Still the most powerful car available in Canada, the SLR's 5.5-litre supercharged V8 produces 617 horsepower. Linked to a five-speed automatic, it launches the SLR from 0-100 km/h in 3.8 seconds. Top speed is 334 km/h. Ride is sports-car firm, but Grand Touring cosseting. It's noisy, though, with the tires, suspension, wind and engine all contributing. Handling is exceptional, as is high-speed braking, although the pop-up rear spoiler -- really an air brake -- blocks vision to the rear. In town, the brakes have lousy pedal feel and grabby operation. The SLR is hardly pretty, but the visual impact is still impressive, the gull-wing doors being its party trick.

Strong loonie makes it more affordable ...

... but it's still unaffordable