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 CONTENTS
#247
F E AT UR E S

062 076 084 102

A S T ON M A R T IN
VA N TAGE
We head to Finland’s frozen
tundra to experience Aston
Martin’s crucial new Vantage
P OR S CHE 911 G T 3
…and does the winner of the
previous encounter have what it
takes to topple Porsche’s mighty
911 GT3?
CL IO 2 00 CUP R ALLYCROSS
v 2 08 G T i P S MASTERCL ASS
Can our current favourite Fascinated by the rise of
supermini match the brilliance rallycross? Here’s everything
of one of the greatest ever? you need to know

068 078 092 108

AUDI R8 RW S WILL MA ZDA SAVE PORSCHE CAYMAN GTS FERR ARI PORTOFINO
v BM W M 4 C S THE PETROL ENGINE? We’ve yet to gel with Porsche’s flat- & AM DB11 VOL ANTE
Audi has built its first rear-drive As electric cars dominate the four turbocharged 718 models, but Two turbocharged V8
car for 90 years, so is it a match headlines, Mazda believes petrol can a 1500-mile road trip across convertible GT cars, but which
for BMW’s M4 CS? engines still have plenty to offer the Pyrenees seal the deal? one hits the sweetest spot?

www.evo.co.uk 005
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 CONTENTS
#247
REGULARS
013 040
BR IEF ING F IR S T DR I V E S
From AMG’s new GT 4-Door 040 LISTER THUNDER
Coupe to Rimac’s remarkable 046 MERCEDES-AMG CLS53
C Two electric hypercar, we bring 048 CATERHAM 7 SUPERSPRINT
you all the stars from this year’s 050 BENTLEY BENTAYGA V8
Geneva motor show 053 KIA STINGER 2.0 GT-LINE
037 054
L E T T ER S C OL UMNS
Sport buttons, S2000s and Civic Meaden got a shock at Geneva,
Type Rs are just some of the topics Porter’s praised F1 and Kravitz
you want to discuss this month looks to the season ahead
117
E VO M A R K E T
Who doesn’t want a used Ferrari
F430? Or a modified Ford
Mustang V8? And who hasn’t
lusted after a Rover SD1 Vitesse?
137
L ONG -T ER MER S
Hello Honda Civic Type R,
goodbye Audi RS5, and why
are the C43’s driving modes so
counter-intuitive?
154
T HE K NOW L EDGE
The Wikipedia of car stats
and figures. But without the
made-up bits and based on
actual facts
170
DR E A M DR I V E
Henry Catchpole is daydreaming
once again, this time about a
magical island and a car that
defines the word unobtainable
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 Ed speak
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NEW METAL • FORD FIESTA ST • CUPRA • 20 YEARS OF EVO • ROB WILSON

2018’s
MUST-DRIVE
MODELS

BMW’s M8 Gran Coupe Concept and Mercedes-AMG’s GT 4-Door Coupe lead our
covera ge of all the major new relea ses from this year’s Geneva motor show
Mercedes-
AMG GT 4

4-Door Coupe
New four-door GTs seek to bridge
the gap between AMG’s spor ts cars
and its sledgehammer saloons

1 ENGINE & TRANSMISSION

Perhaps the mos t notable engine option is
Mercede s’ new 3-litre in -line six, badged
GT53. It develops 429bhp and 383lb f t, but
a s with the new CL S53 (see pa ge 46) it also
utilise s hybrid technolog y, an elec tric motor
c apable of adding up to 21bhp and 184lb f t
when required. The GT53’s 0 - 62mph da sh
take s 4. 5sec; top speed is 17 7mph.
From there, the range steps up to the GT63,
which use s a 57 7bhp variant of the ‘hot vee’
4-litre V8, with no hybrid a s sis tance. This
sla she s the 0 - 62mph time to 3.4sec and lif ts
top speed to 193mph. The range tops out (for
now) with the GT63 S, which ha s 630bhp and
664lb f t at its disposal, trimming a f ur ther
0. 2sec from the 0 - 62mph sprint and adding
3mph f lat- out. A V8 hybrid, like the 800bhp
GT Concept, is due in around t wo years.
All GT 4- Doors send their power to all four
wheels, though each take s a slightly dif ferent
approach. The 53’s s ys tem isn’t permanent,
but c an f ully var y torque split bet ween front
and rear a xle s, and drive is f irs t sent through
a nine-speed t win - clutch transmis sion. Both
63s use a permanent s ys tem with a variable
split, while the GT63 S adds the drif t mode
found in the E63 S . Both V8s use a nine-speed
torque- conver ter automatic gearbox.
2 CHASSIS
Like the t wo - door GT and the SL S before
it, the 4- Door Coupe ha s been developed
entirely by AMG, but unlike the t wo - door GT,
the new c ar doe sn’t use a unique platform.
AMG bos s Tobia s Moers ha s conf irmed that
the 4- Door ins tead sits on a revised E63
S platform, a s the t wo - door’s front-mid-
engined, transa xle layout precluded its
expansion to a four- door, four-seat model.
The 4- Door ha s had work to improve its
torsional s tif fne s s, however, and also gets
the rear-wheel s teering set- up from the t wo -
door GT, which Moers says give s the c ar a
completely dif ferent feel to more mains tream
AMGs. We’re told it’ll also be a better cruiser
than other AMGs and that an even more
hardcore model ha sn’t been ruled out.
3 INTERIOR & OPTIONS
So the GT 4- Door isn’t merely a s tretched
version of the low-slung GT coupe, and one
look at the c abin conf irms this – the vibe is
much closer to that of the E- cla s s’s interior
than it is to the t wo - door GT’s.
It’s not identic al to the E- cla s s’s c abin, of
course, with the big ge s t dif ference sitting
prominently bet ween the driver and front
pa s senger: a large centre console, with a
gear selec tor loc ated in the same slightly
awk ward place a s it is in the coupe.
The driver- centric layout melds
surprisingly well with the wide TF T display
in front of the driver, and the jet-s t yle air
vents are cla s sier than those of the coupe.
And there are those rear seats, of course,
acce s sed through framele s s doors.

014 www.evo.co.uk
 M ERCEDES-A M G GT 4-DOOR COUPE
by ANTONY INGRAM

3
1

Rear-wheel steering from the GT coupe

should give the car a completely different
feel to more mainstream AMGs

4 BODY EVO COMMENT S P E C I F I C AT I O N (G T 6 3 S )

Engine V8, 3982cc , t w in -turb o

If we’ve learned any thing about four- door
coupe s since their wide spread adoption by
the indus tr y, it’s that opinion is split on their
s t yling. For what it’s wor th, the GT 4- Door
is a rea sonable ef for t in translating the GT
coupe’s s t yling onto a longer form.
It’s far from per fec t, though, being
perhaps too bulbous around the rump and
losing some of the appealing long-nose,
shor t-tail propor tions that give the coupe
such a dramatic pre sence on the road. From
the side it’s better, but there are shade s
of both Panamera and Audi A7 to the c ar’s
f lanks and window-line.
It’s better in the metal, but lacks real
dis tinc tion compared with the CL S, at lea s t
under the glow of motor show lights.
A s a s t yling exercise, the GT 4- Door Coupe
Power 630b h p @ 5500 - 6500rp m
leave s us a lit tle cold, lacking the dramatic
Torque 664lb f t @ 2500 -4500rp m
pre sence of the earlier concept and the low
Weig ht 1970k g
and sleek GT coupe. But while it may look like
Power-to -weight 325b h p/ton
lit tle more than a s t ylised CL S, AMG’s other
0 - 62m ph 3. 2 sec (claim ed)
charac teristic s are pre sent and correc t.
Top sp eed 196m p h (claim ed)
A chat with Moers sug ge s ts that a
B a sic price £115,000 (e s t)
shooting brake version (sorr y, Panamera
O n s ale S eptem b er 2018
Spor t Turismo fans) ha s been ruled out
and that it’s a lit tle too early for a f ull-
elec tric model, but a brutal hybridised
V8 version looks likely. In the meantime
it sounds like the three launch versions
could make an intere s ting bridge bet ween
the brand’s dedic ated spor ts c ars and the
more prac tic al sledgehammer saloons and
e s tate s we’re used to seeing from AMG .

www.evo.co.uk 015
 The M8 Gran Coupe’s credentials
will put it right in the thick of the high-
performance-limousine action

BMW M8 Gran Coupe Concept

Show car previews nex t four-door BMW fla g ship. Expec t 600 bhp and a proper ‘M’ spirit

1 MECHANICALS 2 PAINT & METAL 3 DESIGN

BMW i s remai ni ng tight-lipped about what
lie s beneath the ski n of the M8 Gran Coupe,
but we’re not expec ti ng any surprise s.
Powering the produc tion versi on should be
the 4.4-litre t wi n -turbo V8 from the new M5,
with jus t shy of 600bhp and a similar f igure
i n lb f t for peak torque. It should also use the
M5’s four-wheel- drive s ys tem, complete with
the abilit y to be rear- drive only i f you selec t
the appropri ate driving mode.
Such credentials will put the M8 right i n
the thi ck of the high -per formance-li mousine
ac tion, with rivals i ncluding Porsche’s
Panamera Turbo, Mercede s-AMG’s GT63 S
(see pa ge 14), and Audi’s nex t RS 7, whi ch
i s sai d to of fer both conventional and
elec tri c ally boos ted power trains.
The largely green but also blue-grey f li p
paint i s c alled S alève Ver t – af ter a mountain
near Geneva . It’s supposed to signif y the
Jek yll and Hyde a spec t of the c ar: the angr y
green the overarching colour; grey bei ng the
under tone of luxur y, with the sudden f la sh of
blue signif yi ng BMW M.
BMW i s also conf i dent that i t c an now
i ntroduce the kind of f inger-slicingly
sharp crea se s i n aluminium that have so
far proved i mpos si ble with the company ’s
de sign complex langua ge and i ts avoidance
of parallel line s. A s Doma goj Dukec, vice
pre si dent of de sign for BMW i and M,
explains: ‘We want expre s si on f irs t, preci si on
second. We believe we c an now do both –
cri sp line s and sculptured sur face s.’
The M8 Gran Coupe i s one of the more
succe s s f ul meldi ng s of a spor tier prof i le with
four- door prac tic alit y. At over f ive metre s
long it’s a big c ar, and it’s also sli ghtly
taller than the 8-serie s Coupe that BMW
ha s recently shown i n c amouf la ged form.
However, the ex tra hei ght ha s been well
disguised by the f lowi ng fa s tback roof line.
At the rear, the use of a pla s tic bootli d
enable s a pronounced, i ntegrated duck tail
spoiler, whi le the rear wheelarche s are wider
than on the regular 8-serie s Coupe, giving
the c ar a ‘Coke bottle’ appearance down the
f lanks. There’s an ex tra crea se line along the
side s, too, whi ch Dukec says give s a sense
of power and pre s ti ge compared with the
sof ter, more ‘sex y ’ cur ve s of the coupe.

016 www.evo.co.uk
 B M W M 8 GRAN COUPE CONCEPT
by ADAM TOWLER

4 M BITS
There will be non - M versions of the 8-serie s
Gran Coupe too, so which elements are
specif ic to the M -c ar? Unsurprisingly, the
three-intake front bumper is an M par t, a s
are the wider front wheelarche s, the c arbon
roof panel and the rear dif f user. But it’s the
M’s yellow day time running lights that really
s tand out, taking inspiration from the M8 GTE
endurance racer. Dukec says BMW is tr ying to
make them legal for produc tion.
The wheels may look like previous M alloys,
but they feature something BMW believe s
is an indus tr y f irs t. The lighter sur face s are
achieved by milling , not painting , and the
angled face s give the wheels a diamond
ef fec t on the move, rather than the usual
rotating- disc look .
S P E C I F I C AT I O N ( E S T I M AT E D)
EVO COMMENT
Engine V8, 4395cc , t w in - turb o
A s BMW’s f la g ship, the M8 Gran Coupe will play
Power 592b h p @ 5600 - 6700rp m
an impor tant role and face some formidable
Torque 553lb f t @ 1800 - 5600rp m
foe s. The par ting words of Dukec sug ge s t it
Weig ht 1860k g
should be up to the ta sk: ‘We’ve had a lot of
Power-to -weight 307 b h p/ton
downsizing at BMW, like the Ac tive Tourer and
0 - 62m p h 3. 3sec
BMW i. We needed to do it, to make us credible
Top sp eed 155m p h (lim ited; 190m p h
for the f uture. But there’s the other ex treme,
w ith D ri ver’s Packa ge)
and we need to s treng then our busine s s
B a sic p rice £110,000+
2019
around luxur y and per formance. BMW is a
O n s ale
“Latin” German c ar maker – about emotions.
But we los t this in recent years bec ause we had
other busine s s to do. But there are s till enough
people who love it [per formance c ars], and
they said what’s going on with BMW? I think
this c ar is a good of fer [for them].’
BMW with its spor ting mojo back? Let’s
hope so.

www.evo.co.uk 17
Ferrari
488 Pista
Maranello takes aim at McLaren’s
720S with its successor to the
fabulous 458 Speciale
1 ENGINE
The 488 GTB’s t win - turbocharged 3.9 -litre V8
ha s been enhanced, with power now 7 10bhp
at 8000rpm, up from 661bhp at 6500rpm, and
torque increa sed by 7lb f t to 568lb f t, s till at
3000rpm. Change s include the 488 Challenge
racer’s turbos, plus reprof iled c ams and a
diamond - like c arbon coating for the pis tons.
Titanium con rods, a lightened crank and
f ly wheel, c arbonf ibre intake plenums and
Inconel exhaus t manifolds contribute to an
18k g weight reduc tion for the engine alone.
EVO COMMENT
Ferrari undoubtedly ha s a tough ta sk with the
Pis ta . Replacing the 458 Speciale – arguably
the f irm’s greate s t creation in recent memor y
– won’t be ea s y. Yet the mouth -watering
specif ic ation of the Pis ta sug ge s ts that
Maranello is tackling it head-on. The Pis ta
bris tle s with new technolog y, developed
to s trike s traight at the hear t of the
18 www.evo.co.uk
1
2 CHASSIS 3 BODY & AERODYNAMICS
The Pis ta is 90k g lighter than the GTB The heavily modif ied bod y work feature s a
overall, which, in combination with numerous c arbonf ibre bonnet and bumpers, plus a
suspension t weaks, should boos t a gilit y. The Lexan rear window. Aerod y namic ef f icienc y
dampers are remapped and the spring s are ha s been improved by 20 per cent over the
ten per cent s tif fer, while an all-c arbonf ibre GTB, while novel additions include a larger,
20 - inch wheel is an option. Ferrari’s six th - ‘blown’ rear spoiler and a front underbod y
generation Side Slip Control is joined by the dif f user. The big ge s t change to the
Ferrari D ynamic Enhancer, which t weaks the rede signed nose is the adoption of a F 1- s t yle
brake s to modulate lateral movements. And S-duc t that channels air over the front a xle
Michelin ha s developed Pis ta-specif ic Pilot for greater downforce. Ac tive aero include s
Spor t Cup 2 t yre s. moveable f laps set into the rear dif f user.
S P E C I F I C AT I O N
Engine V8, 3902cc , t w in - turb o
a s toundingly talented McLaren 7 20S .
Power 7 10b h p @ 8000rp m
Ferrari could have jus t given the already
Torque 568lb f t @ 3000rp m
excellent 488 GTB a power boos t and lef t it
Weig ht 1385k g
at that, but the subs tantial change s to the
Power-to -weight 521b h p/ton
body and aerod y namic s sug ge s t that nothing
0 - 62m ph 2.9sec (claim ed)
other than total domination of its rivals will
Top sp eed 211m p h (claim ed)
do for Ferrari. Of all the c ars of 2018, this
B a sic price £230,000 (e s t)
could jus t be the mos t ea gerly anticipated.
O n s ale Sum m er 2018
 F E R R A R I 4 8 8 P I S TA & L A M B O R G H I N I P E R F O R M A N T E S P Y D E R
by JAMES DISDALE

Lamborghini 1 BODY & AERODYNAMICS 2 ENGINE

Huracán A s tif f c arbonf ibre and aluminium s truc ture There are no real change s here, with the

Performante m eans torsional rigidit y isn’t too badly

af fec ted by the los s of a f ixed roof, but the
Spyder getting the sam e naturally a spirated
5. 2-litre V 10 and seven -speed t win - clutch
gearbox, plus the sam e titanium valve s,

Spyder
Hardcore Huracán loses
its roof – all the better for
enjoying its ma gnificent V10
addition of the folding roof m echanism, plus
cha s sis s treng thening , m eans the Spyder is
a hef t y 125k g heavier than the Per form ante
coupe – although it is 30k g lighter than
the s tandard Spyder. Ac tive aerod y namic s,
including the huge rear wing , are retained,
and sculpting of the buttre s se s behind the
c abin aims to reduce wind turbulence.
dr y sum p and revised exhaus t and inlet
m anifolds a s the hard-top. It develops
631bhp at 8000rpm and 4 42lb f t at 6500rpm .
De spite the ex tra m a s s to haul around, the
Spyder is s till shatteringly fa s t, m ana ging
0 - 62mph in 3.1sec (t wo tenths behind the
coupe) and a top speed of 201mph.

S P E C I F I C AT I O N 3 CHASSIS EVO COMMENT

Engine V 10, 5204 cc Like the engine and gearbox, the re s t of While the idea of chopping the roof of f your
Power 631b h p @ 8000rp m the Spyder’s underpinning s rem ain largely m os t focused and enga ging model m ight
Torque 4 42lb f t @ 6500rp m unchanged. The hood and its m echanism seem like an anathem a to people like us,
Weight (dr y) 1507 k g have been de signed to not unduly af fec t to the t ypic al Lambo cus tom er (and ye s,
Power-to -weight 425b h p/ton the c ar’s weight dis tribution and centre of I know we’re dealing with ver y sweeping
0 - 62m ph 3.1sec (claimed) gravit y, but expec t t weaks to the c alibration generalisations here), being seen driving
Top sp eed 201m p h (claimed) of the spring s and dampers to compensate is alm os t more impor tant than ac tually
B a sic price £234,094 for the ex tra m a s s. There’s the sam e four- driving – this c ar is more likely to be spotted
O n s ale Su m m er 2018 wheel- drive s ys tem, plus double-wishbone crawling along the King’s Road than it is
suspension front and rear. Pa s sive dampers sc y thing along the Stelvio Pa s s, af ter all.
are s tandard, adaptive items an option. That said, the regular Hurac án’s conversion
from coupe to conver tible is impre s sive, so
on the right road the Per form ante Spyder
should have the c apacit y to thrill, while any
oppor tunit y to get closer to that sensational
V 10 soundtrack should never be snif fed at.

1
2

www.evo.co.uk 19
 1 MOTORS &
TRANSMISSION
Rimac Rim ac’s Concept One alread y developed
com for tably more than 1000bhp, but
the C Two alm os t double s that, putting
C Two
out 1888bhp cour te s y of a m otor at each
corner. Even more rem arkable is the torque:
a com bined 1696lb f t (a Bugatti Chiron
develops 1180lb f t, while even the Koenig seg g
Regera tops out at 1475lb f t).
The se outputs are harne s sed by the abilit y
With its successor to the to employ f ull torque vec toring. Each front
Concept One, Croatian wheel ha s a single-speed transm is sion, and
there’s a pair of t wo -speed, c arbon - clutched
manufac turer Rimac is gearboxe s at the back .
Enormous 390mm Brembo CCMR c arbon -
boldly going where no EV ceramic rotors f ill each wheel rim and are
maker ha s gone before gripped by six-pis ton c alipers.
020 www.evo.co.uk
2 BATTERIES, RANGE
& PERFORMANCE
Rim ac’s batterie s are developed in -house,
and those in the C Two hold 120kWh of energ y
– more than any other current produc tion
EV. That allows the com pany to jus tif y its
claim that the C Two isn’t jus t a hyperc ar, but
a grand tourer, with the potential for over
400 m ile s from a f ull charge and the abilit y
to recharge by 80 per cent in 30 m inute s
through a 250kW charger.
Rim ac quote s its acceleration f igure s
with a US-s t yle one-foot rollout, which c an
trim a tenth or three from the tim e s, but
even accounting for this the numbers are
eye-widening: 0 - 62mph in 1.85sec, 100mph
in 4. 3sec, the quar ter-m ile in 9.1sec, and
186mph (300kph) in 11.8sec.
 RIMAC C TWO
by ANTONY INGRAM

Facial recognition
3 CHASSIS & BODY technology unlocks 4 INTERIOR & TECH
The C Two is a completely new de sign, by
in -house de signer Adriano Mudri, with a the car as you Entr y is through a pair of butter f ly doors,
which cut into the roof to improve acce s s.

approach. Or not,
c arbonf ibre monocoque to which a c arbon
roof is bonded, and the batter y pack
integrated into the s truc ture. The rear
subframe is also c arbon, a s is the bod y work,
while the cra sh s truc ture s are a combination
of c arbonf ibre and aluminium. The safet y
feature s aren’t mere lip ser vice – Rimac is
homologating the c ar for worldwide sale.
Suspension is by double wishbone s and
elec tronic ally controlled dampers at all four
corners, with an ac tive ride-height s ys tem.
The forged wheels are aerod y namic ally
optimised – they feed air to the brake s, but
also help reduce turbulence down the c ar’s
f lanks. The rear wing c an ac t a s an air brake.
You won’t need to blip a key to open them,
either, a s facial recognition technolog y
if it detects unlocks the c ar a s you approach. Or not,
if it detec ts you’re Richard Hammond. The
you’re Richard s ys tem also allows you to s tar t the c ar
without a key, and even monitors your mood
Hammond – it c an play soothing music or sof ten the
ride if you’re in a bad s tate of mind.
The c abin de sign is crisp and modern,
while three conf igurable high -re solution
TF T screens relay information to the driver.
Level 4 autonomy feature s, but a ‘driving
coach’ f unc tion could be even more usef ul,
feeding you real-time racing line s and braking
points when you take the c ar to a track .

S P E C I F I C AT I O N
EVO COMMENT
Engine Four elec tric m otors
It’s dif f icult to know which a spec t of Rimac’s autonomy and infotainment s ys tems – all
Power 1888b h p
C Two is mos t impre s sive. The per formance developed in -house of course, bec ause Rimac
Torque 1696lb f t
is undoubtedly remarkable, but so are the isn’t jus t a c ar company but also a technolog y
Weight 1950k g
ef for ts of such a small company to ensure f irm, creating and supplying solutions to
Power-to -weight 984b h p/ton
the c ar c an be sold globally, which include global OEMs. The C Two is a s much a shop
0 - 62m ph 1.85sec (plus rollout)
meeting rigorous regulations and cra sh - window for Rimac’s abilitie s a s it is a c ar
Top sp eed 258m p h (claimed)
te s t requirements for markets such a s the that, a s founder Mate Rimac puts it, is aimed
B a sic p rice TBC
United State s. somewhere bet ween the LaFerrari and Bugatti
O n s ale TBC
You could even make a c a se for the Chiron. We c an’t wait to drive it.

www.evo.co.uk 21
 McLaren S P E C I F I C AT I O N

Senna GTR Engine

Power
Torque
V8, 3994 cc , t w in -turb o
814b h p (e s t)
590lb f t (e s t)
Road-going Senna a bit Weig ht (dr y) 1198k g (e s t)
Power-to -weight 690b h p/ton (e s t)
too tame for you? You’ll 0 - 62m ph c 2.7sec (e s t)
Top sp eed c 210m p h (e s t)
be w anting the £1million
B a sic price £1m illion+
track-only GTR version… O n s ale 2019

3
1

1 AERODYNAMICS 2 ENGINE & GEARBOX 3 CHASSIS

Much of the GTR’s per formance increa se over
the regular Senna is due to its aero packa ge.
The Senna’s rear wing wa s alread y
ma s sive, but it’s the size of the GTR’s front
split ter and rear dif f user that really leave the
mouth a gape: free from FIA regulation, they
dwar f any current racing c ar’s, and ins tantly
betray why the GTR is not road-legal, or at
lea s t not under a f ull t ype approval.
Together they contribute to a s ta g gering
total downforce f igure of 1000k g.
There’s no conf irmation on what power and
torque f igure s McLaren ha s ma s sa ged out
of the t win -turbo V8, but what the company
will say is that the 4-litre unit will produce at
lea s t 814bhp – up 25bhp on the road-going
Senna . The torque f igure is unlikely to rise
much above the road c ar’s 590lb f t. McLaren
says the engine is connec ted to a ‘race-s t yle’
transmis sion, but quite what this means for
the Senna’s double- clutch ’box is unclear. A
f ull-blown sequential racing gearbox?
It’s te s tament to the alread y pared-back,
minimalist de sign of the s tandard Senna that
McLaren admits it ha sn’t been able to reduce
the GTR’s kerb weight below the 1198k g
(dr y) quoted for a Senna with light weight
options. Ins tead, it ha s concentrated on
tightening the c ar’s focus around ultimate
circuit per formance, incorporating a broader
track covered by wider front and rear clip - on
wing s, revising the suspension and f itting a
new de sign of wheel shod with Pirelli slicks.

EVO COMMENT
Up to 75 example s of the Senna GTR will
be made in 2019, cos ting £1million apiece.
Whether it c an keep pace with an A s ton
Mar tin Valk yrie AMR Pro is largely redundant,
given there are no plans for the t wo to meet
on a racetrack in anger, and trackdays are
untimed. That said, evo ha s acce s s to a track
and owns a s topwatch…
Whatever the c a se, the GTR’s pace over a
lap promise s to be ferocious, largely due to
its outra geous aerod y namic s. Yet, however
impre s sive this may be, perhaps the big ge s t
que s tions are not jus t where will this
trackday arms race end, but when will motor
racing regulations allow the se ex traordinar y
machine s to compete head-to -head?

022 www.evo.co.uk
 M c L A R E N S E N N A G T R & B U G AT T I C H I R O N S P O R T
by ADAM TOWLER & JAMES DISDALE

S P E C I F I C AT I O N Bugatti Chiron Sport

Engine W 16, 7993cc , q uad -turb o
Power 1479 b h p @ 6700rp m Weight saving s and a sharper cha ssis
Torque 1180lb f t @ 2000 - 6000rp m make the big Bug more trackday-ready
Weight 197 7 k g
Power-to -weight 760b h p/ton
0 - 62m ph <2. 5sec (claimed)
Top sp eed 261m p h (limited)
B a sic price £2. 36m illion (e s t)
O n s ale L ate 2018

1 WEIGHT SAVING 2 CHASSIS 3 PERFORMANCE

The empha sis for the Spor t is on improved
a gilit y, so there’s no ex tra power from the
W 16. Ins tead, Bugatti ha s made some weight-
saving mea sure s, the mos t novel of which
are the 3D -printed c arbonf ibre windscreen
wipers that save 1.4k g. C arbonf ibre is also
used for the spoiler, the intercooler cover and
the surrounds for the new quad- exit exhaus t,
while the rear window use s lighter gla s s. The
total weight reduc tion is 18k g , which means
the Chiron s till weighs in at a por tly 197 7k g.
Fur ther improving the Spor t’s dex terit y are
10 per cent s tif fer dampers in Handling mode,
along with a unique map for the elec tric ally
a s sis ted s teering that aims to add even
greater precision. Yet perhaps the mos t
signif ic ant addition is a new, elec tronic ally
controlled rear dif ferential. Featuring ac tive
torque vec toring , it c an shuf f le power acros s
the rear a xle for even more a gile handling ,
with Bugatti claiming big gains in the c ar’s
re sponse s through slower corners.
On -track improvements were the aim here,
with Bugatti claiming the Spor t is 5 seconds
a lap fa s ter than the s tandard c ar around
its Nardo te s t facilit y. Now, we don’t know
what the s tock Chiron’s time is, or the leng th
of the lap, but 5 seconds is a decent chunk
of time and hints at a far sharper driving
experience. The Chiron’s other per formance
f igure s are unchanged, but with 0 - 62mph
in under 2. 5sec and a top speed limited to
261mph, it’s hardly lacking in get up and go.

EVO COMMENT
Es sentially the Chiron Spor t is the answer
to a que s tion nobod y a sked. The fac t is that
few, if any, potential Chiron owners will ever
consider taking their c ar on track – it’s jus t
not that sor t of machine. And even if they did,
the s tandard c ar’s per formance is so awe-
inspiring and its limits so high that shaving
seconds from its ultimate lap time is largely
an irrelevant exercise. The Spor t may be a
frac tionally more enga ging trackday machine,
but – c all us c ynic al – the real the rea son
for its exis tance is to lure ex tremely wealthy
bu yers looking to f ill a spot in their collec tion
of appreciating four-wheeled a s sets. Still, if
you had a spare £2. 36million burning a hole in
your pocket, you would, wouldn’t you?

www.evo.co.uk 023
 What lies beneath…
Racing Concept gives more than a ta ste of what the first Supra in 16 years will look like
It’s not the f inal produc tion version of
Toyota’s long-awaited new Supra – it wa s
the wing that gave it away, wa sn’t it? – but
the Ga zoo Racing Supra Racing Concept
is an incredibly close repre sentation of
the f if th -generation Supra sch eduled for
launch in 2019.
It share s much of its underpinning s with
BMW’s new Z4, which debuts at the end of
the year, but Toyota h a s taken the decision
to spend a lit tle longer honing its t wo -seater
coupe af ter company bos s Akio Toyoda felt it
wa sn’t focused enough. It wa s this decision
PORSCHE E CROSS TURISMO
Porsch e debuted its E Cros s Turismo at
the Geneva show, and while the Mac an -
e sque elec tric SUV won’t reach produc tion
until 2021, the concept c ar did provide
us with a f irs t look at the interior of nex t
year’s Mis sion E elec tric saloon.
Mixing some traditional Porsch e de sign
cue s with the late s t tech, the Mis sion E
feature s a traditional ins trument binnacle
but with a TF T screen displaying f ive
digital dials. A f loating centre console is
a f ur th er evolution of the gla s s control
panel f irs t seen in the 918, and a third
screen is positioned in front of the
pa s senger.
024 www.evo.co.uk
TOYOTA SUPRA
that led to the c ar’s f inal development being
h anded over to the f irm’s motorspor t division
– Ga zoo Racing. The f irs t new Supra for 16
years will also be badged a Ga zoo Supra .
With the f inal development work now the
re sponsibilit y of the team that h a s given us
the brilliant Yaris GRMN, the new sub -1500k g
Supra will be powered by a 335bh p, 332lb f t
six- c ylinder engine c apable of a sub -4
second 0 - 60mph time. And while the Supra
Racing Concept feature s all the trapping s
of motorspor t (c arbon and composite bod y
panels, pla s tic side and rear windows and
centre-lock alloy wheels), the produc tion c ar
will be cons truc ted from more conventional
materials such a s aluminium. While Ga zoo
may of fer a small range of upgrade s, it’s
expec ted that Toyota will leave it to the
af termarket to provide the bulk of the se.
The new Supra is one of a serie s of c ars
that will see Toyota return to of fering a
por tfolio of spor ts and per formance models.
To follow will be an updated GT86, a s well a s
the return of the MR2 roads ter, expec ted to
be a more compac t rival to Ma zda’s MX-5 and
sch eduled to be revealed in 2020.
Left: E Cross Turismo’s
high-tech interior will
be seen in the 2019
Mission E saloon.
Below: Turismo’s pair
of motors will be good
for more than 600bhp

RANGE ROVER SV COUPE
Land Rover continue s to re-invent its produc t line – this time with a
t wo - door Range Rover. Developed by its Special Vehicle Operations
depar tment, 999 hand- built SV Coupe s will be made. B a sed on the
exis ting Range Rover, the SV Coupe is 75mm lower, 13mm longer,
ride s 8mm lower and only ha s seating for four. It will be powered by
the company ’s 557bhp 5 -litre supercharged V8 eng ine, reach 60mph
in 5 seconds and top 165mph. And the price? A snip at £240,000.
MERCEDES-AMG C43
There’s an element of blink-and-you’ll-mis s-it to the Mercede s-AMG
C43’s facelif t. The front g rille is now the bona f ide t win -bar item a s
found on V8- engined AMG models, and there’s a more ef f icient rear
dif f user and new tailpipe s to g o with the t wo new wheel de sig ns.
Inside, there’s a new 12. 3-inch TF T ins trument display and a new
AMG s teering wheel and g earshif t paddle s. Power from the 3-litre
t win -turbo V6 increa se s from 362bhp to 385bhp.
AUDI A6
A mix of shrunken A8 and updated A6, Audi’s new executive saloon is
a s you would expec t from the Ing olstadt f irm. Inside, technolog y and
connec tivit y dominate, while a range of four- and six- c ylinder petrol
and die sel eng ine s will be of fered, along with quattro four-wheel
drive and rear-wheel s teering. The Avant will follow before the year
is out, so too a t win -turbo V6 S6 variant. And the RS6? E xpec t that
in late 2019 with a near 700bhp turbocharg ed petrol-hybrid V8.
GE N E VA SHO W ROU N D-UP
by STUART GALLAGHER
LAGONDA VISION CONCEPT
This four- door La g onda Vision Concept isn’t set for produc tion, but
it doe s showc a se the s t yling for La g onda’s for thcoming elec tric SUV
and coupe, which will be ba sed on the A s ton Mar tin DBX SUV. C ars
six and seven in A s ton CEO And y Palmer’s seven - c ars-in -seven -
years plan, the t wo La g onda s will follow the DB11, new Vanta ge and
Vanquish, the DBX and a mid- eng ined Ferrari 488/McLaren 7 20S
rival. The La g onda s will enter produc tion in 2022.
JAGUAR I-PACE
Ja g uar’s SUV charg e continue s with this new I- Pace joining the F
and E- Pace. Powered by an elec tric motor on each a xle, the hatch -
cum -SUV (it sits much lower than a regular SUV) produce s 394bhp
and 513lb f t, will reach 62mph in 4.8 seconds and ha s a range of 298
mile s. Top speed is c apped at 124mph and it weighs 2133k g . Charg ing
take s 85 minute s to reach 80 per cent c apacit y on a 50kW charg er
(many home charg ers are 7kW) and it will cos t f rom £63,495.
RUF SCR
It wouldn’t be Geneva without a new 911 from Ruf to drool over.
The SCR’s 4-litre naturally a spirated f lat-six produce s 503bhp and
347lb f t of torque, mated to a six-speed manual ’box. That’s not all.
Beneath the composite bod y is a be spoke c arbonf ibre monocoque,
with subframe s bonded to it front and rear. Double-wishbone
suspension and pushrod-ac tuated dampers also feature, a s do
c arbon - ceramic brake s. It weighs jus t 1250k g and will reach 199mph.
www.evo.co.uk 025

F
ORD REVEALED VITAL SPECS
of its next Fiesta ST last year,
tantalising us with figures that
indicated it could well cement its position
as an evo hot hatch favourite. Now,
following an audience with Leo Roeks,
director of Ford Performance for Ford of
Europe, evo is able to fill in the blanks
regarding the rest of the car’s make-up.
We already know it will be powered by
a turbocharged 1.5-litre three-cylinder
motor with 197bhp and 214lb ft of torque
– identical outputs to its 1.6-litre four-
cylinder predecessor on overboost. The
three-pot EcoBoost unit hits its torque
peak at 1600rpm – 900rpm sooner – and
sustains it through to 4000rpm. Maximum
power, meanwhile, is at 6000rpm,
300rpm later. However, the new car has
an overboost function too, providing an
extra 15lb ft hit for short periods.
There’s a flatshifter system for the
six-speed manual transmission – meaning
the driver doesn’t have to lift off the
accelerator when changing gear – while
an optional Performance Pack adds
launch control. Together these assist in
a 0-62mph time of 6.5sec – down from
6.9sec for the old car. A top speed of
144mph is claimed (up 7mph).
Another option will be a Quaife limited-
slip differential, while torque vectoring
by braking is standard. The front track
has increased by 48mm over the previous
ST and torsional rigidity is up by eight
per cent, with strengthening braces
underneath for ‘a more connected feel’.
The steering ratio is the fastest of any
performance Ford yet – at 12.1:1 it’s 14
per cent quicker than the old Fiesta ST’s.
The brakes are unchanged – 278mm
026 www.evo.co.uk
ST tech
revealed
More torque, new drive
modes and optional L SD for
for thcoming hot Fiesta
Top left: three-cylinder unit
powers new ST to 62mph in
6.5 seconds. Top right: wheel
options are 17- or 18-inches.
Below: both three- and
five-door versions will be
available
F O R D F I E S TA S T
by SEAN CARSON
front, 253mm rear – and either 17- or
18-inch wheels are shod with 205-section
Michelin Pilot Super Sports.
Roeks is keen to point out that ‘not one
component is key. It’s a case of all of the
elements working together and getting
the best out of them to deliver what an ST
should: character. This car has character
and personality. It’s about the passion as
much as the performance.’
The ethos for the new Fiesta ST was
to deliver more stability from the rear
axle but the same overall balance as its
predecessor, so the torsion-beam rear
includes some clever advances. The steel
section is 7mm thick, which helps to keep
the car flatter when cornering, while
stability and agility is improved by ‘force
vectoring springs’, which bear some of
the lateral force under load, allowing
for softer bushes for a more refined ride.
This tech is teamed with new frequency-
selective dampers, which use trick valving
to provide greater support for roll and
pitch but reduced harshness over smaller
bumps and ridges.
Normal, Sport and Track modes are
also new. The last two introduce subtle
pops on the overrun and ramp up the
electronic engine sound enhancement,
while Track relaxes the ESC’s hold over
the chassis, allowing greater slip angles.
And despite there only being three
cylinders, cylinder deactivation also
features – a world first on a three-
pot – to deliver a claimed six per cent
improvement in efficiency.
We’ll know how successful Ford’s efforts
have been to improve upon the outgoing
car when we drive the ST in May. But for
now, the signs are positive.
 INTERVIE W
by JOHN MCILROY

Will SEAT finally let

Cupra off the leash?
Freed up to forge its own path, freshly badged Cupra
hopes to push the technological boundaries

S
EAT’S DECISION TO SPLIT OFF
its Cupra performance division as
a brand in its own right could free
up engineers to use more radical solutions
to sharpen the focus of faster models.
That’s according to Matthias Rabe,
SEAT’s board member with responsibility
for technical development, and the man
who in recent months has signed off not
only the Leon Cupra R, but also the first
‘standalone’ Cupra, the Ateca.
On the surface, there’s a whiff of
‘marketing brainstorming session’ about
Cupra: a logo that’s meant to be tribal,
a reliance on existing SEATs as base
vehicles, and the wristbands that every Top left: SEAT’s Matthias Rabe. Above: Cupra e-Racer. Below left: sketch hints at future bespoke Cupra
customer will be given to show allegiance
to the ‘Cupra Crew’ (yes, really).
In the short term, the Cupra name
won’t be applied uniformly. The 296bhp,
four-wheel-drive, DSG-automatic
Ateca that was revealed at the recent
Geneva motor show is purely a Cupra,
with no SEAT branding at all – and yet
the forthcoming hot Leon wagon will
be called the SEAT Leon ST Cupra R.
It’s transitional, we’re told. It’s plain
confusing, we think.
In the medium term, though, Rabe
argues that a separate Cupra will have the In the long run, 100 per cent electric vehicles and plug-in
hybrids. The first Cupra plug-in hybrid
freedom to push the technical boundaries
a bit more. It will be helped in no small
SEAT’s management that we see will not have the electric back
axle, though, because we don’t have the
part by Cupra taking over the SEAT Sport has plans for a model components for that, at the price I need.’
motorsport division – a point that was The immediate priority for Rabe will be
highlighted at the Geneva motor show that would be bespoke to get the production green lights for the
by the unveiling of the Cupra e-Racer, an
electric-powered touring car concept. to Cupra Cupra Ibiza (between 200 and 220bhp)
and the Cupra Arona (similar power, but
When asked if Cupra could have greater a higher centre of gravity). And in the
scope for technical ‘risks’, Rabe said: long run, SEAT’s management has plans
‘With the Leon Cupra R it was actually future; it will probably not be on Ateca, for a model that would be bespoke to
quite minor things, but for the next one but it will come on cars after that.’ Cupra – at least initially. Judging by the
we’re already looking at something to These ideas may not extend to using teaser sketch of the vehicle they chose to
make the car more sporty. But I would electrification for the back axle just yet, show at the brand’s launch, though, it’s
also like to make the four-wheel-drive however – because of Cupra’s price point: going to be a big ‘coupe SUV’ instead of
handling a bit more sporty. There are north of mainstream, but decidedly south a mid-engined two-seater. As Rabe says,
some nice ideas that give nice feedback to of premium. ‘For sure, Cupra will also go ‘We want to do fast cars and exciting cars,
the driver. There will be something in the electrified,’ Rabe says. ‘We will see it on but we also want to make a profit.’

www.evo.co.uk 029

DAVI D
VIVIAN
CO N T RIB U TIN G
ED ITO R
This year evo celebrates its
20th bir thday. To mark the
occa sion, in this series we’re
a sking key members of the
team to recall their most
memorable evo moments
Tell us your earliest evo memory
Some months before evo launched,
handing Harry Metcalfe the liquidator’s
report for Petrolhead, a fast car/lifestyle/
lad’s magazine I freelanced for that
vanished owing me a chunk of cash.
Frankly, I was relieved it went under.
After flying a plane and getting drunk
with Lemmy, my next commission was to
be set afloat with a life jacket in the North
Sea and then be rescued by a helicopter.
What was the first car you drove for evo?
The first I can remember was Harry’s
Lotus Elan Spirit. Fittingly, it was dripping
in ‘evoness’, a concept that had yet to
fully take shape and form, though when
the greatly missed Russell Bulgin nailed
it in a small article (see issue 015 or 046),
everything retrospectively fell into place.
I’m not sure the subtle little rocket’s
evoness quotient has ever been bettered.
What was your first car launch for evo?
The Saab 9-3 Viggen (evo 008). Saab’s
engineers said it had ‘a little’ torque-
steer. Quite an understatement. On an
030 www.evo.co.uk
20 YEARS OF EVO
uneven surface it’d torque-steer from one
side of the road to the other without the
driver turning the wheel. Putting 225bhp
through the front wheels alone was
clearly a big ask in 1999.
What’s the most memorable evo test
you have been part of?
Porsche 918 Spyder v McLaren P1
(issue 200). I relish a memory from
day two, rejoining the evo Triangle at
the junction that leads to our regular
eating spot. Photographer Dean Smith is
ahead in the P1. The section of triangle
we’re turning onto is clear. Of course,
we both give it the lot and what follows
is simply beautiful. The P1’s bulbous,
blaring rump is bang in the middle of the
918’s windscreen and it doesn’t move.
Not an inch. Despite being heavier and
having less power, the Porsche is the
McLaren’s shadow. Its colossal torque and
screaming, stratospheric rev ceiling has
the P1’s number. It’s been my favourite
car ever since.
And your most memorable evo drive?
Probably because it’s freshest in my
memory, driving a Lamborghini
Aventador S from the factory in
Sant’Agata to my front door in Whitstable
(evo 240). It was the closest thing to
the epic ‘collect-supercar-at-factory’
adventures penned by the likes of Doug
Blain and Mel Nichols that I read as a
Below: tailing a flat-out McLaren P1 in a Porsche
918 provided an unforgettable drive for Vivian
kid, right down to the very Italian, very
laid-back delay before a wheel had turned
while the engine was removed, a fuel leak
plugged, and put back in.
Tell us about the most disappointing
car you’ve driven while at evo
Sorry to say, the Alfa Romeo 4C. Never
has a car that promised so much delivered
so little.
Your worst evo moment is…?
It’s a misty autumnal morning in north
Wales on eCoty 2000 (issue 027). Harry
Metcalfe decides to join me in the
impossible-to-miss burnt orange TVR
Tuscan. We turn out of a petrol station
and, assuming the only reason Harry is
sitting next to me is to experience the
Tuscan’s famously brutal acceleration, I
select second and shove the accelerator
pedal deep into the footwell, knowing
full well we’ll be on the tail of the Noble
M400, driven by Roger Green, in a flash.
And we would have been had Rog not
followed the glistening, leaf-strewn road
round to the left with a healthy degree of
circumspection. Harry and I, on the other
hand, kiss the apex fully locked up (no
ABS) and at the speed of a rocket sled,
exploding a hole in a dry stone wall on
the far side of the road so violently it rips
Harry’s seat from its moorings on one
side. Amazingly, we walk away.
What’s the one car you wish you had
driven during the last 20 years?
The Light Car Company Rocket.
 JOIN
ON TRACK
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an evo Track Evening.
11th May – Bedford Autodrome
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evo track evenings will run from 16:30 - 20:00.
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MAT TERS OF SPEED

IN THE HEART OF THE CITY

LAMBORGHINI COUNTACH 25TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION: 0–60 MPH IN 4.7 SECONDS AND 183 MPH FLAT OUT
PRESENTED BY OCTANE

On 7th – 8th June, the gardens of the Honourable Artillery Company,

in the heart of the City, will host a selection of the rarest and fastest
cars from 1898 to the present day, each an icon of its era.
A unique automotive garden party with the perfect combination of concours
cars from the UK’s leading private collectors, luxury retailers, fine watches, art,
gourmet food and champagne; an occasion of pure indulgence.

Hospitality and general enquiries 020 3725 4044

 INTERVIE W
by CHRIS KNAPMAN

ROB NEXT
WILSON
DRIVING MASTERCLASS
MONTH
O N S A L E W E D N E S D AY 1 8 A P R I L

I
N THIS NEW SERIES I’LL BE SHARING THE
techniques I teach to aspiring racing drivers and

THIS IS
current Formula 1 stars.
To start with, corner turn-in. The rate at which you
turn the steering wheel, and the corresponding rate of

HARDCORE
initial weight transfer put into the car, is critical. When
you approach, let’s say, a right-hand corner, before
you’d normally turn the wheel to turn in, make a tiny
introduction via the steering – not much more than
taking up the slack. This isn’t strictly to do with your
line, although it must be measurable – all you’re doing Lotus 3-Eleven 430
is transferring the weight to the left-front wheel. The
difference in racing terms, when you do that, is huge. Mercedes-AMG GT R
Turn in with no intro and you can create a bit of scrub
and push (understeer) that doesn’t help the car.
Toyota Yaris GRMN
This tiny introduction to transfer weight is just the first
five per cent of your overall steering input for the corner,
Dallara Stradale
and it can be sub-divided into the first two-and-a-half
per cent at a quarter of the weight of effort, and then the

‘Do this before a corner

and the car is informed
of what’s coming’

second two-and-a-half per cent at three-quarters of the

eventual effort. It needs to be all one movement, though;
it’s not a two-stage thing. Some say little-turn, big-turn,
but that implies a join, and there should be no join in the
process. Do this before a corner and the car has already
been informed of what is coming next, and already going
in the direction you want it to. That makes the next part
of the corner shorter. However, if someone – say at a
racing school – said turn in earlier and you’ll get a better
corner exit, it wouldn’t make sense. So don’t think of it as
a (cornering) line, but more as a dynamic that allows a
better rotation of the car into the turn.
Moreover, if you make a mistake, it’s a tiny one; if
you’ve put a big input in straight away it could mean
you’re too tight for the corner, or you’ve introduced
oversteer, so you end up reacting to events. With a tiny
initial weight transfer, your body can build up a ‘feel’ for
what’s going on. The above is applicable on the road, too,
evo (USPS 024-183) is published monthly by Dennis Publishing Ltd, 31-32 Alfred Place, London,
and you can certainly practise it there. WC1E 7DP, United Kingdom. For subscriptions in the USA and Canada, visit www.imsnews.com,
phone 1-800-428-3003, fax 1-757-428-6253, or email cs@imsnews.com. U.S. Agent Pitney Bowes
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Subscription records are maintained by Dennis Publishing Ltd, 31-32 Alfred Place, London, WC1E 7DP,

www.evo.co.uk
All for 12 issues. 033
United Kingdom. Subscription prices: UK £47.99, Europe £58.20, Rest of World £88.40, USA $115.

