2012 Cadillac Escalade EXT

Launched for the 2002 model year, the EXT version of Cadillac's Escalade luxury SUV was intended to compete with the first iteration of the Lincoln Blackwood. While the Blackwood fizzled after a single model year, having sold fewer than 3,500 units, the Escalade EXT did well enough to get continued.

In fact, the Cadillac of pickup trucks did well enough to get a second generation for the 2007 model year.

The new styling featured an even more massive chrome grille, with a rodeo belt buckle sized Caddy badge front and center. Only mild styling changes to trim bits followed over the next several years.

For 2012 the powerplant was the L94 version of GM's Vortec 6200 6.2L V-8, interesting for being the first mass produced pushrod motor with variable valve timing. It belted out 403 SAE net horsepower, which was ample enough to let even a nearly three ton SUV get out of its own way. The L94 differed from the earlier L92 only in having Active Fuel Management, which could shut off cylinders when cruising under light throttle load. Given Cadillac's previous experience with a more primitive version of the same concept, you can see why they'd pick a vague circumlocution to call its reboot.

When Motor Trend tested a 2007 Escalade EXT with the L92, the enormous land barge nevertheless managed a 6.5 second lunge to sixty and a 15.1 quarter at 92.5 through the traps. Respectable numbers for a vehicle that could have its own ZIP code.

This Radiant Silver Metallic 2012 model is from the second-to-last year of the EXT, which was discontinued after only 1,972 of the luxotrucks crossed the curb at Caddy stores.

It was photographed with an Olympus E-510 and a Zuiko Digital 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 zoom lens in November of 2021.

2012 Volkswagen GTI

The Volkswagen Golf Mk6 reached the North American market for the 2010 model year and by 2012 the iron-block 2.0L turbocharged four cylinder under the hood of the GTI variant was a little long in the tooth and, at 200 horsepower, was a looking a bit weak compared to some of its hot hatch rivals from Ford and Mazda.

Still, it was bolted into a willing chassis and backed with either a six-speed manual or DSG gear changer, and two hundred ponies can gallop pretty good if they only have to haul a little over three thousand pounds of VW. The sticky rubber on the 18" wheels of this Black Pearl Metallic example make for sure-footed handling.

When Road & Track tested a three-door with the manual gearbox, they recorded a 6.4 second zero to sixty sprint and a quarter in fifteen flat. Those would have been V-8 pony car acceleration numbers not too many years before.

Their test car came with a $24,765 as-tested price, the equivalent of roughly $34,400 in today's money.

This one was photographed with a Nikon D200 and an 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 VR II zoom lens in August of 2020.