From the November 1988 issue of Car and Driver.
If you're a wine connoisseur, you reach for your corkscrew every time the latest vintage of Château Intoxicant hits the shelves. If you're a modern-art lover, you make a beeline for the local museum whenever a collection of Campbell's soup cans hits town. As for us, well, this isn't Stamps and Driver, is it? Our passion is cars—fast cars. So when the opportunity arises to sample a new high-performance exotic, we grab our test gear and go.
We had to go a little farther than usual when our most recent opportunity arose. At the invitation of Germany's Sport Auto magazine, a Stuttgart-based monthly that concentrates on racing and high-performance street cars, we flew to Europe to participate in a high-speed comparison test that would make any car enthusiast drool. Our friends at the German publication had arranged to test an elite group of modified cars, each recognized as the best aftermarket version of its marque. Awaiting us in Deutschland were a Ruf Porsche 911 Turbo, a Callaway Corvette, a Brandenburger Lister Jaguar XJ-S, and an AMG Hammer Coupe. Comparison tests don't get any better.
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Unfortunately, AMG withdrew its entry at the last minute, the demands of its European Group A racing operation having taken precedence over providing a Hammer test car for our outing. Undeterred, Sport Auto arranged for a fine eleventh-hour substitute: a Mercedes-Benz modified by a German tuner bearing the unlikely name Lotec Design. The Lotec Benz wasn't built to American specifications, but neither were any of the other cars in the group. The Callaway Corvette was a prototype of a future high-performance European model, the Lister Jaguar was a special German-bred edition, and the Ruf Porsche was free of catalytic converters. Each car promised an overdose of speed, speed, speed.
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Since none of these cars will be sold in America—in the forms you see here—don't start saving up for your favorite. Instead, consider this review pure speed reading. If you love fast cars as much as we do, you won't be disappointed.
We begin our speedfest with an examination of what is probably the least familiar car in the group. Our Lotec Mercedes started out as a five-speed 300CE before Lotec's boss, German road-racing champion turned car tuner Kurt Lotterschmid, got his hands on it. Starting with the basic Mercedes 3.0-liter six, Lotterschmid added a Rayjay turbocharger, a large intercooler, and a sophisticated electronic control system. The black box prevents detonation by monitoring the boost pressure and the intake-manifold air temperature, and then regulating the ignition timing. It also varies the control pressure of the KE-Jetronic fuel injection to tailor the fuel flow to the boost pressure. The entire Lotec kit bolts on with no internal engine modifications. Delivering a maximum boost pressure of 10.9 psi, the blown engine produces 340 hp at 5500 rpm and 325 pound-feet of torque at 2800 rpm.
Lotterschmid left the rest of the driveline completely stock but modified the chassis, making it a bit stouter than normal. Koni shocks and a set of shorter, stiffer springs firm up the suspension, and Goodyear Eagle VR tires mounted on one-piece BBS wheels (7.5 inches wide in front and 8.5 at the rear) enhance the CE's grip on the pavement.
On the outside, the Lotec Benz features a fiberglass hood that incorporates a 560SL-like grille rather than the traditional big-Benz radiator shell. It also sports subtle, ground-hugging front and rear valance panels.
"Subtle" is certainly not a term that one would use to describe the Brandenburger Lister Jaguar XJ-S. This brawny Jag looks like Sylvester Stallone shrink-wrapped in a Savile Row suit. Rippling with muscular bulges and flares, the Jag's bodywork radiates strength and power.
This super XJ-S was produced by Roland Brandenburger, Germany's only auto dealer who sells Jaguars exclusively. To make one of his monsters, Brandenburger grafts an assortment of swollen steel fenders and plastic spoilers onto a stripped XJ-S. The body pieces are supplied by Brian Lister, the noted English Jaguar tuner. Brandenburger then adds a full complement of Lister-supplied equipment to the base V-12 engine, including a stroked Cosworth crankshaft with new connecting rods and pistons; ported cylinder heads; larger valves; radical camshafts; a free-flowing exhaust system; and a modified intake manifold that inhales through four, rather than two, throttle plates. The result is 6.0 liters, 475 hp, and 490 pound-feet of torque. The engine is coupled to a modified version of the Getrag five-speed gearbox used by Jaguar in its European six-cylinder models.
