The list of Canadian racers is long and storied with names like John Duff, Kay Petre, Ron Fellows, Scott Goodyear, and father and son duo Gilles and Jacques Villeneuve. While there’s no reason to expect that Canada’s success behind the wheel won’t continue with the likes of Scott Hargrove and Toyo Tires F1600 alumni James Hinchcliff, we’ve had limited success in other areas of racing. Specifically, the limited number of Canadian designed and built track cars.
Things could be changing with the recent launch of the MK5 track car from Magnum Cars. Featuring an impressive power to weight ratio of 460 bhp per tonne, a mind blowing 0-100km/h in 3.2 seconds and a top speed of 240 km/h, the MK5 easily compares to the most exclusive track cars around. If the MK5’s acceleration or top speed isn’t enough to get the hair on the back of your neck to stand up maybe the 2G’s of lateral force delivered or sitting a mere 3.5 inches from the track while racing around on Toyo Proxes R888 competition tires – standard equipment on the MK5 – will get your heart pounding.
Developing a car like the MK5 is no easy feat. For Bruno St-Jacques, President and Chief Technology Officer of Magnum, the journey from working with world famous F1 teams like Lotus and Renault during the Canadian Grand Prix, to building a track car, took over 5 years of testing and refining. First with the aid of sophisticated CAD software where several concepts were tested and later at a variety of race tracks in order to optimize the MK5’s suspension settings, aerodynamics, and power delivery. “We built the MK5 to offer the speed and agility of a racecar combined with the stance and refinement of a supercar” said St-Jacques. “The MK5 is aimed at both adrenaline seekers who enjoy track-day events as well as the spirited driving enthusiasts who like to drive on the road or a mix of both.”
While speed is the main selling point for any track car, the pocket book can’t be overlooked. There’s even an inside joke among racers, “What do race cars run on?” The answer: Money! To that end Magnum has drawn on their racing heritage to build a car with easy access and modularity designed from the ground up. “We have been involved in the motorsports industry long enough to know that race cars are not always easy or pleasant to work on” says St-Jacques. The MK5 is a premier track car built to take the abuse on the track, enjoy a low operating cost, and be easily maintained by an owner or any established sports car shop without the need for a full race crew or special tools.
With the MK5, Magnum has produced a premium track car proudly wearing the “made in Canada” label that balances art and technology. It’s a car that’s equally at home driving up the RPM’s at the track or amongst the super cars on the road.
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