Sommaire pour Winter 2021 de Vicarious

“I am an artist. The track is my canvas and my car is my brush.” – Graham Hill If this year’s F1 race at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas proved anything, it highlighted with grandstanding splendour the days of open wheeled racing at the highest level is now thoroughly entrenched in the hearts of America’s racing enthusiasts. It has long been the goal of F1 to break into the consciousness of race-lovers stateside, but their passion for the sport of automobile racing has forever been rooted in NASCAR and to a lesser degree IndyCar and other forms of GT car, truck series and dirt track racing. If long-running shows like The Bachelor and Survivor have taught us anything, it should have been obvious that the best way to America’s…

Ladies and Gentlemen, Start Your (Vintage) Engines: The Goodwood Revival, a one-of-a-kind English racing event, is the closest you can come to time travel. There I was, standing by the edge of the race track in what I can only describe as a proper frock, a glass of champagne in one hand and the other clamped over my mouth in utter shock. It had been raining all morning. The classic grand tourer sports car that had just peeled around the bend on the wet track lost control. It spun, skidded, and crashed into the wall. Then took a beat, punched the throttle, and got back in the race. The Goodwood Revival describes itself as “a three day September festival celebrating the halcyon days of motor racing with the accompanying glamour…

When Miguel Galuzzi was asked about the philosophy behind his iconic 1992 Monster he famously quipped “all a bike needs is a saddle, engine, two wheels, handlebars and tank to fill with fuel…”. Stripped of body panels, windscreens and other redundancies, Galuzzi’s minimalist approach set the framework for naked motorcycle design for decades to come. The 2022 Indian FTR R Carbon, however, is more than just another naked motorcycle. It has something that extends well beyond its saddle, engine, two wheels, handlebars and tank to fill with fuel. First of all, just a look at it. I mean literally, extend your arms and hold this magazine a little further from your eyes, and take in the entirety of this bike. Do you see it? Every line, angle and curve has…

With staycations and road trips appearing to be the holidaying norm moving forward, choosing the ideal vehicle and and destination becomes essential. In the case of beautiful British Columbia, is there a better pairing than the all-electric Audi e-tron and the outdoor mecca known as Whistler? Roughly a two-hour drive from Vancouver’s vibrant downtown, the area receives approximately three million visitors annually and boasts many activities in addition to the winter sports it’s built an international reputation on. We took the “green” crossover on a weekend getaway up into the mountains earlier in the year to discover some of the best the resort has to offer. DRIVE The e-tron is the first fully zero-emissions Audi product. Introduced in 2018, a sleeker fastback variant dubbed the Sportback followed the original SUV,…

Tucked away among the cedars and tall pines of northern Georgia, surrounded by row upon row of Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and a handful of other grape varietals, is one man’s ode to the Porsche Speedster. Here, high on the Dahlonega Plateau about 120 kilometres north of Atlanta, Karl Boegner maintains eight of Porsche’s finest examples of sports cars. The pride of Boegner’s collection may well be the 1958 Speedster restored for actor and singer Olivia Newton-John following her 1978 blockbuster Grease. Boegner, proprietor and winemaker emeritus at Wolf Mountain Winery, says he’s owned the car for 25 years, and upgraded the engine to the SC engine first introduced in 1964, which after some tweaks produces about 105 horsepower, 10 more than the standard SC and nearly 50 horsepower more…

“Work is doing it. Discipline is doing it every day. Diligence is doing it well every day.” – Dave Ramsay What is it that makes something iconic? Is it because of the boundaries the thing breaks? Is it an honour bestowed because of endurance, permanence? Is it a combination of those two or something else entirely? I ask because it seems that everything I’ve hopped into, onto, worn or watched as of late has been referred to as “iconic”. The Jeep Grand Wagoneer is an icon reborn. So is the new Bronco. Every iteration of 911 enjoys this status as does the Mini Cooper (regardless of increases in size or numbers of doors). The latest Ducati Monster and Harley-Davidson Sportster S --motorcycles that bear little to no resemblance to their predecessors…