The engine and body add-ons are all Lister components, but Herr Brandenburger modifies the suspension with pieces he selects himself. These include specially calibrated Koni shocks, shorter and stiffer coil springs, a rear anti-roll bar, and a larger-than-standard anti-roll bar in front to rein in the big cat's power and weight. Brandenburger then adds the same enormous brakes used in Jaguar's Group C race car. Beneath the bulging fenders squat 245/45VR-16 Bridgestone RE71 Sport tires mounted on nine-inch-wide BBS wheels in front and ten-inch rims in the rear. Finally, to ensure that no one mistakes the origin of this special Lister Jag, Brandenburger plasters his name—in six-inch-high letters—on the car's tail and on both flanks. So far, Brandenburger has built only four of the ferocious Jags.
Compared with the Brandenburger works, Reeves Callaway's Old Lyme, Connecticut-based operation looks like General Motors. Since he began production in 1986, Callaway has built more than 200 twin-turbocharged Corvettes. Our test car, however, bore scant resemblance to a regular Callaway production model. For the Sport Auto speed gathering, Callaway instead provided a one-of-a-kind prototype of an ultra-high-performance—though still street-legal—twin-turbocharged Vette.
Designed for the European market, this special Callaway benefited from a mild engine massage and an exhaust system free of catalysts. Though the turbochargers and the boost level were not altered, the engine was pumped up with ported heads, a slightly more radical camshaft, and an intake manifold having shorter, larger-diameter runners. Callaway estimated the engine's output at about 400 hp—only slightly more than his stock engine's 382 hp. The modified powerplant easily pulls to 5500 rpm, however, whereas the stock engine starts to wheeze soon after 4500 rpm.
To cope with the engine's power, Callaway installed a prototype high-performance suspension. The changes consisted of Showroom Stock-spec Deko-Bilstein shocks; zero-compliance, rod-end-equipped rear toe-control links; a lower ride height; and special alignment settings. Callaway also added a set of experimental shaved Goodyear ZR40 tires mounted on his standard seventeen-inch Dymag magnesium wheels.
To reduce lift and enhance high-speed stability, Callaway gave the car a tiny ducktail spoiler and a modest front air dam. The car's purposeful design is evident on the inside, too, where Callaway installed a pair of lightweight graphite Recaro racing seats to cradle the car's two occupants.
The same form-follows-function philosophy guided the construction of the Ruf Porsche 911 Turbo. Alois Ruf's small shop is in Pfaffenhausen, about 100 miles southeast of Stuttgart, but he practices the Porsche religion as if he worked on the factory grounds. Ruf believes devoutly in the evergreen virtues of the 911. To him, the front-engined, water-cooled Porsches are anomalies, if not outrages. Ruf also believes in speed above all else. Indeed, he builds his fastest cars with narrow-fendered Carrera bodywork instead of the 911 Turbo's more aggressive-looking flares, claiming that the reduced frontal area adds more than 10 mph to the car's top speed.
Ruf's modifications to the basic turbo six add even more mph. Large-bore pistons, ported cylinder heads, a capacious intercooler, exotic camshafts, a high-flow turbocharger, a low-restriction muffler, and 15 psi of boost pressure yield a 3.4-liter engine that develops 369 hp at 6000 rpm.
This power flows through a five-speed, Ruf-developed version of the 911 Turbo's standard four-speed gearbox. Ruf's transmission features a lower first gear and a higher top gear than the standard box, as well as smaller gaps between the gears. The five-speed is perfect for keeping the high-strung engine within its narrow power band.
Ruf also fits stiffer rear torsion bars, tighter shocks, and beefier brakes to the basic Turbo chassis. These pieces help to exploit the traction of the Dunlop Denloc SP Sport D40 tires. Fitted to Ruf's distinctive seventeen-inch wheels, the Denlocs are designed to stay on the rims even after a loss of pressure. This eliminates the need for a spare and, in turn, allows room for a larger fuel tank.
The big fuel tank is a practical touch, but cruising range is hardly a criterion by which these cars should be judged. These speed machines are designed to leave other cars in their dust. Nothing less. They are built to press their drivers into their seatbacks at 150 mph, make them feel as if they're running down the Mulsanne straight at Le Mans, and lift them beyond the pale of mundane motoring.
