t even a single pub that looked interesting enough to entice us out of the car. Very sad, as there is so much tourist potential there.

On the way back, we found an incredible spot that is worthy of its own episode of American Pickers. The gent who owns Rideau Antiques has been collecting stuff for 55 years. His assistant is just a pup, having only been helping peddle junk for 35 years. The place is on Rideau Ferry Blvd, between Perth and Smiths Falls and offers maybe an acre of hunting on one side of the road, and a barn full of stuff on the other. You know you are in for a hunt when the owner hands you a flashlight before you venture into the barn! There is a lot of new-ish junk, mixed in with some truly vintage finds, all sort of loosely organized. We easily spent a couple of hours, pretty much overwhelmed by the amount of stuff. I did at least by a scruffy old Matchbox Can-Am car.

Day 2’s dinner did not go as we had hoped. Perhaps the best thing I can say is to check out my Yelp review. Our post dinner visit to DQ was uneventful and successful.