north shore

_& AUTO.

hitney gives vi

Andrew McCredie

Editar
andrew@usnews.com

A famous seribe once
noted chat his life as a
journalist had allowed
him to live like a
millionaire without the
hassle of actually being,
one.

‘Yony Whitney drives Hike a
millionaire.

One of the most recogniz
able automotive journalists in
the country, Whitner has the
enviable assignment: of test
driving the newest four:

wheeled creations te roll off

the asembly fines of Detront,
Yokvo and Srattgart.

The evening TP caught up
with the West Vancouver resi-
dent, he was tooling around
Milestone’s parking lor in a sil-
ver 1999 Mazda Miata, A few
days earlier he was piloting a
new Grand Cherokee up an
Alberta mountain.

Part entertainer, part con-
sumer advocate, Whitney and
partner-in-drive ‘Ted Laturnus
host Inside Track, a half-hour
television show dedicated ro
the automobile.

The independently-pro-
duced show is taped at Rogers
Cable studio on Pemberton
Avenue in North Vancouver,
and is available on no fewer
than three channels on the
North Shore (Rogers, Speed
Vision and PBS}.

Inside Track is essentially
Siskel and Ebert kicking tires
instead of reviewing movi
Whitney and) Laturnus offer
opinions on the latest vehicles
on the market, along with
insider news designed to aid
the buying publie’s search for
a vehicle.

Many will recognize the
driving due from the CBC's
Driver's Seat, a similar show
thar had an cight-vear run
beginning in the mid-cighties.
When the Mother Corp, can-
celled the show, Whitney
sought a private production
company to produce a similar
show,

Joining forces with Insight
Production, — Whitney has
adopted the Driver's Seat con-
cept and taken it to the next
level, adding — interesting
graphics and entertaining side
stories (for example, on a
recent show Laturnus went tor
a ride in. a Goodyear blimp).

“In the medium of televi-

sion entertainment is part of

the package,” Whitney, a for-
mer BBC soap opera actor,
says, “But our show is’ still
about information; and that’s
why I believe people watch
in”

And while it is automotive
reviews that pay his bills,
Whitney keeps busy with a
number of other projects.

For the past two years
Whitney has done script work
for Burnaby-based video game
giant Electronic Arts, supply-
ing much of che technical
specs and insider know-how
for the company’s popular
Need For Speed racing game.

“They are really the
Michelangclos of the new mil-
lenninm,” Whitney says of EA
Sports.

And readers of the West
Ender will recognize Whitney
as the community paper’s

restaurant columnist, anather
desirable bear of the tear
ism workd

However, Whines main
tans he pulls ne punches on
enther Pasade Track ox Nis
Newspaper NAZINE TeV tes,

“We discourige companies
from advertising on a show in
which their vehicle ois
reviewed,” he says. adaiing
that on a niimber of occasions
he’s had calls from manutie
turers after taking one of their
products ter task,

“Most: companies realize
that the majority of autome-
tive columnists are fir, and in
fact many changes are made to
these vehicles atier jor cnalists
have pointed out problems.”

As to the fiture of the
automobile, Whitrey agrees
electric and lydrogen pow:
ered vehicles are where it’s
going,

He knows of whar he
speaks = his West Van hone
is outtitted with a special clee-
tie car chargiiye system, one
of the few such set-ups in the
country.

He does have one sugees-
tion for the North American
market: “We should ali be dri-
ving the cars they drive in
Europe -— the Renault
Twingo, the Ford Ka, Smail
cars that ger 70 miles to the
gallon.”

REYVED UP — Tony
Whitney (right) and Ted
Laturnus debate a poini
while taping Inside Track
in North Yancouver.

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[state

Friday, October 16. 1998 — North Shore News - 3¢

news

nw
1 cgay me eS

NEWS photo Grad S Ledwidge

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pwr pkg, tilt, cruise,
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89 Tayota Corot!a
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