While many of us may never have the chance, or be willing to part with the hundreds of thousands of dollars required to own our own supercar, the experience of driving a supercar for the first time is incredibly memorable, and there is no surprise that it is something that is on the bucket list of millions of car enthusiasts around the globe. Fortunately, more and more boutique rental companies have been springing up to provide that first (and possibly repeat) experience.

The process for supercar rental isn't as complex as one may think, however it's a bit more of a process than booking your average budget rental car. Pricing can range from roughly $800 to $2,500 per day, so you're best to map out as much of your driving as you can. There are now supercar rental companies in many major cities, but the last thing you want to do is waste valuable hours on bad city traffic so we strongly recommend picking a destination for your drive.

Lou La Vie out of Miami will drop your rental to your requested destination, while other companies like Exotics Racing in Las Vegas have direct access to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway and offer rental packages as brief as $249 for 5 laps in a Mercedes-Benz SLS. If you're wanting to go further afield, there are a few companies that will offer up rentals to challenge the dreaded Nurburgring if you are able to get there before it closes. If you desire a warmer climate, Ascari Race Resort offers driving experience days on their private track in Malaga, Spain with full instruction.

Whether you go local or abroad, one thing is certain you will never forget or regret your first experience in a supercar. The only advice we can offer is to be prepared to have any concept of speed you previously had to be shattered.

Click past the jump for a quick look at the supercar rental experience from Lou La Vie in Miami. A video on the Nurburgring follows.

You'd think that by now British Columbia auto enthusiasts would have learned from the many stories of car seizures we've reported on over the past few years, but another group of 20-25 year old boys have become the latest victim of BC's 40km/h and over impound law. The group was called in to Squamish RCMP, and Air One, one of the Lower Mainland Traffic Safety Helicopters was called in to tail them until West Vancouver PD could intercept. Under normal circumstances we suppose the term "young men" might have been appropriate, but after hearing the excuse used by one of the drivers it is clear that adulthood for these individuals is still a ways away.

Of all the stupid excuses we have heard for speeding over the years, from "My wife is in labour" to "My speedometer doesn't work", we were a bit surprised to hear this new one. The driver in question claims that he was speeding because his temporary insurance was set to run out at midnight, and that "with great friends I had with me, they decided to try and get home with me and not leave me to fend for myself." There are so many things to pick apart from his defence that we don't know where to start other than if he were to have an accident while speeding home, does he really think his insurance would cover his reckless driving?

The group is reported to have been driving a cluster of Nissan 240SX, as well as a Nissan Skyline, Toyota MR2, and an Acura Integra which were all reported to be "in various stages of modification". Revscene forum members are quick to tout some high performance mods, but based on the verbiage used by the West Van Police, we wouldn't be surprised if we're talking lowering springs and mufflers at this point. It is also noted that one vehicle was sporting a "I Heart Drifting" bumper sticker at the time of the incident.

Click past the jump to see the aerial surveillance video caught by the West Vancouver PD, and a quick video on how to talk your way out of a speeding ticket.

"Just reset it." This is a request that is heard far too often in automotive service and repair facilities. Whether a vehicle is in for maintenance, or one of a plethora of warning lights has appeared on the dash, it seems the video game era mentality of just hitting restart has spilled over into some people's mindset when it comes to the care of their cars. Depending on the person, there are a wide number of reasons for this rather idiotic behavior. They either don't have a clue about what it means to maintain a car, they have more money than brains and figure they can abuse their cars until they trade them in for a new one, or they bought something they couldn't afford the upkeep on in order to put on airs of status. Hearing owners having an absolute meltdown and shouting "What do you mean you can't just turn the stupid light off?!?" has become more and more common, largely because the days of people having even a vague understanding about the technology they're rolling around in are long gone.

Part of the problem comes from certain shifts at the manufacturer level over the past couple of decades, one of the major contributors being the Service-Inclusive warranty. Although it sounds great on paper, having a service-inclusive plan give salespeople the ability to present this no-hassle, just gas-it-and-go presentation to customers. When the car gets older and costs are involved, these customers now have no clue about what they're up against. These are the same people that roll into a service center always assuming they're going to get screwed over. Education is a key part of car ownership that has long been neglected, and its time that consumers start devoting a bit more time to knowing their cars and what it takes to keep them running. If there's something you don't understand, ask a technician, or someone in the industry to explain it to you. It's one of the many reasons they're there.

Click past the jump to keep reading and to learn our top 3 reasons why warning lights should never be ignored.

By all accounts it's looking like it's going to another great year for car shows, events, and racing across the country, so we thought we would roll out our first ever Autoblog Canada must-see events list for 2013. Stretching from East to West, from Vancouver Island to PEI, we have hand-picked an assortment of events including a bit of everything, from tuner meets to collector car auctions.

As the weeks roll on we will be keeping you up to date with updated posts on upcoming events and on-site coverage whenever our team is available. If something is going on in your area that you think is worth mentioning, send us an email and we will do our best to add it to our lineup.