Roadside Chic is all about finding those hidden gems, the places that provide a perfect balance of comfort, luxury, exceptional service and the opportunity to do as much or as little as you want. Here are four exclusive getaway destinations that we believe offer not only a welcome end to your journey, but an equally inspiring route to get there. THE SUTTON PLACE HOTEL REVELSTOKE The drive in from Kelowna, British Columbia on the 97A and eventually connecting with the famous Trans-Canada Highway offers a snapshot of west coast Canadian living. Small to medium sized towns reside at the base of glorious pine and aspen-covered mountains stretching upward with ever-increasing majesty to the heavens as you wind your way towards Revelstoke. Tucked at the base of the main resort ski…

When you think of Australia, you may think of popular sights like the sails of Sydney Opera house, the majesty of Ayers Rock or even the vastness of the outback but there is another great Australian experience – the Great Ocean Road. Running from Torquay to Allansford along Australia’s south eastern coast, this 243 kilometre stretch of highway winds through varying terrain from soft, sandy beaches to spectacular cliffs. Melbourne, the coastal capital city of southeastern Australia, is our starting point to access the Great Ocean Road. With a population of over five million, there is lots to see and do here, but we were after a slower paced scenic experience, so after picking up a car at the airport, we headed for Bellbrae, a small rural town about 100km…

I have an island love hangover. Home after a I 60-hour road trip, I find myself daydreaming about craggy cliffs, seafood crepes, swaying sea grasses and shimmering sunsets. “I want to go back,” I say to my husband, Garry. “It was so magical, a hidden gem.” Magical and hidden perfectly describe the island paradise with which we have been smitten since our first visit a few years ago. Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Québec (Magdalen Islands) are a cluster of small islands, forming a lovely archipelago in the heart of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. Despite the untouched beauty, Acadian charm, and being part of Canada, les Îles are relatively unknown. The people of Quebec, though, are in on the secret. The 13,000 Madelinots that live full-time on the islands are joined in…

The hills were alive with the sound of internal combustion engines echoing across the valleys well in advance of flashes of brightwork and sun on chrome. High-performance motorcycles, a rainbow’s worth of exotics from the likes of Lotus and Lamborghini, even single-seat open-wheel cars from the 1930s or earlier buzzed up and down the sides of the Bavarian Alps near the tiny town of Berchtesgaden. My convoy was silent. Whisking silently up and down the hillsides in BMW’s latest EVs, the i4 M50 and the iX xDrive50, destroying the tarmac, but not the peace and tranquility. Even the best road trip can’t start and end in the mountains, though. Instead, our week started in Munich with a chance to explore the historic city and what we’re told is the biggest…

The Mercedes-AMG G 63 may just be one of the most legendary SUVs of all time. After all; when you’re pretty much shaped exactly as you were when you debuted almost five decades ago but are still able to command enough interest that folks are searching the world over to get one, you’re doing something right. Th G-Class – especially in AWG G 63 form – is a very limited run vehicle. So much so that they’re commanding such interest in the aftermarket that certain governments are having to levy special taxes on them to keep the market from running rampant. And why shouldn’t they be so sought after? Just look at it; all chiseled, with huge fenders, huge rear-mounted spare tire, huge 22-inch wheels and huge power, to the…

This is Radford…… recreated. Radford, for those who don’t know, draws upon the heritage and craftsmanship of legendary British coachbuilder Harold Radford, who once created truly outstanding cars for a celebrity clientele that included, for example, all four of The Beatles. Today Radford is reborn as a global luxury brand with a British heart and soul and we are here offering customers highly-bespoke, coach-built and very personalised automobiles. In 1948, Harold Radford created a great British coach-building company initially working with the likes of Rolls Royce, Bentley and Aston Martin. It was a golden age of individually designed, unique, and now priceless, coach-built cars, whilst Henry Ford made cars for the masses, coach-builders such as Zagato, Pininfarina, Gurney Nutting, Figoni & Falaschi and others including Radford provided art in perfect…