Remember, if your local newsagent doesn’t stock evo, just ask them to order it for you.
The editors and publishers of this magazine give no warranties, guarantees or assurances and make no
representations regarding any goods or services advertised in this edition.
 THE
DRIVE
OF A
LIFETIME
N
Want to know what it’s O M AT T ER HOW
powerful your car, or how
really like to push a high great a chassis it has, you won’t
get to enjoy it to the full unless
performance tyre to it’s wearing the right tyres. Continental
Tyres has been at the forefront of premium
the limit? Continental tyre technology for many decades, and
Tyres is offering you the its current range of tyres, for all types of
vehicles, exemplifies its constant quest to
chance to do just that push forward boundaries.
For instance, its latest ultra-high
through its Black Chili performance tyre, the SportContact™
6, uses a unique and highly advanced
Driving Experience, with technical compound called Black Chili,
a special blend of natural rubber and
the ultimate prize of synthetic rubber that creates what’s
three days of testing its known as a Micro Flexibility Compound:
in simple terms this ensures the optimum
exceptional tyre range in interlocking of the tyre’s tread and the
road surface. The benefits are manifold
the south of France – better acceleration and shorter braking
distances at high and low temperatures,
and in dry or wet conditions.
Cornering grip is improved, too,
and combined with the latest carcass
construction technology, it means
that the SportContact™ 6 has superb
steering characteristics, it’s very quiet
and comfortable, and it gives impressive
tyre life. No wonder Continental Tyres
is one of the leading original equipment
tyre suppliers for car makers around the
world, and that one in three cars made in
Europe leave the factory on Continentals.
But rather than just reading about its
outstanding tyre ranges, Continental
Tyres is offering you an extraordinary
opportunity to experience their qualities
first-hand, through an easy-to-enter
competition that could see you take part
in the Black Chili Driving Experience in
the south of France.
First, though, you’ll need to correctly
answer three questions online, details for

For the sheer thrill of driving,
few places anywhere in the world
can compare to the south of France
which you’ll find in the entry instructions
on this page. You’ll then be entered into a
draw for the Black Chili Qualifier Event,
being held at Mercedes-Benz World on
Saturday 12 May 2018. This is a prize in
itself.
You and your driving guest will
be one of 24 teams at the Weybridge
driving facility: you’ll be facing a series
of challenges that include blind driving,
high-speed track work, and navigating
through a devilish 4x4 off-road course.
While it will all be fantastic fun, you’ll
also be assessed for driving skills,
communication and teamwork. At the
end of the day, 12 teams will be selected to
attend the Black Chili Driving Experience
in the south of France.
For the sheer thrill of driving,
few places anywhere in the world can
compare to the south of France, and on
the Black Chili Driving Experience you’ll
be there between 1-5 July 2018. On
magical roads that twist and wind, dip
and soar, you’ll truly get to appreciate
why Continental puts so much effort
into the development and testing of its
tyres. During the course of your five days
away you’ll get to try SportContact™ 6,
ContiSeal™ and ContiSilent™*, fitted
to some wonderful cars – BMW M240i
Xdrive Cabrio, Mercedes-AMG C43
Cabrio, Porsche Boxster 718, Range Rover
Velar, Tesla S 85 and Audi RS3 Sportback*.
And if all that weren’t enough, you’ll
be staying in some of the region’s best
hotels, and eating in some of its most
celebrated restaurants.
For anyone with a passion for cars
and a penchant for driving them hard,
the Continental Tyres Black Chili Driving
Experience will be the automotive trip of
a lifetime. So don’t delay, enter it now.
A DV E RT I S I N G F EAT U R E
The first step of your
journey to the south
of France starts
here…
Visit evo.co.uk/win-a-driving-
experience-of-a-lifetime and
answer these three questions
(you might find the text on this
page handy when answering):
Q1: What is the latest high
performance tyre Continental
manufacturer?
Q2: What is the unique technical
compound used in our latest high
performance tyre?
Q3: How many cars
manufactured in Europe are
fitted with Continental Tyres?
Anyone who enters – and their driving
guest, too – must hold a full UK driving
licence and a valid passport: they must
also be more than 25 years old and be
available for both the Black Chili Qualifier
Event on Saturday 12 May 2018, and for
the Black Chili Driving Experience itself,
1-5 July 2018.
Transfers to and from the Qualifier
are not included, but the Black Chili
Driving Experience does include direct
flights to the south of France from London
Heathrow Airport, and full board1 the
Black Chili Driving Experience consists
of three days driving and two days travel.
Full terms and conditions apply.
* Cars and tyres are subject to change.
1.
Prize non-transferable at any point
In association with
 I N B OX
MisunderS2000d
Having owned a Honda S2000 for
over five years I find it amazing
that John Barker found it the
most disappointing car he’s driven
while at evo (‘20 years of evo’,
issue 245). Really? What were you
expecting exactly?
It won an International Engine
of the Year award five years in
a row, it has one of the best
gearboxes ever produced, it has
that insane 9000rpm red line,
it looks fantastic and sounds
superb… the list goes on.
I suppose some will not ‘get it’
due to the precise but unforgiving
handling and the fact you have to
really wring its neck to make swift
progress. Personally I feel these
qualities just add to the extreme
and exciting nature of the car. It
doesn’t suffer fools gladly…
Ed Kilday
Back to the future
I have enjoyed your recent
comparisons of classic cars with
their modern equivalents, the
latest being the Lotus Carlton
with the Vauxhall VXR8 GTS-R
(evo 245) [pictured above right].
These classics were my dream
cars as a teenager and it feels a
little odd to even be calling them
classics when I still feel young
in my mid-40s. However, this is
a reflection of how technology
has advanced.
I have resisted the trend
towards digital cars and the
most modern car I own is a 2011
Maserati GranTurismo 4.7 MC
Shift, which was out of date
when it was launched. In fact,
so much is my resistance to the
digital era that I am developing
an analogue car so that it has the
feel, looks and light weight of a
classic but offers more modern
levels of power and drivability. The
car in question is a Peugeot 205
GTi 8-valve turbo with 280bhp+
and a limited-slip differential,
with various other components
upgraded to suit.
I am not alone and there is a
growing scene for retro ‘sleeper’
cars. It would be great if you could
do an article comparing modern
cars with some of these upgraded
classics, as we need to give the
older cars a fairer chance.
Carl Moffett
The chill of driving
My family and I were planning to
take a trip to see the sun for a few
days, maybe Singapore, perhaps
Dubai – somewhere where it’s
worth turning your head when you
hear an interesting sound on the
road. But in the end we decided
to make a 2000-mile drifty
road trip to Lapland with my 3.0
supercharged A7 quattro.
Yet in a small village in Finland
we were still rewarded on the
petrolhead front when we
encountered two new Aston
Martin Vantages on the road, with
some extra LED rally lights on the
nose. What a special way to start
your morning, listening to a pair of
Astons revving in the snow behind
a frozen lake. They were giving hell
to those V8s, at -33 Celsius!
Ville Moilanen
Type Aargh!
I have been lucky to own many
hot hatches and sub-£50k sports
cars over the past 30 years.
My current stable comprises a
M c L A R E N 570 S S P I D E R
letters@evo.co.uk t @evomagazine f @evomagazine
LET TER OF THE MONTH
Bin the buttons
RICHARD PORTER HIT THE NAIL SQUARE ON
the head with his column on the birth and evolution of
the Sport button (evo 245).
I find it bizarre to see so many sportingly impotent cars
with them on their dash somewhere. The Nissan Juke 1.5
DCI and Mk7 Golf TDI are both perfect examples. And
if you are buying an actual sports car, why is there the
need for a button to make it better/sharper/faster/more
responsive? Surely the job of the engineers is to make
the car you are parting with your precious pennies for as
good as it can be straight out of the box?
My current car is a Fiat Panda 100HP. Great fun,
and full of evo goodness, I hear you say. However, its
Sport button, which ‘sharpens throttle response below
3000rpm’, makes it borderline undriveable at lower
speeds. You cannot feather the throttle without the car
jerking and leaping about like an untrained puppy on a
lead for the first time. It’s unbearable, so I don’t touch it.
So to the fools telling your friends your new motor has
a Sport mode: wake up and smell the coffee!
James Underhay
The Letter of the Month
wins an MHD watch
The writer of this month’s star letter
receives an MHD SQ1 watch worth £250.
Designed by British car designer Matthew
Humphries, the SQ1 is inspired by watches
and rev counters of the 1960s and is
limited to an edition of just 300 pieces.
www.evo.co.uk 037
 I N BOX
Porsche 911 Carrera S (997.1) and
the current Audi RS3 Sportback;
both great cars and good lookers
in my humble opinion, especially
the lines of the 911.
But, is it me, or are some of
the latest fast cars getting plain
ugly, or even just a little bit weird?
Take the new Civic Type R [above].
It’s a five-star evo car and rightly
so (I drove one the other day).
However, it is also the most ugly
and odd-looking fast car that I
have seen for a long, long time!
From any angle it is so hideous
that it’s almost unfathomable
that someone designed this and
got it signed off. I really had to
pinch myself when I saw one in
the metal, with those odd bits of
shaped plastic stuck on almost
everywhere.
I appreciate that one man’s
meat is another man’s poison,
and beauty is in the eye, but I
really cannot get my head around
the styling of this car.
Then at the other end of the
spectrum you have the new
Renault Mégane RS, which
looks so plain and tame in some
pictures that you could mistake
it for a Hyundai (no offence i30 N,
but you take my point).
I am sure I am not alone here,
so please car designers, can you
put some effort into the styling?
Brian Thompson
Zed’s dead
I thought that regular evo
readers might be interested to
hear that the Chevrolet Camaro
Z/28 that I report on in Fast
Fleet (issue 218-230), and which
appeared at eCoty in 2015 in the
Scottish Highlands, was recently
stolen in San Francisco.
It showed up in nearby
038 www.evo.co.uk
Oakland a few days later –
dumped outside the Police
Academy student building
– stripped of its engine,
transmission, wheels and seats
[see above]. And the ‘good
news’? That it was a ‘major strip,
but not burnt’. Wow. Lucky me.
So if any evo readers have a
suggestion for a replacement
when the insurance cheque
arrives, I’d be interested to hear.
Preferably something American,
as long as it’s not a pickup. ZL1?
GT350R? I might even ship it over
for eCoty…
David Price
The A team
I’ve finally caught up on eCoty
(evo 244) and I’m so pleased to
see Alfa Romeo taking two gongs
– one each for its Veloce and
Quadrifoglio Giulias.
Like many petrolheads, I’ve
always been fond of Alfas. I’ve
even owned a couple over the
years. They do have their foibles,
but in a world of anonymous
saloons the sight of an Alfa
always lifts the spirit. They
transcend rationality and tug on
the heartstrings like few other
cars can.
It puts me in mind of a recent
Stephen Bayley column in
evo’s sister mag Octane, which
explored the idea that true
enthusiasts don’t actually desire
perfection but actually crave the
flawed and idiosyncratic. That
to me is what Alfas are all about.
My 147 GTA was nose-heavy,
incredibly thirsty and not cheap
to look after, but would I have
considered the objectively better
Golf R32? Not a chance!
Yet now, with the new Giulia,
it looks as if Alfa has finally
 letters@evo.co.uk t @evomagazine f @evomagazine
achieved the Holy Grail of a car
that’s drop-dead gorgeous, goes
like a rocket, handles as well as
the very best and doesn’t suffer
from the reliability concerns of
Alfas of old.
For Alfa to have created a
car that should genuinely worry
BMW, Mercedes, Audi et al is truly
something to be celebrated.
Charles Hide
Living the dream
Your new Dream Drives last-page
feature is a perfect read and the
perfect end to the magazine.
This is not only because of the
quality of Henry Catchpole’s
writing, but because of the idea it
represents. The road. The place.
It’s something that I, me myself,
can actually share an experience
of and enjoy. Not in a supercar, not
necessarily even in an evo car, but
in any car.
I’m sure you’ll admit that evo
writers are privileged in what you
do for a job. You have to travel to
places (hard work), but then take
out brilliant cars (good work) on
the best roads in the world (fun
work). It’s an old joke from all of
the schoolboys inside us that our
perfect job might be a footballer
or Playboy photographer. However,
when you arrive at a certain age,
with kids and responsibilities that
need paying for, you live through
magazines like evo until you’re
somehow able to get an evo car.
And if you can’t, you can at least
experience the road and the drive.
So please keep sharing with
your readers the best roads you
know. It’s the closest some of
us may ever come to a perfect
driving moment. Granted, many
of the roads will be abroad, but
many of us will at some point plan
a road trip with family or friends
to include that road.
When unobtanium is just
that, roads are not. And although
unobtanium really is the stuff of
dreams for most of us, the roads
allow the dream to be lived in
some form or other.
Daniel Bescoby
Off Pista
The 458 Speciale was always
going to be a hard act to follow,
but with Ferrari deciding to go
turbocharged with the 488 Pista
it has already failed before the
car has even been driven.
Sure, it will be faster and
produce more power, but it
will inevitably not sound as
good – and it only revs to
8000rpm compared with the
Speciale’s 9000 [above left]!
Does this mean that we have
passed the peak of truly exciting
supercars; that from now on
they will be more capable but
less thrilling? Obviously not from
Porsche's point of view – it stuck
with the naturally aspirated
9000rpm engine for the GT3 and
even offers a manual gearbox.
K Li
Blast from the past
I thoroughly enjoyed the four-
wheel-drive megatest in evo
246, but I had to chuckle at the
comment that the NSX [above]
‘accelerates like a Buccaneer off
the Ark Royal’s catapult’.
The Buccaneer, whilst cutting
edge in the late 1950s, was
decommissioned over 30 years
ago. Mind you, it certainly gets
the point across better than
saying an F35 off the deck of
Queen Elizabeth.
Siôn Price
www.evo.co.uk 039
 LISTER THUNDER // MERCEDES-AMG CLS53 4MATIC+ //
BENTLEY BENTAYGA V8 // KIA STINGER 2.0 GT-LINE //
CATERHAM SEVEN SUPERSPRINT

Lister Thunder
Calm after the Storm? Not if the latest creation from Lister
has its way – with a soundtrack straight from hell, the
666bhp Thunder has the mark of the devil about it
Photography by Aston Parrott

4 www.evo.co.uk
 VERY TIME WE STOP, AT LEAST ONE
E person appears, keen for a closer
look at the car and a chat. It seems
odd that they all ask what it is, because to
me it’s clearly a Jaguar F-type with enormous
wheels. But take a few steps back and you
realise that the design of those 21-inch rims
makes them look even bigger than they are,
and this messes with your sense of scale so
the car looks smaller. And it being black makes
it look more compact still, while the painted
grille surround changes the car’s face, and in
place of the Jaguar badges is the name Lister.
All very mysterious to the uninitiated.
There is another reason this car attracts
attention: its arrival is heralded by an exhaust
note so loud it sounds apocalyptic. It is
comfortably the loudest road car I have driven.
Even modest throttle openings produce
a sound like a cataclysmic thunderstorm,
while the overrun is loaded with more pops,
bangs and crackles than a fourth of July
fireworks display.
Welcome to the aptly named Lister Thunder,
a car which a lot of people have been waiting
for, it seems. The Lister name has always
been associated with Jaguar, the last road car
being the Storm of 1993-94, of which just four
were made for homologation into GT racing.
This new car, from new owners, brings the
relationship bang up-to-date. The father and
son team of Andrew and Lawrence Whittaker,
www.evo.co.uk 41

who run car warranty supplier Warrantywise,
took over Lister and all its associated
businesses in 2013, and in 2014 announced a
limited run of its most famous racer, the late
’50s Lister-Jaguar Knobbly. Just this January
they revealed the Lister Thunder.
It makes Jaguar’s own feistiest F-type, the
567bhp SVR, seem rather tame. The claimed
figures for the Thunder are 666bhp and
720lb ft of torque. ‘It came out at 670bhp on
the dyno,’ says Lawrence, ‘but 666 is more
evocative.’ The work involves fitting a new,
larger capacity supercharger, new intercoolers
and air filters and a whole new QuickSilver
exhaust, plus a remap. Lister considered
breaking the engine open and fitting trick parts
such as lighter pistons, but reckoned that
700bhp is the maximum from the 5-litre V8 so
it wasn’t worth the trouble or expense.
This is the prototype, and the company
042 www.evo.co.uk
intends to build a limited run of 99 examples,
each priced at £139,950. The final car may turn
out a little differently: the firm is considering
making it more special by fabricating its own
front and rear bumper aprons in carbonfibre,
maybe the bonnet, too. The base car is a £92k
F-type R rather than the more potent £112k
SVR for a few reasons, the first being that
Lawrence doesn’t like the SVR’s rear wing, nor
does he like its suspension set-up, which he
‘Imagine being on a
roller coaster and the
carriage behind is filled
with Brian Blessed
clones with megaphones’
considers a little too hard. Most pertinent of
all, though, is that most of the enhancements
the SVR offers over the R are in the same areas
where Lister applies its upgrades.
Suspension is by KW, with ride-height
adjustment built in and the adaptive damping
retained, while those enormous alloys are
supplied by Vossen and are shod with some
of the lowest profile Michelin Pilot Super
Sports I’ve ever seen: 295/25 R21s at the rear,
matched to 255/30 R21s up front. And a 22-
inch wheel option is planned…
In black with black wheels the Thunder is
a serious-looking car, and the interior is quite
something, too. It’s totally retrimmed to a very
high standard in Bridge of Weir leather with
green contrast stitching: the seats, dashboard
and door casings, and so too the roof lining,
steering wheel and even parts of the boot.
It’s not cheap, but, says Lawrence, it affirms

Left: potholes best avoided with low-profile Super
Sports. Right: Rain mode helps with traction, but
Dynamic offers some much needed body control
Lister’s commitment to artisan crafts.
Even if you’re a big fan of the traditional
V8 rumble, the Thunder will test your
commitment. Pretty much from the moment
you press the starter button until your
journey’s end, the V8 is an audible, and
sometimes physical, presence. The standard
V8 F-type has tailpipe valves and a ‘loud’
button on the centre console, but there are no
valves on the Thunder – it’s full-on, full-time.
The merest squeeze of the throttle deepens
the note of the V8 and fills the cabin with its
edgy beat, occasionally with the sympathetic
resonance of some hidden part. Floor it
and, well, how do you describe the noise
that erupts from the four carbon-trimmed
tailpipes? Imagine being on a roller coaster
and the carriage behind is filled with Brian
Blessed clones with megaphones, and each
time you nail it coincides with a big drop.
The first few miles with the car are so
dominated by the sound that even the
performance is secondary, in the way you
wouldn’t notice a sprained wrist if you’d
broken your leg. On wet roads you’re wary of
unleashing all that torque, even though there’s
M c L A R E N 570 S S P I D E R
Kia Stinger GT-S
four-wheel drive. The tuned V8’s heftier low-
down shove tests the reflexes of the stability
control system out of junctions, even with the
Rain/Ice/Snow drive mode selected, which
sends more torque to the front axle.
This mode also softens off the throttle
response and leaves the suspension supple,
helping grip and traction, but this doesn’t
work too well with the lowered ride height. The
set-up is a work-in-progress, but currently over
bumps that I wouldn’t normally notice there
is a shifff! sound, suggesting some contact
between the rear tyres and the arches or arch
liners. You also find yourself scanning the road
ahead carefully in towns where potholes lurk,
because with so little tyre sidewall the hit from
a hole is so sharp that you fear a puncture,
or perhaps a nipped tyre and dented rim.
Amazingly, neither occurs.
Steering precision isn’t the car’s most
www.evo.co.uk 043

outstanding feature, with a bit of tug and
weave on bumpy roads. The amount of grip
found by the Michelins and all-wheel drive
under acceleration is impressive, though,
particularly when the car is pointing straight.
Once the roads dry out and I am able to select
Dynamic mode, firming up the damping, the
car is transformed – supple, but very well
controlled, with no hint of a lack of clearance. It
feels composed under the onslaught of all that
torque, too, the grip of the Michelins improving
with the rise in temperature.
Given its head, the tuned V8 is never quite
as ferocious as you might expect, seemingly
doing its best work low down the rev range.
Specification
Engine Power
V8, 5000cc, supercharger 666bhp @ 6000rpm
+ Looks great, quality interior, loud - Suspension set-up needs work, loud
044 www.evo.co.uk
‘The Thunder is one
of those cars that’s
deceptively fast.
You rarely need to
use full throttle’
However, you rarely need to use full throttle.
The Thunder is one of those cars that’s
deceptively fast; many times I look down and
find the speedo needle 20mph further round
the dial than I expect… The V8’s torrent of
torque can kick the tail against the stability
control, and when you switch the safety net
off – in the interests of scientific endeavour
– the Lister behaves just as you’d expect.
That’s to say like a rear-drive car, until the front
axle gets its share of the spoils and pulls the
car straight. Unless the corner is long you’ll
have travelled for some distance on opposite
lock before this happens. While the scale of
the push is vast, throttle response is merely
Torque 0-60mph Top speed
720lb ft @ 5940rpm 3.2sec (claimed) 208mph (claimed)
Left: prototype’s black paint and wheels create
a menacing look. Above: cabin gets an extensive
reworking in finest Scottish leather
good. Otherwise, the standard eight-speed ZF
automatic gearbox is as sharp and seamless
as we’ve come to expect.
Even without its fanfare, the handsome
Lister attracts a great deal of interest.
The Whittakers say they are dedicated to
enhancing Lister’s reputation, Lawrence
adding that a look at the accounts shows they
are driven by passion rather than profit. The
reaction to the Thunder has surprised even
them, and they are now considering Lister
versions of more Jaguar models, including a
rival to the upcoming XE Project 8. There’s
clearly still some set-up work to do on the
Thunder, and we drove this car knowing that it
is the prototype. In Dynamic mode it revealed
its potential, and we look forward to trying the
production version, which will hopefully also
have a slightly less vocal exhaust system…
John Barker (@evoJB)
Weight Basic price
1650kg (410bhp/ton) £139,950
evo rating ;;;;2
Third-generation version of Mercedes’
four-door coupe recaptures the original’s spirit
while introducing an intriguing new AMG drivetrain
Mercedes-AMG CLS53 4Matic+
HERE’S ALWAYS BEEN A
T heightened appeal to Mercedes’
CLS four-door coupe, its more rakish
body and svelte lines giving it a considerable
edge in the desirability stakes compared with
a conventional E-class saloon – or Audi’s A6
or BMW’s 5-series. The original from 2004 still
turns heads today, more so than its rather
heavy-handed update, which gained a bit of
bulk and lost the crisp lines in the process.
This third-generation CLS edges back
towards the clean original design and has the
ability to stretch an onlooker’s neck muscles.
The rear treatment isn’t as distinctive as that
of the first CLS, looking a little too generic
Mercedes (think C-class saloon) to me, but
as an overall aesthetic it certainly beats any
traditional saloon’s three-box design. Inside
you’ll find more differences over the E-class
with which it shares its architecture, with
046 www.evo.co.uk
bespoke detailing and finishes providing the
individuality. The CLS53 also comes with
an AMG leather/Alcantara steering wheel
as standard, and sports seats, all wearing
suitable AMG branding.
However, it’s what lies behind the CLS53’s
three-pointed star that’s of real interest. In the
past, for its version of the CLS, AMG installed
the same powerhouse V8 as fitted to the
then current AMG E-class. That’s all changed.
Instead of the 563bhp ‘hot-vee’ twin-turbo
4-litre V8 of an E63, here there’s a 429bhp
twin-turbocharged in-line six-cylinder mild-
hybrid petrol engine. One of those turbos is a
conventional exhaust-driven type, the other
a compressor driven by an electric motor –
the ‘EQ Boost’ starter-alternator – installed
between the engine and the nine-speed
automatic gearbox. This also generates power
for the car’s 48V electrical system and can
deliver an additional 21bhp and 184lb ft of
torque when the situation calls for it.
This AMG CLS is also the first to be offered
with all-wheel drive (4Matic+) in right-
hand-drive form, although unlike the E63 S
it doesn’t feature a drift mode that allows
you to turn off every stability- and traction-
control system (and there are quite a few,
thanks to a generous tech hand-out from the
S-class) to create a rear-drive tyre burner. It
is, however, still predominately rear-drive, only
redistributing the torque when the sensors
anticipate a tyre making a break for freedom.
Multi-chamber air-suspension is standard,
so too is AMG’s Dynamic Select, allowing you
to configure the throttle mapping, gearbox
response, steering weight, exhaust note and
damper stiffness. AMG’s speed-sensitive
steering is also standard. Further chassis
changes over the regular petrol and diesel CLS
models include revised steering knuckles, and
all load-bearing joints have been beefed up,
too. Both the front and rear axles have more
negative camber than non-AMG models, and
every chassis setting has been tweaked to
enhance the dynamics. It may not have a fire-
breathing V8, but it certainly appears to be a
bona fide Affalterbach-developed AMG.
What strikes you first about the CLS53 is
the more restrained way in which its engine
introduces itself. Those of you used to the
theatrical start-up procedure of a V8-engined
AMG may feel short-changed, but you
shouldn’t dismiss this powertrain on a first
encounter. Switch the engine and gearbox to
Sport, knock the dampers back to Comfort,
and you have a discreet-sounding device in
which to make indecent progress. What it
lacks in V8 torque, it makes up for with electric
throttle response (pun intended). Sport mode
hangs on to lower gears for longer, so every
throttle opening results in instant responses,
with a surge of electric-boosted torque to ride
before the exhaust-driven turbo spools up and
the oily bits get into their stride and continue
to the near 7000rpm rev limit. Again, there
are no theatrics or fireworks when you reach
the higher reaches of the rev band, but there’s
performance aplenty to get stuck into.

the steering, even with winter tyres fitted,

‘The steering, even has a level of precision and accuracy that’s
with winter tyres totally unexpected. It makes for incredibly
fluid progress. Up the pace and the CLS feels
fitted, has a precision decidedly more sure-footed than an E43
(which you have to work so hard to awaken),
and accuracy that’s and more precise than an E63, which means

totally unexpected’ the forthcoming E53 Coupe could be an

Even if you leave the gearbox in auto it
will respond and kick down as quickly as you
could wish for, but changing manually with
the wheel-mounted paddles provides a more
Above left: CLS53 more engaging drive, although it does leave you
sure-footed and precise wishing those paddles were larger when the
than its E-class cousins. road nips and tucks and your hands need to be
Top: cabin gets bespoke
a bit more mobile.
finishes. Above right:
in-line six supported by a Through slower corners the CLS53’s
16kW electric motor air-sprung chassis minimises body roll, and
unexpected gem.
Criticisms are few and far between. This is
the first five-seat CLS, although rear space
is tight for three adults, there won’t be a V8-
engined AMG CLS, and neither will there be a
replacement for the outgoing CLS Shooting
Brake, Mercedes feeling the more rakish design
of the new E-class wagon has those customers
covered. So, if an E63 saloon is out of reach,
and an E43 leaves you wanting, it’s the CLS53
for you, which is no bad thing at all.
Stuart Gallagher (@stuartg917)

Specification
Engine Power Torque 0-62mph Top speed Weight Basic price
In-line 6-cyl, 2999cc, twin-turbo, plus 16kW electric motor 451bhp (combined) 567lb ft (combined) 4.5sec (claimed) 155mph (limited) 1905kg (302bhp/ton) £65,000 (est)

+ Impressive engine and chassis, discreet performance - Design still not as distinctive as the original, 4Matic only, heavy evo rating ;;;;2

www.evo.co.uk 047
Caterham Seven SuperSprint
If you don’t mind stumping up an extra £10,000 for the privilege, Caterham’s new retro-inspired
SuperSprint represents a rewarding upgrade over the entry-level model
Photography by Aston Parrott
ESTING A CATERHAM, ONE
T without a roof and with only two
measly semicircles of glass as a
windscreen, in February, probably isn’t the
greatest idea. At the very least you’d expect it
to be tricky trying to fit into the cramped cabin
of a Seven when togged up in full winter garb.
But the SuperSprint’s lack of, well, anything
means access is relatively easy and there’s
nothing to impede movement once you’re
nestled inside. Even dressed in multiple layers
there’s a surprising amount of freedom to
operate all the controls.
The SuperSprint, like last year’s limited-
edition Sprint (evo 230), is based on
Caterham’s current lowest-powered model,
the 160. It has the same three-cylinder, 660cc
turbocharged Suzuki engine, but rather than
making just 80bhp, here it puts out 95bhp.
To harness all that extra performance – yes,
really – the SuperSprint’s live rear axle has a
limited-slip differential and the suspension has
been retuned and made firmer.
Like the Sprint before it, the SuperSprint
has a distinctly retro appearance, but with
048 www.evo.co.uk
more of a race-inspired aesthetic this time
around. It certainly falls on the correct side
of tasteful. The brown leather interior and
metal switchgear give a classy look, while the
small front arches, silver mesh grille, chrome
headlights, painted steel wheels and glass
wind deflectors could have come straight from
a ’60s race-prepared Seven. As nice as they
are, however, they don’t quite justify the extra
£10,000 that the SuperSprint costs over a
factory-built 160.
The tiny bits of glass are optional and can
be replaced by the conventional windscreen.
Or, if you know you’ll never convince anyone
else to join you in your SuperSprint, you can
have just one wind deflector and one seat.
While the deflectors look cool, they aren’t
ideal, as you’ll find yourself needing to look
around or over them as well as through
them, with the latter view appearing slightly
distorted. And that’s when the glass is clean;
as soon as it clouds up with dirt and grime you
lose a large section of your view because there
are no wipers and, as you’re locked into place
by a four-point harness, you’re unable to reach
the glass to clean it.
In the 160 and the Sprint you can make good
progress, but it’s always the olde worlde charm
of the chassis and the quaint handling that
keep you amused rather than your attention
being grabbed by the speeds being achieved.
The SuperSprint’s performance is a notch up:
its extra power means the car accelerates far
more savagely than you might expect, so it’s
easy to find yourself inadvertently clattering
into the 7700rpm limiter. This added ease to
the acceleration, with speed building rapidly
from lower revs, also means you’re very quickly
travelling faster than might seem appropriate

‘Its extra
power means it
accelerates far
more savagely
than you might
expect’
when there’s next to nothing to protect
your face from the elements. Although the
SuperSprint’s iteration of this engine has a
slightly different character to the less powerful
version, the noise it makes is the same as
before, being coarse and industrial most of
the time, with the occasional flutter and chirp
from the turbocharger and wastegate.
The Seven’s tiny size does make you feel
vulnerable, but there are benefits. You have at
least twice as much spare tarmac to work with
on your side of the road than you would in a
small hot hatch, and this means you can carve
a distinct racing line though a corner without
worrying the catseyes. The SuperSprint’s firmer
suspension makes it far more composed over
rough roads than the 160, too; the rear axle
doesn’t hop up and down in response.
Specification
Engine Power
In-line 3-cyl, 660cc, turbocharged 95bhp @ 7000rpm
+ Accessible limits but with proper pace - Leaves the driver frighteningly exposed to the elements
Front-end grip is by far the chassis’ weakest
characteristic. Barrel into a corner too quickly
and you watch the front tyres turn, but the
nose continues straight ahead. The room
you have on the road means this isn’t that
scary, and you often have time to wait for
the front to hook-up and eventually turn in
before you get close to the verge or the wrong
side of the road. A better tactic, though, is to
be aggressive with the wheel and throw the
SuperSprint into a corner early, causing the
rear to slide as you point the nose at the apex.
You can then drive the car out of the corner
on the throttle.
Despite the extra power, you can’t quite
maintain a long slide throughout the turn,
even in the wet, as the SuperSprint eventually
starts to point straight again, even with your
Torque 0-60mph Top speed
82lb ft @ 5600rpm 6.9sec (claimed) 100mph (claimed)
Left and above: period racing decals, Innes Tan
leather and wood-rimmed steering wheel give
the SuperSprint an appealingly retro feel. Below:
turbocharged Suzuki triple pumps out 95bhp
foot flat to the floor. It’s a similar cornering
style to the one that works best in the 160 and
Sprint, but forward momentum and grip are
what dictate the end of the slide in the new
car, rather than the inside-rear wheel spinning
and wasting away all the power. Exiting a
corner in the SuperSprint is neater, easier to
control and far faster as a result.
The SuperSprint is certainly a quicker and
more serious car than the 160 or Sprint, yet
it retains the same playful spirit. What really
speaks volumes, however, is that even when
accelerating your exposed face through
some exceptionally grim wintry weather at
around 60mph, the SuperSprint is still huge,
grin-inducing fun. On a warm summer’s day it
could, possibly, be unbeatable.
Will Beaumont (@WillBeaumont)
Weight Price
490kg (197bhp/ton) £29,995
evo rating
www.evo.co.uk 049
Bentley Bentayga V8
Smaller petrol engine creates luxury SUV’s sweet spot
ENTLEY’S BENTAYGA IS ALL ABOUT
B the numbers: £800m invested in
its development; 130 hours to build
one; 10,000 made since launch. Now the latest
number to join the list is three, as in engine
derivatives, because a 4-litre twin-turbo petrol
V8 has just become part of the line-up.
For all its dozen-cylinder serenity, the W12
Bentayga has always felt as if it’s as much
about the engine as it is the car. And while
the V8 diesel offers a near 600-mile range, a
Bentley that pulls up at the derv pump doesn’t
feel quite right to us. And it’s not a particularly
refined powertrain. All of this makes this new
petrol version potentially the pick of the range.
It possibly won’t surprise you to hear that
the petrol V8 isn’t a bespoke Bentley engine;
rather it’s a VW Group unit that’s also fitted
to Porsche’s Cayenne and Panamera Turbo
models and will eventually find its way behind
the grille of the new Continental GT, too.
Nothing is lost in transit from Leipzig to Crewe,
with the full 542bhp and 568lb ft of torque
still delivered through an eight-speed ZF
automatic transmission.
Four-wheel drive is as per other Bentaygas,
with the optional All-Terrain Specification
providing a number of driving modes to switch
Specification
Engine Power
V8, 3996cc, twin-turbo 542bhp @ 6000rpm
+ Engine’s performance, refinement and usability - Unsettled ride; the tech can only control so much weight
050 www.evo.co.uk
between, including one called Sand Dune,
which tells you all you need to know about the
target customer demographic. At 2313kg –
52kg less than the W12 version – the Bentayga
V8 is still not light, but then you didn’t expect
it to be. However, it will reach 62mph in 4.5sec
and top out at 180mph (0.4sec and 7mph
slower than the W12).
The V8 is a far more energetic engine than
the W12, responding with greater enthusiasm
and sharper reactions to throttle inputs. Leave
the faultless ZF auto in Drive and the kick-
down is immediate, while the take-off speed
still piques your interest as over two-tons of
Bentley accelerates at a pace that would keep
an M4 honest. Across its mid-range, and when
using anything less than full throttle, the V8
Torque 0-62mph
568lb ft @ 1960-4500rpm 4.5sec (claimed)
feels alive and sprightly, pulling with enough
vigour to match both the W12 and the torque-
fest V8 diesel.
That’s the thing: this new petrol V8 is
remarkably well matched to the Bentayga’s
remit of combining luxury with serious
pace, no matter what the terrain. On winter
tyres the ride isn’t as expected, however,
and I doubt summer tyres would improve it
enough to match Range Rover’s exemplary
SV Autobiography. Agility and body control
remain impressive, although under braking and
through quick or constant direction changes
even clever technology can’t mask over
2300kg of moving mass.
Other highlights include optional 440mm
carbon-ceramic brakes with ten-piston
callipers. At £11,000 they aren’t cheap, but they
reduce the unsprung masses, and rather than
a nicety, I’d consider them a necessity.
Ultimately, the Bentayga, regardless of
engine, still isn’t as polished as a top-end
Range Rover, which rides and drives better,
and has a more bespoke cabin (i.e. no VW
switchgear in evening wear) that’s a nicer place
to be. But the new Bentayga V8 is the pick of
the range and an acceptable alternative.
Stuart Gallagher (@stuartg917)
Top speed Weight Basic price
180mph (claimed) 2313kg (238bhp/ton) £136,200
evo rating 33342
Kia Stinger 2.0 GT-Line
Entry-level sports saloon proves a genuine class contender
NE UNLIKELY STAR OF 2017 WAS
O Kia’s Stinger GT S – the rear-drive,
turbocharged, six-cylinder Audi S5/
BMW 4-series Gran Coupe/Mercedes-AMG
C43 rival. And it’s good. Good enough, in fact,
to consider on a par with the Germans.
But with all the fairy dust sprinkled on the
top model, the cars that fill a range beneath
can often leave you feeling like you’ve been
served a Pepsi in a warm glass when you
expected a cold can of Coke. The good news for
Kia is the entry-point 2-litre GT-Line Stinger is
as ice cold and refreshing as its V6 brother.
Visually, there’s not a great deal to
distinguish the GT-Line from the GT S; only the
18-inch wheels giving the game away to the
casual observer. There’s a lot of body to the
Stinger and it does look heavy-handed from
some angles, but overall it has a confident on-
road presence and is a refreshing change from
the ubiquitous German saloons.
It’s equally pleasant inside, too, losing none
of the premium feel of the V6. And it’s equally
stacked with kit, including heated seats,
leather lining every surface, DAB radio, a head-
up display, rain-sensing wipers, high-beam
assist, auto-dimming mirrors and dual-zone
climate. It’s a fairly exhaustive list, and then
Specification
Engine Power
In-line 4-cyl, 1998cc, turbo 244bhp @ 6200rpm
+ Engaging chassis, neatly matched powertrain, interior quality - Heavy kerb weight, steering not as polished as other areas
there’s the seven-year/100,000-mile warranty…
In place of the 3.3-litre of the range-topper,
the GT-Line has a 2-litre, 16-valve turbocharged
four, producing 244bhp and 260lb ft of torque.
(A 197bhp, 324lb ft diesel is also available, if you
must.) There’s an eight-speed auto, rear-wheel
drive, and a hefty kerb weight of 1717kg, which
blunts the performance somewhat: 0-60mph
takes 5.8sec. But put the stopwatch away and
the GT-Line delivers plenty more.
As with the V6, the four-cylinder’s chassis
is integral to the Stinger’s impressive
performance. The steering lacks any useful
feel, but it’s precise enough to place the car
without having to constantly nibble away at
the wheel on your way to the apex. There’s
plenty of grip from the front end, the chassis
Torque 0-60mph
260lb ft @ 1400-3500rpm 5.8sec (claimed)
settles quickly, and the Stinger flows with
precision. As you get into the throttle the
rear hunkers down, and the drive for the exit
is as crisp as any premium rear-drive sports
saloon’s. It doesn’t have the power and torque
to be as playful on exit as the V6, but the
2-litre does have a punchy appetite for revs
across the board and a gearbox that’s quick
to respond, and not once do you feel it’s being
held back by its chubby kerb weight.
It’s a very as-one car, the Stinger. Every
key component works with the others to
deliver a strong overall package. In fact, it’s
the very car you expect every Jaguar saloon
to be. The XE and XF are more desirable in the
looks department for many, but that’s where
the Brit’s advantage ends. The Stinger has a
nicer interior and, crucially, its powertrain and
chassis are on a par, if not superior in some
areas. There’s more finesse to the engine’s
power and torque delivery, and the chassis’
ride, feel, agility and control are all much
stronger, more engaging and rewarding.
It feels like we’ve been waiting a generation
(or longer) for Jaguar to build a sports saloon
genuinely capable of rivalling the German
contenders. Now Kia has beaten them to it.
Stuart Gallagher (@stuartg917)
Top speed Weight Basic price
149mph (claimed) 1717kg (144bhp/ton) £31,995
evo rating 33332
www.evo.co.uk 053
 RICHARD MEADEN
Wakey, wakey, Ferrari, Porsche, et al… Rimac has stolen a march on you
I
N THESE INCREASINGLY ‘CONNECTED’
times, the notion of filling a big metal shed with
new cars and expecting the world to come seems
bewilderingly out of step. Thankfully, actually
being able to touch, smell, sit in and step back
to admire hundreds of new cars ensures reality remains infinitely
preferable to vicarious virtual viewing.
And so to the 88th Geneva motor show. Of course, by the time
you read this column it will be a distant memory, those glossy
show stand images scattered across forgotten areas of Twitter
and Instagram like windblown confetti the day after a wedding.
Motor shows always remind me I’m not a proper journalist.
That’s to say, I’ve never been a worker bee gathering news, or
the publishing grandee who spends their
show striding from stand to stand to
talk knowingly about market share and
platforms with a car boss in a suit.
‘I’m frustrated at the
On the infrequent occasions I attend
a motor show it’s the vibe I feel when I
time it’s taking the
walk in the huge show hall that’s the more
telling barometer. This year’s show was
911s, M4s and even
confident. Not brimming with the swagger
of some years, but focused and impressive.
hot hatches to have
Inevitably, electrification was front and
centre, with a smattering of hybrids for
their Rimac moment’
good measure. It felt like the big players
had committed to a coherent next-gen plan. We’ve been right to
be sceptical about electric cars, but now that battery technology
has become fit for purpose, automotive engineers and designers
are able to do what they do best: creating advanced, credible,
capable and desirable cars that move the game on.
Jaguar Land Rover’s colossal PR and marketing effort propelled
the I-Pace into our consciousness well before the Geneva show.
I’ve yet to drive it, but from what I saw at Geneva, it deserves to
be the model that finally gives Jaguar a true identity and sense
of purpose. It’s head and shoulders above the rest of the range
looks-wise, and the technology pushes it to the forefront, rather
than perennially being two steps behind Ze Germans. This is
Jaguar’s Big Opportunity. I hope it manages to run with it.
Continuing the electric theme, an undoubted star was the
Lagonda Vision Concept. Yes, it’s wild in the best tradition of
show cars, but it’s far more than a fantastical dream. Settling into
the Lagonda, I was childishly excited at the idea of travelling in it
rather than actually driving it, and never gave the lack of a piston
Richard is a contributing editor to evo and one of the magazine’s founding team
054 www.evo.co.uk
engine a second thought. Given its objective and target customer,
you’d have to say AML absolutely nailed it. It’s ironic that the pace
of technological change seems slowest in the fastest echelon of
all: the supercar. It’s a breed Geneva has always championed,
and true to form, this year’s exhibition floors were littered with
gratuitously quick, powerful, explicit-looking machines.
Park a Ferrari 488 Pista or Porsche’s Gen 2 991 GT3 RS outside
my house and I’d be all over either of them. But in an environment
where there was a very obvious revolution going on in the wider
industry, cars that I have long held dear as my own pinnacles
of piston-engined performance suddenly seemed predictable,
fractional and possibly somewhat pointless evolutions.
And the hypercars? At one end of the scale you had the Bugatti
Chiron Sport – a lighter (though still
lardy), firmer, sharper and more expensive
manifestation of the billionaire’s favourite
behemoth. At the other you had Aston
Martin’s Valkyrie AMR Pro – the limited-
edition-of-25, 1000kg/1100bhp/1000+kg
of downforce, track-only version of Aston
and Adrian Newey’s insane road car.
The colour scheme did it no favours,
but the elegance of its extraordinary
aerodynamics made a certain other high-
downforce British hypercar look like it
was built by bricklayers.
The Valkyrie will surely be the zenith of petrol-engined
hypercars, but Rimac’s C Two made the rest look like dinosaurs:
1888bhp, 0-62mph in sub-1.9sec, 0-100 in just over 4sec, 258mph
top speed, 400-mile range and claimed Level 4 (essentially
driverless) autonomy. That Rimac is a highly credible, cutting-
edge doer, makes this car not just mind-blowing, but believable.
My love of the internal combustion engine is instinctive and, I
suspect, eternal, but even I’m becoming frustrated at the time it’s
taking for cars like 911s, M4s and even hot hatchbacks to have
their Rimac moment. We passed the beginning of the end for
petrol-powered performance cars years ago. Geneva 2018 gave
us the first concrete signs electric cars have progressed beyond
the end of the beginning, but the incumbent high performance
marques seem stubbornly behind the curve. We know the boffins
in Stuttgart, Maranello, Gaydon, Woking, Munich and Tokyo are
working on solutions, but the pace of change is dizzying. I’m tired
of feeling disengaged from the future. Time the established fast-
car makers gave us all something to look forward to.
t @DickieMeaden
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 RICHARD PORTER
Formula 1 has finally realised that it must move with the times. Sorry, bores
W
HEN FORMULA 1 ANNOUNCED IT WOULD
no longer use so-called grid girls, the huffing
indignation was so great you’d think they’d
actually announced a plan to take 22 winsome
women to a deserted area of Silverstone and
string them up by their tongues. Still, from the reaction in some
quarters at least we learnt two things. Firstly, it’s amazing how
many middle-aged men seem to be deeply concerned about the
financial well-being of attractive younger ladies. These girls
have been SACKED, they harrumphed inaccurately. It’s not FAIR,
they spluttered. Who knew that paunchy blokes with a football
team name in their Twitter biogs and a photo of an Aston as their
avatar were so touchy-feely when it came to someone losing
three days of freelance work.
The second lesson was that people who
use the phrase ‘political correctness gone
mad’ are, without exception, crashing
‘Liberty wasn’t
bores. The sort of dullards who latch on
to people in pubs, bemoan the way they
strong-armed by
can’t be a racist prick in public and like to
agree with things twice. ‘I know, I know.
Germaine Greer, it
Isn’t it, isn’t it? You’re not wrong squire,
you’re not wrong.’ I don’t know what it
decided to get rid of
is with this particular brand of clattering
fun-sponge but they’re very big on the
grid girls because it
double affirmation. Nigel Farage shows
this verbal tic a lot and, as we know,
makes its sport look
he is the melted froggy face of middle-
aged bores. Isn’t he just, isn’t he just. It’s
out of touch with the
political correctness gone mad, eh?
And this, of course, is what a certain
world of 2018’
brand of bore blamed for the grid girl
decision. It was ‘PC culture’. Or, for the particularly petulant
and frightened 50-something weeping into his Doom Bar, it was
‘those bloody feminists’. Well, it wasn’t either of those things.
It was a business decision. Liberty wasn’t strong-armed by
Germaine Greer, it simply decided to get rid of women because
it makes its sport look old-fashioned and out of touch with the
world of 2018, and that in turn makes it harder for it to sell
sponsorship and sign lucrative TV deals. Maybe there’s some
political correctness and some feminism sewn up in the shifting
social standards of our time, and if so then good, because it
would be nice to think our kids could watch F1 without getting
the impression that men do the heroic stuff while the women
Richard is evo’s longest-serving columnist and the script editor on The Grand Tour
056 www.evo.co.uk
stand there silently smiling and holding a stick. But this is merely
part of what was a cold, rational business move. And it filled me
with delight because it suggested Liberty has realised something
very fundamental about F1 as it stands: it is not as glamorous as
it thinks, nor as high tech and sophisticated as it claims. F1 is, in
fact, deeply and horribly naff.
F1 is interminable ads for ‘business solutions’. It’s acres of
synthetic fibres spun into matching branded clothing. It’s men in
firmly tucked shirts talking for ten minutes about tyres.
Yes, of course there are private jets, fine hotels and expensive
watches, but you only get those if you’re an actual F1 driver.
The audience at home has none of those. The traditional F1
viewer isn’t a continent-hopping supermodel. He’s someone’s
dad who’s wolfed down the Sunday roast
because ‘the Grand Prix’ is on soon. He’s
someone’s dad, grabbing another bottle
of Spitfire and rushing to the sitting
room to catch the pre-race pre-amble
and VT package set to some on-the-nose
music from whatever country the race is
in. He’s someone’s dad flopping into the
armchair with a pound coin of piss on
the front of his M&S action slacks and a
hearty sigh as he writes off the next three
hours slumped in front of the telly. He’s
someone’s dad nodding off around lap 24
and waking with a start when someone
comes in to ask who’s winning, a question
he can bat away with a grumble about
‘another bloody procession’ even though
he comes back for more of the same
every other Sunday. And of course, he’s
someone’s dad discovering he won’t get a glimpse of thigh or
flash of sideboob in between shots of a sweating David Coulthard
trying to grab a ten-second grid chat with Max Verstappen,
and he’s going online with a righteous fury about ‘robbing
these young women of choice and many of them actually enjoy
doing it, you know’.
Thankfully, F1’s new bosses seem to have realised how tired
and old hat their sport can seem to the wider world and how
things have to change. And it’s the wider world they need to lure
if their sport is to evolve and thrive. What’s really heartening,
though, is that they’ve realised that to do this, first they need to
really piss off some bores.
t @sniffpetrol
 TED KRAVITZ
A happy Lewis can bag his fifth world title, but Seb and Max could make it one hell of a fight
W
E’VE NEVER HAD IT SO GOOD. SURE,
Formula 1 has altered its DNA by rejecting open
cockpits in favour of the ‘Halo’ head protection
device and yes, aerodynamic complexity and
uninspired circuit design have combined to make
racing more difficult than ever, but in terms of quality drivers
fighting for the championship, we’re living in a golden age.
That’s because for the first time ever, two four-time world
champions will battle it out in roughly equivalent machinery.
Sebastian Vettel racked up his four titles in quick succession, from
2010 to 2013 inclusive, but it’s been slim pickings since. He came
close last season before Ferrari suffered a couple of infuriatingly
small failures (spark plug, inlet manifold) that eased Mercedes’
passage to both championships. They’ll
try not to make that mistake again, but
even with the quickest car, the pressure of
carrying Ferrari’s hopes is immense. Kimi
‘One half expects
Räikkönen remains a very skilful driver,
but in what looks like being his final year
Lewis Hamilton to
of F1 competition he can’t realistically be
counted as a title contender. Sebastian
come back from his
can, but it’s a big year for Vettel as he
attempts to prove that he’s learned from
next holiday boasting
his personal mistakes of 2017.
There’s less weight on Lewis Hamilton’s
how he can
shoulders because he’s had so much
recent success. Mercedes has built the
now juggle four
fastest car, but has also been smart
enough to figure out how to build the
chainsaws’
fastest Lewis: keep him happy. To be fair,
McLaren knew that a happy Lewis was a fast Lewis, but there
was something about the Ron Dennis culture of control that
meant Hamilton felt boxed in – almost suffocated towards the
end of his time there. Mercedes has let Hamilton loose.
For example, this winter he embarked on activities that were
great fun, but any one of which could have resulted in a broken
leg or knee, or knackering of numerous other performance-
critical faculties. Lewis started off skiing in Colorado, but
was unimpressed with the snow – so flew to Japan for some
snowboarding. Bones and ligaments intact, he flew to Hawaii,
to knock out a bit of big-wave surfing with Kelly Slater. Hamilton
says he was chuffed to have progressed to a 6in 2ft surfboard,
whatever that means. One half expects him to come back from
his next holiday boasting how he can now juggle four chainsaws.
Ted is the pitlane reporter for Sky Sports F1
058 www.evo.co.uk
Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff recognises the risk that Lewis
might injure himself while having fun, but firmly believes that
not letting him do it in the first place will make him less happy –
and therefore less rapid – in the long run.
So while he’s cheerful, Lewis is also motivated. ‘I’ll continue to
stay in F1 and stay with Mercedes while I have the fire,’ he said
recently. ‘Life is a journey – I’m here to better myself every day
and make sure I’m living my best life.’ All that stands between
Hamilton and his fifth world championship, then, is the car, and
Mercedes shows no sign of messing that up. The designers have
shrink-wrapped the rear of the car to within an inch of its life – it
looks as if someone has put a racing engine and gearbox into a
giant Capri-Sun juice pouch and sucked out all the air.
The engine is equally impressive.
This year’s rules restrict each driver to
only three engines – one fewer than last
year – meaning that each power unit
needs to last seven races, rather than
five. Renault has already admitted it is
having to sacrifice peak performance to
achieve this kind of durability, but not
so Mercedes. It thinks it can have more
performance and better reliability at the
same time. Whether it will be turning
everything up to hit its suspected 1000
horsepower peak remains to be seen. A
thousand horsepower from a 1.6-litre
V6, even with the best energy recovery
system on the planet, is pretty bloody
impressive.
Renault’s reluctance to turn up the wick could cost Max
Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo their chances of a first title.
Verstappen’s impatience for success is admirable, but if race wins
don’t come, for whatever reason, Max runs the risk of falling into
a negative mindset that feeds off itself and ends up affecting
the rest of his team. In this and many other ways, Verstappen
reminds me of Nigel Mansell: the rough-and-tumble racing
style, uncompromising overtakes and sheer guts, blended with
prodigious natural speed. Max is quickly establishing himself as
Red Bull’s number one driver, which is curious, as Ricciardo is
just as good. He can qualify, he can race and he can overtake –
qualities that may see him in a Mercedes before too long.
So, the fight is on. A repeat for Hamilton, revenge for Vettel or
an inaugural for Verstappen? We’re in for a treat.
t @tedkravitz
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 by DAV I D V I V I A N