Just how far beyond varies with the car. The Lotec Mercedes was the slowest car in the group. Aided only by its bolt-on turbo kit, it needed all of five seconds to hit 60 mph, 13.7 seconds to hurdle through the quarter-mile at 106 mph, and about 25 seconds more to hit 150 mph. It finally ran out of breath at 170 mph. This was the slowest car in the bunch.
The Brandenburger Jaguar, more extensively modified and substantially more powerful than the Lotec, easily activated its 3824 pounds. Though it didn't have enough off-the-line traction to make full use of its V-12's power, the beefy XJ-S hit 60 mph in 4.8 seconds and blasted through the quarter-mile in 13.1 seconds at 112 mph. Less than 30 seconds of full throttle yielded 150 mph, and the V-12 was able to pull all the way to its 6500-rpm redline in fifth—equal to 175 mph.
The Porsche and the Corvette were faster still—and very closely matched. With its rear-engine layout aiding traction, the Ruf Porsche was quicker off the line than the Corvette and held its lead until we moved well into triple-digit speeds. The Ruf rocketed to 60 mph in just 4.3 seconds, reached 100 mph in less than ten seconds, and smoked through the quarter-mile in 12.5 seconds at 112 mph. And it had legs: on the autobahn, we clocked a spectacular 187-mph top speed.
Out of the blocks, the Callaway lagged behind the Ruf by a few tenths at nearly every point, but its high-speed superiority was revealed by its 118-mph trap speed in the quarter-mile. Sure enough, the Callaway's astonishing 22.8-second time to 150 mph beat the Ruf's. And on the autobahn, our pedal-to-the-metal test yielded an eye-popping 193 mph. From a car you can drive on the street.
The difference between the Lotec's 170-mph top speed and the Callaway's 193-mph limit may seem academic, but it translates into a major difference in high-speed acceleration. From 150 mph, for example, the Callaway is able to accelerate four times faster than the Lotec.
The most noticeable difference among the four cars was throttle response. The normally aspirated Jaguar took a clear lead, responding with immediate thrust at the slightest provocation of its throttle—even at 1000 rpm in fifth gear. The Callaway and the Lotec were slightly less sharp, responding with moderate turbo lag and offering reasonably strong response even before the boost built up; at high speeds on the autobahn, both cars offered virtually immediate response.
Porsche 911 Turbos have long been infamous for their pronounced throttle lag, and Ruf's modifications have done little to improve the situation. In fact, our particular Ruf had a fuel-system problem that tended to kill its off-boost output. As a result, flooring the throttle below 4000 rpm was like lighting the fuse on a cherry bomb: nothing happened for several seconds, and then things happened with explosive force. The only way to enjoy this car was to shift it all the time and keep the engine near full boil.
The Ruf's on-off throttle response was an even more serious problem when we took it to the Nürburgring for a few hot laps. The famous 14.2-mile course is difficult enough without having to worry about keeping the revs in the upper reaches of the engine's rpm band. Fortunately, the Ruf's chassis felt right at home on the Ring's treacherous hills, bumps, and dips. The brakes easily handled the downhill hairpins, and the car neither floated nor bottomed out at any speed. True to its oversteering 911 heritage, though, the Ruf felt slow and sluggish unless driven with its tail hanging out a bit.
The Callaway was nowhere near as comfortable as the Ruf on the track. Its racing shocks were simply too stiff to handle the Ring's rolling topography, and the suspension bobbled and weaved. Still, the Callaway was easy to drive, offering tremendous grip, excellent balance, plenty of accessible power, and the reassurance of anti-lock brakes. Driven in a smooth and tidy fashion, the Callaway turned in quick lap times.
The Brandenburger Jaguar also delivered a friendly ride. Although it seemed to offer less grip than the Corvette, it was quite well balanced. And thanks to its massive bulk, it responded to handling inputs more slowly than the Ruf or the Callaway. That made it an easy car to slide—especially since the instant throttle response made controlling the grip of the rear wheels as easy as twirling a rheostat. The big brakes also worked effectively once they warmed up; the rears tended to lock when cold.