Click past the jump to see our comprehensive list of the best Canadian car shows, automotive events and races for 2013.

We all know that sometimes ad agencies can miss the mark when it comes to what can be considered funny or tasteful, but this new ad by Hyundai is far an beyond the most revolting to date. The minute-long clip shows a distraught man sitting in his car with a hose running exhaust into the passenger cabin. After a while he realizes his car won't kill him, so he exits the car and goes back into the house. By comparison this bleak and far too realistic video makes Ford's recent bondage campaign look completely acceptable.

Innocean, Hyundai's in-house marketing agency who is responsible for the ad, and whose major clients also include Kia, Domino's Pizza, Canon, and Walt Disney, has yet to present any kind of defense for their work. The campaign originally went live on April 18th, and was meant to promote Hyundai's upcoming zero-emissions vehicle but instead has sparked outrage across the globe. So much so that a recently posted open letter to Hyundai and Innocean has rapidly rocketed to beyond 50,000 views and counting.

We are not ones to shy away from comedy even when it can be in bad taste, but there is a clear and defined line that sits a ways north of humour about taking ones own life. As much as Hyundai's spokespeople can say things like "Hyundai understands that the video has caused offence. We apologize unreservedly. The video has been taken down and will not be used in any of our advertising or marketing.", the damage is already done and it will be long before folks forget this one.

Click past the jump to see the full video which hopefully hasn't been pulled offline just yet. Be sure to watch the slew of similar spots from other automakers below, and an official statement from Hyundai.

The Ottawa-based boutique technology firm Lixar IT Inc. recently developed an interesting bit of software for Delphi Automotive, which unfortunately won't be getting into the hands of us Canadians just yet. Partnering with Verizon Wireless, Delphi's new Vehicle Diagnostics product allows drivers to to locate, track, secure, access and monitor their vehicle using a smartphone, computer or tablet. Touted as a first-in-class product, it works with most vehicles newer than the 1996 model year.

The press junkets have all come and gone, and although we have been handed all the juicy details on the new Jaguar F-Type, as we reported during our ride-along seen here, we have still been waiting patiently to see and hear what it's really like to drive. Fortunately our London-based pals at XCAR were close at hand when access was granted and have put together their video review of the new big kitty in V6, V6 S, and V8 S trim.

As always, these guys give us a thorough rundown of the car's history and relationship with the classic E-Type before getting into its performance and road manners. Clearly the F-Type lives up to the halo-car hype, however we don't doubt there's a bit of that old British pride at play. One way or another we can't wait to see one roll its way into Canada for our own bit of torture testing.

Click past the jump to watch the full video.

Of all the Barrett-Jackson auction events that occur throughout the year, Palm Beach is easily the most peculiar of the bunch. Scottsdale is always more geared towards classics and charity cars, Vegas always brings out good hot rods, but Palm Beach consistently rolls out a certain kind of strangeness alongside the expected '69 Mustangs and Camaros.

Just to keep it interesting, we took a dig through the docket from last week's Palm Beach auction, and sure enough there were plenty of cars on the list that left us scratching our heads and wondering what poor soul shelled out the cash to bring these ugly ducklings home.

Click on our gallery to see our top 10 list of strangest vehicles sold at Barrett-Jackson Palm Beach 2013, then click through to watch a video covering the 2013 Barret-Jackson.

With Federal, Provincial and Municipal governments all looking at ways to stem the flow wasteful spending, we have to say we were a bit surprised by this brag video that surfaced from the Calgary Police force last week. In this gratuitous 38 seconds of boastful promo, which is clearly professionally shot and edited, we are introduced to Calgary's latest and greatest cop cars, the Ford Police Interceptor.

Sadly, this brazen display isn't combined with any information regarding the new vehicles' capabilities, nor are we informed of the volume or cost of this latest acquisition. We do know a fair bit about the Interceptors themselves, including the fact that they are running Ford's 3.7-litre naturally aspirated engine, however will take a good car chase or two to determine whether or not Calgary sprung for the 365 horsepower upgrade over the base 305. And can a attest to their handling skills when Ford Canada let us test them last spring.

Anyone care for a police crusier drag race to Tim Hortons?

Click past the jump to see the full video.

Rockstar Games has always done a fine job designing vintage muscle car and modern supercar knock-offs for the Grand Theft Auto series, and it seems they are going to maintain that track record with the upcoming Grand Theft Auto 5. The new version of the game, which is due out on September 17th 2013 for PS3 and XBOX 360, and looking at the recently released screenshots, it will be jam-packed with knock of versions of many of our favourite rides.

Right off the bat we can see an Audi R8 inspired coupe gracing GTA 5's cover art, which we knew was coming based on the trailers that were released back in November. A quick scan through the screenshot gallery shows us that a convertible version of the R8 will be on hand as well.