DIVIDE AND
CONQUER
Aston Martin has sought to put some fresh air
dynamically between the new Vantage and its DB11
grand tourer. We head to the roads of northern
Finland to get an early taste of the result
I
VALO AIRPORT IS GREAT. TINY, A PURVEYOR
of two sizes of huggable toy husky, and rocking a
Christmas Eve aesthetic all year round, Finland’s
northernmost landing strip has something almost
no other airport has: charm. Make that two things:
charm, and a winter-weather proving ground
literally a snowball’s throw away. Called Test World,
it was snapped up by the Millbrook Group in 2015
to be an almost permanently snowy adjunct to its
Bedfordshire-based facility, mainly specialising
in tyre testing where grip is lower than Ant Man’s instep at this
crunchy, deeply sub-zero time of year.
After an evening of beer and bear burgers at a reluctantly post-
Christmas, yet defiantly twinkly Saariselkä – the region’s winter
sports resort – I seem to have time-lapsed back to the softly lit
airport and Millbrook’s adjacent outpost to see the dawn break and
suck in a few litres of lung-shock to disperse the fug. Delivering
a comparable system jolt is the acid yellow and black disruptor
camouflage clinging to (and successfully disrupting) the sharky
shape of this year’s Aston Martin Vantage. It’s being prepped
for the morning’s slither ‘n’ roll around Test World’s solid-white
handling circuit on bespoke cold-weather Pirelli Sottozeros, and
as it’s still in the large, echoey on-site garage facility, its Mercedes-
AMG-sourced twin-turbo 4-litre V8 is burbling a deeply guttural
and reverberant, but assiduously Aston-adjusted, burble.
064 www.evo.co.uk
By the end of its six-week stint at Test World, this final Vantage
prototype will have covered over 12,000 miles on set test
routes, mainly in shifts by teams of local drivers chaperoned by
a couple of engineers and a technician. A diary is kept in which
any untoward occurences are noted and accompanying data
logged, to be reported back to Aston HQ, where, if necessary, it
can be acted upon. Severe cold has a way of targeting things we
in Blighty would never even think of. Frozen starter motors, for
instance. But then that’s the whole point.
Half an hour later it’s out into -18deg C on Pirelli-polished
snow and, counter to expectations, I’m minded to steal a slightly
ungrammatical lyric from the great Bruno Mars. Yeah, we
drippin’ in finesse. It’s freaky, borderline balletic, the Aston’s
artfully confused curves slowly vanishing altogether under a
claggy coating of air-flung snow. And no – given the potency of
the AMG motor’s 503bhp and 505lb ft of torque, the rear-wheel
drive and the modest length of the wheelbase – it don’t make no
sense. Then again, it kind of does. What with the honed drifting
chops of Aston’s (ex-Lotus) dynamics chief Matt Becker and this
being the first Aston chassis he’s developed from scratch – and,
moreover, in close collaboration with the powertrain team. His
silky metering of drift via steering, throttle, transmission and
electronic differential is a palpable, kinetic manifestation of
engineering integration and cohesion, at least some of which
should survive when we swap seats and I get a taste of Test World,

and some of Finland’s equally testing roads, in arguably the first
Aston that will really take the fight to Porsche’s 911.
The joy of finding a seat and driving position that intuitively
click – unlike in the old Vantage – is massaged by cabin
architecture, materials, switchgear ergonomics and dials even
bolder and sexier than the DB11’s. Longer and easier-to-use
paddles, too, and an uncommonly lovely steering wheel, blighted
only by its flat bottom. Overall, though, I can’t recall an Aston
with interior style and substance so seamlessly fused. Becker
suggests I dial myself in with a few laps of the handling circuit,
and quickly runs through the cumulative linked benefits of the
driving modes, adaptive damper settings, eight-speed ZF auto,
a rear axle sub assembly fixed directly to the body without the
cushioning intervention of rubber bushes and, particularly, the
e-diff, which he describes as the chassis’ ‘most powerful tool’.
There are three powertrain and damper modes apiece – Sport,
Sport+ and Track – which can be paired-up any way you want.
‘We’ve shifted everything one to the right compared with the
DB11,’ says Becker. So the ‘soft’ GT mode is forgotten and Track is
added, which itself is more focused and aggressive than Sport+.
The nature of the progression from one to the next is much the
same, though: precisely calibrated incremental stiffening of
the damping, quickening of the throttle response, weighting
of the steering and ballooning volume of pops and bangs from
the exhaust. The commensurate slackening off of the traction
control is implemented by the ESP-controlled e-diff. Unlike a
purely mechanical LSD, this can go from fully open to 100 per
cent locked in a blink and works hand-in-hand with the braked
torque-vectoring. Or you can turn it all off and trust SBA (Snow
Bank Assist) should driver talent part company with what Becker
assures me is the chassis’ benign natural balance.
A STO N M A RT I N VA N TAG E
‘The Vantage is the
Christian Bale of method,
with grace, flow and control’
Naturally, there’s no opportunity up here to get a true feel for the
Vantage’s AMG-nourished performance – 0-62mph in 3.6 seconds
and 195mph V-max for the record – but the way the V8 and ZF
auto do subtle, smooth and gentle at lower speeds, and measure
their contribution to the balance and traction of the chassis, is just
as important. And if your smart electronic differential is tasked
with so much, the ultra-low-mu surface provided by Test World’s
compressed snow certainly gives it plenty to think about.
To start, I stick with the gently buffered slip angles of Sport+
and more right pedal circumspection than Gordon Lightfoot
could summon. Not sliding, however, isn’t a realistic option and,
indeed, an insult to Test World. Besides, even with the Becker
factor sidelined and electronic aids stood down, the Vantage is the
Christian Bale of method on snow and ice, a car that transcends
the script with flattering levels of grace, flow and control, able to
parlay even the most tentative stabs at sustained arcs of drift into
something approximating a Ken Block tribute act. Perhaps just as
importantly, its direct and beautifully weighted steering has bags
of lock, so seriously sideways is usually recoverable. If not, there’s
always SBA. And before we break for a snack and resumption
of business on the road, it comes in handy. Let’s call it a helpful
nudge in the right direction at the optimum moment.
The quality of the powertrain is more evident on the road to…
well, to be frank, who knows? On the Merc-sourced satnav the
www.evo.co.uk 065
A STO N M A RT I N VA N TAG E
Top and above right: camouflage
disguised the new Vantage’s shape
ahead of its recent reveal (see
evo 243). Above: cabin hits the
bullseye, despite flat-bottomed
steering wheel. Right: AMG engine
puts out 503bhp and 505lb ft
066 www.evo.co.uk
smattering of names like Nellim, Alajärvi and, my favourite,
Lemmenjoki, seem promisingly diverse but, in reality, everything
looks the same: uniformly off-white-smeared ribbons of tarmac
scything a mostly straight, gently undulating course through
endless, almost unimaginably pretty pine forests. There isn’t a
breath of wind. The Vantage is finding its voice, and it’s a glorious
sound. ‘We haven’t gone as aggressive as AMG,’ says Becker. ‘We
didn’t want to make it sound as if someone’s shooting a gun at
you on downshifts. This is crisper and more refined, more Aston.’
Fitted with a shallower, Aston-designed wet sump so it can
sit as low and far back in the chassis as possible, the V8, as it
arrives from Affalterbach, also has a new induction and exhaust
system and bespoke engine management software. Such is the
extraordinary flexibility of the motor, effort levels are almost
vanishingly low on these roads, with little need, other than
gratuitously, to dip down into the ZF transmission’s lower ratios.
So I do. The shifts are all but imperceptible, yet seem as swift
as any double-clutch system’s, striking just the right balance
between sporty urgency and refinement. It’s an idea that informs
the spirit of the car – any Becker-developed car, to be fair.
Development metrics set the dynamic agenda. ‘One of my clear
briefs when I arrived at Gaydon was to dynamically separate the
cars,’ he says. ‘To make sure DB11 is the GT car and Vantage is the
sports car. The key differentiation is a metric called roll-per-G:
how much roll do you get for 1G of lateral acceleration. DB11 is
around 3 degrees per G and Vantage is just over 2.’ But, as Becker
proved at Lotus, pin-sharp handling and comfort aren’t mutually
exclusive. It’s as clear as the rising sun here in Finland. The new
Vantage steers so precisely and rides so smoothly it can be guided
with finger and thumb. There are no rough edges, irregularities,
or hidden surprises. In short, it’s got the cold down cold, and in
some style. But I have a feeling it’s the prospect of what comes
next month, when we swap snow and ice for tarmac and pitlanes,
that’s giving executives in Zuffenhausen the shivers. L
‘Such is the extraordinary flexibility of the motor, effort
levels are almost vanishingly low on these roads’
T WO ' S

Audi has dropped its signature quattro system

for the latest version of its V10 supercar. But
can rear-wheel drive make it stand out from
the standard R8, and how will it stack up
against the mighty BMW M4 CS?

by J A M E S D I S DA L E

P H O T O G R A P H Y by D E A N S M I T H
C O M PA N Y
AU D I R 8 R W S v B M W M 4 C S
A U D I R 8 V E R S U S B M W M4 – S U R E LY
we can’t be serious? One’s a low-slung, mid-
engined entry-level supercar, the other a relatively
sensible-looking four-seater coupe, poles apart in
concept and execution. On the face of it, yes, but
these are a pretty special pair, with one specific
quality in common: the R8 V10 RWS (that’s Real
Wheel Series, a moniker that will make more
sense shortly) and M4 CS are driver’s cars, pure
and simple.
At least that’s what their makers say. According to
Audi, the RWS is ‘for purists with an appreciation for
essential driving enjoyment’, while BMW reckons the
CS is ‘the perfect combination for track and everyday
use’. Two wildly divergent approaches maybe, but a
shared and truly focused goal.
To find out whether the reality matches the
hyperbole, we’ve made a beeline for Wales. It’s cold
when we arrive and the tarmac is still glistening from
last night’s rain, but the sun is shining and the roads are
some of the best in the business, so we’ll soon get under
the skin of these dedicated driving machines.
So what makes the RWS so special? Essentially, Audi
has broken with a near 40-year tradition and made a
go-faster model that’s not four-wheel drive. In fact, for
the first time since the 1930s, here is an Audi that’s rear-
wheel drive. It’s lighter than a standard R8, too, the
deletion of driveshafts and differentials shaving 50kg
off the weight of the V10 model. Its chassis has been
tweaked to compensate for the reduction and subtle
relocation of masses, with different spring and damper
rates for the suspension, a stiffer front anti-roll bar and
a subtle remap for the electrically assisted steering.
Opposite page, top:
Oh, and Audi will be building just 999 of them.
M4 can be a handful
on greasy roads. If anything, the M4 is the more extreme machine.
Far right, bottom: Its twin-turbocharged 3-litre straight-six can’t match
straight-six’s 454bhp the Audi’s thundering 533bhp naturally aspirated V10
down on R8’s 533bhp for firepower, but with 454bhp it’s 10bhp up on the M4
070 www.evo.co.uk
Competition Package. Crucially, it’s got more torque
than the R8, with a monstrous 442lb ft from 4000rpm,
compared with the Audi’s 398lb ft at a heady 6500rpm.
With no transmission parts to ditch, BMW’s M Division
has been forced to work harder to shed weight, which is
why carbonfibre is used for the bonnet and the interior
has been stripped of unnecessary fripperies. According
to our scales the CS weighs in at 1610kg, which is 30kg
less than the RWS and 35kg under an M4 Comp Pack.
Like the Audi, a seven-speed twin-clutch is the only
gearbox option (so much for pure driving thrills, eh?).
Parked up next to the R8 the normally muscular
BMW looks tall and narrow, but it’s packed with details,
such as the huge vent in the leading edge of the bonnet,
those lovely 19-inch alloy wheels (wrapped in Michelin
Pilot Sport Cup 2s) and the discreet carbonfibre flap
on the trailing edge of the bootlid. It’s just as special
inside, where Alcantara covers the steering wheel,
pared-back transmission tunnel and dashboard, while
the lightweight door panels feature looped fabric pulls.
By contrast, the Audi looks and feels a little
ordinary. I know the R8 still looks stunning and boasts
a gorgeously executed cabin; it’s just that the RWS
doesn’t offer any clues that it’s something special.
Externally there’s some gloss black trim, while inside
there’s a plaque on the dash that declares this car to be
‘1 of 999’, but in all other respects it’s just another R8.
Still, any thoughts of ‘ordinary’ are shattered the
moment that V10 stirs into life. The way it delivers
its power is addictive, the acceleration building
proportionally with every fraction of an inch of
throttle travel, the ten cylinders delivering an internal
combustion orchestra like few others. Above 4000rpm
the 5.2-litre really gets into its stride, accelerating with
real ferocity, and emitting a spine-tingling howl that
has you chasing the 8500rpm red line time and again.
What’s most surprising is the traction, even in the
wet. The combination of a rearward weight bias, that
deliciously precise throttle and relatively sensible
Pirelli P Zeros allows the RWS to dig in and accelerate
without hesitation. Audi’s figures suggest the lack of a
 ‘If anything, the M4 is the
more extreme machine, with a
monstrous 442lb ft of torque’
 Audi R8 V10 RWS BMW M4 CS
Engine V10, 5204cc Engine In-line 6-cyl, 2979cc, twin-turbo
Power 533bhp @ 7800rpm Power 454bhp @ 6250rpm
Torque 398lb ft @ 6500rpm Torque 442lb ft @ 4000-5380rpm
Weight 1590kg (claimed) Weight 1580kg (claimed)
Power-to-weight 341bhp/ton Power-to-weight 292bhp/ton
0-62mph 3.7sec (claimed) 0-62mph 3.9sec (claimed)
Top speed 199mph (claimed) Top speed 174mph (limited)
Basic price £112,450 Basic price £91,050
evo rating ;;334 evo rating ;;334
 AU D I R 8 RWS v B M W M 4 C S

‘Official figures say driven front axle makes the RWS slower off the line, its
0-62mph time of 3.7sec putting it two tenths behind the

the CS is slower to
quattro version, but once rolling there’s barely anything
between them. Helping here is the seven-speed S-tronic
transmission that serves up shifts so fast and seamless
62mph, but in the there’s no destabilising forces as the next ratio slips
home, and a ride that’s surprisingly compliant, even

real world there on passive dampers. Brutal throttle applications betray

the rear-driven layout, but only via the briefest flicker
of the stability control warning light.
really is nothing to The difference with the CS couldn’t be starker – and
not just because it feels like you’re stepping into an SUV

separate them’ after the limbo-low R8. Squeeze the throttle in these
greasy conditions and the M4 veers between unsettling
and terrifying. Without the necessary temperature
in their treads, the Michelins struggle to contain the
demonic forces bursting from the blown six-pot. Even
with the stability control enabled the BMW struggles –
with everything switched off you’ll need to have eaten
all your Weetabix, because wheelspin is as likely in fifth
gear at 70mph as it is in first at 7mph. Yet as the roads
dry out and the tyres warm through, we see the CS’s
true potential. With decent purchase on the tarmac the
M4 accelerates with vicious intent. Official figures say
the CS is two tenths behind the RWS to 62mph, but in
the real world there really is nothing to separate them.
What the M4 really lacks is the Audi’s symphonic
accompaniment. BMW has deleted the electronic
engine augmentation for the CS, giving the 3-litre a
more natural voice. Yet while there’s a deep, bassy idle
and a crackling bellow as you push it harder, in this
company it’s more pub singer than Pavarotti.
Press on in the BMW and at first it all feels very
familiar from the standard M4, with the same meaty
steering that gives a sense of instant connection with the
tarmac, plus the same slightly stiff-legged ride. There’s
also still a bewildering array of steering, gearbox and
engine maps to choose from, but after some mixing and
matching I settle on the softest dampers, the lightest
steering, Sport for the engine and stability control, and
the least brutal gearshift strategy – the quicker shifts
are too harsh and liable to upset the already edgy M4.
There’s terrific bite from the front axle, allowing you
to place the car with almost laser-guided precision.
Turn-in is so quick that when the tyres are cold and
the stability control snoozing you’ll get a surprising
amount of oversteer into the corner, which turns into
an even bigger slide wide on the exit. The near-perfect
balance makes it fairly straightforward to gather
up, but this wayward behaviour makes it difficult to
take a committed approach. However, as the ambient
temperatures rise, the BMW and I click. The CS
starts to dig in, delivering strong grip and impressive
traction; now I can make use of its shattering pace.
With this newfound trust comes the ability to exploit
the balance and torque to steer the CS on the throttle,

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‘In pure EV mode, it’s a rear-drive
coupe with a projected 4.0sec
0-62mph time’

Left: rear-drive and on one particular S-bend
R8 proves stable it all comes together, the BMW
unless really
provoked (above).
dancing this way and that, just
over the edge of grip but totally
Below, far left:
RWS is a limited in control. It’s a reminder that,
edition. Below left: given the right road and the
Audi V10 still epic right temperatures, the CS can
lift its game above the already
covetable M4 Competition Package.
It takes a little time to adapt to the R8 after a spell
in the M4, not least because it feels so low and wide.
Yet the Audi soon reminds you why it is one of the most
user-friendly mid-engined machines out there. It just
feels so polished and effortless, but not in a remote and
detached way. The steering isn’t as hefty as the BMW’s,
but it’s quick and offers decent feel, allowing you to
instinctively judge the amount of grip. Unlike the M4,
the R8 feels stable on turn-in, with the merest hint of
stabilising understeer. This can build frustratingly if
you’re early on the throttle, but allow the Audi to settle,
feed in the power, and the car gently transitions to a
neutral stance, helping straighten it for a slingshot
exit. It’s efficient and fast, yet engaging at the same
time. This feeling of well-honed poise is enhanced by
the impressive body control, the long and wide Audi
shrugging off bigger bumps that knock the taller and
more stiffly suspended BMW fractionally off line.
It’s a hugely impressive display, but also a familiar
one, because at the moment the RWS feels just like
the quattro R8. Maybe we’re not trying hard enough. I
attack the same stretch of road again, with the stability
control disabled and with extra commitment. It’s just
as composed as before, until we reach a well-sighted,
uphill hairpin. Brake hard, hook second gear and turn
in. Initially the RWS feels stable and locked on its line,
so with the chassis loaded up I get greedy with the
throttle – and it’s then that the tail suddenly swings
wide, the combination of power and that pendulum of
an engine doing their best to rotate the car in its own
length. The quick steering helps get things back on
track, but quite a lot of space is needed to gather it all
up. That might be OK on track, but on the road in a car
this big, it’s a sobering moment, and perhaps a glimpse
that, like a coupe that’s been chopped into a convertible
ZXZXZXZXZXZXZXZXZX
‘The power and that
pendulum of an engine
do their best to rotate
the R8 in its own length’
late in its model cycle, the R8 was never intended to be
anything other than four-wheel drive. In fairness, it’s
the only time the R8 really misbehaves, but there’s
always the feeling it’s just a small overstep away from
doing it again, and that it won’t telegraph the transition
loudly enough to avoid disaster.
It’s a timely reminder that neither of these machines
is perfect. More importantly, neither really delivers on
its promise of being the ultimate driver’s car. The M4
CS’s peaks are slightly higher than those of the standard
Competition Package, but it needs all the stars to be
aligned for it to hit those heights. It’s a beguiling device,
but unless you’re planning on spending lots of time
on track then the more useable Competition Package
delivers 99 per cent of the thrills for £27,630 less.
Despite its flaws, the RWS still feels more
extraordinary and memorable. Whereas the BMW is
beset by the compromises of what is essentially a four-
seater saloon trying to play sports car, the Audi feels
like the real deal. It’s also blessed with one of the best
engines in the business. Frankly, it could be shackled
to a chassis with two left feet and you’d still forgive it
the moment you first hear its sonorous cry and feel its
explosive energy. Fortunately the R8 has real ability,
albeit the sort that’s been smothered in a sheen of
‘Audi-ness’ that aims to make it as easy to live with as
an A3, but which also keeps you from fully connecting
with the machine beneath. And this is ultimately the
undoing of the RWS, because for most of the time it
feels just like the standard R8. Only in extremis is there
a difference, and in those situations you’ll crave the
quattro’s more cultured manners. It’s a fine machine,
the R8 V10 RWS, but not a true driver’s car. For that,
you’ll need to look elsewhere…
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R8 RWS v GT 3
So R8 RWS beats M4 CS, but what about that other highly rated six-cylinder German coupe?
O
K, SO LET’S GET THE
spoiler alert out of the way
right at the start. There
will be fist pumping or eye
rolling depending on your
point of view, but the Porsche 911 GT3
wins this contest. And it’s not a skin-of-the-
teeth, just-scrape-by victory – it’s a proper,
pants-down drubbing of the Audi. That’s
not to say the R8 RWS is a bad car – far from
it. It’s simply the Porsche is jaw-droppingly
brilliant. In the realm of true driver’s cars,
the GT3 remains the undisputed king.
Ultimately, it comes down to focus and
feel, and while the RWS is pitched as a car
that delivers these in spades, in reality
it feels much like the standard car upon
which it is based. That’s certainly not an
076 www.evo.co.uk
accusation that could be levelled at the
GT3, which sends out ‘special’ signals from
the moment you slide into its deep and
supportive Sports Bucket Seats (£2694)
and discover the steering wheel and pedals
are placed just where you want them. You
don’t get the same feeling from the slightly
high-set driving position of the Audi.
Twist the GT3’s key and the naturally
aspirated 4-litre flat-six barks into life
before settling to its familiar chuntering
idle overlaid with percussive transmission
chatter. Travel 50 yards and you appreciate
the beautiful weight to the controls, the
panoramic view out and the fact that the
911 feels so wieldy compared with the
wide and low R8. Even at walking pace
there’s a sense of connection that’s absent
from both the Audi and the BMW M4 CS.
Up the pace and all those early messages
are amplified in high fidelity, the Porsche
offering a truly immersive experience. So
complete is the GT3’s dynamic repertoire
that it’s hard to know where to start.
However, the steering is a pretty good
place. It’s not as quick as some, but its rate
of response is gloriously natural, making it
child’s play to place the car just so. It sends
back all the right messages too, but filters
out all the ones you don’t need, helping to
build an accurate and fuzz-free picture of
what’s going on at the tarmac.
The trick four-wheel steering works
its magic here, helping to neutralise
the understeer that was the scourge of
earlier 911s while also making full use
Porsche 911 GT3 (991.2)
Engine Flat-six, 3996cc
Power 493bhp @ 8250rpm
Torque 339lb ft @ 6000rpm
Weight 1413kg (claimed)
Power-to-weight 355bhp/ton
0-62mph 3.9sec (claimed)
Top speed 198mph (claimed)
Basic price £111,802
evo rating ;;333
 ZXZXZXZXZXZXZXZXZX

‘It’s not a skin-of-the-teeth,

just-scrape-by victory – it’s a
proper, pants-down drubbing’

of the outrigger engine’s traction benefits.
In fact, so perfectly honed is the car’s
steering, suspension geometry and weight
management that the Michelin Pilot Sport
Cup 2s find tenacious grip where the same
rubber fitted to the M4 CS delivers far too
many heart-pumping slide-wide moments.
Yet that’s not to say the grippy 911 is a one-
dimensional machine – far from it. Push
harder and you’ll discover extraordinary
adjustability and nuance, with each
application of the steering, throttle and
brakes eliciting a response that’s clearly
telegraphed and perfectly proportionate
to the original input. The more you put in,
the more the GT3 gives back, making it
a car that’s as rewarding for novices as it
is for grizzled 911 veterans. This sense is
rammed home by the expertly calibrated
stability control, which is less intrusive and
softer edged when fully engaged than the
Audi’s is in its Sport setting.
If there’s one area where the R8 pips
the Porsche, it’s the engine. There’s little
in it for performance, where the 911’s
lower 493bhp output is offset by the leaner
1452kg kerb weight recorded on our scales.
The 4-litre feels just as torquey low down
and has an even more voracious appetite
for revs, greedily chowing down on its diet
of superunleaded and oxygen until the rev
limiter calls time at a barely believable
9000rpm, at which point you’re travelling
very quickly indeed. Yet even at flat chat,
where it emits a hollow metallic howl, the
GT3’s flat-six is just shaded for musical
virtuosity by the Audi’s operatic V10.
Yet this one extremely minor demerit
isn’t enough to slow the Porsche’s ascent
to greatness. No matter which way you cut
it, the GT3 is a remarkable bit of kit and its
talents run waaaaay too deep for it to be
troubled by the RWS, which is a car that feels
as much clever marketing exercise as it does
real engineering achievement. By contrast,
the Porsche has the aura of a car that’s
been treated to a bottomless development
budget, plus it oozes genuine motorsport
credibility. Factor in the intoxicating
driving experience and you end up looking
at the £111,802 starting price and thinking
‘how on earth do they do it for the money?’
You want a purist driver’s car? At this level,
only the 911 GT3 delivers. L

Audi R8 V10 RWS

Engine V10, 5204cc
Power 533bhp @ 7800rpm
Torque 398lb ft @ 6500rpm
Weight 1590kg (claimed)
Power-to-weight 341bhp/ton
0-62mph 3.7sec (claimed)
Top speed 199mph (claimed)
Basic price £112,450
evo rating ;;334

www.evo.co.uk 077
 HOW MAZDA
PL ANS TO SAVE

THE PETROL
ENGINE
Car makers may be falling over themselves in
the rush to electrification, but for its advanced
Skyactiv-X engine series, due to debut in the next
3 model in 2019, Mazda has other ideas

by A N T O N Y I N G R A M
M A Z DA S KYACT I V-X

M
AZDA MUST SPEND ITS MONEY
wisely. With a global output of
around 1.6million vehicles per
year, it’s a long way down the
automotive pecking order, and
its independence means it lacks
the economies of scale present in
companies such as the Volkswagen
Group, Toyota, Hyundai and Kia,
or General Motors.
Yet this independence also gives Mazda relatively
free rein to forge its own development path. No
other company persisted with Wankel rotary
engines for as long as Hiroshima’s engineers (not
necessarily a wise investment, but one indicative
of Mazda’s focus on finding engineering solutions
to problems), and as the rest of the industry turned
to turbocharging and downsizing to reduce its
environmental impact, Mazda implemented what it
calls ‘rightsizing’: refining conventional combustion
engines with improved technology and making them
appropriately sized for their application.
The company’s upcoming combustion engine
series, dubbed Skyactiv-X, takes the concept of
constant technological refinement to its next logical
stage and introduces a technology several companies
have tried, and failed, to implement in the past with
petrol engines: compression ignition.
The idea in itself is nothing new. Diesel engines
already operate on the principle of compression
ignition and several companies have experimented
with it in petrol cars at the prototype stage. Infiniti’s
recently introduced variable-compression engine,
while not running on compression ignition as yet,
features technology that could make it possible with
petrol vehicles in the future. But Mazda has found a
way to do it today, and with much less complication
than previous experiments with the technology.
To explain how it works, one must first understand
the basic principles of homogenous charge
compression ignition (HCCI). HCCI engines operate
by the fuel and air mixture spontaneously igniting
at the end of the compression stroke in a four-cycle
combustion engine. The ignition is caused by the
increase in temperature of the mixture as a result
of its compression – to a higher ratio than would
Far right: Kai
concept from 2017
Tokyo motor show
shows how next-
generation Mazda 3
could look. Right:
more rigid body-in-
white contributes to
overall refinement
be used by a spark-ignition engine. The process is
more efficient than spark ignition, partly because
the charge ignites throughout the entire combustion
chamber at once, rather than propagating from
around a spark plug, and partly because the engine
uses a leaner mixture. As Mazda puts it, faster
combustion gets more work out of the same energy.
However, HCCI is also difficult to control and
works effectively in only a limited window of
operation: at relatively low engine speeds and at
relatively low loads. Introducing a spark to the
process and switching between spark ignition and
HCCI is a solution to that problem, but a complicated
and expensive one, requiring different conditions in
the cylinder depending on the mode of operation.
Mazda’s solution is called SPCCI, or spark-
controlled compression ignition. Yes, it uses a spark,
and the engine can operate as a conventional spark-
ignition engine when required, but the spark is also
used to initiate compression ignition without the
need to mechanically increase the compression ratio
of the engine, and therefore complexity and expense
are reduced. So how does SPCCI work?
In its regular state, the Skyactiv-X engine runs a
high compression ratio of 16:1 – but that’s not high
enough to cause compression ignition on its own.
During the induction stroke, air is pushed into the
cylinder with a belt-driven supercharger and fuel
from a high-pressure injector. The shapes of the
combustion chamber and piston crown promote
swirl and even distribution of the lean mixture.
During the compression stroke, the same injector
then fires again, delivering a slightly richer mixture
to the area around the spark plug. When the spark
plug fires at the start of the expansion stroke, it
ignites the richer mixture and creates what Mazda
describes as an ‘air piston’: a rapidly expanding
flame front, raising compression in the chamber,

080 www.evo.co.uk
which in turn spontaneously ignites the remaining,
leaner charge.
The compression ignition phase is constantly
controlled so that it happens just after top dead
centre, where it can do the most efficient work.
The split injection process also helps prevent
uncontrolled compression ignition, or ‘knock’, as the
initial mixture is too lean to pre-ignite before the
final, richer mixture is injected.
A pressure sensor in each cylinder allows the
engine’s computer to constantly control spark and fuel
injection timing depending on load or engine speed,
and if required the system can transition seamlessly
from SPCCI to conventional spark ignition. To achieve
this the injector gradually moves from its split cycle
to a single, more typical charge that is ignited purely
by the spark. This happens when the driver demands
higher loads or higher engine speeds. At the other
end of the scale, during very light loads and low
engine speeds, an even leaner mixture can be used
for greater fuel efficiency, with SPCCI able to prevent
the typical lean-burn issue of incomplete ignition.
The Skyactiv-X engine works on the Miller
combustion cycle, which is essentially a supercharged
version of the Atkinson cycle used in Mazda’s
current Skyactiv petrol engines. The Atkinson cycle
delays the closing of the intake valves during the
compression stroke, reducing the compression ratio
and the quantity of fuel/air mixture that is ignited.
Meanwhile, the power stroke is effectively longer
than the compression stroke – it extends past the
‘Mazda’s upcoming Skyactiv-X introduces a
technology several companies have tried, and
failed, to implement in the past’
point where compression began – so the amount of
force generated by the combustion is maximised,
meaning greater efficiency has been achieved. In
a Miller engine, supercharging ensures enough air
pressure at low engine speeds to mitigate the power
loss from having a lower effective compression ratio.
The Roots-type supercharger is belt-driven from
the engine, but parasitic load is reduced with a
magnetic clutch, meaning the supercharger only
runs when it’s required to supply suitable volumes
of air for the required lean mixtures. So different
is its purpose from the performance-biased forced
induction we’re more familiar with that Mazda
prefers to refer to it as an ‘air pump’, rather than
describing it as a supercharger.
The more you delve into the technology, the
cleverer it seems. For instance, a problem with
lean-burn engines has always been high levels of
NOx pollution – a result of the higher combustion
temperatures involved when running lean. This
usually requires a NOx trap in the exhaust system
to meet emissions regulations, but because the
Skyactiv-X engine can precisely control combustion,
it runs cooler than previous lean-burn engines, so
produces lower levels of NOx. The complication and
expense of a NOx trap is, therefore, unnecessary.
Nor is noise a problem. The clatter normally
associated with compression ignition engines is
absent, because the engine’s base 16:1 compression
ratio isn’t actually that high in comparison with many
diesel engines. It’s only a little higher than Mazda’s
P O RS C H E 7 1 8 CAY M A N GTS

‘Mazda might end up the last

bastion of technology that has
defined transport for 100 years’
existing Skyactiv-G unit, in fact, so the engine’s
construction, while all-new, isn’t far removed from
the company’s current petrol engines. Extra sound-
damping material around the engine muffles any
difference you might otherwise hear, while the
precise ignition control means vibration isn’t an
issue, either.
Variable valve timing is used, allowing the engine
to switch between its leaner and richer mixtures as
required, but Mazda has avoided the complexity of
variable valve lift, the engine’s air and fuel demands
instead controlled by the supercharger and with the
high-pressure injectors.
The only significant change has been to design an
all-new computer to handle the calculations – Mazda
initially tried its Skyactiv-G ECU, but the calculations
needed to carry out SPCCI quickly overloaded it. The
engine has also been designed to work with mild
hybrid electrification – think an integrated starter-
generator – but it’s not strictly necessary for the
operation of the Skyactiv-X unit.
The benefits of all of this? Firstly, it works just as
well with a manual transmission as it does with an
automatic, so Mazda has no plans to ditch its snappy
six-speed stick-shifts just yet. Better still, because
the range over which the engine operates efficiently
is now so wide – Mazda’s graphs suggest it can run
as efficiently at 5000rpm as the existing Skyactiv-G
does at 3000rpm – engineers have discovered
that they can use a shorter final drive for punchier
acceleration, without any fuel economy penalty.
Torque is also up by around 30 per cent compared
with Mazda’s existing 2-litre petrol engines, and fuel
economy is 20 to 30 per cent better, even at this early
stage. Not just on paper or in a laboratory either, but
in the real world, where it actually matters. Mazda
says its Skyactiv-X engine actually betters its current
diesel units in some types of driving, without the
downsides of diesel combustion.
The next-generation Mazda 3, due in 2019,
will be the first production Mazda to combine the
technology with the company’s latest evolution of
its Kodo design philosophy, with the 3-sized Kai
concept from 2017’s Tokyo motor show giving a clear
preview as to the model’s new look.
AndSkyactivismorethanjustanenginephilosophy
– it also applies to the company’s next-generation
vehicle architecture, with a more torsionally rigid
platform, revised suspension and tyre kinematics,
improved NVH characteristics and redesigned seats

076 www.evo.co.uk

Above: Skyactiv-X engine promises improved acceleration but without any penalty when it comes to fuel economy –
torque is up 30 per cent and mpg by a similar amount; engine will debut in production form in the new Mazda 3 in 2019
all contributing to a more comfortable drive, without
reducing the kind of involving driving experience
Mazda is keen to promote through all of its models.
A drive of a Mazda 3 Skyactiv-X 2-litre prototype
suggests the company is on the right track. The
engine takes a few moments to turn over, before
firing up to a steady, quiet hum. Any preconceptions
that there might be some diesel-style rattle – at idle,
the Skyactiv-X operates in compression ignition
mode – are quickly dispelled, and if anything the
forced induction, and Mazda’s efforts to clothe the
unit in more sound-damping material, mean it’s even
more hushed than the Skyactiv-G unit.
Driving with the new engine feels completely
normal, and that, of course, is the point. Driven back-
to-back with the current car, the gearshift feels a
little chunkier, and there’s a little more weight to the
clutch pedal, but otherwise Mazda’s current, linear
controls seem present and correct.
Low-rev, small-throttle-opening response seems
ever so slightly behind the naturally aspirated
Skyactiv-G, but the difference really is negligible.
The engine responds predictably when rolling on
and off the throttle, and refuses to labour even from
tickover at higher loads, pulling with a turbodiesel-
style insistence, but without the boosty delivery
associated with such engines.
A tablet computer attached to the dash indicates
when the engine is running in spark ignition, SPCCI
M A Z DA S KYAC T I V-X
and lean-burn modes. It switches between the
first two frequently depending on load and engine
speed – though predominantly runs in SPCCI, just
as Mazda claims – and changes to the last mode
during low-revs, low-load driving. Without the lights
flashing away it’s impossible to tell how the engine is
operating from the driving experience alone.
At this early stage the Skyactiv-X unit also creates
less vibration and buzz than Mazda’s current 2-litre
offering and there are lower levels of noise from
behind the wheel, and while the engine doesn’t
develop a particularly sporty tone, nor is it unpleasant
– some modern acoustic exhaust tuning and
generated sound could easily inject some character
in sportier applications.
Refinement is enhanced further by Mazda’s
new, more rigid body-in-white. Road noise seems
lower than in the current Mazda 3, and the kind
of drumming resonance you get with certain road
surfaces is absent. In combination with the Skyactiv
programme’s redesigned seats, the prototype’s
refinement, solidity and tight construction bode very
well indeed for Mazda’s next-generation cars, from 3s
to MX-5s, and perhaps even an RX-8 successor.
While the rest of the industry moves towards
downsizing and electrification, the relatively small
car maker from Hiroshima might one day end up
being the last accessible bastion of the technology
that has defined transportation for over 100 years. L
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R E N AU LT C L I O 2 0 0 C U P v P E U G EOT 2 0 8 GT i b y P S

by A N T O N Y I N G R A M | P H O T O G R A P H Y by A S T O N PA R RO T T

TÊTE-
À -T Ê T E Peugeot’s 208 GTi by Peugeot Sport is the pick of the current hot supermini
brigade, but how will it fare against one of the all-time greats of the breed,
the Renault Sport Clio 200 Cup?
M c L A R E N 570 S S P I D E R
A FTER ALL THE FUN – THE WIGGLE OF
the front wheels over a crest, the squealy-tyred
passes for the photographer, the sound of an
angry four-cylinder reverberating between
Welsh dry-stone walls – and long after the
cars are handed back to their keepers, evo’s
production staff toil away in a stuffy office to
ensure our efforts on the road don’t turn into a
jumble of incoherent colours, shapes and characters by the time
the issue drops through your letterbox.
The most difficult task, I’m told, is trying to reproduce in print
the retina-piercing vibrancy of Renault’s Alien Green metallic
paintwork. Thanks to their efforts, the Clio 200 Cup you see
here undoubtedly looks fantastic on the page, but for the full
experience of its bulldog bodywork extensions and amphibious
hue there’s nothing quite like setting it against an Elan Valley
backdrop and drinking in the details.
It’s making the nearby Peugeot 208 GTi by Peugeot Sport
look a little like someone has left their rental car behind for a
day’s hiking in the valleys. The 208 is here because, well, it’s our
favourite supermini right now and about the most focused hot
hatch available at any price point, but we’re curious to see if our
current favourite really is as good as we think it is. The Clio 200
Cup is one of the all-time greats and also represents a naturally
aspirated formula no longer available in this class.
If there’s a sense we might be missing out, the Peugeot isn’t
making the best first impression to convince us otherwise. The
086 www.evo.co.uk
glossy white coachwork and matt black wheels appear somewhat
unadventurous next to the tree frog-tinted Cup, or when
compared with the more visually arresting ‘Coupe Franche’
(black and blue two-tone) scheme of our long-term 208.
Refocus though and you’ll clock the way the Pilot Super Sports
completely fill each slightly blistered plastic arch, and the subtle
chequered flag motif in the front grille. There’s also just a hint
of a red stripe in the lower grille, and at the rear a pair of round
tailpipes grouped to the right of what Peugeot’s marketers might
have you believe is a diffuser. And all four wheels appear pushed
to the furthest extremes of the bodywork.
Spawned by the limited-run 30th Anniversary model
launched in 2014, the Peugeot Sport gains a Torsen limited-slip
differential over standard 208 GTis and enjoys a wider track, by
22mm at the front and 16mm at the rear. It also sits 10mm lower
than a regular GTi, with spring rates up an eyebrow-raising 80
per cent. Wheels are up an inch in diameter to 18 inches, and
behind the fronts you’ll find a Brembo brake set-up.
There’s no risk of mistaking the Clio for a rental unless you’re
parked outside the Pistenklause. Fellow staffer Will Beaumont
has been buzzing around it since I pulled up, telling me how it’s
still the best hot hatch he’s ever driven. ‘It’s the footprint that
really sets it apart from the 208,’ he reckons, and it’s hard to
disagree – it looks a good foot wider than its compatriot. No mere
black plastic extensions here, either, just serious panelwork so
wide that the 200 and its 197 predecessor had to be built on a
separate production line from other Clios.