The Lotec felt the least comfortable on the track. Its suspension was softer than any of the other cars', and its body moved around a lot more during hard cornering, braking, and acceleration. Its engine also hiccuped rather dramatically if its throttle was modulated when the boost was up. Rapid progress around the track was further impeded by grinding noises from the brakes and tires that rubbed on the fender lips in hard corners. Still, the Lotec did nothing treacherous. If we ignored its protests and just drove it hard, it turned in lap times surprisingly close to those of the other cars.
Once off the track, the Lotec was the easiest car to live with. Its supple suspension was well suited to street driving, its steering was progressive and nicely weighted, and all of its controls operated smoothly. With its quiet and responsive engine, it was nearly as comfortable and easy to drive as a stock Mercedes—and it has almost double the power. With some additional fender clearance and a remedy for its throttle hiccup, the Lotec would be a near-perfect gentleman's express.
The Ruf, with its raspy, spitting exhaust, stiff ride, and explosive acceleration, acted like anything but a gentlemanly car. But on the autobahn, it was hard to beat. Driving at 150 mph was relaxed—a one-handed affair. The body structure felt exceptionally solid, and the car seemed utterly secure. Even so, this ultimate Porsche 911 demands a higher-than-usual level of driver involvement if one wishes to explore its considerable potential.
The Jag fell between the two German cars. It rode stiffly in town but softened up considerably on the highway. It was as loud as the Porsche, but sang a mellower exhaust song. And its handling was friendly, with no major shortcomings. Indeed, the Jaguar's biggest problem on the street was the heat that seeped into the footwells after about an hour's drive. Not even liberal use of the air conditioning could keep our feet cool. The only solution was to pull over, have a cup of coffee, and watch the bystanders ogle the car. The black, brutish XJ-S attracted plenty of longing stares. And it deserved them. Muscular, friendly, easygoing, and good-looking, the big Jaguar did everything a fast exotic car ought to do.
Judged purely by its numbers, the special Callaway was the most impressive car in the group. But it also had a number of flaws. The shocks felt even stiffer on the road than on the Nürburgring. They kept the car from floating, but they also made it bounce off every bump in the pavement. That problem was compounded by the Callaway's overly sensitive steering. The steering of the other three cars tended to feel dead and lifeless at low speeds, gradually becoming linear and secure as speed increased. The Callaway's steering, however, was responsive at low speeds and became much too sharp on the autobahn. All Corvettes equipped with the fast-ratio Z51 steering suffer from this problem, but it becomes particularly acute when driving in Germany. At more than 190 mph on the autobahn—with a guardrail three feet away on the left and a truck going 60 mph in the lane to the right—twitchy steering is the last thing you want along for the ride.
The Callaway's special tires were also a poor match for its speed capabilities (see sidebar). Between the stiff shocks, the touchy steering at speed, and the unsuitable tires, this Corvette's performance exceeded its stability. A stock Callaway would have been slower, but it would have been a much more satisfying package.
Despite our complaints, we enjoyed all of the speed machines in our joint Sport Auto/Car and Driver test. Overall, we were most impressed by the Brandenburger Lister Jaguar XJ-S. Its combination of livable, responsive performance, reasonable comfort, and crowd-pleasing looks and sounds made it the neatest XJ-S we've ever driven. We'd drive it every day if we could. And then we'd really be hotshoes.
Top-Speed Blowout
Want to ruin your day? Lose a tire at 190 mph
Most people will tell you that if one of your tires blows out at high speed, you're doomed. The car will go out of control and either wad itself into a ball or scatter into a million pieces. Either way, both it and you will end up in final resting places. Before participating in the Sport Auto high-speed test, I was one of those people. Fortunately, I'm living proof that a high-speed blowout doesn't always mean certain disaster.
All of the top speeds reported in this story were measured on the six-lane Autobahn 5, just north of Karlsruhe, West Germany. A Sport Auto driver and I tested the Callaway Corvette at four a.m. on a Sunday morning to avoid interference from traffic—especially trucks, which need a special permit for Sunday autobahn appearances.
Stefan Roser was in the Callaway's driver's seat. Roser is the head tester at Sport Auto, a part-time racer, and a damn good driver. He knew this stretch of unlimited-speed autobahn well, so he drove. Securely belted into the right seat, I manned a stopwatch to measure our progress past the kilometer posts.
