Car dealership purchases southern Alberta airport to maximize high-performance vehicle speeds
Mercedes-Benz in downtown Calgary has purchased a 160-acre property near Cayley, Alta., to race their luxury vehicles and give customers the full experience.
"After using it several times for a few productions, we realized that it would be worthwhile for us to actually own this property," said general manager Mazen Aboulhosn.
"A simple test drive isn't going to show you what these high-performance luxury vehicles are going to do. But having a runway that's almost 5,000 feet long lets you see exactly what they can do."
The property features a home, airplane hangar and 1,500-metre paved runway.
The Cayley Flying Ranch Airport could soon become the next best event centre for fast cars and racers seeking to put their foot down.
"We will be developing this further beyond what it is," said Aboulhosn.
"There's a lot of opportunity and potential to make this something more than what it is. We've discussed having a full-blown track. We've also discussed having a drifting circuit and having an off-road circuit here as well.
"We deal with a lot of different companies that also want to rent the facility for those very specific purposes."
The dealership wanted a place where potential buyers could feel the power of its high-performance vehicles.
The runway has already seen speeds of 267 kilometres per hour, with racers hoping to eclipse that.
"We've been all over the world where we've gotten to drive these vehicles on tracks and whatnot," said one of the drivers, Chris Mrnik.
"So, it's great to be able to bring that home."
Since buying the property, the dealership has worked with video production company Squared Marketing to capture drag races and drifting, posting them to YouTube.
In less than a year, it has more than 100,000 subscribers.
Vladimir Keserovic, co-founder of Squared Marketing, says his passion is high-speed cars, video production and this opportunity to partner with Mercedes was a no-brainer.
"I grew up watching Top Gear and Fifth Gear and admired Jeremy Clarkson and everyone else that was part of the productions," he said.
"But now being able to be behind the scenes and create all of that stuff in Alberta, it's pretty much a dream come true."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
WATCH LIVE Federal Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon to provide update on Canada Post strike
Federal Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon will hold a news conference this morning to provide an update on the strike at Canada Post.
The biggest changes to Canada's mortgage rules, according to a broker
Canada's new federal mortgage rules are coming into effect Sunday. A broker says this is what would-be buyers need to know.
Upcoming GST relief causes confusion for some small Canadian businesses
A tax break for the holiday season will start this weekend, giving some Canadians relief on year-end shopping. But for small businesses, confusion around what applies for GST relief has emerged.
U.S. Olympic and Paralympic officials put coach on leave after AP reports sexual abuse allegations
The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee placed an employee on administrative leave Thursday after The Associated Press reported that one of its coaches was accused of sexually abusing a young biathlete, causing her so much distress that she attempted suicide.
B.C. Supreme Court certifies class-action lawsuit against Airbnb
The B.C. Supreme Court has certified a class-action lawsuit against Airbnb that alleges the short-term rental company has breached provincial consumer protection laws by offering unlicensed real estate brokerage and travel agent services.
Ontario mulls U.S. booze ban as Trump brushes off Ford's threat to cut electricity
Incoming U.S. president Donald Trump is brushing off Ontario's threat to restrict electricity exports in retaliation for sweeping tariffs on Canadian goods, as the province floats the idea of effectively barring sales of American alcohol.
Country star Morgan Wallen sentenced in chair-throwing case
Country music star Morgan Wallen on Thursday pleaded guilty to two misdemeanour counts of reckless endangerment for throwing a chair from the rooftop of a six-storey bar in Nashville and nearly hitting two police officers with it.
Huge and rare Mekong catfish spotted in Cambodia, raising conservation hopes
Six critically endangered Mekong giant catfish — one of the largest and rarest freshwater fish in the world — were caught and released recently in Cambodia, reviving hopes for the survival of the species.
Meta gives in to CRTC disclosure order on Online News Act compliance
After initially fighting the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, Meta has complied with an order from the regulator to publicly disclose information about its news-blocking measures.