The Renault also has two tailpipes, but they emerge from
either side of an aerodynamic device that stretches far past the
trailing edge of the rear bumper, having started somewhere
ahead of the rear axle line. And the front arches aren’t just
wide, they also feature supercar-style vents to allow pressurised
air to escape, reducing front lift. There’s a wider track than
standard, too, front and rear, along with other surreptitious
changes compared with the earlier 197, including stiffer springs
front (by 27 per cent) and rear (30 per cent). The dampers
were also firmed up by 15 per cent, while a 7.5 per cent quicker
steering rack was used. Unlike the Peugeot, however, there’s no
limited-slip differential.
I opted for the Clio for the journey to Wales, having spent
plenty of time in the Pug before today. The potential for a
hellish journey is always high on the schlep from Northants
and, true enough, cloying traffic turns a three-hour trip into a
four-hour one. Only it isn’t really hellish. Unless you’re seriously
mollycoddled then there’s nothing particularly taxing about a
sub-ten-year-old car with air conditioning, power steering and a
surprisingly pliant motorway gait.
The engine is strong too. When you’ve been spoilt by
turbocharging, it’s easy to forget that a naturally aspirated
2-litre engine in a relatively small and lightweight car is more
than enough for decent forward momentum, and while you
do need to change down to get the best from the F4R 832 unit,
that’s no hardship thanks to the six-speed’s gearshift. The wand-
like lever may look like it’ll stir through a bag of cockles, but the
Top left: hard plastics date the
Clio’s cabin, and if you’re being
picky the excellent Recaro seats are
mounted too high; once you start
driving hard, though, you adjust
R E N AU LT C L I O 2 0 0 C U P v P E U G EOT 2 0 8 GT i b y PS
‘It’s easy to forget that a
naturally aspirated 2-litre
engine in a small, light car
is more than enough’
action is short and it slots swiftly through the gate with a mere
flick of the wrist.
Before you even get near any roads worthy of a car with so
much development bulging from its arches, the Clio makes
you reappraise what’s really necessary from a car like this. The
dashboard’s a bit nasty, yes, but we’re not talking Renault 5
flakiness here. There’s no satnav and no USB slot, but the bits
that matter – steering wheel, gearknob, seats – are quality items,
and everything else simply does the minimum you’d expect of it.
If there’s an immediate black mark it’s that the seats – the highly
desirable optional Recaros in this car – seem mounted a touch
too high, once a common Clio trait.
The Peugeot sits you lower; surprisingly so, in fact, given
the divisive ‘i-Cockpit’ dashboard layout, with its diddy wheel
and raised dials, invite a higher perch. But while it’s one of the
more agreeable and tactile cabins in its class, it all seems like
tinsel after the Clio’s pared-back environs. The gearknob is more
ornate but not any better to hold; same goes for the unusually
R E N AU LT C L I O 2 0 0 C U P v P E U G EOT 2 0 8 GT i b y P S

‘The 208’s sharp

steering lets you
hook its nose right
into an apex’

088 www.evo.co.uk
Above left: 208 GTi has shaped steering wheel. The satin-
superb grip and eager finish pedals may gleam at you
turn-in, but the Clio’s from the footwell, yet they could be
lithe chassis gives it the
Teflon-coated for all the grip they
advantage. Below left: the
Peugeot’s shrunken wheel offer your soles, and they’re ill-
seems gimmicky beside the positioned for the kind of heel-and-
Renault’s traditional item toe action that you’d hope would
be encouraged.
Don’t be fooled by the fussiness. On very first impression,
the 208 GTi actually shades the Cup. No, really. It’s more
accelerative, more immediate in its steering responses, and
stands on its nose more readily when you hit the middle pedal.
It’s also just a little easier to extract the bulk of its performance,
with a lighter touch to all the controls and the feeling you can
clip each apex a little tighter without worrying about skimming
an extended arch on a granite outcrop.
Be in no doubt, either, that the shift to turbocharging has
bred some truly rapid little cars. The sound emitted by the
208’s tailpipes won’t stir the soul but the accompanying pace
is rampant if you’re inclined to use all the revs. It won’t protest
if you do, either – Peugeot’s 1.6 is a cracking little unit, feeling
strong from little more than tickover until the last few rpm
before it bats into the limiter.
It’s an exciting car, this, your charge through the gears
accompanied by some tugging at the small-diameter wheel
–enough to feel like you’re working the tyres (and you really
are), but not enough that you’re constantly having to nudge
the 208 back on track. Corners will paste a huge grin over your
face too, the strong brakes and sharp steering letting you hook
the nose right into an apex before sinking the throttle once
more and feeling the Torsen diff fire extra torque to the loaded
outer wheel. ‘It seems to have more turn-in grip than the Clio,’
observes Will. I concur. The inside rear can be found hanging
a few inches from the ground, the grip of its counterpart
neither too great to induce understeer nor too little that you’ll
have to deal with a spike of old-school Peugeot tail-happiness
– unless you provoke it with a lift of the throttle, that is, in
which case it can get fully lairy. It’s lost none of the 205 GTi’s
appetite for oversteer.
But there’s a nagging feeling in this company that Peugeot has
prioritised ability over tactility. Rushing through the gearbox
is rendered little more than a necessary process by the slightly
clunky, long-winded throw, and when you make that initial
movement through the steering, you register its effect through
your eyes rather than your palms. The brakes are mighty but
the pedal slightly spongy, and great though the engine is, small,
feathered movements of the throttle have no appreciable effect.
The Clio addresses all this and delivers more besides. Its
steering feels a little dead at first, a little gummy off-centre, a
little slow to respond. It’s less immediately rewarding than the
darty Pug’s. Work at it, though, and as loads grow through the
tyres, as steering angles increase, the Clio’s front end comes
alive. The rack is ultra-precise, it’s just a little lower-geared than
that of the 208, and the bigger wheel requires you to make more
deliberate movements, steering from your shoulders rather than
your wrists. The high-set seats encourage you to lean into the
wheel too, like in a classic Mini. It’s as if the seat is pushing you
over the front axle, and once you’re locked into that feeling, by
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R E N AU LT C L I O 2 0 0 C U P v P E U G EOT 2 0 8 GT i b y P S

Left: Clio doesn’t suffer

torque-steer out of corners; the
torquier turbocharged Pug relies
massively on its Torsen diff to get it
cleanly away from the apex

comparison it can seem as if you’re removed from the action in Peugeot 208 GTi by PS Renault Sport Clio 200 Cup
the low-set Peugeot.
Torque-steer is almost completely absent in the Renault, not Engine In-line, 1598cc, turbo Engine In-line 4-cyl, 1998cc
least because its naturally aspirated engine hasn’t got much Power 205bhp @ 6000rpm Power 197bhp @ 7100rpm
Torque 221lb ft @ 3000rpm Torque 159lb ft @ 5400rpm
torque. The wheel doesn’t tug out of tight corners and it doesn’t
Transmission Six-speed manual, front- Transmission Six-speed manual, front-
hunt about on straight but uneven sections of tarmac. You’re wheel drive, limited-slip diff wheel drive
not getting less information than the 208 provides – quite the Front suspension MacPherson struts, Front suspension MacPherson struts, coil
contrary. The Clio is simply giving you the information that coil springs, dampers, anti-roll bar springs, dampers, anti-roll bar
matters. As Will points out: ‘The Peugeot needs its limited- Rear suspension Torsion beam, coil Rear suspension Torsion beam, coil springs,
slip diff, but while it has more torque, it’s not as linear nor as springs, dampers, anti-roll bar dampers, anti-roll bar
Brakes 266mm ventilated discs front, Brakes 312mm ventilated discs front,
responsive as the Clio.’ Rare too is a car that feels so locked-
249mm solid discs rear 300mm solid discs rear
down, so abundant in its reserves of grip, yet also so malleable. Wheels 7 x 18in Wheels 7 x 17in
The Clio sits low and wide but it dances like it’s on its tip-toes. Tyres 205/40 ZR18 Tyres 215/45 ZR17
And the damping… good grief this is good. The older, 182 Clio Weight 1160kg Weight 1204kg
Trophy gets plenty of praise for its remote-reservoir Sachs units, Power-to-weight 180bhp/ton Power-to-weight 166bhp/ton
but it’s hard to imagine how you could improve the Cup’s set-up. 0-62mph 6.5sec (claimed) 0-62mph 7.3sec (claimed)
Top speed 143mph (claimed) Top speed 141mph (claimed)
It’s telling that Renault Sport didn’t go down the Trophy route
Basic price £23,550 Price today from £6000
with this generation. The 200 Cup rides beautifully at speed, yet
body control is absolute. Chasing the 208, we thump through a evo rating evo rating
steep dip at speed. I say thump, but the Clio just seems to ignore
it, absorbing every millimetre of the compression – no contact
with the bump-stops, no graunch of splitter on tarmac – and
carries on as if it was just another minor blemish in the road.
The Peugeot is a fine hot hatchback, a car that blends wieldy
size with knockout performance and an engaging chassis, and a
car that restored our faith in Peugeot’s ability to operate on the
same level it used to in the ’80s and ’90s. ‘The 208 does 90 to 95
per cent of what the Clio can do,’ remarks Will, ‘but to achieve
that it has to have an LSD and super-sticky tyres. Fundamentally,
the Renault simply has an exceptionally well-sorted chassis.’
Both the 208 GTi and Clio Cup are essentially modified
shopping cars, but the Renault Sport product feels as though it
was engineered as a performance car from the ground up. It not
only outpoints the Peugeot, it really is one of the all-time greats,
regardless of genre or price. Or, indeed, age. L

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 by H E N RY C AT C H P O L E

P H O T O G R A P H Y by DA M I A N B L A K E M O R E

CURVE
APPEAL
With a turbocharged flat-four nestled
where the flat-six used to be, can Porsche’s
latest Cayman GTS still thrill us in the
Pyrenees – and match up to its forebear?
R E N AU LT M ÉGA N E R S

‘Apart from
being a little
loud, the GTS
fulfills the
GT part of its
assignation
very well’
T
HE VOICE COMES OVER THE
tannoy: ‘Thank you, crew. That’s ten
minutes to landing. Ten minutes to
landing.’ Bing. The ‘fasten seatbelt’
light goes on above my head. A man in
the aisle on his way to the loo looks suddenly
panic-stricken, rendered momentarily
immobile on his lavatorial quest. To pee or not
to pee? Must be British.
I return to gazing out of the small double-
skinned window to my left. So many
possibilities have been sliding past in the last
couple of hours. So many roads I could choose
to drive during the next two days have passed
beneath the belly of this plane. It’s Sunday
afternoon and in an hour I should be outside
Malaga airport, behind the wheel of a Porsche 718
Cayman GTS, manual gearlever resting snugly under
my right palm. The Alboran Sea will be to the south
and all of the land we have flown over will be stretched
out to the north. Our objective: return to square one,
London Heathrow, by Tuesday evening. I could go
anywhere. Or at least that’s what I thought when I first
sat down to plan this journey…
You see, two and a half days sounds like a long time.
Even when you’ve got about 1500 miles to cover, it still
sounds like a leisurely schedule. But (and I’m sorry if
I’m taking a sledgehammer to the fragile fourth wall
of magazine production here) add in a day’s shooting
and suddenly the schedule starts to look a bit skinnier.
Surveying the landscape from our still lofty flight
path I can clearly see the mountains of the Sierra
Nevada National Park to the east. This is where I had
initially thought we should go in search of a great
driving road, but I just couldn’t make the logistics
work. We would have got there with only minutes of
light left this evening, then shot all tomorrow, leaving
an impossible time/distance equation for the drive on
Tuesday. In fact the more I looked at maps and did the
maths, the smaller the number of roads that we could
shoot on became. Fortunately nearly all those roads
lay in one place: the Pyrenees.
But where to go in that wonderful mountain range?
Sometimes the answer is almost too obvious. Type
‘Pyrenees’ into Google and the pin it drops on a map
to mark the centre of the mountain range is next to a
serpentine squiggle of corners that looks too good to
be true. I’ve never even heard of the road, which makes
me suspicious, but equally it’s impossible to ignore.
An hour later the PCM has been set and we’re
heading away from the rather impressively light and
airy structure that is Malaga Airport’s Terminal 3
(designed by Bruce S Fairbanks, since you ask).
Top left: Cayman Porsche’s GTS models are really little more than a
punches out of collection of the juiciest offerings on the options list
corners with real
all bundled up for a knock-down price. Yes, the 718
vigour. Left: car is
quicker than GTS of Cayman GTS gets an extra 15bhp over the Cayman S
old, but soundtrack (plus an additional 7lb ft of torque if you choose the
can’t compete PDK ’box), but that’s not really enough to make a truly
P O RSC H E 7 1 8 CAY M A N GTS
tangible difference on the road or temporal difference
on the track. However, we also know that the GTS cars
are often somehow much more than the sum of their
parts and frequently end up being inordinately desirable
as a result. Just to add to the appeal, this particular GTS
also has the optional (£5177) carbon-ceramic brakes,
reducing unsprung weight, and the 20mm-lower Sports
version of the PASM suspension (a mere £168).
Not that much of this is put to any meaningful use
on the first part of our journey through Spain. It is
unremittingly uneventful aside from an engine which
sounds a bit rough (but clears as we pile on the miles),
an incredible sunset, a Citroën C4 By Loeb (surely the
worst automotive tribute ever? And ‘By Loeb’? Did
he really do the chassis set-up? I think not. In fact I
imagine the usually unflappable rally champion going
all Basil Fawlty and getting a bit thrashy with a branch
every time he happens upon one. I digress…) and a
petrol station that sells sweets, sandwiches and suits of
armour. Eventually, after almost exactly 600 miles on
the road, we roll into our chosen town of Barbastro at
about 11pm and agree that apart from being a little loud,
the GTS has fulfilled the GT part of its assignation very
well. Tomorrow we will see about the S…
IN SPITE OF MY BIG DOWN COAT, I SHIVER
slightly as I step out into the cold air next morning. The
temperature makes it feel like we’ve travelled a long way
from Malaga. It’s a short walk to the underground car
park where the ray of Racing Yellow Cayman is waiting,
and the hushed, still atmosphere in the streets whispers
of a town still very much asleep. Consequently I feel a
bit self-conscious a few minutes later as the pale grey
concrete walls of the car park amplify the reverberations
of the turbocharged flat-four as it wakes up, all bassy
with a breathy growl.
Manoeuvring out of the underground automotive
bunker the sound then changes. With light throttle
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P O RS C H E 7 1 8 CAY M A N GTS

applications and low revs the engine takes on the

aural characteristics of perhaps the most famous
turbocharged flat-fours – those under the scooped
bonnets of Subaru Imprezas. It’s uncanny, yet it’s
really only at these specific revs and loadings that you
find yourself wondering whether some gold wheels
would look good in the Cayman’s arches.
Outside the hotel, photographer Damian Blakemore
loads up both boots and then we set off north once
more. The road we’re following this morning is the
N-230 and it’s typical of Spain, being nicely wide and
smooth with an almost natural racetrack feel to it.
Although it’s not the reason we’re taking this route to
Calais, it’s arguably worth the journey in its own right.
With an inky blackness still fringing the headlights
and heavy remnants of sleep still clearing from my
head, I’m not pushing hard, but the car feels wonderful.
I’m not accelerating quickly or braking heavily, I’m just
carrying speed, focusing on the way the chassis and
suspension load the tyres through the corners. I’m
trying to be as economical with my inputs as possible
and really listen to what the steering is telling me.
I’ve heard various driver coaches – not least Rob
Wilson in last month’s evo – talk about ‘telling the
car what you’re going to do before a bend’ and the
GTS really lets you do that. A small input through
the steering wheel has a subtle but definite response,
weighting the springs and sidewalls subtly before you
increase the loadings for the rest of the corner. It’s quite
an intimate feeling of connection. As mile after mile
of the N-230 pass beneath the GTS’s tyres I find I’m
getting smoother and smoother, the darkness hiding
the potentially distracting scenery and allowing me to
concentrate very specifically on how I’m adding and
taking away lock to match the road’s twists and turns.
If it was daylight, I’d be aware of towering cliffs
and, to my right, a large reservoir called the Pantà
d’Escales. If it was daylight, there would also almost
certainly be more traffic, too, as this is one of very few
ways to get across the Pyrenees to France if you’re
driving a truck. But we’ll be staying in Spain for a
while longer. In fact, the road we’re heading to is the
only one that is on the northern side of the Pyrenees
but still in Spain.
At the town of Viella we turn right, off the N-230,
leaving most of the traffic to continue to the French
border 15 miles up the road. Now for the moment
of truth: is the pass open? Snow has been falling in
abundance this winter and I’m fearful that there
might have been an overnight
offloading. I can see the sign Top: GTS shines
in the distance. It is slowly on Pyrenean roads.
scrolling through BERT… Right: yellow calipers
BIERTO… OUBERT… denote optional
carbon-ceramic
OUVERT… OPEN. Phew.
brakes. Opposite
Damian has been dozing for page: even small
the last 90 minutes but is now steering inputs bring
keen to see what we’ve driven definite response

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‘The pin drops
next to a
serpentine
squiggle of
corners that
looks too good
to be true’
P O RS C H E 7 1 8 CAY M A N GTS

all this way for, and as we head out of town I decide I

had better offer a word of caution.
‘Just to let you know,’ I say rather hesitantly, ‘they
have been trying to reintroduce brown bears to this
area.’ There is a pause.
‘They’re probably all hibernating at this time of
year, aren’t they?’ says Damian, slightly uncertainly.
‘That’s the spirit! I’m sure it’s quite safe…’
The C-28 (for that’s what we’re now on) initially
takes a while to get going. We can see the mountains,
but there are about half a dozen ski villages of varying
sizes before it feels like the pass is starting to really get
into its stride. But when it does, boy is it good. Initially
it’s wide and pretty fast, with a big valley to the right
and a wall of bleached beige rock to the left. Then it
narrows considerably and begins to switchback up
through the trees.
The hairpins themselves are fun, with the Cayman
happy to indulge in a bit of oversteer and make use of
the limited-slip differential that comes as standard on
the GTS. But it’s the longish sections between each
one-eighty that show off the chassis to its breathtaking
best. At one point there is just a sliver of daylight
visible through the snowbanks as the road shimmies
one way then the other and the 718 only requires
minimal inputs to jink from right to left and back
again. The road’s camber also wobbles back and forth
underneath the car in time with the direction changes
just to highlight the car’s composure even more.
Suddenly we’re out of the trees and the reason for
this road still being accessible and not left to the snowy
clutches of winter comes into view. The 2072-metre
summit of the Port de la Bonaigua Pass houses a ski
station complete with a restaurant and ski hire shop.
All around us are metal benches suspended from
sturdy moving cables. Not only does this sanctum of
snowy sliding mean the road is kept clear in winter, it
also means it’s surprisingly quiet for most of each day,
because once the early morning rush to the corduroy
has subsided there is minimal traffic until it’s time for
them to retreat, with aching feet, to the chalets.
With no ski villages to the east it’s even quieter on
the other side of the pass, and believe it or not that’s
actually an even better piece of road to drive. The way
the tarmac finds its way down the mountain, tumbling
through a collection of contorted corners, reminds me
of standing at the top of the famous Transfagarasan
Pass in Romania. Only there’s no red and white kerbing
here and the surface is much, much better. Well, the
surface that’s not underneath black ice, that is…
It’s a measure of the Cayman’s perfect balance that
even on a long downhill hairpin when the car begins
to go sideways on some unseen frozen water, it feels
completely natural to simply steer into the slide and
ride it out. After the initial involuntary intake of breath
and moment of whole-body alertness as everything
goes unnaturally light, there’s no panic.

098 www.evo.co.uk
 ‘The blown flat-four
pulls harder and harder,
punching out of corners
with real vigour’
 After reaching the bottom of the corners and
continuing along faster straights, I turn back. Partly
because I feel the best bit is now behind me, and partly
because I dropped Damian at the top and he’s probably
fighting off bears. Now cognisant of the lurking perils,
I can attack the uphill return with more pace, and the
GTS is certainly not wanting for speed. One of the
benefits of the turbocharged engine is that you can
short shift and enjoy the smooth but satisfying action
of the six-speed manual more often, while still not
feeling short-changed in terms of acceleration like you
might in the old naturally aspirated six-cylinder car.
However, this means it’s easy to slip into a routine
where you leave the higher reaches of the rev range
unfrequented. But as the GTS ascends once again, I
find I’m holding gears more and more, letting the red
needle arc further round the central dial. The higher I
go on the road, the higher I venture into the revs and
the more I’m shocked by just how fast the GTS is. Far
from running out of puff, the blown flat-four pulls
harder and harder, punching out of corners with real
vigour. And because the chassis is so good, there is
rarely any reason to back off, so every time you think
you might be about to reach some sort of limit, the GTS
seems to have more to give.
There is no shadow of a doubt that it is quicker than
the old flat-six GTS. If only it had a soundtrack that
prickled the hairs on the back of the neck and matched
the majesty of the mountains… The old Cayman
GTS was arguably all the car you needed: hard, if not
impossible, to fault, especially at the price. The new
GTS is still brilliant, but despite the standard sports
exhaust, the lacklustre soundtrack means it’s now not
quite the one-car quiver it used to be.
Nonetheless, the Cayman’s tactility under foot, hand
and backside, combined with the sort of chassis that
‘The Cayman’s tactility, combined with a
chassis that encourages you to find the
limit, make it an excellent companion’
encourages you to find the limit, mean it’s an excellent
companion on a good piece of road like this. In fact,
this road is better than good. I tackle both sides of the
Port de la Bonaigua several more times during the day
and it always seems to offer something new.
Eventually, with the sun and temperature both
dropping like they’ve taken fatal bullets, we park up at
the summit one last time. The slopes are quiet and the
only sound is the gentle ticking of cooling metal on the
Cayman. I could tell you about the drive back through
France the next day (we listened to some podcasts, we
avoided Paris and went via Rouen, the Eurotunnel was
on time, it was raining at Heathrow) but I’d rather end
our story here in the middle of the Pyrenees, with the
sky turning vivid shades of pink and orange as though
it’s competing with some of the ‘fashion’ on the slopes.
I shiver as the temperature drops back to its morning
low. I like the cold – it brings a sharpness to mind and
body – but were it summer we would still have another
five or six hours of light left. In fact, it would probably
be even quieter with no ski traffic. Seems like the
perfect excuse to return. Perhaps the new, naturally
aspirated Cayman GT4 will be around by then… L
Porsche 718 Cayman GTS
Engine Flat-four, 2497cc, turbo Power 360bhp @ 6500rpm
Torque 310lb ft @ 1900-5500rpm Transmission Six-speed manual,
rear-wheel drive, limited-slip differential Front suspension
MacPherson struts, coil springs, adaptive dampers, anti-roll bar Rear
suspension MacPherson struts, coil springs, adaptive dampers,
anti-roll bar Brakes Carbon-ceramic discs, 350mm front and rear
(option) Wheels 8 x 20in front, 10 x 20in rear Tyres 235/35 ZR20 front,
265/35 ZR20 rear Weight 1375kg Power-to-weight 266bhp/ton
0-62mph 4.6sec (claimed) Top speed 180mph Basic price £59,866
evo rating ;;;;4
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 RA L LYC ROS S M A ST E RC L A S S

by A N T O N Y I N G R A M

It may not have the glamour of Formula 1, but the growing popularity of rallycross, and the star names
it’s attracting, is proof it can more than hold its own in the hierarchy of world motorsport

T
HERE’S A CLIP ON YOUTUBE
of Italian rally driver Gigi Galli
negotiating a tarmac hairpin with
his usual flair in a Mitsubishi Lancer
Evo VI. He pitches the car broadside before
the turn even starts, his car taking up the
full width of the road and almost pointing
back where it came from as it enters the
hairpin, before sliding through the corner
and onto the following straight.
Imagine that same turn, but on dirt, and
while overtaking five cars in a single hit.
That moment, supplied by Kevin Eriksson
at the German round of the 2016 World
Rallycross Championship, is rallycross
in a nutshell. It’s long been an exciting
spectator sport, really taking off when
drivers like Will Gollop and Kenneth
Hansen campaigned 6R4s and RS200s, but
in the age of instant gratification, there’s
never been a better time for it to thrive.
The 2018 season kicks off on 14 April in
Catalunya, and unfurls across Europe and
Scandinavia, North America and South
Africa, with each event comprising four
qualifying heats, two semi-finals and a
final. Three to five cars take part in each
four-lap heat, while semi-finals and finals
pit six cars against each other for six laps.
As an FIA series, World Rallycross is
young, having started in 2014, but fierce
competition means we’ve already seen
four different teams and three different
drivers triumph. The sport is big business,
and over the following pages we’ll tell you
all you need to know about it.
 2
THE CARS:
WRC v WRX
THE TOP TIER OF R ALLYCROSS
– of which master overtaker Kevin
Eriksson and nine-time World Rally
Champion Sébastien Loeb are a part – is
the Supercar class.
The cars are steroidal, WRC-like
machines based on familiar hatchbacks,
albeit ones that put down the best part of
600bhp through sequential gearboxes and
all-wheel drive. They may look like their
WRC counterparts, but this comparison
of a Citroën C3 WRC (above) and Peugeot
208 WRX (right) reveals the differences.
1 4 www.evo.co.uk
4
1 STRUCTURE & BODYWORK
Modified Citroën C3 shell, reinforced with a welded
multi-point roll-cage and clad in a mixture of steel
and carbonfibre panels. Length 4128mm, width
1875mm, wheelbase 2540mm. Minimum weight
1190kg (1350kg minimum with crew).
3 WHEELS, TYRES & BRAKES
7 x 15in alloy (gravel), 8 x 18in alloy (tarmac), Michelin
tyres. 300mm ventilated discs and four-piston
calipers front and rear (gravel), 370mm front and
330mm rear ventilated discs with water-cooled
four-piston calipers (tarmac). Hydraulic handbrake.
3
2 ENGINE & TRANSMISSION
Citroën Racing GRE four-cylinder: 1600cc,
turbocharged, Magneti Marelli fuel injection, anti-
lag system. Approximately 375bhp @ 6000rpm
and 295lb ft @ 4500rpm. Six-speed sequential
transmission, mechanical front and rear self-
locking differentials, hydraulic centre differential.
4 SUSPENSION
MacPherson struts all round. Citroën Racing
dampers, adjustable for low- and high-speed
compression and rebound.

1 STRUCTURE & BODYWORK
Modified Peugeot 208 shell, reinforced with welded
multi-point roll-cage and clad in tough carbonfibre
body panels. Length 3965mm, width 1850mm,
wheelbase 2550mm. Minimum weight 1300kg.
3 WHEELS, TYRES & BRAKES
8 x 17in magnesium alloy, Cooper tyres. 343mm
ventilated discs and four-piston calipers front and
rear. Hydraulic handbrake.
RA L LYC ROS S M A ST E RC L A S S
2 ENGINE & TRANSMISSION
Peugeot RCD1 four-cylinder: 1998cc, turbocharged,
Peugeot Sport fuel injection, anti-lag system,
552bhp @ 6000rpm and 627lb ft @ 4500rpm. Six-
speed sequential transmission, multi-plate clutch,
limited-slip differentials front and rear.
4 SUSPENSION
MacPherson struts front and rear, adjustable
dampers with 300mm travel.
www.evo.co.uk 105
CIRCUIT ANATOMY: SILVERSTONE
SILVERSTONE IS THE NEWEST
venue on the World Rallycross calendar,
taking over from one of the longest-
running circuits in the sport – Lydden
Hill in Kent. It’s a controversial move,
but the sport’s popularity is to blame:
growing attendance requires better
START
3 remind them to put new rubber on their
1 family behind the eponymous Team
MAP KEY
DIRT HIGH SPEED
facilities and suitable infrastructure in
and around the circuit. Throw in the
restrictions of local authorities around
Lydden, and Silverstone’s international-
level infrastructure and freedom in
terms of space made it an obvious choice
for 2018 and beyond.
2 oblivious motorist a few laps around the
FINISH
4 Kenneth Hansen, his wife Susann and his
BRAKING RECOVERY VEHICLE MARSHALLS
HOW TO BE A
RALLYCROSS DRIVER
THE RIGHT-REAR TYRE OF THIS
Peugeot 208 GTi would get you pulled
over in minutes if you were foolish enough
to use it on public roads. Its completely
bald counterpart on the left-hand side
would probably have you thrown in the
clink without trial. Give the average
sprinkler-doused gymkhana course at
the Peugeot Driving Academy in Nivelles,
Belgium, and you’d never again need to
family wagon. On the damp surface,
the 208 oversteers like an AC Cobra on
remoulds the instant the rear tyres find
water. It slides with particular voracity
when turning right.
Luckily, a cheerful Swedish family
has turned up to help me make sense of
these unusual handling characteristics.
sons Timmy and Kevin are the rallycross
Peugeot-Hansen, which competes in the
FIA World Rallycross Championship.
The all look surprisingly cheerful given
they’ll soon be sitting alongside me in the
passenger seat…
Look for the grip
The bald rear tyres might as well be made
of ice on the arc of wet acrylic halfway
through the course. The correct technique

1 SURFACE
A World Rallycross circuit’s surface must be
at least 35 per cent, and up to 60 per cent,
‘sealed’ – in other words asphalt, concrete or
similar. The remainder is unsealed, usually dirt or
gravel. Silverstone has opted for just 39 per cent
sealed, which puts it among the more dirt-heavy
rounds. Work began on the track in mid-2017, so
the surface has had some time to weather in – a
process that can be artificially enabled, but
there’s no substitute for the real thing.
2 LAYOUT
Initial planning revealed that the most suitable
place for the new track was within the Stowe
complex, formed from two of the old runways
and sitting between the pit and Hangar
straights. The track length is 970m (the FIA
regulates 800 to 1400m) and packs a pair of
jumps – each given suitable space to ensure
good take-off speed and room for cars (which
may be side-by-side) to land safely. Subsequent
corners have a sealed surface to improve safety.

3 JOKER LAP 4 DESIGN

FIA World Rallycross rules demand that each
car must take a ‘joker lap’ route once per race.
This typically adds 2-3 seconds to a lap time,
and the joker section is separated from the main
circuit by safety barriers. Cars rejoining the main
circuit should be doing so at the same speed,
and neither entry nor exit to the joker section
should be on the racing line. Silverstone’s joker is
between turns seven and ten and features a left-
right chicane through a sealed-surface section.
Silverstone’s layout is the work of Driven
International, which has designed circuits
for everything from karting to top-level FIA
events. During the design process drivers
weren’t consulted, thus reducing the risk of
tailoring a circuit to a particular driver’s tastes,
but Silverstone did get feedback from BTCC
champion and former rallycross driver Andrew
Jordan. Only a few drivers have tried the circuit,
but feedback has been generally positive.

106 www.evo.co.uk

is to go in slow and straight. Predictably, I
spin spectacularly on the first two runs.
Kenneth’s technique is much more
enlightening. He… er, cheats. We pile
onto the acrylic and instantly slide wide.
Both outside tyres then hit the tarmac
surrounding the curve and hook up,
allowing him to get on the gas early and
exit far quicker. ‘It’s not the way you’re
supposed to do it,’ admits Kenneth, ‘but
it’s where the grip is.’
In rallycross, the surface can
change lap-on-lap. A driver’s greatest
responsibility is to find that grip, even if it
means an unconventional line – like going
wide, hooking your tyre on a kerb, or just
occasionally, leaning on a competitor.
Keep tight
While a wide line may be necessary
sometimes, the ideal line is often much
tighter. I treat the course much as a circuit
– slow in, fast out, drive each corner as if it
has an apex. The Hansens have a different
approach: keep tight.
Kevin demonstrates this most vividly.
He brakes latest of all, turns in early and
aggressively, carries speed into the turn,
and uses front-end grip to scrabble as
close to the inside cones as possible. From
there it’s straight onto the throttle, forcing
the limited-slip diff to lock the nose into
the chosen line, and using deliberate
steering and throttle inputs to unsettle
the tail if the nose starts to push.
The inside is, after all, the shortest path,
and it’s the one your competitors will all
Above: evo’s Antony Ingram takes some
rallycross instruction from Timmy Hansen
be taking while you’re leaving a big gap on
the inside on your traditional racing line.
Learn the car
Watching Timmy pile into the poor little
road car and mercilessly thrash it around
the course, torturing the tyres with his
family sitting in the back, makes for
hilarious viewing. But within one or two
laps, all three had learned circuit and car
better than I manage all day. Each had
discovered just enough tarmac on the way
into the first hairpin to take the preceding
corner without even a lift and still have
time to brake for the tight left-hander – in
contrast to the confidence lift I was using.
‘The bald rear tyres might as well
be made of ice on the wet acrylic’
RA L LYC ROS S M A ST E RC L A S S
In the 208 WRX – a car Kevin describes
as having a ‘brutal’ power delivery thanks
to its anti-lag system – this manifests
itself as an ability to adapt to technical
changes race by race, but also to the car’s
deficiencies; Timmy notes that the team
still has some way to go to match its rivals
on the sprint to the first corner.
Listen to your spotter.
Or don’t…
In a sport where so many cars spend so
much time so close together, a spotter
– much as in NASCAR – is vital, helping
to make strategy calls, advising on joker
laps, and giving you running details on
your nearest competitor’s exploits.
The brothers like a constant stream
of information, and everyone chips
in: Kenneth and Susann usually act as
the brothers’ spotters, but when Kevin
destroyed his car in a qualifying round in
Belgium in 2017, he took over as Timmy’s
spotter for the final.
Of course, you could choose to ignore
them. Teammate Sébastien Loeb explains
that he prefers to receive information
on joker laps and little else – perhaps
some respite after spending much of his
working life being shouted at from the co-
driver’s seat by Daniel Elena… L
www.evo.co.uk 1 7
1 8 www.evo.co.uk
 F E R R A R I P O RTO F I N O & A STO N M cALRT
A RI NE ND B570
1 1 SVOSLPAI DN ET RE

The Ferrari Portofino is a technological leap forward

from the California T it replaces. But Aston Martin has
also upped its grand-touring drop-top game with its new
DB11 V8 Volante. So which is best?

by S T E V E S U T C L I F F E

www.evo.co.uk 1 9
A S A REPLACEMENT FOR THE TEN-YEAR-
old California, which became the California T in
2014, the 199mph, £166,180 Portofino is the most
useable Ferrari money can buy, says Ferrari. So
although it’s not the most dramatic car made in Maranello right
now, it is the most practical, boasting more rear-seat space than
the California, a bigger boot, a redesigned cabin, more equipment,
more performance and a new chassis. The Portofino, therefore,
should be a Ferrari you can drive 365 days a year.
Thanks to an extensive weight-saving regime that includes
everything from a lighter V8 engine to seat frames fashioned from
magnesium, it’s also lighter than the California T by an impressive
65kg. Up front there’s a development of the electric power-steering
system first used in the 812 Superfast, while at the rear there’s a
third-generation E-Diff, whereas the California made do with a
more conventional, less effective mechanical differential.
The Portofino’s engine is a thoroughly revised version of the
California T’s 3.9-litre, twin-turbo, 90-degree V8. It produces
591bhp at 7500rpm and 560lb ft of torque between 3000 and
5250rpm, and emits ‘just’ 245g/km of CO2. All out, the Portofino
has a top speed just one mile an hour shy of the magic 200mph, and
thanks to a launch-control system it can hit 62mph from rest in a
mere 3.5 seconds. Zero to 124mph (200kph) takes 10.8 seconds, so
although it’s a useable Ferrari, it remains an extremely rapid one.
As with all Ferraris nowadays, the gearbox is dual-clutch – this
110 www.evo.co.uk
one with seven forward ratios – and has column-mounted paddles.
Shifts are said to be faster and smoother than before, depending on
where you set the manettino switch.
The Portofino’s engine and raw performance are undeniably
impressive on paper, but it’s actually the chassis, steering and
suspension that have come in for the biggest rethink – mainly in
an attempt to make the car as capable as possible on the move, but
also as easy to drive at the same time. One does not, claims Ferrari,
require the same skill set to drive the Portofino quickly as one
would with the rest of the range.
As such, the manettino is simplified to offer just three settings:
Comfort, Sport and ESC off. The new electronic differential
generates much more traction than before, that much becomes
clear the very first time you summon full throttle in a low gear, at
which point the Portofino squats ever so slightly and just goes. But
the diff also aids stability at all speeds, while the electric power-
steering system has been set up to be as precise as is normal in a
modern Ferrari but also lighter in feel and thus more manageable
every day (in theory).
The dampers are also electronic and change in calibration
depending on the selected mode. However, you can also select
Ferrari’s now common – and highly effective – ‘bumpy road’
setting, no matter where the manettino is set. This then puts the
dampers in a more comfortable setting while keeping the more
urgent responses from the drivetrain if Sport or ESC Off are
 F E R R A R I P O RTO F I N O & A STO N M A RT I N D B 1 1 VO L A N T E

Left: Portofino’s ride

is good, but steering
lacks feel. Above right:
interior an evolution;
manettino has only three
settings. Below: 591bhp
V8 sounds spectacular

selected, which is a useful addition. The 20-inch Pirelli P Zero tyres

are bespoke to the Portofino but don’t feature a Corsa compound or
tread. The Portofino isn’t that kind of car, says Ferrari, even though
its kerb weight is an impressive 1664kg, making it not that much
heavier – or slower – than a 488 Spider (1525kg, 3.0sec to 62mph,
203mph all-out).
First impressions when you climb aboard, drop the folding metal
roof and press the magic red button that ignites the engine are all
good – all excellent, in fact. The roof glides into the rear bodywork
in near silence in just 14 seconds, and the new seats feel great,
providing excellent support in all the right places without feeling
like they’d be uncomfortable on a long journey. And the new cabin
design is genuinely stunning. There’s a huge sense of quality to the
interior, yet the controls look and feel intuitive, so you find yourself
deeply impressed, not baffled. To begin with, then, the Portofino
presses all the right buttons.
It’s also very quick, you soon discover, once you get moving and
find a road that’s long and quiet enough on which to let rip. There’s
almost no lag from the twin-turbo V8 engine and, therefore,
instant response when you deploy the throttle. And it sounds pretty
spectacular at full beans, too, with an engaging rasp from the V8
to accompany the onslaught of acceleration. Plus, the dual-clutch
gearbox works an absolute treat in both directions, and seemingly
in any of the manettino settings.
Yet overall there’s something curiously lacking in the Portofino’s

www.evo.co.uk 111
dynamic repertoire. The steering, in
particular, feels too light in any of its
‘It feels a little bit like. Ferrari says this is exactly how the
Portofino should be perceived because it’s
settings, and is therefore too distant in
both its feel and response. At the same
like you are playing a a car you can use every day, but I’m not
totally convinced, even if there is more
time there’s also a strange absence of feel computer game. room in the rear, much more efficient air
beneath your backside when you aim the con and a retractable hard-top that is quite
car towards a corner. It’s all a bit too easy’ brilliantly engineered.
You can sense the electronics doing The brake pedal on our test car also has
their thing pretty much all the time on the far too much travel in it for my liking, so
move, providing the car with a surprisingly decent ride quality, even though the outright stopping power is excellent, feel through
eradicating kickback through the steering over rough roads, and the pedal is not.
keeping the body eerily flat even through quick corners taken at Conclusion? Even from an everyday Ferrari there should
proper speeds. But at the same time the suspension feels over- surely be a bit more touchy-feely stuff going on in your hands and
digitised in the way it reacts to whatever the tyres encounter, be beneath your backside to make the picture complete? If there was,
that in a straight line or when cornering. Throw the Portofino hard the Portofino would be another genuinely great car from Ferrari,
into a bend, for example, and the absence of body roll is impressive because so much else about it is so excellent. But as it stands it’s
in one way, yes, but also weirdly unnatural in another. And the an extremely capable Ferrari, but not a great one. Whereas the
fact that the steering also remains ultra-light at all times doesn’t similarly priced Aston Martin DB11 Volante is a truly great Aston
help much, either, even though the fundamental grip levels on Martin. Read on and you’ll discover why.
offer are impressive. It makes it feel a little bit like you are playing
a computer game, rather than driving an actual car.
It’s all a bit too easy ultimately, as a result of which the depth
of absolute satisfaction – the sort you get from a 488 every
second of every journey – is shallower than I, personally, would

Ferrari Portofino
Engine V8, 3855cc, twin-turbo Power 591bhp @ 7500rpm Torque 560lb ft @ 3000-
5250rpm Transmission Seven-speed dual clutch, rear-drive, electronically controlled
LSD Front suspension Double wishbones, coil springs, adaptive dampers, anti-roll
bar Rear suspension Multi-link, coil springs, adaptive dampers, anti-roll bar Brakes
Carbon-ceramic discs, 390mm front, 360mm rear Wheels 8 x 20in front, 10 x 20in rear
Tyres 245/35 ZR20 front, 285/35 ZR20 rear Weight 1664kg Power-to-weight 361bhp/
ton 0-62mph 3.5sec (claimed) Top speed 199mph (claimed) Basic price £166,180

evo rating ;;;;2

112 www.evo.co.uk
E
VERYONE KNOWS THAT WHEN YOU
remove the roof of a perfectly good coupe and replace
it with a piece of cloth, you take away the car’s
torsional strength, and its chassis and suspension
therefore become far harder to tune. At the same time you also
lose luggage space and add weight, while the styling becomes
much more challenging to perfect. So for the average team of car
designers and engineers, the open-top car is a right old pain.
Yet the Volante has been a staple for Aston Martin since the
company first applied the name (which means ‘flying’ in Italian)
to a convertible car in 1965. This is why the firm has pulled out all
the stops to make its latest – the £161,900 DB11 Volante – as good
to drive as it is to look at, and a fair bit roomier, stiffer and more
practical than its immediate predecessor, too.
Curiously, unlike that predecessor, the DB9 Volante, Aston says
it has ‘no plans to fit the DB11 Volante with a V12 engine’. Which
means you get the 90-degree, 4-litre twin-turbo V8, like it or not.
Fortunately, having experienced it in the V8 DB11 coupe, we know
we rather like this motor – and so should most Volante buyers given
how strong it is as a powerplant and how well Aston has tuned it to
feel bespoke, even though it’s essentially the same engine you get
in most 63-badged Mercedes-AMGs.
Power is 503bhp at 6000rpm, while maximum torque of
498lb ft is developed as a flat peak between 2000 and 5000rpm.
The Volante weighs 110kg more than the V8 coupe (and about the
same as the V12 coupe, intriguingly), so it’s not quite as rapid in a
F E R R A R I P O RTO F I N O & A S TO N M A RT I N D B 1 1 VO L A N T E
straight line. Aston claims 4.1sec to 62mph (a tenth behind the V8
coupe), 8.8sec to 100mph and a top speed of 187mph, so despite its
extra weight it’s still well beyond the right side of brisk.
The gearbox is the same eight-speed ZF automatic with
paddleshifters that’s used in the coupe, with the same shift-by-
wire control system and mapping that’s been tuned by Aston to
deliver different responses depending on which drive mode is
selected. As with the coupe DB11s, there are three different modes
to choose from for both the drivetrain and chassis – GT, Sport and
Sport+ for each – so nine different combinations in all.
With the GT modes selected, the Volante feels calm, sounds
reasonably serene and rides a touch more firmly than you might
expect, but without any serious intrusions from below. In Sport/
Sport it feels more alive generally, although you can still keep the
chassis in GT and put the drivetrain in Sport, or vice versa, which
is a nice touch. In full Sport+ it feels – and sounds – like a much
more aggressive animal, the mapping for the gearbox, throttle,
transmission, exhaust and dampers all shifting to another level.
It makes the Volante feel quite a lot like a full-on sports car,
with much sharper chassis responses and a thundering series of
crackles and bangs on the overrun to accompany your every move.
The new hood – which can be raised or lowered in 20 seconds at
road speeds up to 31mph – stores much more neatly into the rear
bodywork than those of previous Volantes. This has allowed the
designers to really accentuate the lower-than-normal rear-deck
styling, and the result is a car that looks good from all angles, but
Below: despite its
considerable weight, the
Volante feels properly
quick, especially in
Sport+ mode
www.evo.co.uk 113

‘The way it goes down a road
feels more cohesive, more right,
than any other DB11’
especially dead-on from the rear. There’s also more room in the
boot and the rear seats. In fact the latter are spacious enough to
feature Isofix attachments for the first time ever in a Volante.
Without going into exhaustive detail about how Aston’s
engineers have conjured such strong results from the Volante’s
chassis, essentially there is extra bracing at both the front and back
ends, plus significantly stiffer springs and dampers all round. And
as a collective these mods have made the Volante the sweetest, I
believe, of all three versions of DB11 on the move.
The steering, in particular, is quite lovely, with a sharper
response on turn-in and a nice consistent sense of weight mid-
corner. It’s not just the way it steers that distinguishes the Volante,
however, because there’s something about the way it goes down
the road generally that feels more cohesive, more right, than any
other DB11. From the way it rides, to the way it sounds, to the way
it goes, even to the way it changes gear, the Volante has an extra
degree of polish that is seriously impressive given it’s the DB11
without a fixed roof.
And despite its 1870kg weight, it’s also properly quick. Quicker
than its 0-62mph time would suggest. The torque flow from the
twin-turbo V8 is strong even at 2000rpm, and at 4500rpm it feels
seriously fast in any of the first six gears, particularly in Sport+.
Predictably, the Volante’s wide range of dynamic personalities
114 www.evo.co.uk
are best enjoyed with the hood down,
when wind noise is impressively well
Above left: Volante is
sweetest of the DB11 range
suppressed, although you need the
wind deflector in place much above
on the road. Top: inside
could be better for £160k.
Above: twin-turbo V8
50mph. But even with the hood up, feels bespoke, despite its
the Volante can flip its personality and Mercedes origins
play the refined, smooth-driving mile-
eater perfectly well. Apart from the
restricted vision through the letterbox of a rear window, with the
roof up it essentially feels like a coupe. That’s how well the hood
has been engineered.
I’m still not convinced that the cabin feels like £160k’s worth in
certain respects – the plastic air vents, sourced from a fairly low-
end Mercedes, being the most obvious example – even if there is a
new heated steering wheel and a quality touchscreen infotainment
system. But beyond this the Volante is an absolute belter of a car,
one that drives even better than it looks.
Given a choice between it and the Portofino, I’d go for the Aston.
That’s how good the Volante has become. L
Aston Martin DB11 Volante
Engine V8, 3982cc, twin-turbo Power 503bhp @ 6000rpm Torque 498lb ft @ 2000-
5000rpm Transmission Eight-speed auto, rear-wheel drive, torque-vectoring limited-
slip differential Front suspension Double wishbones, coil springs, adaptive dampers,
anti-roll bar Rear suspension Multi-link, coil springs, adaptive dampers, anti-roll bar
Brakes Ventilated discs, 400mm front, 360mm rear Wheels 9 x 20in front, 11 x 20in rear
Tyres 255/40 ZR20 front, 295/35 ZR20 rear Weight 1870kg Power-to-weight 273bhp/
ton 0-62mph 4.1sec (claimed) Top speed 187mph (claimed) Basic price £161,900
evo rating
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 Buying guide
FERRARI F430 2004-2010
With some sensible check s and re search, Modena’s V8 ‘baby Enzo’ could be yours from £80k
THEY WERE HEADY DAYS FOR
Ferrari, back in the mid-noughties. It had
made Formula 1 virtually its own fiefdom,
with an unprecedented six back-to-back
Constructors’ titles. It was building some
of the finest road cars in its history – cars
such as the 360 Challenge Stradale and
575M GTC. And then, in the autumn of
2004, it launched the F430, the latest –
and easily the most potent – in a long line
of V8 mid-engined ‘junior’ supercars.
‘Ferrari’s baby Enzo’ is what we called
it on the cover of evo 074. It seemed to
sum up the F430’s appeal: strikingly
modern, brutally potent and chock-full of
engineering and aerodynamic knowledge
gained in the heat of Grand Prix battle.
The styling had more than a few nods to
the Enzo hypercar, too, the more sharply
drawn air intakes and partially exposed
by Peter Tomalin
tail lights adding visual tension after the
360 Modena’s flowing curves.
The red, crackle-finish plenums visible
through the glass engine cover belonged
to a new engine (for Ferrari at least). The
4.3-litre V8 was a development of the unit
first seen in Maserati’s front-engined 4200
GT, but re-engineered with a flat-plane
crank and the Enzo’s highly sophisticated
variable valve timing system. It was
seriously potent, kicking out 23 per cent
more power and 25 per cent more torque
(483bhp and 343lb ft) than the 360,
slicing half a second from the 0 to 62mph
time (4.0sec) and taking the new car to
within a whisker of 200mph.
Power was channelled to the rear
wheels via a choice of six-speed manual
or ‘F1’ paddleshift gearbox and –
new for the F430 – an electronically
controlled limited-slip differential,
or E-Diff. By talking to the car’s other
electronic systems and taking data from
sensors measuring steering angle, yaw
acceleration and individual wheel speeds,
it promised faster responses and finer
control than a conventional diff.
The tech roster included CST stability
and traction control systems and Skyhook
adaptive damping, with the driver able
to control their intervention via the
manettino on the steering wheel. If you
were feeling confident, you could even
turn CST off… just you, 483bhp and four
small patches of rubber on tarmac…
No question, the F430 was the most
sophisticated and thrilling car of its kind
yet to emerge from Maranello. But that
was then. With many 430s now over ten
years old, how does it stack up today?
www.evo.co.uk 117
 Market
CHECKPOINTS
ENGINE
The ‘F136’ V8 that debuted in the F430
is unrelated to previous Ferrari V8s. The
block is shared with the contemporary
Maserati coupe, but the internals,
including the flat-plane crank, are
completely different and the variable
valve timing system came from the Enzo’s
V12. Dean Pallett, assistant service
manager at Graypaul Nottingham,
describes the unit as ‘basically the Enzo
engine with fewer cylinders’.
It’s generally a very robust and reliable
engine – and no timing belts to change,
which helps reduce servicing costs.
‘The only problem we’ve had is exhaust
manifolds cracking,’ says Pallett. ‘We’ve
had a couple of cars where a broken
manifold has caused an engine failure
by sucking bits of weld into the engine.
You’ll only really notice if one is blowing
if you’ve heard a good one, so it could be
worth getting an expert opinion.’
The cost of a new manifold, including
118 www.evo.co.uk
labour, is over four grand – so if a car is
still on its originals, a contingency fund is
advised. ‘Ferrari has uprated the materials
and we haven’t had any issues as yet with
the ones we’ve replaced,’ says Pallett.
Some specialists also weld-repair them.
Timing chains should be checked at
43,000 miles. Cost to change: around
four grand from an official dealership;
possibly – but not necessarily – less from
an independent. For general servicing,
most cars never hit the mileage intervals,
in which case it should be annually.
TRANSMISSION
Clutch life is considerably better than on
earlier F1-equipped cars. ‘It’s a bigger,
stronger clutch in the 430,’ says Pallett.
‘The average life is probably 25,000 to
30,000 miles but I’ve seen some with
more.’ A new one is around £2500,
though if you also need a release bearing
and a flywheel, it will be closer to £4500.
A full inspection would include
removing the undertrays and looking out
for any fluid seeping from the gearbox
actuator – a new replacement is around
£5k. Even without removing the trays,
using a torch you may be able to see any
leaks; note there’s an oil overflow pipe in
the right-hand rear corner, so oil coming
from there isn’t a problem.
SUSPENSION, STEERING, BRAKES
The main weakness is the ball-joints.
The good news is an official dealer can
now change the actual joints rather than
having to supply the whole wishbone,
more than halving the replacement cost
to around £600. Listen for any clonks
and rattles over bumps; in bad cases the
steering won’t self-centre as it should
(that’s the joints starting to seize up).
Many 430s have the carbon-ceramic
(CCM) brake option. If the discs need
replacing you could be looking at a bill
of around £10k, though in reality it’s
only cars that have done a lot of hard
trackdays that are likely to ever require
 BUYING GUIDE

INFORMATION
SPECIFICATION
Engine V8, 4308cc
Max power 483bhp @ 8500rpm
Max torque 343lb ft @ 5250rpm
Transmission Six-speed manual or F1
automated manual, rear-
wheel drive, E-Diff
Weight 1449kg (339bhp/ton)
0-62mph 4.0sec (claimed)
Top speed 196mph+ (claimed)
Price new £117,000 (2005)

PARTS PRICES
Prices from Graypaul Nottingham, bas ed
on F430 F1. Tyre price from blackcircles .
com. Prices include VAT but exclude
fitting charges .