EPOCH Bar & Kitchen Terrace redefines pub culture and pays homage to traditional British Gastrobars. Tucked away on the lobby level of the luxurious Ritz-Carlton, the restaurant gives a nod to iconic food and beverage trends of the past, reimagined with a new perspective on modern dining. Designed by Design Agency’s Allen Chan, EPOCH provides a contemporary and welcoming atmosphere. Guests are greeted with a relaxed chic dining room, the ideal place to unwind and socialize among a thoughtfully curated gallery of works by Canadian artists Caitlin Cronenberg and Heidi Conrod. The centerpiece of the restaurant is a stunning wraparound bar fitted with pale stone countertops. The Green Room, adorned with a fireplace and pool table, is a cozy space, perfect for intimate events, and a tribute to the entertainment…

Power, and plenty of it, is the calling card of the 2021 BMW M5 Competition. The spec sheet reads like a Yankees line-up card from the 1920s when they referred to Babe and the boys as Murderers’ Row. A 4.4L twin-turbocharged 32-valve V8 engine produces an astounding 617 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 553 pound-feet of torque at 1,800 rpm. Matched to an 8-speed automatic transmission with steering-wheel-mounted paddle-shifters, it launches from 0-100km/h in 3.3 seconds and crests 160km/h in approximately 6.7 seconds. It’s enough to snap your head at launch and rattle your brain a little as your mind tries to catch up with the reality of the speed you are achieving in such a short amount of time. In my experience, only the 2021 Porsche Taycan Turbo S…

Who doesn’t love a convertible, right? That feeling of air rushing through your hair on the way to a weekend retreat at the beach, or a nice, cool summer’s breeze on the way to the movies. The celebrity status; convertibles are an icon of the American motoring landscape that is rife with famous cars through the years, often driven by famous people. The pink Cadillac Eldorado, circa 1959; the Ford Mustang, circa 1964; the Chevrolet Corvette, circa 1963. Elvis drove them, so did Hunter S. Thompson. Steve McQueen. Dr. Dre. Janis Joplin. United States President Joe Biden – the list goes on, and on. Here’s the thing, though: for all their notoriety, I was never a big fan. After all; the climate where I live means I’ll be able to…

Turning to face us as we entered the waiting room, Manny flashed a deliberate smirk. “Well, I guess this is the last time we see each other as friends…” In 2001, a momentous occasion occurred one afternoon in Northern Italy. Three partners – Matteo, the Front Man, Simone, the Maestro, and a silent third we’ll refer to as the Office Man – proverbially kicked open the tinted glass doors of Vincenza Kart Indoor (VKI for short) and welcomed-in their first batch of devotees. And in an instant, without warning, lifelong mates from all over the Veneto Region became mortal enemies, if only for a handful of laps. No one knew at the time that this multi-level warehouse would be destined for greatness. A mirage at the fringes of the Dolomites,…

DAY 1: If you want to get technical, day 1 started last night. In an effort to trim some highway slogging from what will be our longest day, my cousin and I opted to head up to my cottage the evening before official departure. Our reasoning was sound --trim those kms, get a good night’s sleep and an early start --but a stop at Corbyville’s Signal Brewery for dinner and the accompanying carryout didn’t leave us as fresh as initially desired, come sun up. Our phones chime their alarm with the kind of synchrony the two of us tend to share on these trips. After eight years of making multiple annual two wheeled escapes, we have an ebb that flows. By 6:17 the bikes --mine a 2015 Triumph Tiger 800…

This isn’t the Omega timepiece I wanted to review for you. Given the timing of this issue and my affinity for James Bond, I’d asked for an opportunity to indulge in a little kiss kiss bang bang action with the 007 Edition of the Omega Seamaster 300 Diver. However the Bond watch wasn’t available. It’s selling quicker than Adele’s “25”, so I ended up with one better suited to agents of Spectre: the Omega Seamaster Diver 300M Black Black. And yes, that redundancy is actually a part of its name. As a diver myself, I couldn’t see the point in wearing a black-on-black-on-black timepiece while donning fins and a mask. And it would feel pretty disingenuous to recommend a dive watch with debatable legibility, especially below the water. The Seamaster…