2006 Volkswagen GTI Mk V
I tap the brake, downshift to second and throttle through rounding the Grand (formally Loews) hairpin with, if not the same precision of an F1 racecar, certainly with the goodness of its technology. Approaching the downhill stretch, which leads to Portier corner, I throttle up and again brake for the bend, looking for the correct turn-in point. As I correct for the straight, I take a moment and marvel at the mega-yacht-lined marina. My co-driver and course navigator says, “Step on it.” I oblige and proceed to paddle shift through third and fourth with rapid abandon. Track conditions are perfect; it is mid-day, the sun is shining and suddenly everything goes dark as we motor through the tunnel. My co-driver cracks his window and smiles. “Listen to that,” he says. It’s the sound of VW’s turbocharged 2.0-liter GTI at 6800 rpm echoing off the tunnel walls. Though pale in comparison to the ear-deafening scream of an F1 engine at 18,000 rpm, it’s a wonderful sound nonetheless. The location? A breath taking section of Monte Carlo’s famed Grand Prix circuit. My co-driver? None other than new VW of America boss Adrian Hallmark. We’re on hand for the international launch of VW’s fifth-generation GTi. Can a test drive possibly get any more challenging? Hardly. Can there be a better setting? Not a chance.