Tyre £139.36 front, £206.33

rear (Bridgestone Potenza
RE050A)
Front pads £261.61 (set)
£767.01 CCM (set)
Front discs £723.50 (pair)
£4616.40 CCM (pair)
Damper £1293.44 (front)
Clutch £2605.16
Release £595.65
bearing
Catalytic £4034.17
converter
Exhaust £2756.35 (each)
manifold

SERVICING
this. In truth, the standard iron disc set- Prices from Graypaul Nottingham,
Top: instrument clusters not cheap to
up is more than adequate for road use. replace if frosting irritates you. Above: including VAT
But CCM does make a car more desirable, standard discs up to the job on the
the discs never rust and the considerably road; carbon-ceramic option increases Annual £899
service
larger calipers look great! It’s worth car’s desirability. Below: V8 reliable,
but exhaust manifolds can crack Second-year £1099
getting the remaining life of the discs and service
pads checked: ‘Even if the discs are 50 per Major service £1899
cent worn you might well get ten years of
life out of them,’ says Pallett.

BODY, INTERIOR, ELECTRICS USEFUL CONTACTS

There shouldn’t be any serious corrosion;
anything you do find is probably the OWNERS' CLUBS, FORUMS
ferrariownersclub.co.uk
result of a stone-chip left untreated.
The rear lights can come loose and start ferrarichat.com

rattling if one of the tabs that fix them clubscuderia.co.uk

in place breaks. Replacement units are a
INDEPENDENT SPECIALISTS
four-figure sum so check carefully with
superformance.co.uk
gentle finger pressure. Also check the
headlights for hazing (if they ever need foskers.com

replacing, new ones cost around £6k).

CARS FOR SALE
Inside, check the instrument clusters
preowned.ferrari.com/en
for frosting on the inner surfaces – if you
theferraricentre.com
find it a major irritation the only cure is to
replace the cluster. Not cheap…

www.evo.co.uk 119
 Market
WHAT TO PAY
The F430 market has been pretty stable
over the last year or so, and demand
remains strong. You’ll find early coupes
from £80k, but check their history and
condition carefully to avoid potentially
ruinous bills, especially if buying privately
or from a non-specialist. A realistic
budget for a good berlinetta with a full
history from a Ferrari dealer or specialist
‘I BOUGHT ONE’
SAL ALBANE SE
‘I’ve owned my current F430 for about two
years. It’s a 2007 car with the F1 transmission.
I was actually looking for a red one, but then
I found this car at Dick Lovett in Swindon,
and it was the right car with the right spec:
carbon-ceramic brakes, carbon seats and
steering wheel and a few other bits, too. Since
I bought it, I’ve also fitted the carbon engine
cover, plus a Capristo exhaust – mostly to
save weight – and Scuderia wheels.
‘I’ve owned a number of Ferraris before,
including a left-hand-drive F430. Currently I
have two others: a 599 and a 488. Because
I have other cars, the F430 doesn’t do huge
mileage – since I bought it, it’s gone from
about 16,000 miles to around 19,000. But in
fact it’s one of the most useable Ferraris there
is. If you’re not feeling absolutely at the
top of your game, it’s an easy car
to drive. It won’t bite you.
The 430 is just a really
pleasurable drive. It’s
nimble, the controls
are light, you’ve
120 www.evo.co.uk
is £90k-95k, while £100k-110k buys an
excellent car. Spiders usually command a
few grand more, and manuals can fetch
up to £10k more. Red with cream is still
the most sought-after combo. Condition
and spec are more important than the
number of owners or mileage; most F430s
do low miles anyway and it’s not unusual
for a car to have had several owners.
got great vision, the brakes are brilliant, and
it’s practical, too – there’s storage space,
it’s comfy on a long journey, and fairly easy
to park. It really is a great all-rounder. I’m
a big fan of the F1 ’box, too, especially on a
trackday. A manual is lovely, but feels like old
tech on a car like the F430.
‘Compared with a lot of Ferraris, the 430’s
not particularly expensive to run. Mine’s been
serviced once – by Graypaul Nottingham –
and had a couple of small things attended
to under warranty: the radio wasn’t working
at one point, and I had the rattle from the
rear lights [see Checkpoints]. I bought from
a main dealer because I wanted the two-yeartwo- year
warranty [available on all cars up to 15 years
from date of first registration, so even early
F430s should qualify].
‘I’ve got more cars
than I need. But the
F430 is such an easy
and enjoyable car to
live with, I really don’t
want to part with it.’
WHAT WE SAID
ROAD TEST, OCTOBER 2004
‘Despite the promised fire-breathing,
baby- eating performance, the F430 is
actually a bit of a pussycat in normal
use. With the manettino flicked to Sport,
the ride is still supple, the bump-thump
normally associated with broad rubber
and firm suspension comprehensively
muffled. The new V8 makes its presence
felt early: ample muscle, razor response
and a deeper, less frenzied note galvanise
the F430’s mega-Modena feel.
‘Savage isn’t the right word to describe
the transformation from pliant, tractable
civility to tungsten-edged hostility, for
it implies a kind of primitive, frenzied
aggression that’s totally at odds with the
F430’s immaculate speed. Precise and
predictable, and yet preposterously rapid,
it copes with surface changes, bumps,
crests, dips and potholes with utter
disdain, and operates on an altogether
different level from the car it replaces.
Perhaps for the first time, Ferrari has
managed to successfully combine age-old
passion and heart-pounding emotion
with state-of-the-art engineering and
electronics.’ – evo 074
RIVALS
LAMBORGHINI GALLARDO
The F430’s closest rival. Its 5-litre V10
makes a minimum of 493bhp, 0-62mph is
around 4.0sec, top speed 190mph-plus,
and all-wheel drive gives extra traction.
Plenty of choice for £80k-90k.
McLAREN 12C
The 12C arrived in 2011, just after the F430
went off sale. Its 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8
provides 616bhp, 0-62mph in a staggering
3.1sec, and over 200mph, while ride and
refinement are uncanny. From £90k.
PORSCHE 911 GT3
The 997-generation GT3s are all-time
greats. In 997.2 guise, that 3.8-litre flat-
six makes 429bhp, with 0-62mph in just
over 4.0sec, 194mph all-in and a chassis
to die for. From £95k for a 997.2.
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STEEDA Q500 ENFORCER
Pump ed -up Mus tang s not doing it for you? Then Steeda’s more subtle change s could be the ans wer
MOST OF THE AFTERMARKET
packages on offer for Ford’s Mustang do
little to help it adapt to life this side of the
pond – 800bhp supercharged engines and
fat stripes, although fun, probably don’t
suit your European sensibilities.
Steeda’s approach is different. The
Florida-based company has been
operating for 30 years, is the world’s
largest aftermarket manufacturer of
performance Ford parts and works so
closely with Ford it has access to its CAD
data and pre-release models. It also has
a facility in Georgia with a test track, a
skidpan, a brake test area, and multiple
road surfaces to assess ride quality. Now
turnkey Steeda cars, such as this Q500
Enforcer, are available in the UK.
Delve into what Steeda has done to
the Mustang V8 GT and there’s plenty
to suggest this will be better suited to a
British B-road than Interstate 75. There’s
an extra 70bhp – so 480bhp in all – but
it’s the changes to the chassis that are
most promising. Steeda replaces the
standard anti-roll bars with thicker items
attached with billet aluminium mounts
and billet ends, adds a front strut brace
and increases the support from the body
to the rear subframe. Our test car is also
fitted with optional coilovers that allow
TUNER DRIVEN
Ph o to g ra p hy by A s to n Pa r ro t t
Above: Ford’s 5-litre V8 gets an extra 63bhp, and a
more sophisticated sound beyond 4000rpm
height and damping adjustment and
come with camber-adjustable top mounts.
Other options include billet rear
damper mounts, billet anti-roll-bar drop
links, adjustable rear toe links, and front
and rear subframe braces, all of which are
fitted here. Inside there’s the Alcantara
steering wheel from the GT350R, a round
Steeda gearknob and a lighter clutch
return spring. All subtle, well-judged
changes. The basic Q500 costs around
£48,000 – £9900 more than a basic V8 GT
– while our test car comes in at £57,500.
There’s nothing subtle about the
exhaust note when you start the Enforcer.
Burbling at idle or at low revs it sounds
like the archetypal American V8, only a
few decibels louder. Stretch the engine
beyond 4000rpm and the tone changes,
becoming harder and more sophisticated.
Market
But it’s in the way the Q500 handles
that you really notice Steeda’s alterations.
The ride is firmer, but also more settled,
and the Enforcer tracks straight over
rough tarmac. Turn into a corner and
significantly less roll makes the car
so much easier to place. The lateral
movement in the standard car’s rear axle
can make it difficult to tell if you’re going
sideways, but Steeda’s car transmits all the
information you need to take advantage
of the rear-wheel-drive layout with
certainty. Your understanding of the state
of grip is also maintained throughout
the bend, allowing you to adjust the car
accurately on the throttle.
Despite this increased precision, the
Mustang’s scale still makes exploring
smaller roads tricky. Its muscle car roots
are also exposed if you’re too aggressive
with the throttle and get the car really out
of shape. Still, with a chassis you can trust
and exploit, the Q500 Enforcer is far more
entertaining and satisfying than any other
Mustang we’ve driven so far on UK roads.
Will Beaumont (@WillBeaumont)
+ Far sharper, far more controllable than the
standard Mustang
- It’s still the size of a Mustang
evo rating
www.evo.co.uk 123
 Market

BUYING
JOURNEY
evo reader Paul Williams’
c a r h i s to r y i n c l u d e s a
s u p e r- s e c u r e R o v e r S D 1 a n d
a p i r o u e t t i n g T V R We d g e

WHEN GLANCING AT SOMEONE’S
car history, quite often certain themes
become obvious. It could be hot hatches,
turbocharging, cars from a specific
country or even models from a particular
marque. It’s usually easy to spot. But
not in the case of Paul Williams’ buying
journey. Yes, he’s sometimes owned
more than one or two cars from the same
manufacturer, but you could hardly call
him loyal to any marque.
While there may not be any overriding
themes or deep brand allegiance, there
is a consistently high average quality of
choices. Look beyond the conservative
diesel BMW estate and Range Rover and
you’ll find everything from Rovers and
TVRs to Subarus and Ferraris, making
for an impressively low number of
embarrassingly bad cars.
Well, not at face value anyway. Paul’s
tales sometimes tell a different story…
ROVER SD1 3 .5 V8
‘This was ridiculously cheap – around £500.
It was awesome for a student, but it was a
shame about the fuel and repair bills, and the
fact that the electronics were dodgy to say
the least. Shortly after buying it I drove it to
university to show it off. Unfortunately the
central locking trapped me inside and I had to
climb out through the boot with lots of people
watching. I replaced it with another Scirocco,
which was a bad move – the engine on that
died and the doors g rew 6-inch rust holes.’

THE CARS
VW Scirocco 1.6 GLS (Mk1)

Rover SD1 3.5 V8

VW Scirocco 1.6 GLi (Mk1)

Renault 21 Turbo

TVR 390SE

TVR Griffith 5.0 V8

TVR Griffith 5.0 V8

Subaru Impreza Turbo

TVR 390SE
Porsche 911 Turbo (996) ‘This felt like a move to the big league. The
TVR had scary acceleration and even scarier
Audi R8 V8 handling. My Highlight was spinning it at a
Brands Hatch trackday, putting up such a cloud
Ferrari F430 Spider
of dust and smoke that the whole session had
BMW 330d Touring (E90) to be red-flagged! My passenger was unable to
speak for several hours afterwards…
Range Rover TDV8 Vogue (L322) ‘And, of course, in typical TVR fashion it
wasn’t all plain sailing: the throttle had a
Mercedes-AMG E63 S 4Matic (W212)
tendency to stick open at very high motorway
Porsche 911 Turbo S Cabriolet (997.2) speeds. I replaced the 390SE with a Griffith –
such a g reat car that I bought two in a row.’
MERCEDES-AMG E63 S 4MATIC (W212)
‘I needed something “sensible” but also
something fast that could replace both the
Ferrari F430 and the Range Rover. The four-
wheel-drive W212 E63 fitted the bill.
‘I now live in Switzerland, so I imported a car
from Germany. I flew to Hannover to collect
it and on the first empty bit of autobahn I hit
180mph without even realising it. This car is so
fast, yet so refined. It also has the biggest boot
in its class by far; way bigger than an RS6’s.
Now with two kids we couldn’t g o on some of
our family holidays with any less boot space.’

WHAT NEXT?
‘I saw a bright g reen AMG GT R offering taxi rides around the Nordschleife; I am very tempted by one of those. A 997.2 GT3 is also seriously appealing, or
possibly a used McLaren 570S Spider in a couple of years, if values fall a bit. I would love an Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio, but I just know the boot isn’t
g oing to be big enough to fit all the kids’ stuff in for a family holiday. The new Mercedes-AMG E63 S would be big enough, though.’

Email your buying journey to eds@evo.co.uk

www.evo.co.uk 125
 Driven to Perfection

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 THIS MONTH
P O R S C H E 9 1 1 C A R R E R A ( 9 9 6 ) // L A M B O R G H I N I A V E N T A D O R R O A D S T E R // B M W M 2 4 0 i //
D S 3 P E R F O R M A N C E // S E A T L E O N S T C U P R A 3 0 0 4 D R I V E // S K O D A S U P E R B S P O R T L I N E 4 X 4 //
M E R C E D E S - A M G C 4 3 E S T A T E // P E U G E O T 1 0 6 R A L L Y E // A U D I R S 5 // M A Z D A M X - 5 ( M k 1 )

NEW ARRIVAL

Honda Civic Type R

Honda’s shout-out-loud hot hatch is still no shrinking violet. But
have this latest version’s refinements made it a better daily driver?

www.evo.co.uk 137
 MIGHT HAVE A HOT HATCH WITH
‘I some big wings for you,’ said James
Disdale, evo road test editor and –
sometimes equally importantly to the staff on
this magazine – the bloke who dishes out our
long-termers. I must be in James’s good books,
because a chance to spend serious time
behind the wheel of evo’s current favourite hot
hatch is just what I needed to wash away the
blues of ‘my’ RS5 returning to Audi (see page
148). Either that or Dis mistakenly thought I’m
only into tasteful 80-grand coupes these days
and was trying to punish me with a spell in the
most visually disruptive hot hatch ever made.
But this, for me, is absolutely no
punishment. Hot hatches with hardcore
leanings are right up my B-road, and especially,
in recent times, those wearing red H badges.
A couple of years ago I had the pleasure of
running a previous-generation (FK2) Civic
Type R for nine months. I’m far from a Honda
fanboy, but nor am I a Honda hater, so I went
into the experience with little, if anything,
in the way of bias. And I emerged from it a
138 www.evo.co.uk
complete convert, at least as far as the FK2
was concerned. Here was a hatch that spoke
my language: fast, punchy, talkative, frequently
rather raw, and never, ever dull.
And now that car has evolved into this, the
FK8: a smidge more powerful (up 10bhp to
316bhp), a touch more sophisticated (goodbye
torsion-beam, hello multi-link rear axle) and a
bit more refined (there’s now a Comfort mode,
of all things). Has the extra garnish improved
or ruined a great recipe? Our tests to date
suggest very much the former, but we’ve heard
from FK2 fans who still have their concerns
and doubts, and as someone who really ‘got’
that earlier model, I’m also curious to find out
how the new version will stack up in the long
run. Not sure whether to stick with your FK2
or upgrade to an FK8? Hopefully I’ll have an
answer for you over the coming months.
In the meantime, what exactly have we got
here? Our long-termer is in ‘GT’ spec, which
takes the basic price of £30,995 up to £32,995
and adds such niceties as an upgraded stereo,
satnav, parking sensors, blind-spot warnings,
Above: colour has divided opinion. Top right: rear
wing one of many elements that ensure this hot
hatch doesn’t fly under the radar. Above right,
middle: satnav part of £2000 GT-spec upgrade
dual-zone climate control and wireless
phone charging. Lifting the total to £33,520 is
Championship White pearlescent paint (£525),
which has already caused some controversy in
the evo office by looking distinctly off-white
alongside the Bianca White of Antony Ingram’s
Peugeot 106 Rallye (see page 145). Colleagues
have humorously suggested some new names
for the Honda’s hue, including Smoker’s White,
Buttermilk and Japanese Racing Magnolia…
It’s largely a trick of the eye, though, because
away from such Pure Brilliant Whites the Civic
looks much more, well, white. I also reckon that
pearlescent finish will come into its own when
a summer’s evening light is glowing upon it. In
the meantime, to stop the jibes I’m parking as
far away from Ant’s Rallye as possible.
Far more important for those who don’t
spend their weekends studying Farrow & Ball
colour charts is what the FK8 has been like
 Porsche 911 Carrera (996)
This 2002 911 still has the power to make the heart skip
a beat – despite a wallet-lightening bill for £1600

HERE WAS A NEED TO HAVE
T some work done on the Carrera
recently, which as ever caused
tin hats to be placed on heads and sofas
to be used as ineffectual and rather
squidgy barricades against the prospect
of significant financial expense. It was
time for a 12,000-mile service anyway,
but in the end the car decided to force
the issue by its alternator crying enough.
As always seems to be the case, the
unfortunate moment came just as I was
enjoying a really good drive. Just a few
miles from my house there was a loud
clunk from somewhere in the rear of the
car, followed almost immediately by the
battery light glowing angrily on the dash.
I returned home and parked up. Within a
week the battery had gone flat, then the
car sat forlornly beached on the drive.
To the rescue came my chosen
Porsche specialist, RPM Technik, who
recovered the car on their trailer and
then got down to work. As well as the
alternator repair and the service, I asked
if the coolant could be changed, the
noisy air conditioning investigated and
the car’s front end tidied up. Based on
its colour, the coolant appeared to have
been in there quite some time; the air
the messy front end, most of that was
my making, having subjected it to a low-
speed nose-kerb interface that dislodged
the nearside side repeater.
RPM fitted a reconditioned exchange
alternator, sorted out the light damage at
the front (and got the nearside fan, which
had been dead for a while, working again)
and serviced and MOT’d the car. I’d also
asked them to look into the occasional
lumpy idle and the wind noise from the
driver’s side glass seal, and both of these
were sorted, too.
Cleaned, serviced and thoroughly
refreshed, my heart really skipped a beat
when I collected a pristine ‘OCL’ from
RPM’s premises: this car remains a thing
of simple beauty. Perhaps best of all, a
sumpful of fresh Mobil 1 has the flat-six
running and sounding as sweet as a nut,
which more than offsets the financial
pain that is unavoidably associated with
maintenance time on any Porsche.
Let the air-raid siren sound the all-
clear. For now.
Adam Towler (@AdamTowler)
Date acquired May 2016
Total mileage 83,950
Mileage this month 50

‘There are signs it’s easier con has always been a bit noisy, although Costs this month £1600
it’s also always worked fine; and as for mpg this month 25.5

to live with. I’ve even been

using Comfort mode…’
these first few hundred miles. The good news –
for me and other FK2 fans – is that the driving
experience is pleasingly familiar, just with that
extra polish you’ve been reading about in our
reviews. And, yes, there are signs that this new
car is easier to live with than its predecessor,
too. I’ve even found myself using that Comfort
mode… But don’t for one second go thinking
that the Civic Type R has gone soft. It really
hasn’t. More on that next time.
Ian Eveleigh

Date acquired January 2018

Total mileage 1173
Mileage this month 538
Costs this month £0
mpg this month 28.4

www.evo.co.uk 139
Lamborghini Aventador Roadster
A wet start to the year hasn’t stopped the Italian supercar from leaving a truly lasting impression
HIS YEAR HAS STARTED WELL, WITH
T the damp and slippery conditions
providing the perfect excuse to get
the 690bhp Italian beast out of the garage. As
evo’s road test team discovered in appallingly
wet conditions during last issue’s four-wheel-
drive megatest, the Aventador’s 4WD system
makes for rapid, sure-footed progress, and
although my Roadster’s roof panels are pretty
much a permanent fixture at this time of year,
the small window behind the seats opens just
enough that the feral scream from the 6.5-litre
V12 is only a firm accelerator push away, no
matter what the weather.
I’ve owned the Aventador for a couple of
years now and, to my eyes at least, it still looks
extraordinary; nothing comes close in terms of
drama, noise and impact at a similar price. It’s
jaw-dropping for eight-year-olds and 80-year-
140 www.evo.co.uk
Above: Aston Martin DBS Volante and Porsche 911
GT3 RS 4.0 joined the Aventador on a trip through
the Italian mountains
olds alike, and in spite of the larger-than-life
automotive persona, it’s actually a surprisingly
easy car to live with day to day. It’s not cheap
to run and consumables are pricey, but it’s
been solidly reliable with only a couple of minor
problems, which were fixed under warranty.
The Aventador replaced a Murciélago
LP640 Roadster – my first Lamborghini – and
the ownership experience of both cars has
been tremendous. I’ve spent quite a bit of
time in Italy in both and there’s nothing quite
like the sound of that V12 in the tunnels along
the Riviera. The accelerator needs a firm push
to bring on the heady experience of the full
690 horses that lie in wait at the top end of
the rev range; short-shifting makes for much
more sluggish progress, the real fun is in
exploring beyond 5000rpm.
Late last year some friends and I took the
Aventador and two other cars in the Black
fleet on a cross-country road trip through
the leaf-strewn, foggy and damp Italian
mountains. The stage was set and tickets
were booked to see Mr Pagani’s wonderful
creations, followed by a quick dash to the
‘It still looks extraordinary. DS 3 Performance
It’s jaw-dropping for What our French long-termer may lack in finesse against its
eight-year-olds and rivals is made up for by a character that shines through

80-year-olds alike’ I
’M NOT SURE I HAVE EVER
heard the word ‘rustic’ applied
imbue it with a level of character missing
from many of its rivals, and indeed lesser
to a car, but I have decided to DS 3s. And when you’re in the mood,
use it in reference to the DS 3. Much like the DS rises to the occasion. The peppy
Lamborghini factory and museum, with our the imperfections in a sturdy Roquefort, BMW/PSA 1.6-litre engine produces its
route ending in Genoa via the twisty mountain the DS 3 Performance’s dynamic abilities best results when worked hard, and the
roads south, avoiding autostrada all the way. may lack the polish of rivals from chassis majors on much the same notion,
Dunlop Sport Maxx Race tyres on the Volkswagen or Mini, but somehow the rewarding your efforts with an absolutely
Porsche 911 GT3 RS 4.0 made for fabulous end result is a product possessing a more pinned front end and the constantly
forearm exercise for me (and resulted in a loveable character. surprising ability to carry more speed out
slightly sick co-driver), while my friend at the A recent brief foray in a VW Golf of corners than you might expect.
wheel of the Lamborghini simply bludgeoned GTI (granted, I am aware of its higher The DS’s desire to obtain character
the road into submission, keeping up happily. class stature) confirmed that extra doesn’t excuse all its faults though, as
As the journey drew on and the light faded, performance needn’t always be at the there is simply no excuse for such a
the driver of the third car, the Aston Martin cost of refinement or drivability. The contrived seating position. The cliché of
DBS Volante, declared it the machine of word ‘slick’ kept springing to mind for dodgy French electrics also seems to be
choice for the journey. He was partly right: every element of the car, but I couldn’t displaying its first tell-tale signs, often
with suspension and engine map backed off help thinking that some of the DS 3’s cutting out the solid car-to-iPhone cable
to Normal mode, plus fabulously supportive more raucous nature would be welcome. connection and struggling to keep up
seats, great visibility, and grunt where required I found myself longing for a bit of the with Apple CarPlay commands.
from that creamy 5.9-litre V12, the DBS was drama that seems to coincide with Jordan Katsianis
sublime on that route. However, the stability every journey in the DS 3. Sure, the (@JordanKatsianis)
of the Aventador and the way it encourages French car’s ride is a little tough and
the driver to use all the grip available to attack the booming exhaust can be a bit tiring Date acquired May 2017
the road, even in those conditions, made that on long journeys, but the car’s distinct Total mileage 8517
the car of the trip for me. An epic display of its personality somehow makes it feel that Mileage this month 615
extraordinary capabilities. bit more special. Costs this month £0
The Lambo is now booked into the Best of In fact, the rough edges seem to mpg this month 41.2
Italy Race in Emilia Romagna in September,
where drivers get to enjoy 24 kliometres
of closed Apennine road without speed
restrictions. Mrs Black and some friends will be
there too, so a travel-mate for the Lamborghini
would be useful, and as it’s a strictly-Italian-
cars-only event, it could be the perfect excuse
to bring another Ferrari onto the Black fleet…
In the past I’ve had the joy of owning a 1988
Ferrari Testarossa, a 1998 Ferrari 550 Maranello
and a 2008 F430 Scuderia and, given those
exact decade gaps, I guess I’m due a 2018
(or thereabouts) Ferrari soon. While the 812
Superfast is tempting, a 458 Speciale has been
on my ‘want’ list for some time. They’ve been
a bit rich on price until recently, but they’re
looking better value now, so if the right car
comes along I’m keen to experience another
one of evo’s top-rated cars and hopefully share
the experience with you. Until next time.
John Black (@john_m_black)

Date acquired November 2015

Total mileage 7275km
Mileage this month 472km
Costs this month £0
mpg this month 10.6

www.evo.co.uk 141
 END OF TERM
SEAT Leon ST Cupra 300 4Drive
Whatever the weather, whatever the journey, SEAT’s understated,
and rare, hot estate has been a quick and capable companion
WAS PREDISPOSED TO LIKING
I our swift Cupra 300 estate. The
Leon Cupra 280 Ultimate Sub8 had
given me some memorable drives on eCoty
2015, hunting down and harrying exotica.
Sure, our estate didn’t have the semi-slicks,
clever locking diff and fanatically honed edge
of the Sub8 (the name of which alludes to its
Ring time) but it did have even more power –
296bhp versus 276 – and four-wheel drive.
It was a bit of a Q-car, subtle and clean-cut
in metallic white, and sharper-looking than the
similar Golf R estate, I reckon. And, boy, did it
feel fast. There is no manual option with all-
wheel drive at this horsepower level, but the
six-speed DSG is such a slick, responsive ’box,
you’re soon converted. It helps the Leon to
60mph in under five seconds and it honestly
feels that quick when you go for a standing
start and a couple of red-line upshifts.
Early on, I was consumed with the set-up.
You can choose between Comfort, Sport and
Cupra modes, or you can individually tune
steering weight, suspension control, and
engine and gearbox response, with settings
from soft to sharp, or in SEAT-speak, from
Comfort to Cupra. It took a good few thousand
miles to settle on my preferred settings and, to
be honest, it was never quite what I wanted. In
fact, the more cars I try with driver-tuneable
attributes, the more I wish chassis engineers
would just make the key-on mode so good that
you rarely want to change it, or only do when,
say, you go on a trackday or, in the case of our
‘Unladen, and when the
opportunity arose, the
Cupra was sure-footed
and shockingly fast
across the ground’
142 www.evo.co.uk
Leon estate, have a full load on board.
In the end, I went for the lightest steering
(why does heavy get confused with sporty?),
the sportiest suspension (i.e. tightest
controlled but still rounded) and not quite the
sportiest engine (because the fake induction
noise was brash). That last one I only got to
work to my satisfaction when I realised you
didn’t have to have the sporty, rather frantic
auto gearbox mode that gets activated with it.
Simply nudge the gear selector from S to D and
bingo: sharp engine, all six gears in play and
upshifts punctuated by an audible pop!
It took a journey to Glasgow and back to there seemed little gain for the pain. Of more
get fully to grips with the ins and outs of the use seemed to be the slick eco stop-start.
infotainment and navigation – particularly This cut the engine a few mph before the car
how to use the touchscreen to zoom on maps, came to rest and applied the handbrake so you
and how to stop satnav voice commands could sit there, feet off the pedals, and then
interrupting the DAB radio. My brother, Chris, just press the throttle to go again. Few other
had to resort to the handbook more than once. systems have measured up.
On the M74 on the way back I spotted what
would prove to be the only other Cupra 300
I exploited the SEAT’s practicality on a
number of occasions, loading it with offspring,
4Drive I would see for the whole eight months
I ran ours. It looked good in dark metallic blue
dog and luggage, and it was perfectly
comfortable and refined. Unladen, and when
but I preferred our monochrome version.
Economy was pretty decent, at an average
the opportunity arose, it was sure-footed and
shockingly fast across the ground. You could
of 33.2mpg over the duration. I had expected
the Eco drivetrain mode to yield a worthwhile
sense from its balance that it was evolved
from a front-driver but it never allowed any
economy gain, given the dull throttle response
and lack of spark it foisted on the engine, yet
torque to escape. It was chasing a Ferrari 488
that I was driving when a front wheel banged
into a pothole, inducing a slight steering grip, I didn’t take it out just for a drive, as I’m
shimmy. It turned out to be a bent rim and sure I would have had it been a Sub8. But the
nipped tyre, which was expensive to rectify – estate’s versatility suited my needs very well. It
nearly £600 for the wheel alone. was well equipped, surprisingly frugal and not
About five months in, I got to drive the front- a Golf R. It was a very good car to have in your
wheel-drive-only hatch version of the Cupra corner – quick, cool and understated.
300. Were my expectations too high, based on John Barker (@evoJB)
Sub8 experience – and thousands of miles in
the grippy and planted 4Drive long-termer?
Around the West Circuit at Bedford Autodrome, Date acquired May 2017
the Cupra hatch felt sloppy and lacking grip. Duration of test8 months
Not a patch on the Sub8 or even our estate, but Total test mileage11,081
hopefully a temporary blip for SEAT/Cupra. Overall mpg32.5
So, the Cupra 300 4Drive was a fast, capable Costs £597.61 wheel
and confidence-inspiring estate. It didn’t put a £306.56 two tyres
wheel wrong during our 11,000 miles (that was Purchase price £34,280
us finding a pothole), yet despite its pace and Value today £23,500

www.evo.co.uk 143
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Peugeot 106 Rallye
Righting the wrong of non-matching tyres has been a priority, and the benefits are clear
’LL ADMIT, I STRUGGLE TO GET
I excited by tyres. I understand that
some people, evo readers included,
geek-out about them like I might when poring
through catalogues and websites for other
performance parts, drooling over potential
future upgrades. But for me tyres tend to be
a product I only think about when my current
set are past their best and I need to start
thinking about replacements.
Yet one of the first things I did after buying
my Eunos Roadster (p152) and, more recently,
the Rallye was to fit some new rubber. With
the Roadster, this was down to the old tyres
looking rather ancient, with one in particular
appearing as if it’d been hacked at by a lunatic
with a cheese grater. With the Peugeot it was
because the fitted tyres, while still boasting
plenty of tread, were a pick ‘n’ mix of brands
and tread patterns, and the wrong size.
As new, Peugeot fitted 175/60 R14 Pirelli
P6000s – a typical hot hatch tyre at the
time. At some stage, mine was switched onto
185/55 R14s. Non-matching tyres in the first
place is a no-no, but non-matching tyres in the
wrong size require immediate attention. This
is a tiny, lightweight car with firm suspension
and no power steering – it doesn’t need wider
rubber to generate any more grip, it doesn’t
need any more grip to be fun, and it doesn’t
need any more rubber scrubbing around on
the tarmac while you’re trying to twirl the
unassisted steering. So the hunt began for
suitable items.
As I discovered with the Mazda, it’s difficult
finding a non-eco tyre for 14-inch wheels these
days, but while I was looking, Falken chirped up
to suggest a set of its ZE914s, a performance
‘They’re an immediate
improvement. Grip levels
are impressive, and the
ride has improved, too’
tyre available for modestly sized rims, with
the aim of providing both good dry and wet-
weather performance. Duly fitted, they’re an
immediate improvement. While the steering is
little lighter at parking speeds or when loaded
up in hard cornering, a shade less muscle is
now required for normal day-to-day driving.
Yet grip levels are still impressive, and with
matching, balanced circles at each corner, the
ride has improved a tad, too.
Best of all, the squidgy plastic steering
wheel rim is still filtering back a detailed
stream of information, which is one of
my favourite aspects of the Rallye – and
something that should remain unchanged
until the next set of tyres is required.
Antony Ingram (@evoAntony)
Date acquired
Total mileage
August 2017
111,577
Mileage this month
Costs this month
293
£174.20 four tyres
£52.70 fitting
mpg this month 41.7
www.evo.co.uk 145
BMW M240i
Our M240i shares lots of its DNA with the three-door M140i, so how do you choose between them?
S PROMISED IN LAST MONTH’S
A report, I have been spending more
time of late driving the M240i in its
Sport+ mode. Perhaps tellingly, fuel economy
has taken a slight dip during this period, by
around 3mpg in typical daily commuting – a
sure sign that the sharper throttle response
and keener handling have been encouraging
a more enthusiastic driving style from me
whenever the opportunity arises.
But what you lose in mpg you gain in
enjoyment, as Sport+ gives the car the more
aggressive edge you might expect given its
M (Performance) badging. It also relaxes the
stability control, which brings me to something
I’ve found intriguing about the M240i: that
just when you think you are really getting to
understand its behaviour, it bites at the most
146 www.evo.co.uk
unexpected of times. This is most likely due to
its short wheelbase, and I won’t pretend that
these moments are always fun, but they are
sort of why I enjoy driving this car – you need
to be completely involved whilst doing so.
The only underwhelming part of the
M240i for me is the interior, and particularly
the seats, which are surprisingly basic. It’s a
shame there isn’t an option to upgrade them
to some M4-style items that would hold you
more tightly when you’re properly driving.
Conversely, I actually like the M240i’s exterior
styling. It hasn’t got huge vents or bulging
arches like the more showy M2, but instead
has a more simplistic, narrow-body feel. Add to
this the 335bhp peak power output, a decent-
sized boot and space for four adults and it
really does make for a brilliant compact daily
performance car. And then an M140i arrived in
the evo car park, trying to turn my head.
Based purely on looks, I know which of the
pair I prefer. The M140i is definitely, to my eyes,
the M240i’s uglier sister. So that’s an easy first
point to the coupe.
Opening the tailgate, the load space
appeared similar in size to that of the coupe,
with the hatch’s extra height the only benefit
as both models have the ability to lower the
rear seats. So unless you specifically need that
height, the M140i offers little advantage here.
Slide down into the driver’s seat and
everything feels familiar; start the 3-litre, six-
cylinder turbo engine and it sounds the same.
Drive away and the M140i even feels the same.
It was only when pushing on that I noticed
some subtle differences, the hatchback
 Skoda Superb SportLine 4x4
You can count on the four-wheel-drive Superb to offer great
traction, but find some snow and there’s fun to be had too

HEY DO HAVE SOMETHING IN absolute, though as I was reminded, while

T common, this fabulously rare
and historically significant
Porsche and our long-term Skoda. This
911 is the Carrera Turbo that finished
second at Le Mans in 1974, the first
turbocharged car to compete there. To
be eligible for the Group 5 Prototype
class it needed to come in under 3 litres,
so its capacity was 2142cc, which, with
the FIA turbo equivalency factor of 1.4:1,
gives 2999cc.
So, the Skoda and the Porsche both
have turbo petrol engines of about
two litres, but while the Superb has an
impressive output of 276bhp, the 911 has
a stonking 500bhp - not bad considering
exhaust-driven turbocharging was in its
infancy in the early ’70s.
The Porsche takes a bit of waking
up and then delivers a growing wave of
torque, with a chu-chu-chu! chatter of
blow-off on the overrun. It’s a reminder
that early turbo production cars were
similar. Today’s light-pressure turbo
engines have no obvious lag or audible
signature – the Superb simply feels like
a very muscular 2-litre, which suits its
refined and comfortable demeanour. It’s
a thrill – and a surprise to passengers –
when you pin the throttle and let it have
its head for a couple of gears.
Traction with the 4x4 drivetrain is
it might accelerate faster than a two-
wheel-drive car in the snow, it doesn’t
brake much better… If you want that, fit
winter tyres and you’ll stop better than
anything else that doesn’t have them.
But I was very happy to discover the
four-wheel-drive system is much more
responsive than those of old. Turn the
Superb’s traction control off and in a
snowy corner a bootful of throttle will
quickly have the rear swinging wide with
oversteer – great fun!
One negative entry this month. The
infotainment system has stopped
switching to Apple CarPlay when I plug
my phone in via the USB port. In fact,
it can’t find the phone at all, but finds
others. A second issue, unrelated it
turned out, was that with the radio page
up on the screen, it would occasionally
– and annoyingly – change station when
I used the indicators. It turns out the
screen has hand gesture technology. Nice
idea but obviously a bit too sensitive. It’s
now turned off.
John Barker (@evoJB)
Date acquired September 2017
Total mileage 8346
Mileage this month 523
Costs this month £0
mpg this month 27.5

feeling a little bouncier at the rear and not as

tied down as the coupe. However, unlike our
240, this 140 wasn’t fitted with the optional
Adaptive M Sport suspension, so that could
well explain the differences here.
So far, so similar, then. But the M140i does
have one significant advantage: its price. It
starts some £3435 below the M240i (£33,920
playing £37,355). It still wouldn’t be my choice,
but that’s a saving which, for many people, will
surely be hard to ignore.
Aston Parrott (@AstonParrott)

Date acquired November 2017

Total mileage 5004
Mileage this month 902
Costs this month £0
mpg this month 26.9

www.evo.co.uk 147
 END OF TERM

Audi RS5
Annoying niggles aside, this turbocharged V6 German supercoupe
has the long game, and its rivals, well and truly mastered

THOUGHT I KNEW WHAT TO

I expect of the RS5. I thought I’d be
in for a few months with a quick,
comfortable and well-equipped machine, but
one I would probably not give a second thought
to once the loan was over. How wrong could
I have been? Instead it got completely under
my skin. It was a car I would think about every
time I was driving something else, and one
that, now it has returned to Audi, I miss hugely.
Given the often lukewarm reviews of this
latest RS5 (though not in evo), you might
wonder how this could be the case. The answer
‘It spreads its
is that this car plays the long game. It might not
grab you by the collar during a brief test drive
park, the driver of a passing coach in a similar
hue, a Canadian evo reader in the car park of
skills far and
or shine brightest in a group-test scenario, but
live with it, see how it can deliver in every single
a Scottish distillery… Quite literally nothing
I’ve driven this side of a pukka supercar
wide, and made
situation you put it into, and slowly but surely it
starts to make perfect sense.
has garnered as much attention, and that
undoubtedly added to the feel-good factor.
me ask questions
Want to cruise along in a relaxed fashion?
Select Comfort mode and there’s a near
Then again, at £80,740 our RS5 ought to
have been able to impress. That sum included
of anything
magic-carpet quality to the ride that its
rivals can’t touch. Need to get from A to B
£17,840 of options, highlights of which
were the green paint (£645), 20-inch alloys
that could be
as quickly as possible? The 444bhp, 442lb ft
twin-turbo V6 packs a colossal punch (we
(£2000), Dynamic Ride Control suspension
(£2000), RS Sport exhaust (£1200) and considered a rival’
recorded 0-60mph in 3.6sec) and is supported 19-speaker Bang & Olufsen stereo upgrade
by remarkable high-speed body control and (£1250). Pretty much everything else I could
composure. Find it tiresome tip-toeing around
on slippery winter tarmac? Allow the quattro
all-wheel drive to shrug off the conditions
for you. On a favourite road and want to be
entertained? Select Dynamic mode, remember
to exploit the Sport Differential, and revel in
the keen turn-in and surprising agility. (If you’re
picturing a nose-heavy understeerer, you can
put that image out of your mind.)
Yes, other supercoupes may offer higher
highs in the right place at the right time, but
they also come with lower lows when they’re
not in their element. The upshot is that the
RS5 rewards more of the time. Almost all of
the time, in fact. Sometimes when it isn’t even
moving. The arresting Sonoma Green paint on
our car undoubtedly helped, but I found myself
continually being quizzed by strangers about
the RS5. Countless people in petrol stations,
teenagers on pushbikes (‘That’s f---ing
gorgeous!’), an old lady in a supermarket car

148 www.evo.co.uk
have lived without, including the Matrix LED
headlights (£850), which in theory should
‘mask out’ cars ahead while still applying full
beam elsewhere for maximum vision, but
in reality got it wrong about 20 per cent of
the time and elicited so many flashes from
oncoming vehicles that I reverted to manually
engaging and disengaging full beam.
Other niggles included gearshift paddles that
felt far too cheap and plasticky, and a couple
of small quality concerns, namely an irritating
rattle that developed in the passenger door, and
the nearside mirror deciding it no longer wanted
to auto-dip, or even be adjusted manually, when
reverse was selected. Also, when the car first
arrived the driver’s window would rise more
slowly than the passenger-side glass, but this
eventually cured itself.
Costs during our 10,400 miles with the
RS5 were limited to £449 for two new front
tyres, replaced following the car’s Supertest fashion that it made me ask questions of
appearance (evo 240), plus £1084.42 for a anything that could be considered a rival. (Why
new grille after a 40mph altercation with a does it ride so firmly? Why does it have so little
pigeon. Fuel economy averaged 24.7mpg overall, traction in the wet?) As an everyday, any-
which seemed more than acceptable given situation, all-conditions proposition, the Audi
the performance on offer and how frequently I seemed to transcend the star rating it achieved
exploited it. One of the benefits of downsizing. in conventional road-test circumstances. In
And on that subject, I didn’t find myself fact, as long-termers go, for me this one is going
longing for the old RS5’s naturally aspirated to be particularly hard to beat.
V8. Sure, the soundtrack would have been Ian Eveleigh
nice, but the massive mid-range shove of
the twin-turbo V6, plus this lighter unit’s Date acquired August 2017
contribution to a perkier handling balance, were Duration of test7 months
ample compensation. It even sounded OK, as Total test mileage10,409
these things go, gurgling away through that Overall mpg24.7
optional exhaust. Costs £449 two tyres
All said and done, the RS5 massively £1084.42 grille repair
exceeded my expectations. Rather than £18.50 litre of oil
focusing its talents in one or two areas, it spread Purchase price £80,740
its skills far and wide – and in such a successful Value today £58,000
www.evo.co.uk 149
Mercedes-AMG C43 Estate
The modern trend for a multitude of different driving modes
is really pushing deputy editor Adam Towler’s buttons
’VE BEEN SETTLING INTO THAT
I early period with a car where the
newness wears off and the reality
of what it’s going to be like to live with comes
to the fore. If that sounds ominous, it’s not
meant to, because overall the C43 is proving
to be a fantastic machine. Fast, comfortable
and practical, yet not as thirsty as you might
imagine, it’s a great car in a good many ways.
Indeed, it proved as much by soaking up its
role as support vehicle in tough conditions on
last month’s 4WD megatest (above).
Yet one thing that does wind me up about
it is the drive modes. You’ve probably noticed
evo staffers going on about such things a fair
bit recently, not least on the preceding pages,
and we’re planning an in-depth look into the
confusing world of the configurable car soon.
For now though, it’s the C43 that bears the
brunt of my annoyance with such systems. In
its default Comfort mode the car is laid-back,
with a surprisingly compliant ride. It’s the kind
of mode you’d use when you just need to get
from A to B with the minimum of fuss, and I
really admire how AMG’s engineers weren’t
150 www.evo.co.uk
afraid to allow some body roll and general
movement in the quest for ride comfort. Add
in the standard 18-inch wheels of our car, and
the accompanying taller tyre sidewalls, and you
have a very relaxing car over long distances.
However, driven thus you’d never really know
there’s a 362bhp sports estate lurking below
the surface. Evidence suggests that the vast
majority of car buyers never even touch mode
switches, let alone program their own mode,
so there must be a lot of drivers blissfully
unaware of the real car they’ve bought.
With the C43, I tend to dismiss the Sport
and Sport+ modes when I want to up the
pace, and move to Individual, which I’ve pre-
programmed with the most aggressive engine
and gearbox map and the medium settings
for the damping and steering. The issue I
have is that to get to Individual I have to scroll
through the other modes, and all via a small
rocker switch on the far side of the central
infotainment controller. Moreover, when my
settings engage, the car is instantly put into
far too low a gear – because the keen engine
map that I want also comes with an overeager
auto mode for the gearbox – so I then need
to press the button that selects manual for
the gearbox. Next up is a quick prod of the
ESP button to get Sport mode for the stability
control, which allows the chassis to work for its
living rather than shutting it down at the first
sign of any loading. Finally, I may also choose
to press the sports exhaust button. Only then
has the C43 morphed from cruiser into B-road
entertainer, and the opportunity for fun may
have already passed.
Annoying, isn’t it? Remember when there
was just a gearlever and three pedals, and if
you wanted to enjoy the drive you changed
gear a bit faster and used more revs? I’m so
tired of button pressing, and in the Merc’s
case, without a programmable button on the
steering wheel (like the M1 and M2 buttons in a
BMW M-car), there’s no shortcut to setting up
the car how you like it.
It really feels like manufacturers need a
complete rethink on how such technology is
integrated into a car, because at the moment
it can be a real mess, where the driver often
feels like the lowest priority of all.
Adam Towler (@AdamTowler)
Date acquired January 2018
Total mileage 2401
Mileage this month 741
Costs this month £18 oil
mpg this month 26.9
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 Mazda MX-5 (Mk1)
Owning an older car has its downsides, but Eunos owner Ingram is fighting against them
A
NYONE ELSE FIND THEMSELF
driving a car out of guilt? I’ve been
using the MX-5 a lot recently and I’m
ashamed to admit it’s mainly because I want
to avoid neglecting it, rather than because it’s
actually good fun to drive.
Leave it sitting a couple of weeks and the
crusty brake calipers begin to stick, and the
starter takes a little longer to churn over
thanks to the immobiliser slowly draining the
battery. It never feels too happy over the first
few miles either, one or two of the tyres having
dropped a few psi and the hydraulic tappets
clicking away until they’ve had their fill of oil.
Then there’s the car’s slightly sad look: the
layer of muck that the evo car park seems to
deposit on everything over the course of a few
weeks, the splodges of bird crap and the slow
but inevitable creep of iron oxide appearing
on the nearside-rear wheelarch. I kept the car
garaged for a long while after first buying it
back in early 2015, but with only one garage
space at my flat, the rotation of long-termers
and press cars means more often than not
that EJB ends up parked outdoors.
The bubbled paintwork I’m particularly
concerned about, mainly because MX-5s
never go ‘slightly’ rusty, and given there are
152 www.evo.co.uk
‘Now 25 years old, it’s
feeling a bit more flexible
than some lower-mileage
MX-5s I’ve driven’
no immediate plans to sell the car this is
something I’ll have to think about sorting
sooner or later. Perhaps that’ll also be an
opportunity to address the general structure but worth it for the peace of mind.
of the car, it having passed its 25th year in And thanks to a recent weekend in Wales
October and feeling a bit more flexible than with some friends and colleagues (see
some lower-mileage MX-5s I’ve driven. Fast Fleet, evo 245), I even had a chance
It’s not completely neglected, though. For a to drive the Eunos purely for fun. I might
start I’ve refitted the hard-top, which not only have had the slowest car there, but EJB
provides a temporary solution to the chassis performed faultlessly and provided plenty of
flexing (seriously, the difference is amazing) entertainment on some of the country’s best
but also sends rainwater around the outside roads. No guilt required.
of the bodywork rather than through the easily Antony Ingram (@AntonyIngram)
clogged, sill-filling drain holes.
Regular oil checks suggest the engine’s still Date acquired February 2015
in good health too – I’ve made sure to have Total mileage 97,339
the oil and filter changed at each service, even Mileage this month 312
though I’m only averaging around 3000 miles Costs this month £0
a year in the car. Costs more money that way, mpg this month 34.0
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 ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW

TheKnowledge RATINGS
3 = Thrill-free zone 33 = Tepid 333 = Interesting 3333 = Seriously good 33333 = A truly great car

= new entry this month. Cars in italics are no longer on sale. Issue no. is for our most recent major test of the car (D = Driven, F = feature). Call 0330 333 9491 for back issues. Engine is the car’s combustion
engine only – electric motors aren’t shown. Weight is as quoted by the manufacturer for the car in basic spec, e.g. with a manual gearbox. In most cases this is to DIN standards (i.e. with fluids but without
a driver), but where the manufacturer only quotes a ‘dry’ weight (i.e. without fluids) this is indicated by *. Note that a dry weight will make the car’s power-to-weight ratio (bhp/ton) appear more favourable.
0-62mph (claimed) is the manufacturer’s 0-62 figure, with a manual gearbox where offered. Our 0-60mph and 0-100mph (tested) figures could be with either a manual or automatic/DCT gearbox.