Despite a surprising amount of traffic, Stefan had to back out of full throttle only once during our ten-mile southbound run. The Callaway wasn't wonderfully stable at top speed, but it stayed in its lane as the kilometer posts flew by less than twelve seconds apart. That translated into more than 190 mph with the headlights up.
We turned around for our return trip (to compensate for any wind) and blasted off again. After about five flat-out miles—with the speedometer indicating 195 mph—the car suddenly began to vibrate heavily. I looked over at Stefan, and he said just one word: "Tire." The left front tire had blown apart, and we were going fast enough to fly.
To its eternal credit, the Corvette plowed straight on, drifting only slightly to the left. Stefan eased off the gas and concentrated on keeping the Callaway from getting sideways. He didn't touch the brakes; if he had, he might have upset the car's stability.
It seemed as if I could have written a book in the time it took the car to slow to 130 mph. At that point, Stefan gingerly started applying the brakes. By 80 mph, we seemed to be going so slowly that I was ready to get out and walk. As we slowed further, Stefan pulled over onto the right shoulder and brought us to a dignified stop. We stepped out.
The car rested on its left front wheel. The front spoiler had been ground away, and some of the bodywork had been destroyed by the disintegrating tire. The battery was dangling by its cables in a pool of acid. The only rubber left on the wheel was an inch-wide strip on the inside bead. We later found the carcass in one large piece about a mile back down the autobahn. The rear tires were fine, but the right front tire showed signs of stress on its inner rib. Happily, the Corvette was in one piece. And so were we.
For our top-speed run, Callaway had fitted stock, full-tread-depth Goodyear Eagle ZR40s at the rear and left the experimental, shaved Goodyears we used for the rest of our tests in front. Later, when we talked to Goodyear engineers about the incident, they explained that the prototype tires (which are not available to the public) were optimized for circuit racing rather than continuous top-speed running.
All tires are a carefully developed balance of compromises. The design characteristics that produce high-speed durability are very different from those that produce low lap times. Since no street-tired Corvette is likely to approach 200 mph on a racetrack, the Goodyear engineers—thinking that the car would be driven only on a track—traded some high-speed durability for more grip when they designed our Callaway's special tires.
The stock ZR40s (available on Corvettes for 1988) easily survived our top-speed run because they have been developed and tested for use as front tires on Chevrolet's upcoming 180-mph Corvette ZR1. Goodyear has no doubts as to their high-speed durability, and neither do we. Three of us in the office have driven at more than 200 mph on Goodyear street tires, and we trust them implicitly when they are properly selected for their intended use.
That qualifier is a caution to all owners and builders of fast cars. Cars that can exceed 150 mph are no longer as rare as politicians who keep their promises. Unfortunately, ensuring stability, durability, and safety at speed is much harder to do than simply making the power to go fast. You have to be careful when experimenting with the running gear of a fast car. That obviously goes double for tires.
Should you ever experience a blowout at speed, do what Stefan Roser did. Don't panic. Ease off the gas and don't even think about braking. Your only priority is to keep the car going in a straight line. As your speed dissipates and you develop a feel for the car's stability, you can try braking very gently, but be ready to back off if the car pulls to one side.
