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Brendan McAleer

Automotive Writer and Photographer

Vancouver, BC

Brendan McAleer

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The Legend of the World's Fastest Nissan 300ZX

Northwest of Hiroshima, a storm is building. Rolling into throttle in third gear, an almighty roaring surge fills the cabin, the sound, power, and fury of two Nissan GT-Rs slugging it out underhood. Two melon-sized turbochargers, each the same as found on a Group C Porsche 956, huff out city-flattening boost levels and and a four-figure power output.
Road & Track Link to Story
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An Open Letter to Canada's Sports Hall of Fame: Admit Greg Moore

Today, October 31st, 2019, is the twentieth anniversary of the day we lost Greg Moore. His tragic death at Fontana, aged 24, still echos with sorrow for any fan of motorsport, Canadian or not. And yet, on this terrible anniversary, we do not only reflect on what Greg Moore could have been. We honor what he was, and still is.
Road & Track Link to Story
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Chasing a Lamborghini Huracán Evo With a 200-MPH Ducati for 1200 Miles

IN APRIL 1966, Lamborghini test driver Bob Wallace threw a duffel bag into a prototype Miura, topped off at the factory fuel pumps, and fired up the car’s mid-mounted V-12. It was the weekend of the Monaco Formula 1 race, and Ferruccio Lamborghini had made a few calls. Every tollbooth and border crossing on the way would be thrown open.
Road & Track Link to Story
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The upcoming Purosangue won’t be the first Ferrari 4x4—or even the second

Ferrari has confirmed that its SUV project, the Purosangue, will arrive around 2022. If you are a Ferrari tifosi, this news is unlikely to make you break out the giant prancing horse flag, Ferrari win at Monaco or no. High-performance crossovers are certainly a great way to pad a manufacturer’s bank account, but even the idea of a fat Ferrari four-by-four would be enough for ol’ Enzo to take a flamethrower to his accounting department.
Link to Story
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The early Datsun Fairlady is an odd beginning for a sports car legacy

The profile resembles an Austin-Healey and the taillights say “Made in England,” but this is no British roadster. For one thing, I have no doubt it will start. Even after sitting for weeks, this tiny car fires right up, settling into the cheerful put-put of a small-displacement four-cylinder engine.
Link to Story
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Here's a Useful Comparison of Two Weird French Cars You Can't Buy

Here at Road & Track, we are committed to useful consumer advice that both informs and assists our readership. That's why our top editors are currently hard at work sifting through reams of data, both subjective and objective, collected in order to accurately assess which of a cutthroat field of 11 amazing machines will be our Performance Car Of The Year.
Road & Track Link to Story
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Nissan Needs to Start Selling Restored 300ZX Twin Turbos

The year is 1996. The aging 300ZX is nearing the end of its run, and Nissan has no replacement at the ready. Instead, R&D dollars have been spent where most needed: on the growing market trend towards SUVs. Is any of this starting to sound familiar? It should, because Nissan finds itself in the same predicament today.
Road & Track Link to Story
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Godzilla and the Atomic Man: driving a Japanese juggernaut to America's nuclear wasteland

10:48 pm, September 26, 1944 – With no sound other than the hum of the cooling pumps, the B Reactor at the Hanford Site achieves criticality, the chain reaction producing plutonium-239. Scientists fuss over gauges, the unnatural material they're creating bound for a secret new weapon of terrifying destructive power.
Autoweek Link to Story
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The Mercedes-AMG C43 Wagon Is Better the Faster You Drive It

Here are some lesser-known facts about Canada. Our national bird is the Zamboni. The ministry of external cultural affairs is run by three brothers: Ricky, Julian and Bubbles. Our official motto is "In Gord We Trust." And, lastly, Canadians can currently buy a twin-turbocharged AMG C-class wagon.
Road & Track Link to Story
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The S600 coupe: Honda’s overlooked origin story in Canada

This year, Honda is loudly celebrating its 50th anniversary in Canada. As a nation, we love the brand. The Civic has been the bestselling car in Canada for more than a decade and the Honda factory in Alliston, Ont., has been in operation since 1986. There’s just one little problem. Like many middle-aged people, Honda is fibbing about its age.
Link to Story
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The R33 Nissan Skyline GT-R Is Way Better Than You Remember

Tokyo Drift. The 996-chassis Porsche 911. The third Jonas brother. Every dynasty has a weak link, and as the Nissan GT-R celebrates its 50th year, common knowledge will tell you that the R33 is the worst of the breed, a fat and lumpy branch on the Skyline family tree. Punt the R33 GT-R down a curving highway on-ramp, spool up the turbos, and find the truth.
Road & Track Link to Story
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The Quick and the Dad: 2019 Ford Mustang Bullitt

The chase lasts nine minutes, forty-two seconds – and fifty-one years. Perched on a bench, a new young fan stares up, open-mouthed, as the two cars battle. The chase is a well-worn touchstone to any gearhead, but to her, it’s brand-new. And what does she think?
Autotrader Link to Story

About

Brendan McAleer

Brendan McAleer first drove a stick-shift at the age of eight, and it's been pretty much downhill from there.

He has written stories on everything from a mint-condition Hyundai Pony to a Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead. His work appears in the Globe & Mail, Time's TheDrive, Autos.ca, Road & Track, and elsewhere.

His inbox is always open to hearing about the machines that move us, physically and emotionally. He currently resides in North Vancouver, British Columbia.

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