SUPERMINIS / HOT HATCHES

OUR CHOICE BEST OF THE REST
Honda Civic Type R. Building on the promise shown by the short-lived FK2 If you can’t stomach the Civic’s styling, the classy VW Golf R may be more up your street
version, the FK8 Type R is a more rounded proposition – and is all the better (there’s even a handy estate version), while the Hyundai i30 N Performance Package is
for it. It’s outrageously fast on every kind of road, edges ahead of its rivals on an intriguing – and impressive – alternative to the usual suspects. From the smaller hatches,
track, offers oodles of interaction and is practical to boot. we wouldn’t hesitate to choose the Peugeot 208 GTi by Peugeot Sport (left).
LB FT/ RPM
ISSUE NO.

0-100MPH
BHP/ RPM

MAX MPH
0-60MPH
0-62MPH
BHP/ TON
CYL /CC

WEIGHT
ENGINE

(CLAIMED)
PRICE

(TESTED)

(TESTED)
MAKE & MODEL RATING
Abarth 595 Competizione 196 D £19,890 4/1368 178/5500 184/3000 1035kg 175 6.8 - - 140 + Spirited engine, still looks great - Favours fun over finesse 33322
Abarth 695 Biposto 205 F £33,055 4/1369 187/5500 184/3000 997kg 191 5.9 - - 143 + Engineered like a true Abarth product - Desirable extras make this a £50k city car 33332
Alfa Romeo Giulietta Veloce/QV 199 D £29,635 4/1742 237/5750 251/2000 1320kg 182 6.0 - - 152 + Still looks good, and now it’s got the 4C’s engine - Pricey, and it has more rewarding rivals 33322
Alfa Romeo Giulietta Cloverleaf 144 D ’10-’14 4/1742 232/5500 251/1900 1320kg 179 6.8 - - 150 + Shows signs of deep talent… - …but should be more exciting 33322
Alfa Romeo 147 GTA 187 F ’03-’06 6/3179 247/6200 221/4800 1360kg 185 6.3 6.0 15.5 153 + Mk1 Focus RS pace without the histrionics - Slightly nose-heavy 33332
Audi S1 246 F £27,125 4/1984 228/6000 273/1600 1315kg 176 5.8 - - 155 + Compliant and engaging chassis; quick, too - Looks dull without options 33334
Audi A1 quattro 181 F ’13 4/1984 253/6000 258/2500 1420kg 181 5.7 - - 152 + Polished 253bhp all-wheel-drive A1 - Just 19 for UK, Porsche Cayman price 33334
Audi RS3 Sportback 240 D £44,300 5/2480 394/5850 354/1700 1510kg 265 4.1 - - 155 + Hugely quick point-to-point - Sometimes speed isn’t the be-all and end-all 33342
Audi S3 188 F ’13-’16 4/1984 296/5500 280/1800 1395kg 216 5.2 5.4 12.5 155 + Lots of grip and one of the best-sounding four-pot turbos - Still a little too clinical 33322
Audi RS3 Sportback 221 F ’15-’16 5/2480 362/5500 343/1625 1520kg 242 4.3 3.6 - 155 + Addictive five-cylinder noise; monster pace - Chassis not exactly playful 33322
Audi S3 106 F ’06-’12 4/1984 261/6000 258/2500 1455kg 183 5.7 5.6 13.6 155 + Very fast, very effective, very… er, quality - A little too clinical 33322
Audi RS3 Sportback 156 F ’10-’12 5/2480 335/5400 332/1600 1575kg 216 4.6 - - 155 + Very fast, very, effective, very… er, quality, with added five-pot character - A little too clinical 33322
BMW 125i M Sport 176 D £28,940 4/1997 221/5200 229/1400 1400kg 160 6.1 - - 155 + Performance, price, running costs - Dull four-pot soundtrack 33332
BMW M140i - £32,205 6/2979 335/5500 369/1520 1445kg 236 4.8 - - 155 + Pace; compact size suits UK roads well - Lacks the precision of the best performance cars 33334
BMW M135i 212 F ’12-’15 6/2979 321/5800 332/1300 1430kg 228 5.1 5.2 - 155 + Powertrain, noise, chassis - M235i looks nicer, and has an LSD option 33334
BMW 130i M Sport 106 F ’05-’10 6/2996 261/6650 232/2750 1450kg 183 6.0 6.1 15.3 155 + Fantastic engine - Suspension can still get a little boingy 33332
Citroën DS3 1.6 THP 142 F ’10-’15 4/1598 154/6000 177/1400 1240kg 126 7.3 - - 133 + A proper French hot hatch - Petrolheads might find it too ‘designed’ 33342
Citroën DS3 Racing 153 D ’11-’12 4/1598 204/6000 203/2000 1240kg 167 6.5 - - 146 + A faster, feistier DS3 - Not as hardcore as its ‘Racing’ tag suggests 33342
Citroën Saxo VTS 020 F ’97-’03 4/1587 120/6600 107/5200 935kg 130 8.7 7.6 22.6 127 + Chunky, chuckable charger - Can catch out the unwary 33334
Citroën AX GT 195 F ’87-’92 4/1360 85/6400 86/4000 722kg 120 9.2 - - 110 + Makes terrific use of 85bhp - Feels like it’s made from paper 33334
DS 3 Performance 222 D £21,415 4/1598 205/6000 221/3000 1175kg 177 6.5 - - 143 + All the right ingredients - Undercooked 33342
Fiat Panda 100HP 132 F ’06-’11 4/1368 99/6000 97/4250 975kg 103 9.5 - - 115 + About as fun as small cars get - Optional ESP can’t be turned off 33334
Ford Fiesta ST 207 F ’13-’17 4/1596 197/5700 214/2500 1088kg 184 6.9 7.4 18.4 137 + Chassis, price, punchy performance - Have you heard of Mountune? 33334
Ford Fiesta ST Mountune 213 F ’13-’17 4/1596 212/6000 236/2750 1088kg 198 6.4 - - 140 + One of the best mid-sized hatches made even better - Badge snobbery 33333
Ford Fiesta ST200 225 F ’16 4/1596 212/6000 236/2500 1088kg 198 6.7 - - 143 + Massive fun - They only made 400 33333
Ford Fiesta Zetec S 123 D ’08-’13 4/1596 118/6000 112/4050 1045kg 115 9.9 - - 120 + Genuinely entertaining supermini - Renault Sport Twingo and Suzuki Swift are even more fun 33332
Ford Fiesta Zetec S Mountune 132 F ’08-’13 4/1596 138/6750 125/4250 1080kg 130 7.9 - - 120 + A touch more go, and a fantastically loud exhaust… - …if you’re 12 years old 33332
Ford Fiesta ST 075 D ’05-’08 4/1999 148/6000 140/4500 1137kg 132 7.9 - - 129 + Great looks, decent brakes - Disappointing chassis, gutless engine 33322
Ford Focus ST TDCi Estate (Mk3) 219 D £26,195 4/1997 182/3500 295/2000 1488kg 124 8.3 - - 135 + Performance not sacrificed at the alter of economy - Gets ragged when really pushed 33332
Ford Focus ST (Mk3) 207 F £25,095 4/1999 247/5500 265/2000 1362kg 184 6.5 - - 154 + Excellent engine - Scrappy when pushed 33332
Ford Focus ST Mountune (Mk3) 187 D £25,595 4/1999 271/5500 295/2750 1362kg 202 5.7 - - 154+ + Great value upgrade - Steering still not as feelsome as that of some rivals 33334
Ford Focus ST (Mk2) 119 F ’05-’10 5/2522 222/6000 236/1600 1392kg 162 6.8 6.7 16.8 150 + Value, performance, integrity - Big engine compromises handling 33332
Ford Focus RS (Mk3) 246 F £32,765 4/2261 345/6000 347/2000 1547kg 227 4.7 4.9 12.6 166 + Torque-vectoring 4WD brings new sensations to hot hatch sector - Needs to be driven hard 33332
Ford Focus RS Edition (Mk3) 246 D £36,295 4/2261 345/6000 347/2000 1547kg 227 4.7 - - 166 + Front limited-slip differential brings more precise handling - Pricey and still heavy 33334
Ford Focus RS (Mk2) 195 F ’09-’11 5/2522 300/6500 324/2300 1467kg 208 5.9 5.9 14.2 163 + Huge performance, highly capable FWD chassis - Body control is occasionally clumsy 33333
Ford Focus RS500 (Mk2) 181 F ’10-’11 5/2522 345/6000 339/2500 1467kg 239 5.6 5.6 12.7 165 + More power and presence than regular Mk2 RS - Pricey 33333
Ford Focus RS (Mk1) 207 F ’02-’03 4/1998 212/5500 229/3500 1278kg 169 6.7 5.9 14.9 143 + Some are great - Some are awful (so make sure you drive plenty) 33332
Ford Escort RS Cosworth 157 F ’92-’96 4/1993 224/6250 224/3500 1275kg 179 6.2 - - 137 + The ultimate Essex hot hatch - Unmodified ones are rare , and pricey 33332
Ford Puma 1.7 095 F ’97-’02 4/1679 123/6300 116/4500 1041kg 120 9.2 8.6 27.6 122 + Revvy engine, sparkling chassis, bargain used prices - Rusty rear arches 33332
Ford Racing Puma 128 F ’00-’01 4/1679 153/7000 119/4500 1174kg 132 7.9 7.8 23.2 137 + Exclusivity - The standard Puma does it so well 33332
Honda Civic Type R (FK8) 244 F £30,995 4/1996 316/6500 295/2500 1380kg 233 5.8 5.9 12.6 169 + Wildly exciting, with improved refinement - Looks still challenging for some 33333
Honda Civic Type R (FK2) 227 F ’15-’17 4/1996 306/6500 295/2500 1378kg 226 5.7 5.4 12.4 167 + Great on smooth roads - Turbo engine not as special as old nat-asp units; styling a bit ‘busy’ 33334
Honda Civic Type R (FN2) 102 F ’07-’11 4/1998 198/7800 142/5600 1267kg 158 6.6 6.8 17.5 146 + Looks great, VTEC more accessible - Steering lacks feel, inert balance 33342
Honda Civic Type R Championship White 126 D ’09-’10 4/1998 198/7800 142/5600 1267kg 158 6.6 - - 146 + Limited-slip diff a welcome addition to the FN2 Type R - It should’ve been on the standard car 33332
Honda Civic Type R Mugen (FN2) 195 F ’09-’11 4/1998 237/8300 157/6250 1233kg 195 5.9 - - 155 + Fantastic on road and track - Only 20 were made, and they’re a tad pricey… 33333
Honda Civic Type R (EP3) 075 F ’01-’05 4/1998 197/7400 145/5900 1204kg 166 6.8 6.8 16.9 146 + Potent and great value - Breadvan’ looks divide opinion; duff steering 33332
Honda Civic Type R (EK9) 210 F ’97-’00 4/1595 182/8200 118/7500 1040kg 178 6.8 - - 135 + Sublime early incarnation of the Type R recipe - Good ones are thin on the ground 33333
Hyundai i30 N Performance 245 F £27,995 4/1998 271/6000 279/1450 1429kg 193 6.1 - - 155 + A brilliant, thoroughly developed hot hatch - Imagine if it was lighter, too… 33334
Kia Proceed GT 217 D £23,310 4/1591 201/6000 195/1500 1359kg 143 7.3 - - 150 + Fun and appealing package - Soft-edged compared to rivals 33332
Lancia Delta HF Integrale Evoluzione 194 F ’91-’92 4/1995 207/5750 220/3500 1300kg 162 6.0 - - 134 + One of the finest cars ever built - Demands love, LHD only 33333
Mazda 3 MPS 137 F ’06-’13 4/2261 256/5500 280/3000 1385kg 188 6.1 6.3 14.5 155 + Quick, eager and very good value - The steering’s iffy 33342
Mercedes-AMG A45 221 F £40,695 4/1991 376/6000 350/2250 1480kg 258 4.2 3.9 - 155 + Tremendously fast - But not a true great 33322
Mercedes-Benz A45 AMG 194 F ’12-’15 4/1991 355/6000 332/2250 1480kg 244 4.6 4.3 10.6 155 + Blisteringly quick everywhere - Not as rewarding as some slower rivals 33322
Mini Cooper (F56) 194 D £15,775 3/1499 134/4500 162/1250 1085kg 125 7.9 - - 130 + Punchy three-cylinder engine, good chassis - Tubby styling 33332
Mini Cooper S (F56) 196 D £19,130 4/1998 189/4700 206/1250 1160kg 166 6.8 - - 146 + Still has that Mini DNA - Expensive with options 33332

154 www.evo.co.uk
 TheKnowledge

LB FT/ RPM
ISSUE NO.

0-100MPH
BHP/ RPM

MAX MPH
0-60MPH
0-62MPH
BHP/ TON
CYL /CC

WEIGHT
ENGINE

(CLAIMED)
PRICE

(TESTED)

(TESTED)
MAKE & MODEL RATING
Mini John Cooper Works (F56) 211 F £23,305 4/1998 228/5200 236/1250 1200kg 193 6.3 - - 153 + Fast, agile, nimble - Chassis lacks sparkle found in previous JCWs 33332
Mini John Cooper Works Challenge (F56) 237 F £32,000 4/1998 228/5200 236/1250 1215kg 191 6.3 - - 152 + A more hardcore JCW, honed with help from evo! - Just 100 being built 33333
Mini Cooper (R56) 185 F ’09-’14 4/1598 120/6000 118/4250 1075kg 113 9.1 - - 126 + Brilliant ride and composure; could be all the Mini you need - You’ll still buy the ‘S’ 33334
Mini Cooper S (R56) 149 F ’06-’14 4/1598 181/5500 177/1600 1140kg 161 7.0 7.0 - 142 + Like the Cooper, but with added shove - Google ‘Mini death rattle’ 33334
Mini John Cooper Works (R56) 184 F ’08-’14 4/1598 208/6000 206/2000 1160kg 182 6.9 7.2 16.7 148 + A seriously rapid Mini - Occasionally just a little unruly 33334
Mini John Cooper Works GP (R56) 231 F ’13-’14 4/1598 215/6000 206/2000 1160kg 188 6.3 - - 150 + Brazenly hyperactive - Too much for some roads and some tastes 33333
Mini John Cooper Works Coupe (R58) 164 F ’11-’15 4/1598 208/6000 206/2000 1175kg 180 6.3 - - 149 + The usual raucous Mini JCW experience - But wearing a backwards baseball cap 33332
Mini Cooper S (R53) 077 F ’02-’06 4/1598 168/6000 155/4000 1140kg 143 7.2 7.8 19.9 135 + Strong performance, quality feel - Over-long gearing 33334
Mini Cooper S Works GP (R53) 144 F ’06 4/1598 215/7100 184/4600 1090kg 200 6.5 - - 149 + Storming engine, agility - Tacky styling ‘enhancements’ 33333
Nissan Juke Nismo RS 208 D £22,905 4/1618 215/6000 206/3600 1315kg 166 7.0 - - 137 + Quirky character and bold styling - Still not a match for a pukka hot hatch 33342
Nissan Juke Nismo 184 F £20,495 4/1618 197/6000 184/2400 1306kg 153 7.7 - - 134 + More than the sum of its parts - Not enough to add up to a pukka hot hatch 33342
Peugeot 106 Rallye (Series 2) - ’97-’98 4/1587 103/6200 97/3500 865kg 121 8.8 - - 121 + Bargain no-frills thrills - Not as much fizz as original 1.3 33332
Peugeot 106 Rallye (Series 1) 095 F ’94-’96 4/1294 100/7200 80/5400 826kg 123 10.6 - - 118 + Frantic, thrashy fun - Needs caning to extract full potential 33333
Peugeot 106 GTi 16v 034 F ’97-’04 4/1587 120/6600 107/5200 950kg 128 7.4 - - 127 + Fine handling supermini - Looks its age 33334
Peugeot 208 GTi by Peugeot Sport 244 F £23,550 4/1598 205/6000 221/3000 1160kg 180 6.5 - - 143 + The most focused small hatch on sale - Odd driving position; obscured dials 33334
Peugeot 208 GTi 184 F ’12-’16 4/1598 197/5800 203/1700 1160kg 173 6.8 6.8 17.9 143 + Agile chassis works well on tough roads - Could be more involving 33332
Peugeot 205 GTI 1.9 195 F ’88-’91 4/1905 130/6000 119/4750 910kg 145 7.6 - - 124 + Still scintillating after all these years - Brittle build quality 33333
Peugeot 308 GTi (270) by Peugeot Sport 245 F £28,590 4/1598 266/6000 243/1900 1205kg 224 6.0 - - 155 + A great entertainer with a cracker of an engine - Tiny steering wheel obsures the dials 33334
Peugeot 308 GTi 250 by Peugeot Sport 223 F ’15-’16 4/1598 246/6000 243/1900 1205kg 207 6.2 - - 155 + A very capable hot hatch… - …that lacks the sheer excitement of the best in class 33332
Peugeot 306 GTi 6 020 F ’93-’01 4/1998 167/6500 142/5500 1215kg 139 7.9 7.2 20.1 140 + One of the great GTIs - They don’t make them like this any more 33333
Peugeot 306 Rallye 095 F ’98-’99 4/1998 167/6500 142/5500 1199kg 142 7.8 6.9 19.2 137 + Essentially a GTi 6 for less dosh - Limited choice of colours 33333
Renault Twingo GT 231 D £13,755 3/898 109/5750 125/2000 1001kg 111 9.6 - - 113 + Nippy performance - Less fun than a rear-engined Renault Sport-fettled car should be 33322
Renault Sport Twingo 133 175 F ’08-’13 4/1598 131/6750 118/4400 1050kg 127 8.7 - - 125 + Renault Sport experience for pocket money - Optional Cup chassis gives bouncy ride 33334
Renault Sport Clio 200 Auto 184 F £19,725 4/1618 197/6000 177/1750 1204kg 166 6.7 6.9 17.9 143 + Faster, more refined, easier to drive - We miss the revvy NA engine and manual ’box 33342
Renault Sport Clio 220 Trophy 229 D £22,425 4/1618 217/6050 206/2000 1204kg 183 6.6 - - 146 + Willing chassis - Awful paddleshift gearbox 33342
Renault Sport Clio 200 Cup 195 F ’09-’13 4/1998 197/7100 159/5400 1204kg 166 6.9 6.6 16.7 141 + The hot Clio at its best - They don’t make it anymore 33333
Renault Sport Clio 197 Cup 115 F ’07-’09 4/1998 194/7250 158/5550 1240kg 161 6.9 - - 134 + Quick, polished and capable - Not as much sheer fun as 182 Cup 33332
Renault Sport Clio 182 066 F ’04-’05 4/1998 180/6500 148/5250 1110kg 165 7.1 6.6 17.5 139 + Took hot hatches to a new level - Flawed driving position 33333
Renault Sport Clio 182 Cup 187 F ’04-’05 4/1998 180/6500 148/5250 1090kg 168 6.9 - - 139 + Full of beans, fantastic value - Sunday-market upholstery 33333
Renault Sport Clio Trophy 231 F ’05-’06 4/1998 180/6500 148/5250 1090kg 168 6.9 6.6 17.3 140 + The most fun you can have on three (sometimes two) wheels - Just 500 were built 33333
Renault Sport Clio 172 (Phase 2) 034 F ’01-’03 4/1998 170/6250 147/5400 1110kg 156 7.2 7.1 20.0 138 + Poised, predictable, fast - Lacks aggressive edge 33334
Renault Sport Clio 172 Cup 048 F ’02-’03 4/1998 170/6250 147/5400 1011kg 171 6.9 6.5 17.7 138 + Bargain old-school hot hatch - Nervous in the wet, no ABS 33332
Renault Sport Clio 172 (Phase 1) 146 F ’00-’01 4/1998 170/6250 147/5400 1035kg 167 7.2 6.6 18.2 138 + Brilliantly accomplished - Imperfect driving position 33334
Renault Clio Williams 233 F ’93-’96 4/1988 148/6100 126/4500 981kg 153 7.8 7.6 20.8 134 + One of the best hot hatches ever - Can be fragile 33333
Renault 5 GT Turbo 195 F ’87-’91 4/1397 118/5750 122/3000 855kg 140 7.3 - - 120 + Clio Williams’ grand-daddy - Few unmodified ones left 33333
Renault Sport Clio V6 255 231 F ’03-’05 6/2946 251/7150 221/4650 1400kg 182 6.0 - - 144 + Supercar drama without the original’s edgy handling - Uninspired interior 33333
Renault Sport Clio V6 029 F ’99-’02 6/2946 227/6000 221/3750 1410kg 164 6.6 5.8 17.0 145 + Pocket supercar - Mid-engined handling can be tricky 33332
Renault Mégane RS 246 F c£29,000 4/1798 276/6000 288/2400 1430kg 196 5.8 - - 155 + Shot through with real magic - Looks underpowered compared with some rivals 33334
Renault Sport Mégane 275 Cup-S/Nav 275 223 D ’16 4/1998 271/5500 265/3000 1394kg 198 5.8 - - 158 + The same engine as the Trophy-R - They don’t make it anymore 33333
Renault Sport Mégane 265 Cup 195 F ’12-’15 4/1998 261/5500 265/3000 1387kg 191 6.0 6.4 14.8 158 + A hot hatch benchmark - Cupholder could be better positioned 33333
Renault Sport Mégane 275 Trophy 212 F ’14-’15 4/1998 271/5500 265/3000 1376kg 200 5.8 - - 159 + Another cracking Trophy model - Stripped-out Trophy-R is even more thrilling 33333
Renault Sport Mégane 275 Trophy-R 231 F ’14-’15 4/1998 271/5500 265/3000 1297kg 212 5.8 - - 158 + As absorbing as a 911 GT3 RS on the right road - Too uncompromising for some; pricey 33333
Renault Sport Mégane 250 Cup 139 F ’09-’12 4/1998 247/5500 251/3000 1387kg 181 6.1 6.1 14.6 156 + Fantastic chassis… - …partially obscured by new-found maturity 33334
Renault Sport Mégane dCi 175 Cup 119 F ’07-’09 4/1995 173/3750 265/2000 1470kg 119 8.3 8.3 23.5 137 + A diesel with a genuinely sporty chassis - Could take more power 33332
Renault Sport Mégane 230 F1 Team R26 195 F ’07-’09 4/1998 227/5500 229/3000 1345kg 171 6.5 6.2 16.0 147 + The car the R26.R is based on - F1 Team stickers in dubious taste 33333
Renault Sport Mégane R26.R 231 F ’08-’09 4/1998 227/5500 229/3000 1220kg 189 6.0 5.8 15.1 147 + One of the true hot hatch heroes - Two seats, plastic rear windows 33333
SEAT Mii - £9655 3/999 59/5000 70/3000 854kg 70 14.4 - - 99 + Like VW’s Up but more expensive -Still predictably slow 33322
SEAT Ibiza Cupra 225 F £18,465 4/1798 189/4300 236/1450 1185kg 162 6.7 - - 146 + Quick, competent, refined, and manual only - Not exciting enough 33342
SEAT Ibiza Cupra 183 D ’10-’15 4/1390 178/6200 184/2000 1259kg 144 6.9 - - 142 + Punchy engine, unflappable DSG - Lacks engagement, DSG only 33322
SEAT Leon Cupra 300 241 F £30,155 4/1984 296/5500 280/1800 1300kg 231 5.7 6.2 12.7 155 + Already potent Cupra gets yet another 10bhp - The Mk7.5 Golf R 33332
SEAT Leon Cupra R 244 D £34,995 4/1984 306/5800 280/1800 1378kg 226 5.8 - - 155 + Sharper handling and better body control - High price and limited availability 33332
SEAT Leon Cupra 290 227 F ’16-’17 4/1984 286/5900 258/1700 1300kg 224 5.9 6.4 13.4 155 + Serious pace and agility for Golf GTI money, now with an extra 10bhp - The Mk7 Golf R 33332
SEAT Leon Cupra 280 220 F ’14-’15 4/1984 276/5600 258/1750 1300kg 216 5.8 - - 155 + Serious pace and agility for Golf GTI money - The Mk7 Golf R 33332
SEAT Leon Cupra 105 F ’07-’11 4/1984 237/5700 221/2200 1375kg 175 6.4 - - 153 + Great engine, composure - Doesn’t have the adjustability of the old Cupra R 33332
SEAT Leon Cupra R 139 F ’10-’12 4/1984 261/6000 258/2500 1375kg 193 6.2 6.1 14.0 155 + Bold car, blinding engine - Lacks the character of its rival megahatches 33342
SEAT Leon Cupra R 225 067 F ’03-’06 4/1781 222/5900 206/2200 1376kg 164 6.9 - - 150 + Cross-country pace, practicality, value - Not as thrilling as some 33332
Skoda Citigo - £8275 3/999 59/5000 70/3000 854kg 70 14.4 - - 101 + Like VW’s Up, but 2mph faster flat out - 101mph isn’t something to boast about 33322
Skoda Fabia vRS (Mk2) 146 D ’10-’14 4/1390 178/6200 184/2000 1218kg 148 7.3 - - 139 + Clever twincharged engine and DSG ’box - Do you homework on the reliability of the engine 33342
Skoda Fabia vRS (Mk1) 077 F ’03-’07 4/1896 130/4000 229/1900 1315kg 100 9.6 - - 127 + Fun and frugal hot hatch - A little short on steering feel 33342
Skoda Octavia vRS (Mk3) 187 D £24,885 4/1984 217/4500 258/1500 1345kg 164 6.8 - - 154 + Quick, agile, roomier than a Golf - Ride is harsh for what could be a family car 33332
Skoda Octavia vRS 230 (Mk3) 215 D £25,130 4/1984 227/4700 258/1500 1345kg 171 6.7 - - 155 + Limited-slip diff makes for a sharper steer - It could handle more than the extra 10bhp 33332
Skoda Octavia vRS TDI 4x4 (Mk3) 223 D £28,050 4/1968 181/3500 206/1750 1475kg 125 7.6 - - 142 + Four-wheel drive tightens the vRS chassis - Diesel and DSG only 33332
Skoda Octavia vRS (Mk2) 163 F ’05-’13 4/1998 197/5100 206/1700 1395kg 143 7.3 - - 149 + Drives like a GTI but costs much less - Green brake calipers? 33332
Subaru Impreza WRXS 125 D ’08-’10 4/2457 251/5400 288/3000 1395kg 180 5.5 - - 130 + An improvement over the basic WRX - Still not the WRX we wanted 33342
Subaru Impreza STI 330S 124 F ’08-’10 4/2457 325/5400 347/3400 1505kg 219 4.4 - - 155 + A bit quicker than the regular STI… - …but not better 33332
Suzuki Swift Sport (Mk2) 175 F ’12-’17 4/1586 134/6900 118/4400 1045kg 130 8.7 - - 121 + Still a great pocket rocket - Not quite as adjustabie as the original 33334
Suzuki Swift Sport (Mk1) 132 F ’05-’11 4/1586 123/6800 109/4800 1030kg 121 8.9 - - 124 + Entertaining handling, well built - Lacking in steering feedback 33334
Toyota Yaris GRMN 245 F £26,295 4/1798 209/6800 184/4800 1135kg 187 6.4 - - 143 + Appealingly feisty supercharged supermini - Artificial steering; they’re only making 400 33332
Vauxhall Corsa VXR 211 F £19,245 4/1598 202/5800 206/1900 1278kg 161 6.8 - - 143 + Begs to be wrung out - You’ll need the £2400 Performance Pack 33332
Vauxhall Corsa VXR 154 F ’07-’14 4/1598 189/5850 192/1980 1166kg 165 7.2 - - 140 + Looks snazzy, punchy engine - Lacks feel, uncouth compared with rivals 33342
Vauxhall Corsa VXR Nürburgring/Clubsport 164 F ’11-’13/’14 4/1598 202/5750 206/2250 1166kg 176 6.8 - - 143 + VXR gets more power and a limited-slip diff - But they come at a price 33332
Vauxhall Astra/GTC VXR (Mk2) 207 F £29,665 4/1998 276/5500 295/2500 1475kg 190 6.0 - - 155 + Loony turbo pace - Lacks the Renault Sport Mégane’s precision 33332
Vauxhall Astra VXR (Mk1) 102 F ’05-’11 4/1998 237/5600 236/2400 1393kg 173 6.4 6.7 16.7 152 + Fast and furious - Lacks a little composure and precision 33332
VW Up 171 F £8995 3/999 59/5000 70/3000 854kg 70 14.4 - - 99 + Accomplished city car is dynamically sound… - …but predictably slow 33322
VW Up GTI 146 F £13,750 3/999 113/5000 147/2000 995kg 115 8.8 - - 122 + Infectious appetite for fun - City car roots are still there 33332
VW Lupo GTI 034 F ’01-’04 4/1598 123/6500 112/3000 1038kg 120 8.2 8.9 30.1 127 + Looks, performance, chassis - Lacks the fizz of the 106 GTI 33332
VW Polo GTI 244 D c£21,500 4/1984 197/4400 236/1500 1280kg 156 6.7 - - 147 + Decent performance; mature ride and handling - Lacks driver involvement 33342
VW Polo GTI 211 F ’15-’17 4/1798 189/4200 236/1450 1197kg 160 6.7 - - 146 + Smooth and brawny - Fiesta ST is more engaging 33342
VW Polo GTI 154 F ’10-’14 4/1390 178/6200 184/2000 1184kg 153 7.4 - - 142 + Modern-day Mk1 Golf GTI gets twin-clutch DSG - It’s a little bit bland 33342
VW Golf GTI (Mk7.5) 233 D £27,865 4/1984 227/4700 258/1500 1289kg 179 6.4 - - 155 + Still the most capable all-round hot hatch - Should be more thrilling 33334
VW Golf GTI Performance (Mk7.5) 245 F £29,820 4/1984 242/5000 273/1600 1312kg 187 6.2 - - 155 + A GTI with an extra 15bhp and an LSD - Could still be more thrilling 33334
VW Golf R (Mk7.5) 235 D £32,310 4/1984 306/5500 280/2000 1408kg 221 5.1 - - 155 + Outrageous yet accessible performance - Manual gearshift isn’t the best 33333
VW Golf GTD (Mk7) 200 D ’13-’17 4/1968 181/3500 280/1750 1302kg 141 7.5 - - 143 + Pace, fuel economy, sounds good for a diesel - Lacks the extra edge of the GTI 33332
VW Golf GTE (Mk7) 236 F ’15-’17 4/1395 201 258 1524kg 134 7.6 - - 138 + The most enjoyable plug-in hybrid in its price range - Golf GTI still quicker and more fun 33342
VW Golf GTI (Mk7) 236 F ’13-’17 4/1984 217/4500 258/1500 1276kg 173 6.5 - - 153 + Brilliantly resolved - Lacks the punch of newer rivals 33334
VW Golf GTI Clubsport Edition 40 (Mk7) 230 D ’16-’17 4/1984 286/5350 280/1700 1300kg 224 6.3 - - 155 + A faster, sharper, more entertaning GTI - Some rivals are more exciting on track 33334
VW Golf GTI Clubsport S (Mk7) 229 F ’16 4/1984 306/5800 280/1850 1285kg 242 5.8 5.8 12.8 165 + Runner-up at evo Car of the Year 2016 - Only 400 were built 33333
VW Golf R (Mk7) 220 F ’14-’17 4/1984 296/5500 280/1800 1401kg 215 5.1 5.2 12.4 155 + A VW ‘R’ model you can take seriously - Mégane 275 just edges it as a pure drivers’ car 33333
VW Golf GTI (Mk6) 172 F ’09-’13 4/1984 207/5300 207/1700 1318kg 160 6.9 6.4 16.5 148 + Still a very accomplished hot hatch - 207bhp isn’t a lot any more 33332
VW Golf R (Mk6) 140 D ’10-’13 4/1984 266/6000 258/2500 1446kg 187 5.7 - - 155 + Great engine, tremendous pace and poise - High price, adaptive dampers optional 33334
VW Golf GTI (Mk5) 195 F ’04-’09 4/1984 197/5100 207/1800 1336kg 150 7.3 6.7 17.9 145 + Character and ability; the GTI’s return to form - Lacking firepower? 33333

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 TheKnowledge

LB FT/ RPM
ISSUE NO.

0-100MPH
BHP/ RPM

MAX MPH
0-60MPH
0-62MPH
BHP/ TON
CYL /CC

WEIGHT
ENGINE

(CLAIMED)
PRICE

(TESTED)

(TESTED)
MAKE & MODEL RATING
VW Golf R32 (Mk5) 087 F ’06-’09 6/3189 246/6300 236/2500 1466kg 170 6.5 5.8 15.2 155 + The traction’s great and you’ll love the soundtrack - We’d still have a GTI 33332
VW Golf R32 (Mk4) 053 F ’02-’04 6/3189 237/6250 236/2800 1477kg 163 6.6 6.4 16.3 154 + Charismatic - Boomy engine can be tiresome 33332
VW Golf GTI 16v (Mk2) 195 F ’88-’92 4/1781 139/6100 123/4600 960kg 147 7.9 - - 129 + Still feels everyday useable - Too many have been modified 33333
VW Golf GTI (Mk1 , 1.8) 224 F ’82-’84 4/1781 112/5800 109/3500 860kg 132 8.2 - - 114 + The car that started it all - Tricky to find an unmolested one 33332
Volvo V40 T5 R-Design Polestar 242 D £36,010 4/1969 250/5500 295/2000 1507kg 169 6.2 - - 149 + An intriguing alternative to the norm - Rivals offer more for less 33422
Volvo C30 T5 R-Design 122 F ’08-’12 5/2521 227/5000 236/1500 1347kg 165 6.7 6.6 16.9 149 + Good-looking, desirable Volvo - Lacks edge of best hatches; avoid the auto version 33342

SALOONS / ESTATES / SUVs

OUR CHOICE BEST OF THE REST
Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio. At last, an Alfa Romeo we can love not If you prefer your fast saloons German, consider the Mercedes-AMG C63 S or
just for its badge, for the noise it makes and for being Italian, but because its more focused rival, the BMW M3. Moving up a size, the Mercedes-AMG E63 S
it’s a great car. In fact, the Giulia Quadrifoglio is a saloon car that feels like a 4Matic+ (left) is relentlessly rampant but has finesse too, while the Porsche
sports car – and thankfully that sports car isn’t a 4C. Panamera Turbo runs the E63 close and feels good for its 7min 38sec Ring time.

