Priorities of a More Practical Kind
I was on the road course next to the California Speedway, in Fontana last week, living out a car enthusiasts dream. I learned the
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| Last week I had a Mercedes-Benz C55 to test drive, this week it is the other end of the spectrum with the C230. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
track with the completely new Porsche Boxster, before moving up to a Tiptronic-equipped 911 Cabriolet. After that I did an autocross course in the new 911 Carrera S coupe, followed up by a run in the droptop version back on the race track. Finishing off the ideal sports car progression was the pièce de résistance, a gorgeous, all-powerful Carrera GT.
Of course, Mercedes would have something to say about my all-powerful comment. After all, the rival German manufacturer produces its own collection of sports cars starting with
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| From an acceleration point of view, the C230 is a bit disappointing... well, at least after getting out of the C55. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
the Boxster-fighting SLK, followed up by the Tiptronic-equipped 911 Cabriolet-competitive SL 500. In the all-powerful department is its series of AMG sports cars, starting with the SLK55 AMG, then the SL55 AMG, and finally the SL65 AMG.
But I covered an AMG product last week, the compact
C55. And unlike the ideal progression of slowest to fastest sports car I experienced on track with Porsche, the reason I decided to talk about this experience within a Mercedes-Benz review in the first place, I started out with the C55 and followed up with the C230 Kompressor; Mercedes-Benz's most basic ride.