Thanks in part to Stefan's expert driving, I survived an ultra-high-speed blowout. But I don't ever want to risk the odds again. —CC
Specifications
Specifications
Brandenburger Lister Jaguar XJ-S
Vehicle Type: front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 2-door coupe
PRICE (IN GERMANY)
As Tested: $151,000
ENGINE
SOHC V-12, aluminum block and heads, port fuel injection
Displacement: 366 in3, 5993 cm3
Power: 475 hp @ 5900 rpm
Torque: 490 lb-ft @ 4200 rpm
TRANSMISSION
5-speed manual
CHASSIS
Suspension, F/R: control arms/multilink
Brakes, F/R: vented disc/vented disc
Tires: Bridgestone RE71 Sport
245/45VR-16
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 102.0 in
Length: 181.9 in
Width: 74.3 in
Height: 48.0 in
Curb Weight: 3824 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS
60 mph: 4.8 sec
100 mph: 10.8 sec
1/4-Mile: 13.1 sec @ 112 mph
130 mph: 18.9 sec
150 mph: 28.0 sec
Top Gear, 30–50 mph: 6.4 sec
Top Gear, 50–70 mph: 6.1 sec
Top Speed: 175 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 195 ft
--
Callaway Corvette Sport
Vehicle Type: front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 2-passenger, 2-door coupe
PRICE (IN GERMANY)
As Tested: $84,000
ENGINE
twin-turbocharged and intercooled V-8, iron block and aluminum heads, port/direct/port and direct fuel injection
Displacement: 350 in3, 5733 cm3
Power: 400 hp @ 4700 rpm
Torque: 500 lb-ft @ 3200 rpm
TRANSMISSION
4-speed automatic
CHASSIS
Suspension, F/R: control arms/multilink
Brakes, F/R: vented disc/vented disc
Tires: Goodyear Eagle ZR40
P275/40ZR-17 (experimental)
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 96.2 in
Length: 176.5 in
Width: 71.0 in
Height: 46.0 in
Curb Weight: 3403 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS
60 mph: 4.6 sec
100 mph: 10.2 sec
1/4-Mile: 12.8 sec @ 118 mph
130 mph: 16.8 sec
150 mph: 22.8 sec
Top Gear, 30–50 mph: 11.4 sec
Top Gear, 50–70 mph: 9.5 sec
Top Speed: 193 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 157 ft
--
Lotec Mercedes 300CE Turbo
Vehicle Type: front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 2-door coupe
PRICE (IN GERMANY)
As Tested: $69,000
ENGINE
turbocharged and intercooled SOHC inline-6, iron block and aluminum head, port fuel injection
Displacement: 181 in3, 2962 cm3
Power: 340 hp @ 5500 rpm
Torque: 325 lb-ft @ 2800 rpm
TRANSMISSION
5-speed manual
CHASSIS
Suspension, F/R: struts/multilink
Brakes, F/R: vented disc/vented disc
Tires: Goodyear Eagle VR
F: 205/55VR-16
R: 225/50VR-16
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 106.9 in
Length: 183.3 in
Width: 68.5 in
Height: 53.3 in
Curb Weight: 3164 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS
60 mph: 5.0 sec
100 mph: 12.3 sec
1/4-Mile: 13.7 sec @ 106 mph
130 mph: 21.5 sec
150 mph: 38.3 sec
Top Gear, 30–50 mph: 11.6 sec
Top Gear, 50–70 mph: 8.7 sec
Top Speed: 170 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 182 ft
--
Ruf porsche 911 Turbo
Vehicle Type: rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 2-passenger, 2-door coupe
PRICE (IN GERMANY)
As Tested: $101,000
ENGINE
turbocharged and intercooled SOHC/flat-6, aluminum block and heads, port fuel injection
Displacement: 205 in3, 3367 cm3
Power: 369 hp @ 6000 rpm
Torque: 354 lb-ft @ 4800 rpm
TRANSMISSION
5-speed manual
CHASSIS
Suspension, F/R: struts/semi-trailing arm
Brakes, F/R: vented disc/vented disc
Tires: Dunlop Denloc SP Sport D40
F: DL215/45VR-17
R: DL235/45VR-17
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 89.4 in
Length: 168.9 in
Width: 65.0 in
Height: 51.0 in
Curb Weight: 2990 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS
60 mph: 4.3 sec
100 mph: 9.6 sec
1/4-Mile: 12.5 sec @ 112 mph
130 mph: 16.9 sec
150 mph: 24.3 sec
Top Gear, 30–50 mph: 18.0 sec
Top Gear, 50–70 mph: 15.8 sec
Top Speed: 187 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 199 ft
Csaba Csere joined Car and Driver in 1980 and never really left. After serving as Technical Editor and Director, he was Editor-in-Chief from 1993 until his retirement from active duty in 2008. He continues to dabble in automotive journalism and WRL racing, as well as ministering to his 1965 Jaguar E-type, 2017 Porsche 911, 2009 Mercedes SL550, 2013 Porsche Cayenne S, and four motorcycles—when not skiing or hiking near his home in Colorado.