Alfa Romeo Giulia 2.0 Turbo Super 234 D £31,180 4/1995 197/5000 243/1750 1429kg 140 6.6 - - 146 + Keen engine, enjoyable handling - Firm low-speed ride 33334
Alfa Romeo Giulia Veloce 244 F £38,260 4/1995 276/5250 295/2250 1429kg 196 5.7 - - 149 + Supple and satisfying - Engine reluctant to rev 33334
Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio 237 F £61,595 6/2891 503/6500 443/2500 1620kg 315 3.9 - - 191 + If Ferrari built a saloon (really) - Lacks the final polish of German rivals 33333
Alfa Romeo Stelvio 234 D £43,690 4/1995 276/5250 295/1750 1660kg 169 5.7 - - 143 + Agile feel, quick steering, attractive cabin - Engine not truly inspiring 33332
Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio 244 D c£65,000 6/2891 503/6500 442/2500 1830kg 279 3.8 - - 176 + Rivals the Macan GTS - Needs optional P Zero Corsa tyres to give its very best 33332
Alpina D3 Biturbo (F30) 192 D £47,950 6/2993 345/4000 516/1500 1585kg 221 4.6 - - 173 + 173mph from a 3-litre diesel! Brilliant chassis, too - Auto only 33334
Alpina B3 Biturbo (F30) 188 D ’13-’16 6/2979 404/5500 442/3000 1630kg 252 4.3 - 190 + Understated appearance, monster performance - E90 M3 is better on the limit 33334
Aston Martin Rapide S 201 D £147,950 12/5935 552/6650 465/5500 1990kg 282 4.4 - - 203 + Oozes star quality; gearbox on 2015MY cars a big improvement - It’s cosy in the back 33332
Aston Martin Rapide 141 F ’10-’13 12/5935 470/6000 443/5000 1990kg 240 5.3 - - 188 + Better than its DB9 sibling - More of a 2+2 than a proper four-seater 33332
Audi S3 Saloon 192 D £35,405 4/1984 306/5500 280/1800 1430kg 210 5.3 - - 155 + On paper a match for the original S4 - In reality much less interesting 33322
Audi RS3 Saloon 243 F £45,250 5/2480 394/5850 354/1700 1515kg 264 4.1 - - 155 + Mini RS4 looks; stonking pace - Not the most involving driving experience 33342
Audi S4 (B9) 225 D £44,600 6/2995 349/5400 369/1370 1630kg 218 4.7 - - 155 + Strong response and delivery from turbo engine - Chassis feels softer than before 33332
Audi S4 (B8) 166 D ’08-’16 6/2995 328/5500 324/2900 1650kg 202 5.0 - - 155 + Great supercharged powertrain, secure chassis - The RS4 33342
Audi RS4 Avant (B9) 246 F £62,175 6/2894 444/5700 442/1900 1790kg 252 4.1 - - 155 + Very ‘real world’ fast - Some may feel it lacks character and drama 33332
Audi RS4 Avant (B8) 216 F ’12-’15 8/4163 444/8250 317/4000 1795kg 251 4.7 4.5 10.5 174 + Looks and sounds the part, thunderously fast - Unnatural steering, dull dynamics 33342
Audi RS4 (B7) 231 D ’05-’08 8/4163 414/7800 317/5500 1650kg 255 4.7 4.5 10.5 155 + 414bhp at 7800rpm! And there’s an estate version too - Busy under braking 33333
Audi RS4 (B5) 192 F ’00-’02 6/2671 375/6100 325/2500 1620kg 236 4.9 4.8 12.1 170 + Effortless pace - Not the last word in agility; bends wheel rims 33332
Audi RS2 214 F ’94-’95 5/2226 315/6500 302/3000 1595kg 201 4.8 4.8 13.1 162 + Storming performance (thanks to Porsche) - Try finding one 33332
Audi S5 Sportback 233 D £44,000 6/2995 349/5400 369/1370 1660kg 214 4.7 - - 155 + More capable than you think; strong V6 engine - Gearbox frustrating in auto mode 33342
Audi S6 091 D ’06-’11 10/5204 429/6800 398/3000 1910kg 228 5.5 - - 155 + Fast, and discreet with it - Very muted V10 33342
Audi RS6 Avant (C7) 203 F £81,355 8/3993 552/5700 516/1750 1935kg 290 3.9 3.6 8.2 155 + Performance, foolproof powertrain, beefy looks - Feels a bit one-dimensional 33332
Audi RS6 Avant Performance (C7) 224 D £88,270 8/3993 597/6100 553/2500 1950kg 311 3.7 - - 155 + The extra power is no hassle for the chassis - But it is a stern test of your self-control 33332
Audi RS6 Avant (C6) 116 F ’08-’10 10/4991 572/6250 479/1500 1985kg 293 4.5 4.3 9.7 155 + Was the world’s most powerful estate - Power isn’t everything 33332
Audi RS6 Avant (C5) 052 F ’02-’04 8/4172 444/5700 413/1950 1865kg 242 4.6 4.8 11.6 155 + The ultimate estate car? - Numb steering 33332
Audi S7 Sportback 171 D £65,950 8/3993 414/5000 406/1400 1945kg 216 4.6 - - 155 + Looks and drives better than the S6 it’s based on - Costs several thousands more 33342
Audi RS7 Sportback 208 F £86,985 8/3993 552/5700 516/1750 1930kg 291 3.9 - - 155 + Stonking performance, great looks - Numb driving experience 33322
Audi S8 Plus 217 D £100,510 8/3993 597/6100 553/2500 1990kg 305 3.8 - - 155 + Fantastic drivetrain, quality and refinement - Dynamic Steering feels artificial 33332
Audi RS Q3 206 D ’13-’16 5/2480 335/5300 332/1600 1655kg 206 4.8 - - 155 + Surprisingly characterful; better than many RSs - High centre of gravity 33334
Audi SQ5 237 D £51,200 6/2995 349/5400 369/1370 1870kg 190 5.4 - - 155 + Fine chassis; deceptive pace - Lacks excitement 33322
Bentley Flying Spur V8 200 D £132,800 8/3993 500/6000 487/1700 2342kg 217 5.2 - - 183 + Effortless performance with real top-end kick - Determinedly unsporting 33342
Bentley Flying Spur V8 S 230 D £142,800 8/3993 521/6000 502/1700 2342kg 226 4.9 - 190 + Old-school approach to comfort and luxury - Old-school tech 33342
Bentley Flying Spur 185 D £154,900 12/5998 616/6000 590/1600 2400kg 261 4.6 - - 199 + For those who still want their Flying Spur with a W12 - Car feels its weight; engine sounds dull 33342
Bentley Bentayga 217 D £162,700 12/5950 600/5000 664/1350 2365kg 258 4.1 - - 187 + Sublime quality, ridiculous pace - Inert driving experience, SUV stigma 33342
Bentley Mulsanne 178 F £229,360 8/6752 505/4200 752/1750 2610kg 197 5.3 - - 184 + Drives like a modern Bentley should - Shame it doesn’t look like one too 33342
Bentley Mulsanne Speed 235 D £252,000 8/6752 530/4000 811/1750 2610kg 206 4.9 - - 190 + Extravagent; effortless performance - Passengers have more fun than you do 33342
BMW 330d M Sport (F30) 180 D £38,590 6/2993 254/4000 413/2000 1540kg 168 5.6 - - 155 + Great engine, fine handling, good value - Steering confuses weight with feel 33334
BMW 340i M Sport Touring (F31) 228 D £42,055 6/2998 321/5500 332/1380 1615kg 202 5.5 - - 155 + Feelsome rear-drive chassis - Easy to drive it beyond its comfort zone 33332
BMW 328i (F30) 165 D ’11-’15 4/1997 242/5000 258/1250 1430kg 172 6.1 - - 155 + New-age four-pot 328i is great all-rounder - We miss the six-cylinder soundtrack 33334
BMW 435i Gran Coupe 203 D ’14-’16 6/2979 302/5800 295/1200 1585kg 194 5.5 - - 155 + Superb straight-six, fine ride/handling balance - 335i saloon weighs and costs less 33334
BMW M3 (F80) 211 F £57,355 6/2979 425/5500 406/1850 1560kg 277 4.3 4.1 8.6 155 + Looks, performance, practicality - Body control on rough roads; engine lacks character 33334
BMW M3 Competition Package (F80) 237 F £59,595 6/2979 444/7000 406/1850 1560kg 289 4.2 - - 155 + The car the F80 M3 should have been from the start - Less refined at low speeds 33334
BMW M3 (E90) 123 F ’08-’11 8/3999 414/8300 295/3900 1605kg 262 4.9 4.9 10.7 165 + Every bit as good as the E92 M3 coupe - No carbon roof 33333
BMW M3 CRT (E90) 179 F ’11-’12 8/4361 444/8300 324/3750 1580kg 285 4.4 - - 180 + Saloon chassis + weight savings + GTS engine = best E90 M3 - Just 67 were made 33333
BMW M5 (F90) 244 F £89,640 8/4395 592/5600 553/1800 1855kg 324 3.4 - - 155 + Fun in two- or four-wheel drive - Insufficient steering connection and engine character 33334
BMW M5 (F10) 208 F ’11-’16 8/4395 552/6000 501/1500 1870kg 300 4.4 - - 155 + Twin-turbocharging suits M5 well - Can feel heavy at times 33333
BMW M5 (E60) 129 F ’04-’10 10/4999 500/7750 384/6100 1755kg 289 4.7 - - 155 + Close to being the ultimate supersaloon - SMG gearbox feels old-tech 33334
BMW M5 (E39) 110 F ’99-’03 8/4941 394/6600 369/3800 1795kg 223 5.3 4.9 11.5 155 + Magnificent V8-engined supersaloon - We’d be nitpicking 33333
BMW M5 (E34) 110 F ’92-’96 6/3795 335/6900 295/4750 1725kg 197 5.8 4.9 13.6 155 + The Godfather of supersaloons - The family can come too 33333
BMW M5 (E28) 182 F ’86-’88 6/3453 282/6500 251/4500 1431kg 200 6.1 - - 156 + The original storming saloon - Understated looks 33333
BMW M6 Gran Coupe 190 D £95,665 8/4395 552/6000 501/1500 1875kg 299 4.2 - - 155 + Enormous performance, stylish looks - Price looks silly next to rivals, M5 included 33332
BMW M760Li xDrive 233 D £132,310 12/6592 602/5500 590/1550 2180kg 281 3.7 - - 155 + More capable than you’d think; strong engine - Too much of a limo to be genuinely exciting 33322
BMW X5 M50d 191 D £67,220 6/2993 376/4000 546/2000 2190kg 174 5.3 - - 155 + Straight-line pace - Driving experience identical to standard X5, despite the M badge 33422
BMW X6 M 212 D £95,430 8/4395 567/6000 553/2200 2265kg 254 4.2 - - 155 + Big improvement on its predecessor - Coupe roofline still of questionable taste 33332
BMW X6 M 134 D ’09-’15 8/4395 547/6000 502/1500 2305kg 241 4.7 - - 171 + Fast, refined and comfortable - But it definitely lacks the M factor 33422
Cadillac CT6 226 D £69,990 6/2997 411/5700 409/2500 1950kg 214 5.7 - - 149 + Caddy’s S-class rival scores on comfort - But not on driver involvement 33322
Cadillac CTS-V 148 F ’08-’15 8/6162 556/6100 551/3800 1928kg 293 3.9 - - 191 + Stands out among M-cars and AMGs - The novelty might wear off 33332
Honda Accord Type R 012 F ’98-’03 4/2157 209/7200 158/6700 1306kg 163 7.2 6.1 17.4 142 + One of the finest front-drivers of all time - Convincing your friends of that 33334
Infiniti Q50S Hybrid 195 D £41,450 6/3498 359/6800 402/5000 1762kg 207 5.4 - - 155 + Good powertrain, promising chassis - Lacklustre steering, strong rivals 33422
Jaguar XE 2.0d AWD 227 D £35,335 4/1999 178/4000 317/1750 1615kg 112 7.9 - - 140 + Great chassis gets more traction - Shame the engine isn’t as polished 33332
Jaguar XE S 237 D £48,045 6/2995 375/6500 332/3500 1655kg 230 5.0 - - 155 + AMG-beating power; handling - Expensive; cabin quality and space lags behind rivals’ 33332
Jaguar XE S 213 D ’15-’17 6/2995 335/6500 332/4500 1635kg 208 5.1 - - 155 + Neat handling, neat design - V6 loses appeal in the real world 33334
Jaguar XF S 214 D £51,100 6/2995 375/6500 332/4500 1710kg 223 5.3 - - 155 + Outstanding ride and handling balance - Engine lacks appeal 33332
Jaguar XF S Diesel 219 D £50,100 6/2993 296/4000 516/2000 1750kg 172 6.2 - - 155 + Great chassis, good looks, better engine than V6 petrol - It’s still a diesel 33332
Jaguar XFR 181 D ’09-’15 8/5000 503/6000 461/2500 1800kg 284 4.7 4.8 10.2 155 + Brilliant blend of pace and refinement - Doesn’t sound as special as it is 33332
Jaguar XFR-S 208 F ’13-’15 8/5000 542/6500 501/2500 1800kg 306 4.6 - - 186 + XF turned up to 12 - Tyres aren’t cheap 33332
Jaguar XJR 191 D £91,755 8/5000 542/6500 502/2500 1875kg 294 4.6 - - 174 + Hot-rod vibe, fine cabin - Opinion-dividing looks 33332
Jaguar XJR575 242 D £93,710 8/5000 567/6250 516/3500 1875kg 307 4.4 - - 186 + Big performance, genuine sporting spirit - Unfashionable package; depreciation 33332
Jaguar XJ 3.0 V6 Diesel 148 D ’10-’16 6/2993 271/4000 442/2000 1835kg 150 6.6 - - 155 + A great Jaguar - But not as great as the XJR… 33332
Jaguar E-Pace P300 243 D £45,660 4/1998 296/5500 295/1200 1894kg 159 6.4 - - 155 + Decent grip and balance - Dreary engine; heavier than a V6 F-Pace 33422

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LB FT/ RPM
ISSUE NO.

0-100MPH
BHP/ RPM

MAX MPH
0-60MPH
0-62MPH
BHP/ TON
CYL /CC

WEIGHT
ENGINE

(CLAIMED)
PRICE

(TESTED)

(TESTED)
MAKE & MODEL RATING
Jaguar F-Pace S 222 D £53,365 6/2995 375/6500 332/4500 1884kg 202 5.5 - - 155 + A match for Porsche’s SUVs - Supercharged V6 needs to be worked hard 33332
Kia Stinger GT-S 242 D £40,495 6/3342 365/6000 376/1300 1780kg 168 4.9 - - 168 + Playful handling, deep-chested performance - Engine lacks soul, steering lacks feel 33342
Lexus GS F 243 D £73,375 8/4969 471/7100 391/4800 1790kg 267 4.7 - - 168 + Glorious engine, balanced handling - Gearbox is off the pace 33332
Lexus IS F 151 F ’07-’12 8/4969 417/6600 372/5200 1714kg 247 5.2 4.7 10.9 173 + Shockingly good Lexus - The M3’s available as a four-door too 33334
Lotus Carlton 245 F ’91-’93 6/3615 377/5200 419/4200 1658kg 231 5.4 4.8 10.6 176 + The Millennium Falcon of saloon cars - Every drive is a work-out 33333
Maserati Ghibli 186 D £53,590 6/2979 325/5000 406/1750 1810kg 182 5.6 - - 163 + Bursting with character; good value compared to Quattroporte - It’s still a big car 33332
Maserati Ghibli S 198 D £64,510 6/2979 404/5500 406/4500 1810kg 227 5.0 - - 177 + Stands out from the crowd; sounds good too - Chassis lacks finesse, engine lacks reach 33342
Maserati Quattroporte S 184 D £82,750 6/2979 404/5500 406/1750 1860kg 221 5.1 - - 177 + Tempting alternative to V8 - Feel-free steering, ride lacks decorum 33332
Maserati Quattroporte GTS 226 D £115,980 8/3798 523/6800 479/2250 1900kg 280 4.7 - - 193 + Still pretty - Off the pace dynamically 33342
Maserati Quattroporte 085 F ’04-’08 8/4244 394/7000 333/4500 1930kg 207 5.6 - - 171 + Redefined big-car dynamics - Don’t use auto mode 33334
Maserati Quattroporte S 137 F ’08-’12 8/4691 425/7000 361/4750 1990kg 216 5.4 5.1 12.1 174 + A QP with the bhp it deserves - Grille is a bit Hannibal Lecter 33334
Maserati Quattroporte Sport GTS 141 F ’08-’12 8/4691 433/7000 361/4750 1990kg 221 5.1 - - 177 + The most stylish of supersaloons - Slightly wooden brakes, unforgiving ride 33332
Maserati Levante Diesel 221 D £54,335 6/2897 271/4000 442/2000 2205kg 125 6.9 - - 143 + Impressive blend of ride and handling - Performance is mild for a Maserati 33332
Mercedes-Benz CLA45 AMG 186 D £43,245 4/1991 355/6000 332/2250 1510kg 239 4.6 - - 155 + Strong performance, classy cabin - Pricey compared with A45 AMG hatchback 33322
Mercedes-Benz GLA45 AMG 205 F £46,875 4/1991 355/6000 332/2250 1510kg 239 4.8 - - 155 + An aggressive and focused sports crossover - Low on driver interaction 33332
Mercedes-AMG C43 4Matic Estate 228 D £46,985 6/2996 362/5500 383/2000 1660kg 222 4.7 - - 155 + Incredibly fast and composed - Difficult to engage with 33332
Mercedes-AMG C63 (W205) 209 D £62,180 8/3982 469/5500 479/1750 1640kg 291 4.1 - - 155 + Fast and feelsome - Lacks the ultimate finesse and response of the C63 S 33332
Mercedes-AMG C63 Estate (W205) 216 F £63,380 8/3982 469/5500 479/1750 1710kg 279 4.2 - - 155 + Much more fun than it looks - Gearbox dim-witted at low speeds 33332
Mercedes-AMG C63 S (W205) 211 F £68,930 8/3982 503/5500 516/1750 1655kg 309 4.0 - - 155 + Tremendous twin-turbo V8 power - Not quite as focused as an M division car 33332
Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG (W204) 151 F ’08-’14 8/6208 451/6800 442/5000 1655kg 277 4.5 4.4 9.7 155 + Monstrous pace and extremely engaging - Same-era M3 is just a little better… 33334
Mercedes-Benz C55 AMG (W203) 088 F ’04-’08 8/5439 367/5250 376/4000 1635kg 228 5.2 - - 155 + Furiously fast, commendably discreet - Overshadowed by M3 and RS4 33332
Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.5-16 185 F ’89-’92 4/2498 204/6750 177/5500 1300kg 159 7.5 - - 146 + M-B’s M3 alternative - Not as nimble as the Beemer 33332
Mercedes-AMG E43 4Matic (W213) 236 D £57,275 6/2996 395/6100 383/2500 1765kg 227 4.6 - - 155 + Some of the E63’s looks and performance - Not enough of its performance 33342
Mercedes-AMG E63 4Matic+ (W213) 242 D £78,675 8/3982 563/5750 553/2250 1875kg 305 3.5 - - 155 + More rounded than the E63 S - Could be a little too discreet for some tastes 33334
Mercedes-AMG E63 S 4Matic+ (W213) 246 F £87,375 8/3982 604/5750 627/2500 1880kg 326 3.4 3.4 7.4 155 + Fast, refined, effective and fun - At nearly two tons, it’s not 911 nimble 33334
Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG (W212) 187 D ’13-’16 8/5461 549/5500 531/1750 1770kg 315 4.2 - - 155 + Power, response and accuracy in spades - A little lacking in originality 33334
Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG S (W212) 208 F ’13-’16 8/5461 577/5500 590/1750 1795kg 327 4.1 - - 155 + Effortless power; intuitive and approachable - Sluggish auto ’box 33334
Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG (W212) 165 F ’11-’13 8/5461 518/5250 516/1750 1765kg 298 4.4 - - 155 + Turbo engine didn’t dilute the E63 experience - Sometimes struggles for traction… 33334
Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG (W212) 134 D ’09-’11 8/6208 518/6800 465/5200 1765kg 298 4.5 - - 155 + Indulgent chassis, brilliant engine - Steering still vague 33332
Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG (W211) 096 D ’06-’09 8/6208 507/6800 465/5200 1765kg 292 4.5 - - 155 + Brilliant engine, indulgent chassis - Vague steering, speed limits 33332
Mercedes-Benz E55 AMG 052 F ’03-’06 8/5439 469/6100 516/2650 1760kg 271 4.7 4.8 10.2 155 + M5-humbling grunt, cosseting ride - Speed limits 33332
Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG L 246 D £125,690 8/3982 604/5500 664/2750 1940kg 316 4.3 - - 155 + Performance doesn’t come at the expense of luxury - But pure driving thrills do 33332
Mercedes-Benz CLS63 AMG S 199 D £89,130 8/5461 577/5500 590/1750 1795kg 327 4.1 - - 155 + Quick and characterful - Dated gearbox, no four-wheel-drive option in the UK 33332
Mercedes-Benz CLS63 AMG 178 F ’11-’14 8/5461 518/5250 516/1700 1795kg 293 4.4 - - 155 + Monster performance, 549bhp an option - Not as desirable as a Bentley or Aston 33332
Mercedes-Benz CLS63 AMG 099 F ’06-’11 8/6208 507/6100 464/2650 1830kg 281 4.5 - - 155 + Beauty, comfort, awesome performance - M5 has the edge on B-roads 33332
Mercedes-Benz GLE63 AMG S 218 D £96,950 8/5461 577/5500 560/1750 2270kg 258 4.2 - - 155 + Stonking pace, extreme refinement - Feels remote 33342
Mercedes-Benz GLE63 AMG S Coupe 213 D £96,575 8/5461 577/5500 560/1750 2275kg 258 4.2 - - 155 + Subtler than an X6 M - More force than finesse 33332
Mercedes-Benz ML63 AMG 176 F ’12-’15 8/5461 518/5250 516/1750 2270kg 232 4.7 - - 155 + Great engine, surprisingly good dynamics - Same money buys a Boxster and an ML350… 33332
Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG 172 D £135,025 8/5461 537/5500 560/2000 2475kg 220 5.4 - - 130 + It exists; epic soundtrack - Ancient chassis, silly price 33322
Mitsubishi Evo X FQ-300 SST 118 F ’08-’14 4/1998 290/6500 300/3500 1590kg 185 4.5 5.2 13.9 155 + First Evo with a twin-clutch transmission - Not as exciting as its predecessors 33342
Mitsubishi Evo X FQ-330 SST 134 F ’08-’14 4/1998 324/6500 322/3500 1590kg 207 4.4 - - 155 + Great engine and gearbox combo - It still lives in the shadow of the Evo IX 33332
Mitsubishi Evo X FQ-360 122 D ’08-’14 4/1998 354/6500 363/3500 1560kg 231 4.0 - - 155 + Ridiculously rapid Evo - A five-speed gearbox?! 33332
Mitsubishi Evo X FQ-400 181 F ’09-’10 4/1998 403/6500 387/3500 1560kg 262 3.8 - - 155 + Most powerful factory Evo ever… - …about X grand too much when new 33342
Mitsubishi Evo IX FQ-340 088 F ’05-’08 4/1997 345/6800 321/4600 1400kg 250 4.2 4.3 10.9 157 + Gives Porsche drivers nightmares - Points. Lots of 33333
Mitsubishi Evo IX MR FQ-360 181 F ’05-’08 4/1997 366/6887 363/3200 1400kg 266 4.0 - - 157 + Well-executed engine upgrades - Prison food 33333
Mitsubishi Evo VIII 055 F ’03-’05 4/1997 276/6500 289/3500 1410kg 199 5.1 - - 157 + The Evo grows up - Brakes need beefing up 33334
Mitsubishi Evo VIII MR FQ-300 057 F ’03-’05 4/1997 305/6800 289/3500 1400kg 221 4.9 - - 157 + Extra pace, extra attitude - Extra money 33334
Mitsubishi Evo VII 031 F ’02-’03 4/1997 276/6500 282/3500 1360kg 206 5.1 5.0 13.0 140 + Terrific all-rounder - You tell us 33333
Mitsubishi Evo VI Tommi Mäkinen Edition 231 F ’00-’01 4/1997 276/6500 275/2750 1365kg 205 4.6 - - 150 + Our favourite Evo - Subtle it is not 33333
Porsche Panamera 4S Diesel 232 D £91,788 8/3956 416/3500 627/1000 2050kg 206 4.3 - - 177 + Sharp chassis, impressive tech - Performance doesn’t meet expectations 33342
Porsche Panamera Turbo 237 F £115,100 8/3996 542/5750 568/1960 1995kg 276 3.6 3.4 8.3 190 + Searing pace with body control that’s a real step up; superb rear wing, too - Still very heavy 33332
Porsche Panamera Turbo Sport Turismo 239 D £118,828 8/3996 542/5750 568/1960 2035kg 271 3.8 - - 188 + Looks great; drives better than its weight would suggest - Not exactly a load-lugger 33332
Porsche Panamera GTS 208 F ’11-’16 8/4806 434/6700 383/3500 1925kg 229 4.4 - - 178 + Vivacious V8, entertaining balance - Can feel light on performance next to turbocharged rivals 33334
Porsche Panamera Turbo 137 F ’10-’16 8/4806 493/6000 516/2250 1970kg 254 4.2 3.6 8.9 188 + Fast, refined and dynamically sound - It still leaves us cold 33342
Porsche Panamera Turbo S 159 D ’11-’13 8/4806 542/6000 590/2250 1995kg 276 3.8 - - 190 + Pace, excellent ergonomics - Steering feel, ride 33342
Porsche Macan S 205 F £48,287 6/2997 335/5500 339/1450 1865kg 183 5.4 - - 157 + No less compelling than the Macan Turbo - Although lacks its ultimate speed and agility 33332
Porsche Macan GTS 244 F £55,158 6/2997 355/6000 369/1650 1895kg 190 5.2 - - 159 + Handles like an SUV shouldn’t - Still looks like an SUV 33334
Porsche Macan Turbo 207 D £63,981 6/3604 394/6000 406/1350 1925kg 208 4.8 4.5 11.1 165 + Doesn’t feel like an SUV - Not a match for a proper sports saloon 33334
Porsche Macan Turbo Performance Package 236 D £69,505 6/3604 434/6000 442/1500 1925kg 229 4.4 - - - + Staggeringly quick and hugely capable - Do you really need this much power? 33332
Porsche Cayenne Turbo (Mk3) 243 D £99,291 8/3996 542/5750 568/1960 2175kg 254 4.1 - - 177 + Huge performance, surprising agility - It’s still a two-ton-plus SUV 33332
Porsche Cayenne GTS (Mk2, V6) 211 D ’15-’17 6/3604 434/6000 442/1600 2110kg 209 5.2 - - 163 + The driver’s Cayenne… - …but why would a driver want an SUV? 33334
Porsche Cayenne GTS (Mk2, V8) 173 D ’12-’15 8/4806 414/6500 380/3500 2085kg 202 5.7 - - 162 + Dynamically the best SUV of its era - At two tons, it’s still no sports car 33334
Porsche Cayenne Turbo (Mk2) 212 D ’10-’17 8/4806 513/6000 533/2250 2185kg 239 4.5 - - 173 + Remarkable performance, handling, completeness - Vague steering, dated engine 33332
Porsche Cayenne Turbo S (Mk2) 184 D ’10-’17 8/4806 562/6000 590/2500 2235kg 255 4.1 - - 176 + More power and torque than a Zonda S 7.3 - In an SUV 33332
Range Rover Evoque Coupe Si4 160 D £44,545 4/1999 237/6000 251/1900 1670kg 144 7.0 - - 135 + Striking looks, sporting dynamics - Hefty price, and petrol version is auto-only 33332
Range Rover Velar P380 239 D £70,210 6/2995 375/6500 332/3500 1884kg 202 5.7 - - 155 + A more advanced, opulent alternative to an F-Pace - Its weight ultimately limits its agility 33332
Range Rover Sport SDV8 - £87,350 8/4367 334/3500 546/1750 2359kg 144 6.5 - - 140 + A brilliant long-distance machine - Doesn’t live up to the ‘Sport’ branding 33332
Range Rover Sport V8 Supercharged 186 D £87,680 8/5000 503/6000 460/2500 2335kg 219 5.0 - - 155 + Deceptively quick and capable sports SUV - It’s still got a weight problem 33332
Range Rover Sport SVR 212 D £97,780 8/5000 542/6000 501/3500 2335kg 236 4.5 - - 162 + Characterful drivetrain; genuine off-road ability - Not a match for its rivals on the road 33342
Range Rover SDV8 180 D £83,900 8/4367 334/3500 516/1750 2360kg 144 6.5 - - 140 + Lighter and more capable than before, even more luxurious - Diesel V6 model feels more alert 33332
Rolls-Royce Ghost 186 D £223,368 12/6592 563/5250 575/1500 2360kg 242 4.7 - - 155 + It’s quicker than you think - It’s more enjoyable driven slowly 33332
Rolls-Royce Phantom 054 F £318,120 12/6749 453/5350 531/3500 2560kg 180 5.7 - - 149 + Rolls reinvented for the 21st century - The roads are barely big enough 33332
Subaru WRX STI 201 F £31,995 4/2457 296/6000 300/4000 1534kg 196 5.2 - - 158 + Fast Subaru saloon soldiers on - Without a power increase 33332
Subaru WRX STI 151 D ’10-’13 4/2457 296/6000 300/4000 1505kg 200 5.2 - - 158 + Fast Subaru back as a saloon - Without the blue paint and gold wheels 33334
Subaru Impreza STI (‘Hawkeye’) 090 F ’05-’07 4/2457 276/6000 289/4000 1495kg 188 5.3 - - 158 + Stunning to drive - Not so stunning to look at 33332
Subaru Impreza GB270 109 D ’07 4/2457 266/5700 310/3000 1410kg 192 5.2 - - 143 + Fitting final fling for the Impreza badge on a fast Subaru - End of an era 33334
Subaru Impreza RB320 105 F ’07 4/2457 316/6000 332/3750 1495kg 215 4.8 - - 155 + Fitting tribute to a rallying legend - Too hardcore for some? 33334
Subaru Impreza WRX STI PPP (‘Blobeye’) 073 F ’03-’05 4/1994 300/6000 299/4000 1470kg 207 5.4 5.2 12.9 148 + A Subaru with real edge - Bit too edgy in the wet 33334
Subaru Impreza Turbo (‘Classic’) 011 F ’93-’00 4/1994 215/5600 214/4000 1235kg 177 5.8 5.4 14.6 144 + Destined for classic status - Thirsty 33333
Subaru Impreza RB5 187 F ’99 4/1994 237/6000 258/3500 1235kg 195 6.1 5.0 14.1 144 + Perfect blend of poise and power - Limited numbers 33333
Subaru Impreza P1 200 F ’00-’01 4/1994 276/6500 260/4000 1283kg 219 4.7 4.9 13.3 150 + One of our favourite Imprezas - Doesn’t come cheap 33333
Subaru Impreza 22B STI 188 F ’98-’99 4/2212 276/6000 268/3200 1270kg 220 5.3 5.0 13.1 150 + The ultimate Impreza - Prices reflect this 33333
Tesla Model S P100D 235 F £129,400 - 595 713 2108kg 287 2.4 2.9 7.7 155 + Killer RWYB performance - Can take 30 minutes to warm up for a Ludicrous+ launch 33334
Tesla Model S P85D 208 D ’15-’16 - 457 687 2239kg 314 3.2 - - 155 + Dual motors and 4WD equals extraordinary acceleration - Lack of charging points 33334
Vauxhall Insignia Grand Sport 2.0T 4x4 237 D £27,710 4/1998 257/5300 295/2500 1649kg 158 6.9 - - 155 + A more spacious and stylish Insignia - Still lacking the performance gene 33322
Vauxhall Insignia Grand Sport GSi BiTurbo 246 D £32,975 4/1956 207/4000 354/1500 1772kg 145 7.3 - - 145 + Fine ride, strong real-world pace - Doesn’t feel different enough from non-GSi Insignias 33422
Vauxhall Insignia VXR SuperSport 189 D ’13-’17 6/2792 321/5250 321/5250 1825kg 179 5.6 - - 170 + A 170mph Vauxhall - Should be a more engaging steer 33342
Vauxhall Vectra VXR 102 D ’06-’09 6/2792 276/5500 262/1800 1580kg 177 6.1 - - 161 + Great engine, effortless pace, good value - Numb steering, lumpy ride 33332
Vauxhall VXR8 GTS 215 D £56,380 8/6162 576/6150 546/3850 1834kg 319 4.2 - - 155 + Monster engine; engaging driving experience - Woeful interior 33332
Vauxhall VXR8 GTS-R 245 F £74,500 8/6162 587/6150 546/3850 1880kg 317 4.2 - - 155 + Blistering performance; bursting with character - The end of an era 33332
Volvo V60 Polestar 222 D £49,665 4/1969 362/6000 347/3100 1721kg 214 4.8 - - 155 + Subtle, well-executed performance car - Plays a little too safe 33342

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 TheKnowledge

SPORTS CARS / CONVERTIBLES

OUR CHOICE BEST OF THE REST
Lotus Elise Sport 220. Delivering just the right amount of power from its For even more precision and outright performance, a Lotus 3-Eleven is hard to
supercharged 1.8-litre engine to make the most of its low kerb weight, the beat, while the Caterham Seven remains an exemplar of sports car purity in all
Sport 220 is gutsy, grippy, accurate and enthusiastic. And, of course, it rides its guises. More habitable and everyday useable, the Abarth 124 Spider (left) is
beautifully. It’s the sweetest spot in the already-very-sweet Elise range. capable of putting a big smile on your face even at sane speeds.

LB FT/ RPM
ISSUE NO.

0-100MPH
BHP/ RPM

MAX MPH
0-62MPH

0-60MPH
BHP/ TON
CYL /CC

WEIGHT
ENGINE

(CLAIMED)

(CLAIMED)
PRICE

(TESTED)
MAKE & MODEL RATING
Abarth 124 Spider 238 F £26,920 4/1368 168/5500 184/2500 1060kg 161 6.8 - - 143 + A little car with a big soul - Vague and lifeless front end 33332
Alfa Romeo 4C Spider 223 F £59,505 4/1742 237/6000 258/2200 940kg* 256 4.5 - - 160 + Stunningly beautiful; better steering than coupe version - Still has the coupe’s other foibles 33342
Alfa Romeo 8C Spider 161 F ’09-’11 8/4691 450/7000 354/4750 1675kg 273 4.4 - - 181 + Beauty meets beast. They hit it off - Boot is useless for touring 33334
Ariel Atom 3 245 113 D £30,573 4/1998 245/8600 177/7200 520kg* 479 3.1 - - 145 + Even better than its predecessors - Can still be a bit draughty 33334
Ariel Atom 3.5 Supercharged 180 D £38,000 4/1998 310/8400 169/7200 550kg* 573 2.7 - - 155 + As mad as ever - Rain 33333
Ariel Atom 3.5R 205 F £64,800 4/1998 350/8400 243/6100 550kg* 647 2.6 - - 155 + Remarkable balance, poise and pace - Pricey 33333
Ariel Atom 3 Supercharged 138 F ’09-’12 4/1998 300/8200 162/7200 550kg* 554 3.3 - - 155 + It’s brilliant - It’s mental 33333
Ariel Atom Mugen 165 F ’12-’13 4/1998 270/8300 188/6000 550kg* 499 2.9 - - 150 + Perfect engine for the Atom’s chassis - Only ten were made 33333
Ariel Nomad 220 F £33,000 4/2354 235/7200 221/4300 670kg* 365 3.4 - - 134 + Off-road capabilities make for a super plaything - No Bluetooth 33333
Aston Martin V8 Vantage Roadster (4.7) 130 F ’09-’16 8/4735 420/7000 346/5750 1710kg 250 4.8 - - 180 + Sportiest, coolest drop-top Aston in years - Feels dated compared to contemporaries 33332
Aston Martin V8 Vantage S Roadster 161 F ’11-’17 8/4735 430/7300 361/5000 1690kg 258 4.8 - - 189 + Sounds amazing, looks even better - Still not the best drop-top in its class 33334
Aston Martin V12 Vantage Roadster 175 F ’12-’14 12/5935 510/6500 420/5750 1760kg 294 4.5 - - 190 + As good as the coupe, with amplified V12 rumble - Just a smidgen shakier 33334
Aston Martin V12 Vantage S Roadster 212 F ’14-’17 12/5935 565/6750 457/5750 1745kg 329 4.1 - - 201 + A brilliant two-seat roadster… - …let down by a frustrating automated manual gearbox 33334
Audi TTS Roadster 207 D £42,565 4/1984 306/5800 280/1800 1450kg 214 5.2 - - 155 + A serious proposition, ranking close behind a Boxster S - Coupe still looks better 33332
Audi TTS Roadster 122 D ’08-’14 4/1984 268/6000 258/2500 1455kg 187 5.6 - - 155 + Effortlessly quick - Long-term appeal open to question 33332
Audi TT RS Roadster 133 D ’09-’14 5/2480 335/5400 332/1600 1510kg 225 4.7 - - 155 + Terrific engine… - …is the best thing about it 33342
Audi R8 V8 Spyder 186 D ’11-’15 8/4163 424/7900 317/6000 1660kg 259 4.8 - - 187 + More delicate and subtle than the V10 - The V10 sounds even better 33332
BAC Mono 189 F £165,125 4/2261 305/7700 206/6000 580kg* 534 2.8 - - 170 + The most single-minded track car available - That means no passengers… 33334
BMW Z4 sDrive 35i M Sport (Mk2) 186 D ’13-’17 6/2979 302/5800 295/1300 1505kg 204 5.2 - - 155 + Looks, hard-top versatility, drivetrain - Clumsy chassis is upset by ragged surfaces 33342
BMW Z4 3.0si (Mk1) 094 D ’06-’09 6/2996 265/6600 232/2750 1310kg 205 5.7 - - 155 + Terrific straight-six - Handling not as playful as we’d like 33332
BMW Z4 M Roadster 091 F ’06-’09 6/3246 338/7900 269/4900 1410kg 244 5.0 - - 155 + Exhilarating and characterful; that engine - Stiff suspension 33334
BMW M Roadster 002 F ’98-’02 6/3246 325/7400 258/4900 1375kg 240 5.1 - - 155 + M3 motor; hunky looks - M Coupe drives better 33342
BMW Z8 026 F ’00-’03 8/4941 400/6600 369/3800 1585kg 256 4.7 4.8 11.1 155 + M5-powered super-sportster - M5’s more fun to drive 33322
Caterham Seven 160 239 F £19,495 4/660 80/7000 79/3400 490kg* 166 6.9 - - 100 + The fabulous Seven formula at its most basic - Gets pricey with options 33334
Caterham Seven 270 219 F £23,995 4/1596 135/6800 122/4100 540kg* 254 5.0 - - 122 + Feisty engine, sweetly balanced, manic and exciting - The temptation of more power 33333
Caterham Seven 310 227 D £25,495 4/1596 152/7000 124/5600 540kg* 286 4.8 - - 126 + Intense and exciting - Sticky tyres limit the amount of throttle adjustability 33334
Caterham Seven 360 209 F £27,495 4/1999 180/7300 143/6100 560kg* 327 4.8 - - 130 + Extra power is welcome - You’ll need the six-speed gearbox to make the most of it 33333
Caterham Seven 420 223 F £30,495 4/1999 210/7600 150/6300 560kg* 381 3.8 4.0 10.3 136 + It’s the one we built for ourselves - Trickier on the limit than lesser-powered Sevens 33333
Caterham Seven 420R Donington Edition 240 D £47,500 4/1999 210/7600 150/6300 560kg* 381 3.8 - - 136 + One of the best Sevens we’ve driven - Only ten are being made 33333
Caterham Seven CSR 094 F £46,495 4/2261 256/7500 200/6200 565kg* 460 3.1 3.8 - 155 + Brilliant for high days, holidays and trackdays - Wet Wednesdays 33334
Caterham Seven 620S 220 D £45,495 4/1999 310/7700 219/7350 610kg* 516 3.4 - - 155 + Ludicrous, near-620R pace, with added habitability - Well, ‘habitable’ for a Seven… 33333
Caterham Seven 620R 239 F £50,490 4/1999 310/7700 219/7350 572kg* 551 2.8 - - 155 + Banzai on track, yet still relevant on the road - £50k for a Seven? 33333
Caterham Seven Roadsport 125 105 F ’07-’14 4/1596 125/6100 120/5350 539kg* 235 5.9 - - 112 + Great debut for Ford-engined model - Bigger drivers need SV model 33334
Caterham Seven Supersport 165 F ’11-’14 4/1596 140/6900 120/5790 520kg* 273 4.9 - - 120 + One of the best Caterhams is also one of the cheapest of its era - It’s quite minimalist 33333
Caterham Seven Supersport R 180 D ’13-’14 4/1999 180/7300 143/6100 535kg* 342 4.8 - - 130 + One of the best road-and-track Sevens - Impractical, noisy, uncomfortable 33334
Caterham Seven Superlight R300 150 F ’09-’12 4/1999 175/7000 139/6000 515kg* 345 4.5 - - 140 + Possibly all the Caterham you need - They’re not cheap 33333
Caterham Seven Superlight R500 123 F ’08-’14 4/1999 263/8500 177/7200 506kg* 528 2.9 - - 150 + Better power-to-weight ratio than a Veyron - Until you add the driver 33333
Caterham Seven R300 068 F ’02-’06 4/1796 160/7000 130/5000 500kg* 325 4.7 - - 130 + Our 2002 Trackday Car of the Year - Not for wimps 33333
Caterham Seven R500 200 F ’99-’06 4/1796 230/8600 155/7200 460kg* 510 3.4 3.6 8.8 146 + The K-series Seven at its very best - No cup holders 33333
Elemental Rp1 238 D £98,700 4/1999 320/ n/a 332/2000 630kg 516 2.7 - - 165 + Sensational, explosive, captivating, exploitable - Price will test your level of commitment 33333
Ferrari California T 229 D £155,254 8/3855 553/7500 557/4750 1729kg 324 3.6 - - 196 + Turbocharged engine is a triumph - Still places daily useability above outright thrills 33342
Fiat 124 Spider 228 F £21,050 4/1368 138/5000 177/2250 1050kg 134 7.5 - - 134 + It’s an affordable Italian(ish) sports car - Lacks Italian brio 33322
Honda S2000 243 F ’99-’09 4/1997 237/8300 153/7500 1260kg 191 6.2 - - 150 + An alternative and rev-happy roadster - A Boxster’s better 33332
Jaguar F-type Convertible 3.0 V6 340PS 186 F £59,550 6/2995 335/6500 332/3500 1587kg 214 5.7 - - 161 + Beautiful, enjoyable, responsive - Noticeably the junior F-type 33332
Jaguar F-type Convertible 3.0 V6 380PS 183 F £70,300 6/2995 375/6500 339/3500 1604kg 238 5.5 - - 171 + A more rounded F-type than the V8s - We like V8s 33334
Jaguar F-type R Convertible AWD - £98,145 8/5000 542/6500 501/3500 1665kg 331 4.1 - - 186 + Pace, characterful engine - Costs nearly £25k more than the hot V6 33334
Jaguar F-type SVR Convertible 230 D £118,165 8/5000 567/6500 516/3500 1720kg 335 3.7 - - 195 + Huge performance - Unpleasant soundtrack; unsettled on bumpy roads 33342
Jaguar F-type S Convertible 183 F ’13-’17 6/2995 375/6500 339/3500 1604kg 238 5.5 - - 171 + Better-damped and more rounded than the V8 S - A Boxster S is cheaper 33334
Jaguar F-type Project 7 212 F ’15 8/5000 567/6500 501/2500 1585kg 363 3.9 - - 186 + Noise, performance, adjustability - Expensive, and not the GT3 rival we would have liked 33334
Jaguar XKR Convertible 130 F ’09-’14 8/5000 503/6000 461/2500 1725kg 296 4.8 - - 155 + Fantastic 5-litre V8 - Loses sporting ground to its main foes 33332
Jaguar XKR-S Convertible 167 F ’11-’14 8/5000 542/6500 502/2500 1725kg 319 4.4 - - 186 + Loud and mad; most exciting Jag in years - It was also the most expensive in years 33334
KTM X-Bow GT 183 D £95,880 4/1984 281/6400 310/3200 875kg 326 4.1 - - 144 + Extraordinary ability, now in a more road-friendly package - Price 33334
KTM X-Bow R 165 F £87,480 4/1984 296/6300 295/3300 816kg 369 3.9 - - 144 + Sharper handling, more power - Pity it’s not even lighter, and cheaper 33332
KTM X-Bow 138 F ’08-’12 4/1984 237/5500 229/2000 818kg 294 3.8 - - 137 + Mad looks; real quality feel - Heavier and pricier than you’d hope 33332
Lotus Elise Sport - £32,300 4/1598 134/6800 118/4400 856kg 159 6.5 - - 127 + 1.6-litre Elise is light and fantastic - Smaller engine could put some off 33333
Lotus Elise Sprint - £37,300 4/1598 134/6800 118/4400 830kg 164 6.2 - - 127 + Even lighter version of the 1.6 Elise - It’ll cost you nearly £200 per kilo saved 33333
Lotus Elise Sport 220 244 F £39,300 4/1798 217/6800 184/4600 904kg 244 4.6 - - 145 + Perfect power-to-weight ratio - A bit short on creature comforts 33333
Lotus Elise Sprint 220 236 D £44,300 4/1798 217/6800 184/4600 878kg 251 4.5 - - 145 + Makes the most of its lightness - Heavyweight price 33333
Lotus Elise Cup 250 238 D £47,400 4/1798 243/7200 184/3500 917kg 269 4.3 - - 154 + Elise gets quicker again - Prioritises grip over adjustability 33333
Lotus Elise Cup 260 243 F £59,500 4/1798 250/7200 195/5500 902kg 282 4.2 - - 151 + Quickest Elise yet - Just 30 being built 33333
Lotus Elise Club Racer 183 F ’11-’15 4/1598 134/6800 118/4400 852kg 160 6.5 - - 127 + Even lighter, even more focused than a standard 1.6 Elise - Are you prepared to go this basic? 33333
Lotus Elise S Club Racer 189 D ’13-’15 4/1798 217/6800 184/4600 905kg 244 4.6 - - 145 + Purist approach intensifies ability - Lightest, option-free spec requires commitment 33333
Lotus Elise R 068 F ’04-’11 4/1796 189/7800 133/6800 860kg 223 5.4 5.6 13.9 138 + A most thrillsome Elise - Blaring engine note 33333
Lotus Elise SC 131 F ’08-’11 4/1794 218/8000 156/5000 870kg 254 4.6 4.5 11.4 145 + All the usual Elise magic - Supercharged engine lacks sparkle 33334
Lotus Elise S 104 F ’06-’10 4/1794 134/6200 127/4200 860kg 158 6.1 6.3 18.7 127 + Brilliant entry-level Elise - Precious little 33333
Lotus Elise 111S 049 F ’02-’04 4/1796 156/7000 129/4650 860kg 197 5.1 - - 131 + A genuinely useable Elise - Air-con? In an Elise? 33333
Lotus Elise Sport 135 040 D ’03 4/1796 135/6200 129/4850 726kg 189 5.4 - - 129 + One of our fave S2 Elises - Brakes need more bite and pedal feel 33333
Lotus Elise (S1) 235 F ’96-’01 4/1796 118/5500 122/3000 731kg 164 5.9 6.1 18.5 126 + A modern classic - A tad impractical? 33333
Lotus Exige Sport 350 Roadster 221 F £55,900 6/3456 345/7000 295/4500 1125kg 312 3.9 - - 145 + An Exige with added sunny-day appeal - A Boxster would be more practical 33333
Lotus Exige Sport 380 Roadster 231 F £67,900 6/3456 375/6700 302/5000 1110kg 343 3.7 - - 178 + Like the 350 Roadster, but faster and even purer - A Boxster would still be more practical 33333
Lotus Exige S Roadster 186 F ’13-15 6/3456 345/7000 295/4500 1166kg 301 4.0 - - 145 + Like the hard-top Exige S, but more road-friendly - 981 Boxster S is a better all-rounder 33333
Lotus 3-Eleven 220 F £82,500 6/3456 410/7000 302/3000 925kg 450 3.4 - - 174 + A fantastically exciting Lotus - If not exactly a groundbreaking one 33333
Lotus 2-Eleven 126 F ’07-’11 4/1796 189/7800 133/6800 720kg 267 4.5 - - 140 + Not far off the supercharged 2-Eleven’s pace - You want the supercharged one, don’t you? 33334
Lotus 2-Eleven Supercharged 123 F ’07-’11 4/1796 252/8000 179/7000 745kg 344 4.0 - - 150 + Impressive on road and track - Not hardcore enough for some 33333
Lotus 340R 126 F ’00 4/1796 190/7800 146/5000 701kg 275 4.5 4.5 12.5 126 + Hardcore road-racer… - …that looks like a dune buggy from Mars 33333
Maserati GranCabrio Sport 161 D £104,565 8/4691 444/7000 376/4750 1980kg 228 5.0 - - 177 + Looks, performance, cruising ability - Brakes could be sharper 33342
Maserati GranCabrio MC 185 D £112,400 8/4691 454/7000 383/4750 1973kg 234 4.9 - - 179 + Most powerful GranCabrio yet - The GranCabrio is starting to show its age 33342
Mazda MX-5 1.5 (Mk4) 230 F £18,795 4/1496 129/7000 111/4800 975kg 134 8.3 - - 127 + Lightest MX-5 since the Mk1 - Lacks intensity 33342

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 TheKnowledge

LB FT/ RPM
ISSUE NO.

