The new Magnum MK5 is likely the hottest thing to
come from Canada since Laura Vandervoort — it’s sleek, sexy and really fast. The MK5 will be limited to only 20 units per year and is priced from US$ 139,000.
The MK5 is a
lightweight, rear-wheel-drive, two-seat racer built on the company’s passion
for motorsport. It is the brainchild Bruno St-Jacques — the son of Jean-Pierre
St-Jacques who founded of the Magnum cars company back in the 1960s. The MK5
was built from passion to racing because Bruno is a well-rounded and successful
racecar driver, and the MK5 was built as his dream machine.
Magnum designed the MK5 with modularity in mind, so
the repair costs are reduced because you can easily remove each part for repair
or replacement. Magnum built the MK5 with an open cockpit "speedster"
style, and made the cargo compartment big enough to accommodate two race
helmets and a briefcase.
Powering the new Mk5 is a mid-mounted, four-cylinder
engine that delivers a total of 250 horsepower at 11,000 rpm. The engine is
mated to a six-speed, sequential gearbox that allows for lightning-fast shifts,
up and down. This efficient drivetrain allows the MK5 to sprint from 0 to 100
km/h in just 3.2 seconds and up to a top speed of 254 km/h. Well, you
have to consider that with the MK5’s 545 kg curb weight, its
power-to-weight ratio is a phenomenal 460 horsepower per tonne (417 horsepower
per ton).
