How a visit to the AutoShow ended with winning a new 2013 Hyundai Genesis R-Spec
When Jim Nanoff heard pounding on the door of his east-end Toronto home one morning in February he assumed the worst.
The first thought to come to mind: He was being targeted in a home invasion. He immediately discarded that theory given it would be self-defeating for a wannabe home invader to make such a racket.
" I was so excited that I was doing back-flips and
cartwheels," – Jim Nanoff, contest winner
Thus, instead of dialling 9-1-1, a pyjama-clad Jim arose from his bed to see what the commotion was all about. Peering out a window, he noticed a congregation of strangers. And a bit further away, he noticed a car blocking his driveway.
“I thought to myself, ‘Ah, there’s probably been an accident and these people need to use my phone to get a tow or something,’” he recalls.
Turns out Jim was never so pleased to be so utterly wrong.
That’s because those “strangers” were representatives of radio station 98.1 CHFI. And that was no broken-down sedan occupying Jim’s driveway. Rather, it was brand-new car. Better yet, turns out it was Jim’s brand new car.
Jim was astonished to discover that for the first time in his life, he had won a truly handsome prize (the base price for the Genesis R-Spec is $53,499.)
In a flash, it all came back to him: In February, Jim had attended the Canadian International Auto Show, something he’s done for the past 13 years running. He traversed the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, gazing upon hundreds of new cars, never once believing that one of those rides would soon be occupying his driveway in a matter of days.
But luckily for Jim, he entered a contest promoted by the National Post in conjunction with CHFI. First prize: a swank 2013 Hyundai Genesis R-Spec.
Like most people taking part in games of chance, one seldom expects to win. And Jim readily admits such was the case with him. But there’s a first time for everything. Besides, somebody has to be victorious.
“I was so excited that I was doing back-flips and cartwheels,” says the 64-year-old Royal Bank employee. “What can you say? It’s a brand-new car!”
And what a car.
Indeed, it didn’t take much coaxing to get Jim to jump in behind the wheel. He gazed upon the whiz-bang dashboard and settled into the gorgeous ebony leather seats. Meanwhile, his nose inhaled that cherished olfactory delight that is new car scent, otherwise known as the sweet smell of success.
Jim is the first to admit that the Genesis R-Spec is a quantum leap forward in terms of the sort of ride he’s been used to the past few years. Namely, he currently shares a minivan with his brother, a co-op arrangement that requires Jim to take public transit across Toronto to his sibling’s west-end abode whenever Jim needs to use the van.
Needless to say, there shall be no more crisscrossing of Toronto via public transit for Jim when he has a hankering for driving.
As for that luxury-laden Hyundai, to paraphrase a certain automotive advertising tagline from yesterdecade: the Genesis R-Spec isn’t your father’s Pony.
Simply put, imagine Hyundai set out to manufacture the South Korean equivalent of, say, a BMW 5 Series or a Mercedes-Benz E-Class. That essentially sums up the Genesis RSpec in a nutshell.
And those specs are nothing short of pulse-pounding. Mechanically, this luxurious e sport sedan features an eightspeed automatic transmission with Shiftronic; 19-inch alloy wheels with disc brakes; and electric hydraulic power steering. Meanwhile, lurking under the hood is a fearsome five-litre V8 engine that generates an impressive 429 horsepower and 376 lb.-ft. of torque.
The sublime cabin abounds with all the bells, whistles and creature comforts one would expect to find in a premium luxury car. There are front and rear heated seats, a woodtrimmed/leather-wrapped heated steering wheel, a rear-back-up camera, woodgrain interior trim; a navigation system, and a premium Lexicon stereo featuring 17 speakers.
Talk about stylin’ and profilin’...
As for Jim Nanoff, all that remains is figuring out where to go on his first extended road trip in his gorgeous Genesis. One idea is to take an excursion down to Atlantic City. Jim would like to hit some casinos and play some blackjack and roulette.
Can you blame him? After all, after winning this heavenly Hyundai, it’s fair to say Jim is already on a hot streak.