We've also spotted a number of familiar faces, including a Lamborghini Gallardo, a roofless version of a Lotus Evora, and something that looks like a Ferrari 458 Italia made sweet love to a Nissan GTR. Given the franchise's history of endless roads and senseless violence, we have no doubt we are looking at a game that's bound to eat up countless hours of productivity.

Click past the jump for our extensive screenshot gallery of Grand Theft Auto 5, and click here for a game trailer video.

According to a recent press release by the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit of British Columbia, the law enforcement operation has been given access to two recently seized vehicles to help in their fight against gang violence and organized crime. This move follows the already successful outreach program the Abbotsford police department implemented back in 2011, where they re-purposed the Hummer H2 pictured above which had been previously used in Victoria BC's drug trade.

Law enforcement officials and policy makers all seem to be getting a bit of a chuckle out of this recent implementation of the BC Civil Forfeiture act, and we have to admit it's not a half bad idea. "I think young people appreciate the irony when they see a drug dealer's vehicle turned into something that supports police and public safety," said Attorney General Shirley Bond.

While the Hummer was an interesting choice by the Abbotsford Police, we are curious to see what other vehicles will make an appearance over the coming months. Current laws state that only vehicles forfeited as a result of gang or drug-trade involvement are eligible to be loaned out, so the collection of seized supercars we reported on a couple of years ago and the other imports seized last fall sadly won't be up for grabs. Rumour has it there is a 2009 Gran Turismo Maserati that may be eligible, but at this point we won't hold our breath.

Click past the jump to read the full press release from the CFSEU-BC.

Vancouver's SR Tuning has a reputation for modifying $100k-plus supercars, like their Project Verus Aventador we featured back in December, but every now and then they get their hands on something a little more attainable and just go off the rails, as is the case with this Scion FR-S Rocket Bunny build. Built in partnership with Vancouver's Open Road auto group, the project was initiated with the goal of creating something Canadian enthusiasts hadn't seen before, and by all accounts we can say mission accomplished.

When ideas were thrown around about what type of body modification to throw on the FR-S, this rivet-on Rocket Bunny widebody setup was a hard one to miss. While some people may be lukewarm to the industrial vibe the kit has, it most definitely stands out from the crowd. The bright blue Rays Gram Lights 57 Extreme wheels, BC coilovers and appropriately loud Invidia cat-back exhaust system round the project out nicely and led it to easily outshine every other FR-S and BRZ that turned up at Vancouver's Revscene spring meet last weekend. Not many versions of this kit have surfaced globally yet, and this one remains the first in Canada for now.

Click here for our extensive gallery of the Rocket Bunny FR-S, and click past the jump to watch the Scion FR-S in action.

Beyond all the fanfare at the Mercedes-Benz booth at this year's Vancouver International Auto Show regarding the new SLS AMG GT Roadster, an interesting announcement surfaced about the launch of Canada's first-ever Mercedes-Benz Driving Academy for New Drivers. Rather than launching a performance driving operation, MB hopes to improve the base skill set of new drivers throughout the Lower Mainland of British Columbia.

Now, with the sheer volume of new drivers in luxury vehicles roaming around the city, and the number of Benzes we see banged up while in the hands of rookie drivers like the one we reported on last fall, it isn't much of a surprise that this program is starting on the West Coast. Operating under the close supervision of the Mercedes Driving Academy in Germany, the program will take new drivers through all the necessary lessons needed to pass BC's graduated licencing program and avoid becoming yet another one of those horrible drivers this province is known for.

We are hoping for all involved that the program is a success. After all, being able to take drivers ed in a brand new C or B-class rather than your standard Corolla should be a no-brainer.

Click here for a gallery of the Driver Training cars on display at the Vancouver International Auto Show, and click past the jump to read the details from Mercedes-Benz Canada.

BMW has brought out a healthy showing to the Vancouver International Auto Show this year, including this trio of 3-series models that proves there's something in the range for everyone. From the drool-worthy M-Performance equipped 335i xDrive, to the pack rat friendly 328i Touring (which we tested in Germany last year), these 3ers nearly steal the spotlight from the M6 Gran Coupe also on display.

The 335i on site is equipped with every piece of M-Performance kit in the catalogue, including BMW's slick aerodynamics package which adds the modified front bumper, lip spoiler, side skirts and rear diffuser. The interior has also seen some upgrading as it sits heavily clad in carbon fibre and alcantara. With this kind of kit bolted on it's easy to picture the upcoming M3, just add wider fenders and the trademark "power bulge."

The other bit of interesting news floating around the BMW booth is a few more details on the upcoming 328d which is now expected to arrive in Canada later this fall. We have now confirmed the diesel will be packing a variation of BMW's N47 engine which powers the European-spec 320d. We can expect to see 280 pound-feet of torque, and fuel economy at the 4.5L/100km mark. If the engine isn't detuned for our market we can expect peak torque to roll in at 1,750 rpm, and holding solid to just shy of 3000 to propel the vehicle to a mid-7-second 0-100 km/h time.

Click here for our gallery of the M-Performance 335i, here for the new 328i Touring, and here for shots of the upcoming 328d.