The 2011 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, with its spectacular gullwing doors, has a 6.2-litre V-8 engine that boasts 571 horsepower at 6,800 rpm.
Gentlemen: This year, yet again, because it's February and miserable outside, I'll make my way inside to the Toronto auto show.
By the time I've wandered all over the auto show, from building to building, it all starts to blur. I like the classic cars and some of the very expensive new models, but in general I feel exhausted and overloaded.
So how do you do it? You've been to just about every auto show in the world. How do you separate the interesting from the mundane and where do you find stories to write about?
Duncan
Cato: At this show, I zero in on the cars that will have the greatest impact in the marketplace. And this year I am hoping that Chrysler takes a page out of what we saw in Detroit last month, and puts some sex appeal into its display.
Vaughan: Cato, I've done enough of these with you that I know you always zero in on the free media breakfast, then you start looking at the sheet metal and whatever - or whomever - is standing with it.
Cato: Hah! I have never seen anyone tuck into powdered eggs and greasy sausages like you do at an auto show bun-fest. Have a look at your profile and you'll see the result.
Vaughan: Hang on there, Your Largeness…
Cato: Don't confuse muscle with what's hanging over your belt buckle, my friend.
Vaughan: As I was going to explain, the media breakfast is a good place to start, not finish. You can get a good idea from the PR flacks which of the heavy hitters from the auto makers will be available during the day for interviews.
I know egg-white omelettes and sushi are tops on your list, but I go to talk to executives and designers, rather than ogle the cars and the models.
Cato: Yes, and your interest in rubbing shoulders with the high and mighty is lost on the public; the big shots have all gone home by the time real people who buy tickets get there.
So let's be of some use to Duncan; let's point out the cars that are of some note. And let's start with General Motors because, in spite of all their problems, they're still the biggest-selling vehicle maker in Canada and they have a new one at the auto show that will soon be made in Oshawa.
Vaughan: That would be the Buick Regal, better known in Europe as the Opel Insignia. The first batch will be shipped in from Germany but if the thing sells, and I believe it will, production will start up in Oshawa a little later.
Cato: The Regal is critical to the General. I have long advocated for GM to reduce its brand to exactly two - Chevrolet and Cadillac - but I'm willing to let the new Regal change my mind. Looks good, but the final proof will be the driving. The Insignia I drove in Europe last year makes me optimistic.
Vaughan: And remember, Duncan, when you're looking at it, you already own it - very indirectly. The federal and Ontario government bailouts have made the taxpayers involuntary shareholders. If the Regal sells, you might get some of your money back.
Cato: Ford didn't get government funds and didn't go bankrupt, so you weren't forced to make an investment there, Duncan. Take a look at the most important vehicle on display at Ford: the new 2012 Focus.
The Focus we'll get next year is the same one going on sale in Europe; it will not be "dumbed down" for North American buyers. Ford has stuffed all its latest technology into it, too.
Vaughan: A year is a long time in the car business and when the Toronto show came around last year, Toyota was flying high - leading the world in hybrids, not recalls. Toyota will be attempting to put the spotlight on the former, not the latter, with the 2010 Plug-In Prius. This is the third-generation Prius and this one can now be charged from a wall socket.
Cato: Yes, yes, but the do-it-yourself crowd in California has been converting Prius cars to plug-ins for some time. Only now has Toyota caught up.
Vaughan: There's another Japanese car on display in Toronto that's worth a look. It's the Honda CR-Z - a gas electric hybrid, not a plug-in. This one is a sporty-looking two-seater that reminds you of the hot little CRX that Honda used to sell until a few years ago.
Cato: Then there's Hyundai. Be sure to check out the new Hyundai Sonata. It sure looks better than the plain, unimaginative car it replaces.
Vaughan: If you have an uncontrollable urge to blow a quarter of a million on something with gull wings, there's only one choice - the SLS AMG from Mercedes-Benz. Besides, you can use it for your winter beater; it has so much carbon fibre, it probably won't rust.
Cato: And one more, while you're looking at the German contingent. This one is officially just a concept car and not announced for production yet. But usually the stuff BMW puts in shows winds up at the dealers before long. It's the long-wheelbase BMW 7-Series with a twin-turbo V-8 plus ActiveHybrid technology - an electric motor and lithium-ion battery.
Vaughan: So that's what we'd look at, Duncan. And if you can sneak in on media day, I'll save you some sushi - as long as I can hide it from Cato.
Cato: Notice Vaughan isn't willing to share his powdered eggs and sausages.
Jeremy Cato and Michael Vaughan are co-hosts of Car/Business, which appears Fridays at 8 p.m. on Business News Network and Saturdays at 2 p.m. on CTV.