0-100MPH
BHP/ RPM

MAX MPH
0-60MPH
0-62MPH
BHP/ TON
CYL /CC

WEIGHT
ENGINE

(CLAIMED)
PRICE

(TESTED)

(TESTED)
MAKE & MODEL RATING
Mazda MX-5 2.0 Sport Nav (Mk4) 228 F £24,195 4/1998 158/6000 147/4600 1000kg 161 7.3 - - 133 + Brilliant basic recipe - The desire for stiffer suspension and more power 33342
Mazda MX-5 RF 2.0 (Mk4) 234 F £23,395 4/1998 158/6000 147/4600 1045kg 154 7.4 - - 134 + Drives just like its soft-top brother - Significant wind noise with the roof down 33342
Mazda MX-5 2.0i Sport Tech (Mk3.5) 212 F ’09-’15 4/1999 158/7000 139/5000 1098kg 146 7.6 - - 138 + Handles brilliantly again; folding hard-top also available - Less-than-macho image 33334
Mazda MX-5 1.8i (Mk3) 091 F ’05-’09 4/1798 124/6500 123/4500 1080kg 108 9.3 - - 122 + Gearchange, interior - Lost some of the charm of old MX-5s; dubious handling 33342
Mazda MX-5 1.8i (Mk2) 017 F ’98-’05 4/1839 146/7000 124/5000 1065kg 140 8.5 - - 123 + Affordable ragtops don’t get much better - Cheap cabin 33333
Mazda MX-5 1.6 (Mk1) 131 F ’89-’97 4/1597 115/6500 100/5500 971kg 120 8.8 - - 114 + The original and still (pretty much) the best - Less than rigid 33333
Mercedes-AMG SLC43 222 D £47,600 6/2996 362/5500 383/2000 1520kg 242 4.7 - - 155 + Twin-turbo V6 well-suited to baby roadster - But also highlights the chassis’ age 33332
Mercedes-Benz SLK55 AMG 186 F ’12-’15 8/5461 416/6800 398/4500 1615kg 262 4.6 - - 155 + Quicker and more economical than ever - Needs to be sharper, too 33322
Mercedes-Benz SLK55 AMG 087 F ’05-’10 8/5439 355/5750 376/4000 1575kg 229 4.9 - - 155 + Superb engine, responsive chassis - No manual option, ESP spoils fun 33332
Mercedes-Benz SLK55 AMG Black Series 110 F ’07-’08 8/5439 394/5750 383/3750 1495kg 268 4.5 4.9 11.2 174 + AMG gets serious - Dull-witted auto ’box, uneven dynamics 33342
Mercedes-AMG SL63 228 D £116,430 8/5461 577/5500 664/2250 1770kg 331 4.1 - - 155 + Effortless performance - Needs more involvement to go with the pace 33332
Mercedes-AMG GT Roadster 239 F £111,360 8/3982 469/6000 465/1700 1595kg 299 4.0 - - 188 + An AMG GT with added fresh air - Ride and handling go slightly to pieces on UK roads 33342
Mercedes-AMG GT C Roadster 235 D £140,660 8/3982 549/5750 501/1900 1660kg 336 3.7 - - 196 + As above but with more shove - Road noise can get wearing on long journeys 33342
Mercedes-Benz SL500 169 D ’12-’16 8/4663 429/5250 516/1800 1710kg 255 4.6 - - 155 + Wafty performance, beautifully engineered - Lacks ultimate sports car feel 33332
Mercedes-Benz SL63 AMG 171 D ’12-’16 8/5461 530/5500 590/2000 1770kg 304 4.3 - - 155 + Monster performance, lighter than before - Still heavy, steering lacks consistency 33334
Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG 183 D ’13-’16 12/5980 621/4800 737/2300 1875kg 336 4.0 - - 155 + Chassis just about deals with the power - Speed limits 33332
Mercedes-Benz SL63 AMG 117 D ’08-’13 8/6208 518/6800 464/5200 1970kg 278 4.6 - - 155 + More focused than old SL55 AMG - Lost some of its all-round appeal 33332
Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG 071 D ’04-’10 12/5980 604/4800 737/2000 2035kg 302 4.2 - - 155 + Gob-smacking performance - Costly to run 33334
Morgan 3 Wheeler 198 F £31,140 2/1976 82/5250 103/3250 525kg* 159 6.0 - - 115 + Quirky, characterful, brilliant - Can become a two-wheeler if you push too hard 33332
Morgan Plus 8 171 F £85,461 8/4799 362/6300 370/3600 1100kg* 334 4.5 - - 155 + Hilarious mix of old looks and new mechanicals-Refinementisdefinitelyold-school 33332
Morgan Plus 8 Speedster 202 F ’14 8/4799 362/6300 370/3600 1000kg* 368 4.2 - - 148 + Fantastic old-school roadster experience -Getsunsettled bybigbumps;only60weremade 33332
Morgan Aero 8 105 F £94,665 8/4799 362/6300 361/3400 1180kg* 312 4.5 - - 170 + Glorious sound, view over bonnet, dynamics - Awkward-looking rear 33332
Morgan Aero SuperSports 145 F ’10-’11 8/4799 362/6300 370/3600 1180kg* 312 4.2 - - 170 + It’s an Aero 8 with a V8 and targa top - Limited edition, costing proper supercar money 33332
Nissan 370Z Roadster 143 F ’10-’14 6/3696 326/7000 269/5200 1554kg 213 5.5 - - 155 + The Zed’s old-school character remains intact - Its purposeful looks don’t 33332
Porsche 718 Boxster 224 D £44,758 4/1988 296/6500 280/1950 1335kg 225 5.1 - - 170 + Chassis as good as ever - Four-cylinder’s tuneless din would be hard to live with 33342
Porsche 718 Boxster S 222 F £53,714 4/2497 345/6500 310/1900 1355kg 259 4.6 4.4 9.8 177 + Still sensationally capable - Turbo four-cylinder engine lacks appeal of the old flat-six 33334
Porsche Boxster (981) 238 F ’12-’16 6/2706 261/6700 206/4500 1310kg 202 5.8 - - 164 + Goes and looks better than the 987 Boxster - Shame about the electric steering 33333
Porsche Boxster S (981) 186 F ’12-’16 6/3436 311/6700 265/4500 1320kg 239 5.1 - - 173 + Boxster steps out of 911’s shadow - But gets 911’s less appealing electric steering 33333
Porsche Boxster GTS (981) 203 D ’14-’16 6/3436 325/6700 273/4500 1345kg 246 5.0 - - 174 + Superb dynamics, fantastic engine, great looks - Sport suspension is very firm 33333
Porsche Boxster Spyder (981) 223 F ’15-’16 6/3800 370/6700 310/4750 1315kg 286 4.5 - - 180 + An even faster, even more rewarding Boxster - Feedback trails the Cayman GT4’s 33333
Porsche Boxster S (987) 161 F ’05-’12 6/3436 306/6400 266/5500 1355kg 229 5.3 - - 170 + Second-gen Boxster’s as brilliant as ever - It’s a typically Porsche redesign 33333
Porsche Boxster Spyder (987) 188 F ’10-’12 6/3436 316/7200 273/4750 1275kg 252 4.9 - - 166 + Lighter, more driver-centric Boxster - Collapsed-brolly roof not the most practical 33333
Porsche Boxster S (986) 070 F ’99-’04 6/3179 256/6200 229/4600 1320kg 200 5.7 - - 164 + Added power over the non-S Boxster is seductive - Very little 33333
Radical SR3 SL 174 F ’11-’14 4/2000 300/6000 265/4000 775kg* 393 3.4 - - 161 + Our 2011 Track Car of the Year, and it’s road-legal - You’ll need to wrap up warm 33333
Renault Sport Spider 231 F ’96-’99 4/1998 148/6000 136/4500 930kg 157 6.5 - - 131 + Rarity; unassisted steering - Heavier than you’d hope; disappointing engine 33322
Rolls-Royce Dawn 222 D £264,000 12/6592 563/5250 575/1500 2560kg 223 4.9 - - 155 + Effortless driving experience - Driver involvement not a priority 33334
Toyota MR2 (Mk3) 187 F ’00-’06 4/1794 138/6400 125/4400 975kg 141 8.0 7.2 21.2 131 + Tight lines, taut dynamics - Minimal luggage space 33334
TVR Tamora 070 F ’01-’07 6/3605 350/7200 290/5500 1060kg 335 4.2 - - 175 + Well-sorted soft-top TVR - Awkward styling 33332
TVR Chimaera 5.0 007 F ’93-’03 8/4997 320/5500 320/3750 1060kg 307 4.4 - - 167 + Gorgeous noise, tarmac-rippling grunt - Details 33332
TVR Griffith 4.3 068 F ’92-’93 8/4280 280/5500 305/4000 1040kg 274 4.4 4.8 11.2 155 + The car that made TVR. Cult status - Mere details 33334
TVR Griffith 500 009 F ’93-’01 8/4997 320/5500 320/4000 1060kg 307 4.1 - - 167 + Gruff diamond - A few rough edges 33334
Vauxhall VX220 023 F ’00-’04 4/2198 145/5800 150/4000 875kg 168 5.9 - - 136 + Absurdly good Vauxhall - The badge? 33334
Vauxhall VX220 Turbo 066 F ’03-’05 4/1998 197/5500 184/1950 930kg 215 4.9 - - 151 + Nothing comes close for the money - Marginal everyday usability 33333
Vuhl 05 220 F £59,995 4/2000 285/5600 310/3000 725kg 405 3.7 - - 152 + Impressive pace and quality - You can get a more thrills from a Caterham at half the price 33332
Zenos E10 S 214 F £30,595 4/1999 250/7000 295/2500 725kg* 350 4.0 4.2 - 145 + Neutral and exploitable - Prescriptive balance 33332

COUPES / GTs
OUR CHOICE BEST OF THE REST
BMW M4 Competition Package. It’s taken a while to get there, but the The Alpine A110 (left) is, at last, a true rival for Porsche’s Cayman. The 911 Carrera GTS
Competition Package is the car the M4 should have been from the start. – in two-wheel-drive, manual spec – is our favourite Porsche coupe, however, though
Less spiky, more trustworthy, and above all fast and fun, it feels like it has the basic 911 Carrera and Carrera S run it close. The Audi RS5, meanwhile, has an
been developed with the driver’s best interests at heart. impressively wide bandwidth of abilities, as does the Bentley Continental GT.

Alfa Romeo 4C 209 F £51,505 4/1742 237/6000 258/2200 895kg* 269 4.5 - - 160 + Carbonfibre tub, mini-supercar looks - Hot hatch engine, clunky gearbox 33342
Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione 120 F ’07-’09 8/4691 450/7000 354/4750 1585kg 288 4.2 - - 181 + Looks, exclusivity, noise, balance - Cost more now than they did new 33334
Alpine A110 244 F c£50,000 4/1798 249/6000 236/2000 1103kg 229 4.5 - - 155 + Fun, playful and deceptively fast - If only it had a manual gearbox 33333
Alpina D4 Biturbo 206 F £50,950 6/2993 345/4000 516/1500 1585kg 221 4.6 - - 173 + Fifth-gear oversteer - Sounds like a diesel; fuel economy not as good as you might hope 33334
Alpina B4 S Biturbo 245 D £63,000 6/2979 434/5500 487/3000 1615kg 273 4.2 - - 190 + Stonking engine, stealthy speed - Steering is slow and lacks feel 33332
Alpina B4 Biturbo 206 F ’14-’16 6/2979 404/5500 442/3000 1615kg 254 4.2 - - 188 + More fluid than the M4; better traction, too - Not as precise as the M-car over the limit 33334
Aston Martin V8 Vantage (4.3) 109 F ’05-’07 8/4280 380/7000 302/5000 1630kg 237 5.0 5.2 12.0 175 + Gorgeous; awesome soundtrack - Can’t quite match a 911 dynamically 33332
Aston Martin V8 Vantage (4.7) 169 D ’08-’16 8/4735 420/7000 346/5750 1630kg 262 4.8 - - 180 + Still feels special - But also a little dated 33332
Aston Martin V8 Vantage S 168 F ’11-’17 8/4735 430/7300 361/5000 1610kg 271 4.8 - - 190 + Keener engine, V12 Vantage looks - Slightly sluggish auto only 33334
Aston Martin V8 Vantage N430 218 F ’14-’16 8/4735 430/7300 361/5000 1610kg 271 4.8 - - 189 + Malleable, involving - Never feels rampantly quick 33333
Aston Martin Vantage GT8 229 F ’16-’17 8/4735 440/7300 361/5000 1530kg 292 4.4 - - 190 + Enough drama to fill a Netflix mini-series - Just 150 made 33333
Aston Martin V12 Vantage 146 F ’09-’13 12/5935 510/6500 420/5750 1680kg 308 4.2 4.4 9.7 190 + The car we hoped the V8 Vantage would be - Erm, a tad thirsty? 33333
Aston Martin V12 Vantage S 238 F ’13-’17 12/5935 563/6650 457/5500 1665kg 344 3.9 - - 205 + Amongst the best Astons ever made - Old-school automated ’box (so get the manual) 33333
Aston Martin Vantage GT12 214 F ’15-’16 12/5935 592/7000 461/5500 1565kg 384 3.5 - - 185 + The GT3-style Vantage we waited so long for - Only 100 made 33333
Aston Martin DB11 V8 241 D £144,900 8/3982 503/6000 498/2000 1760kg 290 4.0 - - 187 + Potent and characterful engine; sharper chassis than V12 - Do we still need the V12? 33332
Aston Martin DB11 235 F £157,900 12/5204 600/6500 516/1500 1875kg 325 3.9 4.0 8.1 200 + An excellent GT - Suffers in outright handling terms as a result 33334
Aston Martin DB9 GT 214 D ’15-’17 12/5935 540/6750 457/5500 1785kg 307 4.5 - - 183 + More power; still has bags of character - Needs an eight-speed auto ’box 33334
Aston Martin DB9 178 F ’04-’16 12/5935 510/6500 457/5500 1785kg 290 4.6 - - 183 + A great start to Gaydon-era Astons - Automatic gearbox could be quicker 33334
Aston Martin DBS 142 F ’07-’12 12/5935 510/6500 420/5750 1695kg 306 4.3 - - 191 + Stupendous engine, gearbox, brakes - Pricey; can bite the unwary 33334
Audi TT 2.0 TFSI (Mk3) 204 F £31,685 4/1984 227/4500 273/1650 1230kg 188 6.0 - - 155 + Desirable, grippy and effortlessly quick - Still not the last word in interaction 33334
Audi TT 2.0 TFSI quattro (Mk3) 203 D £34,895 4/1984 227/4500 273/1600 1335kg 173 5.3 - - 155 + Looks, interior, decent performance and handling - Lacks ultimate involvement 33332
Audi TTS (Mk3) 209 F £40,840 4/1984 306/5800 280/1800 1365kg 228 4.9 - - 155 + Dynamically interesting (for a TT) - Still not as interactive as a Cayman 33332
Audi TT RS (Mk3) 230 F £52,100 5/2480 394/5850 354/1700 1440kg 278 3.7 3.4 - 155 + Soundtrack; tremendous point-to-point pace - A bit one-dimensional in the long run 33334
Audi TTS (Mk2) 193 F ’08-’14 4/1984 268/6000 258/2500 1395kg 195 5.4 - - 155 + A usefully quicker TT, with a great drivetrain - Still steers like a computer game 33332
Audi TT RS (Mk2) 158 F ’09-’14 5/2480 335/5400 332/1600 1450kg 235 4.7 4.4 11.1 155 + Sublime five-cylinder turbo engine - Rest of package can’t quite match it 33332
Audi TT RS Plus (Mk2) 185 D ’12-’14 5/2480 355/5500 343/1650 1450kg 249 4.3 - - 174 + Stonkingly fast cross-country - Shockingly expensive for a TT 33332
Audi TT Sport (Mk1) 081 D ’05-’06 4/1781 237/5700 236/2300 1390kg 173 5.7 - - 155 + Deliciously purposeful interior, crisp chassis - Numb steering 33332
Audi S5 233 F £47,875 6/2995 349/5400 369/1370 1615kg 220 4.7 - - 155 + Chassis rewards commitment… - …but doesn’t offer a challenge. Plain engine, too 33342
Audi RS5 240 F £62,900 6/2894 444/5700 442/1900 1655kg 273 3.9 3.6 9.0 155 + Lighter, quicker; makes green paint look good - Lacks the character of the old V8 33332

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LB FT/ RPM
ISSUE NO.

0-100MPH
BHP/ RPM

MAX MPH
0-60MPH
0-62MPH
BHP/ TON
CYL /CC

WEIGHT
ENGINE

(CLAIMED)
PRICE

(TESTED)

(TESTED)
MAKE & MODEL RATING

Audi RS5 206 F ’10-’16 8/4163 444/8250 317/4000 1715kg 263 4.5 4.3 - 155 + Brilliant engine and improved chassis - Lack of suspension travel; inconsistent steering 33332
Audi R8 V8 201 F ’07-’15 8/4163 424/7900 317/4500 1560kg 276 4.6 4.1 9.9 188 + A true 911 alternative - Exclusivity comes at a price 33333
Bentley Continental GT 244 F £156,700 12/5950 626/5000 664/1350 2169kg 293 3.7 - - 207 + Astonishing agility for such a big, heavy car - Thirst 33334
Bentley Continental GT V8 178 F ’12-’17 8/3993 500/6000 487/1700 2220kg 229 4.8 - - 188 + A proper drivers’ Bentley with decent economy - W12 suddenly seems pointless 33334
Bentley Continental GT V8 S 204 F ’13-’17 8/3993 521/6000 502/1700 2220kg 238 4.5 - - 192 + An even better drivers’ Bentley - Vast weight makes its presence felt in harder driving 33334
Bentley Continental GT 152 D ’03-’17 12/5998 567/6000 516/1700 2245kg 257 4.5 - - 198 + Near 200mph in utter comfort - Weight; W12’s thirst 33332
Bentley Continental GT Speed 230 D ’12-’17 12/5998 633/5900 620/2000 2245kg 286 4.1 - - 206 + Desirability meets exclusivity and performance - We’d still have the V8 33334
Bentley Continental Supersports 234 D ’17 12/5998 700/6000 750/2050 2205kg 323 3.5 - - 209 + Massive performance, surprisingly agile - Styling and soundtrack far from descreet 33334
Bentley Continental GT3-R 203 D ’14-’17 8/3993 572/6000 518/1700 2120kg 274 3.8 - - 170 + The best-handling Continental of its generation - Expensive; it still weighs 2120kg 33334
BMW 1-series M Coupe 188 F ’11-’12 6/2979 335/5900 369/1500 1495kg 228 4.9 - - 155 + Character, turbo pace and great looks - Came and went too quick 33333
BMW M240i Coupe 229 D £35,865 6/2998 335/6800 369/1520 1470kg 232 4.8 - - 155 + Adjustable and plenty of fun - Lacks finesse and precision 33332
BMW M235i Coupe 225 F ’14-’16 6/2979 321/5800 332/1300 1455kg 224 5.0 5.2 12.7 155 + Powertrain, chassis, looks, size - Limited-slip diff is an option, not standard 33332
BMW M2 243 F £46,430 6/2979 365/6500 369/1450 1495kg 248 4.5 4.5 - 155 + More progressive chassis balance than the M4 - Feels unsettled on rough tarmac 33332
BMW 440i M Sport Coupe 233 F £43,430 6/2998 321/5500 332/1380 1540kg 212 5.2 - - 155 + Almost-too-powerful engine - Doesn’t feel special enough to drive 33332
BMW M4 218 F £60,420 6/2979 425/5500 406/1850 1560kg 277 4.3 - - 155 + Ferociously fast - A handful on less-than-perfect or less-than-bone-dry roads 33334
BMW M4 Competition Package 244 F £63,420 6/2979 444/7000 406/1850 1560kg 289 4.2 4.4 9.2 155 + The car the M4 always should have been - Not so good on 20-inch wheels 33334
BMW M4 CS 245 F £91,050 6/2979 454/6250 442/4000 1580kg 292 3.9 - - 174 + The first M4 you could enjoy on any road, in any conditions - It ain’t cheap 33334
BMW M4 GTS 237 F ’16 6/2979 493/6250 442/4000 1510kg 332 3.8 3.7 8.0 190 + Vast improvement on lesser M4s - So it should be, given its price 33333
BMW M3 (E92) 196 F ’07-’13 8/3999 414/8300 295/3900 1580kg 266 4.8 4.3 10.3 155 + Fends off all of its rivals… - …except the cheaper 1-series M Coupe 33333
BMW M3 GTS (E92) 232 F ’10-’11 8/4361 444/8300 324/3750 1530kg 295 4.4 - - 190 + Highly exclusive; one of the most focused M-cars ever - Good luck trying to find one 33333
BMW M3 (E46) 066 F ’00-’07 6/3246 338/7900 269/5000 1495kg 230 5.2 5.1 12.3 155 + One of the best BMWs ever. Runner-up in eCoty 2001 - Slightly artificial steering feel 33333
BMW M3 CS (E46) 219 F ’05-’07 6/3246 338/7900 269/5000 1495kg 230 5.2 - - 155 + CSL dynamics without CSL price - Looks like the standard car 33333
BMW M3 CSL (E46) 200 F ’03-’04 6/3246 355/7900 273/4900 1385kg 260 4.9 5.3 12.0 155 + Still superb - Changes from the automated single-clutch ’box are… a… bit… sluggish 33333
BMW M3 Evolution (E36) 148 F ’96-’98 6/3201 317/7400 258/3250 1515kg 215 5.5 5.4 12.8 158 + Performance, image - Never quite as good as the E30 33332
BMW M3 (E30) 165 F ’89-’90 4/2302 212/6750 170/4600 1165kg 185 6.7 6.7 17.8 147 + The best M-car ever - Prices have got out of hand 33333
BMW Z4 M Coupe 097 F ’06-’09 6/3246 338/7900 269/4900 1420kg 242 5.0 - - 155 + A real drivers’ car - You’ve got to be prepared to get stuck in 33334
BMW M Coupe 005 F ’98-’03 6/3246 321/7400 261/4900 1375kg 237 5.3 - - 155 + Quick and characterful - Lacks finesse 33332
BMW M6 (F13) 218 F £95,580 8/4395 552/6000 501/1500 1850kg 303 4.2 - - 155 + Mighty ability, pace, technology - You’ll want the Competition Package upgrade, too 33334
BMW M6 (E63) 106 F ’05-’10 10/4999 500/7750 384/6100 1635kg 311 4.2 4.8 10.0 155 + Awesome GT, awesome sports car - SMG gearbox now off the pace 33334
BMW i8 210 F £106,310 3/1499 357/5800 420/3700 1485kg 244 4.4 - - 155 + Brilliantly executed concept; sci-fi looks - Safe dynamic set-up 33334
Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 220 F ’14-’16 8/7008 505/6100 481/4800 1732kg 296 4.2 - - 175 + Scalpel-sharp engine, great chassis (really) - Feels very stiff on UK roads 33334
Chevrolet Corvette Stingray (C7) 197 F £63,295 8/6162 460/6000 465/4600 1496kg 312 4.2 4.4 9.4 180 + Performance, chassis balance, supple ride - Body control could be better 33334
Chevrolet Corvette Z06 (C7) 227 F £90,445 8/6162 650/6000 650/3600 1598kg 413 3.7 - - 196 + Mind-boggling raw speed; surprisingly sophisticated - Edgy when really pushed 33334
Ford Mustang 2.3 EcoBoost 222 D £33,645 4/2261 313/5500 319/3000 1655kg 192 5.8 - - 155 + Ninety per cent as good as the V8 - Missing ten per cent is what makes the Mustang 33342
Ford Mustang 5.0 V8 GT 225 F £38,095 8/4951 410/6500 391/4250 1711kg 243 4.8 4.8 11.6 155 + Looks, noise, performance, value, right-hand drive - Comes undone on rougher roads 33342
Honda Integra Type R (DC2) 200 F ’96-’00 4/1797 187/8000 131/7300 1101kg 173 6.7 6.2 17.9 145 + Arguably the greatest front-drive car ever - Too raw for some 33333
Infiniti Q60S Sport 3.0T 228 D £43,535 6/2997 400/6400 350/1600 1799kg 226 5.0 - - 155 + Impressive tech - Electronic systems reduce feeling of involvement 33342
Jaguar F-type Coupe 2.0 i4 300PS 239 D £50,795 4/1997 296/5500 295/1500 1525kg 197 5.7 - - 155 + Turbo four-cylinder engine sounds good - But it lacks top-end verve 33342
Jaguar F-type Coupe 3.0 V6 340PS 204 D £54,065 6/2995 335/6500 332/3500 1567kg 217 5.7 - - 161 + Drop-dead looks, brilliant chassis, desirability - Engine lacks top-end fight 33332
Jaguar F-type Coupe 3.0 V6 380PS 211 D £64,815 6/2995 375/6500 339/3500 1584kg 241 5.5 - - 171 + Exquisite style, more rewarding (and affordable) than roadster - Scrappy on the limit 33334
Jaguar F-type R Coupe AWD 227 D £92,660 8/5000 542/6500 501/3500 1730kg 318 4.1 3.5 8.1 186 + Better than the rear-drive R in the wet - Less involving in the dry 33334
Jaguar F-type SVR Coupe 224 D £112,680 8/5000 567/6500 516/3500 1705kg 338 3.7 - - 200 + A marginally better drive than the AWD R - Not by enough to justify the extra outlay 33334
Jaguar F-type R Coupe (RWD) 218 F ’14-’17 8/5000 542/6500 501/3500 1650kg 334 4.2 - - 186 + Looks, presence, performance, soundtrack - Bumpy and boistrous 33333
Jaguar XKR 168 F ’09-’14 8/5000 503/6000 461/2500 1753kg 292 4.8 - - 155 + Fast and incredibly rewarding Jag - The kids will have to stay at home 33334
Jaguar XKR-S 168 F ’11-’14 8/5000 542/6000 502/2500 1753kg 314 4.4 - - 186 + Faster and wilder than regular XKR - The F-type R Coupe 33334
Lexus RC F 226 F £61,310 8/4969 470/6400 391/4800 1765kg 271 4.5 - - 168 + Great looks, noise, sense of occasion - Too heavy to be truly exciting 33332
Lexus LC 500h 241 D £76,595 6/3456 354 n/a 1985kg 181 5.0 - - 168 + Excellent comfort and refinement; fine chassis - Hybrid system hurts the fun factor 33342
Lexus LC 500 231 D £76,595 8/4969 470/7100 398/4800 1935kg 247 4.7 - - 168 + Glorious engine, rewarding chassis for a GT car - Numb steering, messy ergonomics 33332
Lotus Exige Sport 350 221 F £55,900 6/3456 345/7000 295/4500 1125kg 312 3.9 - - 170 + Further honed Exige, with vastly improved gearshift - Still not easy to get into and out of 33334
Lotus Exige Sport 380 231 F £67,900 6/3456 375/6700 302/5000 1110kg 343 3.7 - - 178 + Intense, absorbing and brilliantly capable - Perhaps not an everyday car 33334
Lotus Exige Cup 380 240 D £83,000 6/3456 375/6700 302/5000 1105kg 345 3.6 - - 175 + An absolute riot; feels worth the high price tag - Limited build numbers 33334
Lotus Exige Cup 430 243 D £99,800 6/3456 430/7000 325/2600 1093kg 400 3.3 - - 180 + The ultimate Exige - Isn’t cheap 33333
Lotus Exige S (V6) 209 F ’12-’15 6/3456 345/7000 295/4500 1176kg 298 3.8 - - 170 + Breathtaking road-racer; our joint 2012 Car of the Year - Gearshift not the sweetest 33333
Lotus Exige S (S2) 105 F ’06-’11 4/1796 218/7800 158/5500 930kg 238 4.3 - - 148 + Lightweight with a hefty punch - Uninspiring soundtrack 33333
Lotus Exige (S1) 200 F ’00-’01 4/1796 192/7800 146/5000 780kg 247 4.6 - - 136 + Looks and goes like an Elise racer - A tad lacking in refinement 33333
Lotus Evora 400 216 F £72,000 6/3456 400/7000 302/3500 1395kg 291 4.2 - - 186 + Evora excitement levels take a leap - Gearbox still not perfect; punchy pricing 33334
Lotus Evora Sport 410 230 F £82,000 6/3456 410/7000 310/3500 1325kg 314 4.2 - - 190 + Even lighter and sharper Evora - Engine and gearbox behind the best at this price 33334
Lotus Evora GT430 246 F £112,500 6/3456 430/7000 325/4500 1299kg 336 3.8 - - 190 + Genuine race-car feel on the road - It ain’t cheap; just 60 being made 33334
Lotus Evora 138 F ’09-’15 6/3456 276/6400 258/4700 1382kg 203 5.1 5.6 13.6 162 + Sublime ride and handling. Our 2009 Car of the Year - The Evora S 33333
Lotus Evora S 168 F ’10-’15 6/3456 345/7000 295/4500 1430kg 245 4.8 - - 172 + A faster and better Evora - But one which spars with the Porsche 911 33333
Maserati GranTurismo Sport 188 F £93,145 8/4691 454/7000 383/4750 1880kg 245 4.8 - - 186 + A real sense of occasion to drive; wonderful engine - Rather long in the tooth 33332
Maserati GranTurismo MC 239 D £109,740 8/4691 454/7000 383/4750 1873kg 246 4.7 - - 187 + As above but with knobs on - Those knobs don’t make it feel any younger 33332
Maserati GranTurismo 114 F ’07-’17 8/4244 399/7100 339/4750 1880kg 216 5.2 5.5 12.7 177 + Striking, accomplished GT - Doesn’t spike the pulse like an Aston or 911 33332
Maserati GranTurismo MC Stradale 193 F ’11-’17 8/4691 454/7000 383/4750 1800kg 256 4.5 - - 188 + Brilliant blend of road racer and GT - Gearbox takes a little getting used to 33332
Mazda RX-8 122 F ’03-’11 2R/1308 228/8200 156/5500 1429kg 162 6.4 6.5 16.4 146 + Never mind the quirkiness, it’s a great drive - Wafer-thin torque output; thirsty 33334
Mercedes-AMG C43 4Matic Coupe 233 F £47,605 6/2996 362/5500 383/2000 1660kg 222 4.7 - - 155 + Fast and instilled with a real sense of quality - Not enough emphasis on fun 33332
Mercedes-AMG C63 S Coupe (W205) 240 F £70,385 8/3982 503/5500 516/1750 1725kg 296 3.9 4.3 9.1 155 + Mouth-watering mechanical package - Light steering; hefty kerb weight 33332
Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Coupe (W204) 162 F ’11-’14 8/6208 451/6800 442/5000 1655kg 277 4.5 4.4 10.3 155 + A proper two-door M3 rival - C63 saloon looks better 33334

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ASTON MARTIN
THE
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TRIETED
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#EvoAstonMartin

THE NEW BOOK OUT NOW

 TheKnowledge

LB FT/ RPM
ISSUE NO.

0-100MPH
BHP/ RPM

MAX MPH
0-60MPH
0-62MPH
BHP/ TON
CYL /CC

WEIGHT
ENGINE

(CLAIMED)
PRICE

(TESTED)

(TESTED)
MAKE & MODEL RATING

Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Black Series (W204) 171 F ’12-’13 8/6208 510/6800 457/5200 1635kg 317 4.2 - - 186 + The C63 turned up to 11 - Too heavy; not as fiery as Black Series cars of old 33334
Mercedes-Benz CLK63 AMG Black Series 106 F ’07-’09 8/6208 500/6800 464/5250 1760kg 289 4.2 - - 186 + AMG goes Porsche-hunting - Dull-witted gearshift spoils the party 33334
Mercedes-AMG S63 Coupe 245 D £127,515 8/3982 604/5500 664/2750 1990kg 308 4.2 - - 155 + Effortless pace, improved refinement - Interior not as special as those of rivals 33332
Mercedes-AMG S63 Coupe 205 D ’15-’17 8/5461 577/5500 664/2250 1995kg 294 4.2 - - 155 + Thunderously fast S-class built for drivers - Lacks badge appeal of a Continental GT 33332
Mercedes-AMG S65 Coupe 209 D £188,550 12/5980 621/4800 737/2300 2110kg 299 4.1 - - 186 + Almighty power, fabulous luxury - Nearly £60k more than the S63! 33332
Mercedes-AMG GT 227 D £99,960 8/3982 469/6000 465/1700 1540kg 309 4.0 - - 189 + A true sports coupe that also does luxury - Takes time to reveal its talents 33332
Mercedes-AMG GT S 216 F £113,260 8/3982 515/6250 494/1800 1570kg 333 3.8 - - 193 + Fantastic chassis, huge grip - Artificial steering feel; downshifts could be quicker 33334
Mercedes-AMG GT C 241 D £129,260 8/3982 549/5750 501/1900 1625kg 343 3.7 - - 196 + As good at being a GT as it is a sports coupe - Difficult to drive fast and smoothly 33334
Nissan 370Z 204 F £29,180 6/3696 323/7000 268/5200 1496kg 219 5.3 - - 155 + Quicker, leaner, keener than 350Z - Not quite a Cayman-killer 33332
Nissan 370Z Nismo 209 F £39,375 6/3696 339/7400 274/5200 1496kg 230 5.2 - - 155 + Sharper looks, improved ride, extra thrills - Engine lacks sparkle 33334
Nissan 350Z 107 F ’03-’09 6/3498 309/6800 264/4800 1532kg 205 5.6 5.5 13.0 155 + Huge fun, and great value too - Muscle-car vibe not for everyone 33332
Nissan GT-R (2017MY) 242 F £82,525 6/3799 562/6800 470/3600 1752kg 326 2.7 - - 196 + More refinement, much improved interior, still fast - Feels a touch less alert 33334
Nissan GT-R Track Edition (2017MY) 229 D £94,525 6/3799 562/6800 470/3600 1745kg 327 2.7 - - 196 + GT-R regains its sharpness - Getting pricey these days 33334
Nissan GT-R Nismo (2017MY) 232 F £151,525 6/3799 592/6800 481/3600 1725kg 349 2.7 - - 196 + Incredibly focused - Still too firm to be at its best on UK roads 33334
Nissan GT-R (2012MY-2016MY) 238 F ’12-’16 6/3799 542/6400 466/3200 1740kg 316 2.7 3.2 7.5 196 + Quicker and better than before - Stopping your Porsche-owning friends calling it a Datsun 33333
Nissan GT-R Nismo (2014MY) 205 F ’14-’16 6/3799 592/6800 481/3200 1720kg 350 2.6 - - 196 + Manages to make regular GT-R feel imprecise - Compromised by super-firm suspension 33334
Nissan GT-R (2010MY) 152 F ’10-’12 6/3799 523/6400 451/3200 1740kg 305 3.0 - - 194 + More powerful version of the original - But they’re not worlds apart to drive 33333
Nissan GT-R (2008MY) 125 F ’08-’10 6/3799 473/6400 434/3200 1740kg 276 3.8 - - 193 + Our 2008 Car of the Year - You won’t see 20mpg often 33333
Nissan Skyline GT-R (R34) 241 F ’99-’02 6/2568 276/7000 289/4400 1560kg 180 4.8 4.7 12.5 165 + Big, brutal, and great fun - Needs more than the standard 276bhp 33333
Nissan Skyline GT-R (R33) 196 F ’97-’99 6/2568 276/6800 271/4400 1540kg 182 4.9 5.4 14.3 155 + Early proof that Japanese high-tech could work (superbly) - Limited supply 33333
Peugeot RCZ R 209 F ’14-’15 4/1598 266/6000 243/1900 1280kg 211 5.9 - - 155 + Rewarding and highly effective when fully lit - Dated cabin, steering lacks feel 33334
Porsche 718 Cayman 229 D £42,897 4/1988 296/6500 280/1950 1335kg 225 5.1 - - 170 + Chassis remains a dream - Sounds like a Toyota GT86 33332
Porsche 718 Cayman S 230 F £51,853 4/2497 345/6500 310/1900 1355kg 259 4.6 4.4 - 177 + Faster and better to drive than ever - Bring earplugs 33334
Porsche Cayman S (981) 202 F ’13-’16 6/3436 321/7400 273/4500 1320kg 247 5.0 4.5 10.5 175 + The Cayman comes of age - Erm… 33333
Porsche Cayman GTS (981) 219 F ’14-’16 6/3436 335/7400 280/4750 1345kg 253 4.9 - - 177 + Tweaks improve an already sublime package - Slightly ‘aftermarket’ looks 33333
Porsche Cayman GT4 (981) 221 F ’15-’16 6/3800 380/7400 310/4750 1340kg 288 4.4 - - 183 + evo Car of the Year 2015 (even though the 991 GT3 RS was there!) - Second-hand prices 33333
Porsche Cayman S (987) 231 F ’06-’13 6/3436 316/7200 273/4750 1350kg 237 5.2 - - 172 + Still want that 911? - Yeah, us too 33334
Porsche Cayman R (987) 158 F ’11-’13 6/3436 325/7400 273/4750 1295kg 255 5.0 - - 175 + Total handling excellence - Styling additions not to all tastes 33333
Porsche 911 Carrera (991.2) 218 F £77,891 6/2981 365/6500 332/1700 1430kg 259 4.6 - - 183 + Forced induction hasn’t ruined the Carrera - Purists won’t be happy 33334
Porsche 911 Carrera T (991.2) 245 F £85,576 6/2981 365/6500 332/1700 1425kg 260 4.5 - - 182 + Lightweight windows, no rear seats, an LSD… - Only 5kg lighter than a basic Carrera 33332
Porsche 911 Carrera S (991.2) 217 F £87,335 6/2981 414/6500 369/1700 1440kg 292 4.3 - - 191 + Blindingly fast - You’ll want the sports exhaust 33334
Porsche 911 Carrera GTS (991.2) 238 F £95,795 6/2981 444/6500 406/2150 1450kg 311 4.1 - - 193 + In rear-drive coupe format, it’s everything a 911 should be - Not all GTSs are rear-drive coupes 33334
Porsche 911 Carrera S (991.1) 201 F ’12-’15 6/3800 394/7400 324/5600 1415kg 283 4.5 4.3 9.5 188 + A Carrera with supercar pace - Electric steering robs it of some tactility 33334
Porsche 911 Carrera 4S (991.1) 179 F ’13-’15 6/3800 394/7400 324/5600 1465kg 273 4.5 - - 185 + More satisfying than rear-drive 991.1 Carreras - Choose your spec carefully 33333
Porsche 911 Carrera 4 GTS (991.1) 208 D ’15 6/3800 424/7500 324/5750 1470kg 293 4.4 - - 189 + The highlight of the 991.1 Carrera line-up - Pricey for a Carrera 33333
Porsche 911 Carrera S (997.2) 121 F ’08-’11 6/3800 380/6500 310/4400 1425kg 271 4.7 - - 188 + Poise, precision, blinding pace - Feels a bit clinical 33334
Porsche 911 Carrera S (997.1) 070 F ’04-’08 6/3824 350/6600 295/4600 1420kg 246 4.6 - - 182 + evo Car of the Year 2004 - Tech overload? 33333
Porsche 911 Carrera (996, 3.4) 008 F ’98-’01 6/3387 300/6800 258/4600 1320kg 231 5.2 - - 174 + evo Car of the Year 1998; beautifully polished - Some like a bit of rough 33333
Radical RXC Turbo 500R 227 D ’16 6/3496 600/6700 465/4200 1070kg* 561 2.8 - - 185 + Immense accessible performance - Fit, finish and detailing lack finesse 33334
Rolls-Royce Wraith 205 D £240,768 12/6592 624/5600 590/1500 2360kg 260 4.6 - - 155 + Refinement, chassis, drivetrain - Shared componentry lets cabin down 33334
Subaru BRZ 204 F £22,495 4/1998 197/7000 151/6400 1230kg 163 7.6 - - 140 + Fine chassis, great steering - Weak engine, not the slide-happy car they promised 33332
Toyota GT86 234 F £26,410 4/1998 197/7000 151/6400 1240kg 161 7.6 6.9 16.5 140 + More fun than its Subaru BRZ cousin - Same lack of torque, poor interior quality 33332
Toyota MR2 (Mk1) 237 F ’84-’89 4/1587 122/6600 105/5000 977kg 127 8.2 - - 124 + Mid-engined fun comes no more affordable - Finding a good one will take time 33334
TVR Sagaris 097 F ’05-’07 6/3996 406/7500 349/5000 1078kg 383 3.7 - - 185 + Looks outrageous - 406bhp feels a touch optimistic 33334
TVR Tuscan S (Mk2) 076 F ’05-’07 6/3996 400/7000 315/5250 1100kg 369 4.0 - - 185 + Possibly TVR’s best ever car - Aerodynamic ‘enhancements’ 33334
TVR Cerbera Speed Six 004 F ’98-’04 6/3996 350/6800 330/5000 1130kg 315 4.4 5.0 11.4 160+ + Accomplished and desirable - Check chassis for corrosion 33334
VW Scirocco GT 2.0 TSI / GTS 155 F £26,050 4/1984 217/4500 258/1500 1369kg 158 6.5 - - 153 + Golf GTI price and performance - Interior lacks flair 33332
VW Scirocco R 200 D £30,690 4/1984 276/6000 258/2500 1426kg 187 5.7 - - 155 + Great engine, grown-up dynamics - Perhaps a little too grown-up for some 33332

SUPERCARS
OUR CHOICE BEST OF THE REST
McLaren 720S. The looks take a little getting used to, but there’s no arguing The Ferrari 488 GTB has a spectacular turbocharged V8 and the chassis to exploit
with the driving experience, which blends scalpel-sharp precision with mind- it, while the Lamborghini Huracán Performante (left) counters with a rip-roaring
boggling pace and suspension that works with the road to make it all useable. naturally aspirated V10. The Lambo’s relative, the Audi R8 V10, is a corking entry-level
And it’s faster than a P1 on track, too. An electrifying experience. supercar, and the latest Porsche 911 GT3 is as great to drive as they have always been.

Aston Martin Vanquish (Mk2) 203 F £192,995 12/5935 568/6650 465/5500 1739kg 332 3.8 - - 201 + Much better than the DBS it succeeds, especially in 2015MY form - It’s no Ferrari F12 33334
Aston Martin Vanquish S (Mk2) 235 F £199,950 12/5935 595/7000 465/5500 1739kg 348 3.5 3.9 8.3 201 + Noise, poise, drama and charm - Not as rounded as the DB11 33334
Aston Martin Vanquish S (Mk1) 110 F ’05-’07 12/5935 520/7000 425/5800 1875kg 282 4.8 4.9 10.1 200 + Vanquish joins the supercar greats - A tad intimidating at the limit 33333
Aston Martin One-77 179 F ’10-’12 12/7312 750/6000 553/7600 1740kg 438 3.7 - - 220+ + The engine, the looks, the drama - Gearbox hates manoeuvring; only 77 were made 33333
Audi R8 V10 234 F £123,330 10/5204 533/7800 398/6500 1640kg 330 3.5 - - 198 + All the R8 you really need - Some may hanker after a manual gearbox 33334
Audi R8 Spyder V10 239 F £132,020 10/5204 533/7800 398/6500 1720kg 315 3.6 3.2 7.2 197 + Open top even better for enjoying that V10 - Being mistaken for a poser; cramped seating 33332
Audi R8 V10 Plus 229 F £138,330 10/5204 602/8250 413/6500 1580kg 387 3.2 - - 205 + Timeless drivetrain, huge performance - Needs to be driven hard to really engage 33333
Audi R8 V10 181 D ’10-’15 10/5204 518/8000 391/6500 1620kg 325 4.1 3.9 8.4 194 + Real supercar feel - The V8 is cheaper, and still superb 33334
Audi R8 V10 Plus 190 F ’13-’15 10/5204 542/8000 398/6500 1570kg 351 3.8 - - 198 + An R8 fit to take on the 458 and 12C - Firm ride may be too much for some 33333
Audi R8 GT 169 F ’10-’12 10/5204 552/8000 398/6500 1520kg 369 3.6 - - 199 + Everything we love about the R8 - Not as hardcore as we wanted 33333
Audi R8 LMX 208 F ’15 10/5204 562/8000 398/6500 1595kg 358 3.4 - - 198 + More of everything that makes the R8 great - S-tronic transmission not perfect 33333
BMW M1 110 F ’78-’81 6/3500 277/6500 239/5000 1303kg 216 5.9 - - 161 + Early supercar icon - A bit under-endowed these days 33332
Bugatti Chiron 244 F c£2.5m 16/7993 1479/6700 1180/2000 1995kg 753 2.5 - - 261 + Backs up the numbers with feel and emotion - Limited top speed(!) 33333
Bugatti Veyron 16.4 134 F ’05-’11 16/7993 987/6000 922/2200 1888kg 531 2.5 2.8 5.8 253 + Superbly engineered four-wheel-drive quad-turbo rocket - Er, lacks luggage space? 33333
Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport 151 F ’10-’11 16/7993 1183/6400 1106/3000 1838kg 654 2.5 - - 258 + Was once the world’s fastest supercar - Limited to 258mph for us mere mortals 33333
Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse 185 F ’11-’15 16/7993 1183/6400 1106/3000 1990kg 604 2.6 - - 255 + Was the world’s fastest convertible - Limited to 258mph for us mere mortals 33333
Bugatti EB110 078 F ’91-’95 12/3500 552/8000 451/3750 1618kg 347 3.6 - - 213 + Superbly engineered four-wheel-drive quad-turbo rocket - It just fizzled out 33334
Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 133 F ’09-’13 8/6162 638/6500 604/3800 1528kg 424 3.4 3.8 7.6 205 + Huge pace and character - Take plenty of brave pills if there’s rain 33342
Ferrari 488 GTB 228 F £183,984 8/3902 661/6500 561/3000 1475kg 455 3.0 - - 205+ + Staggeringly capable - Lacks a little of the 458’s heart and excitement 33333
Ferrari 488 Spider 216 D £204,411 8/3902 661/6500 561/3000 1525kg 440 3.0 - - 203+ + All the usual 488 thrills, but with the wind in your hair - See left 33333
Ferrari 458 Italia 221 F ’09-’15 8/4497 562/9000 398/6000 1485kg 384 3.4 3.2 6.8 202+ + An astounding achievement - Paddleshift only 33333
Ferrari 458 Speciale 203 F ’14-’15 8/4497 597/9000 398/6000 1395kg 435 3.0 - - 202+ + evo Car of the Year 2014 - If you don’t own a regular 458, nothing 33333
Ferrari F430 163 F ’04-’10 8/4308 483/8500 343/5250 1449kg 339 4.0 - - 196+ + Just brilliant - Didn’t you read the plus point? 33333
Ferrari 430 Scuderia 121 F ’07-’10 8/4308 503/8500 347/5250 1350kg 378 3.6 3.5 7.7 198 + Successful F1 technology transplant - Likes to shout about it 33333
Ferrari 360 Modena 163 F ’99-’04 8/3586 394/8500 275/4750 1390kg 288 4.5 - - 183+ + Worthy successor to 355 - Not quite as involving as it should be 33334
Ferrari 360 Challenge Stradale 242 F ’03-’04 8/3586 420/8500 275/4750 1280kg 333 4.1 - - 186 + Totally exhilarating road-racer - Automated single-clutch ’box dates it 33333

www.evo.co.uk 167
 TheKnowledge

LB FT/ RPM
ISSUE NO.

0-100MPH
BHP/ RPM

MAX MPH
0-60MPH
0-62MPH
BHP/ TON
CYL /CC

WEIGHT
ENGINE

(CLAIMED)
PRICE

(TESTED)

(TESTED)
MAKE & MODEL RATING
Ferrari F355 Berlinetta 231 F ’94-’99 8/3496 374/8250 268/6000 1350kg* 281 4.7 - - 183 + Looks terrific, sounds even better - Are you kidding? 33333
Ferrari 812 Superfast 238 F £253,004 12/6496 789/8500 529/7000 1630kg 492 2.9 - - 211 + Over-delivers on your expectations - Not a classic beauty 33333
Ferrari F12 Berlinetta 190 F ’12-’17 12/6262 730/8250 509/6000 1630kg 455 3.1 - - 211+ + 730bhp isn’t too much power for the road - Super-quick steering is an acquired taste 33333
Ferrari F12tdf 230 F £340,051 12/6262 769/8500 520/6250 1520kg 514 2.9 - - 211+ + Alarmingly fast - Doesn’t flow like a 458 Speciale 33334
Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano 101 F ’06-’12 12/5999 611/7600 448/5600 1690kg 368 3.7 3.5 7.4 205 + evo Car of the Year 2006 - Banks are getting harder to rob 33333
Ferrari 599 GTO 161 F ’11-’12 12/5999 661/8250 457/6500 1605kg 418 3.4 - - 208+ + One of the truly great Ferraris - Erm, the air con isn’t very good 33333
Ferrari 575M Fiorano Handling Pack 200 F ’02-’06 12/5748 508/7250 434/5250 1688kg 298 3.7 4.2 9.6 205+ + Fiorano pack makes 575 truly great - It should have been standard 33333
Ferrari 550 Maranello 169 F ’96-’02 12/5474 478/7000 420/5000 1690kg 287 4.4 - - 199 + Everything - Nothing 33333
Ferrari GTC4 Lusso T 246 D £200,165 8/3855 602/7500 560/3000 1865kg 328 3.5 - - 199 + Effortless, comfortable GT - Misses the richer soundtrack of the V12 33334
Ferrari GTC4 Lusso 225 D £230,430 12/6262 680/8000 514/5750 1920kg 360 3.4 - - 208 + Rear-wheel steering increases agility - Not as engaging as other Ferraris 33334
Ferrari FF 194 F ’11-’15 12/6262 651/8000 504/6000 1880kg 347 3.7 - - 208 + Four seats and 4WD, but a proper Ferrari - Looks divide opinion 33334
Ferrari 612 Scaglietti 090 F ’04-’11 12/5748 533/7250 434/5250 1875kg 289 4.0 4.3 9.8 199 + Awesomely capable grand tourer - See above 33333
Ferrari LaFerrari 203 F ’13-’15 12/6262 950/9000 664/6750 1574kg 613 3.0 - - 217+ + Perhaps the greatest Ferrari ever - Brakes lack a touch of precision on track 33333
Ferrari Enzo 203 F ’02-’04 12/5999 651/7800 485/5500 1365kg 485 3.7 3.5 6.7 217+ + Intoxicating, exploitable - Cabin detailing falls short of a Zonda or F1 ’s 33333
Ferrari F50 186 F ’95-’97 12/4699 513/8500 347/6500 1230kg* 424 3.9 - - 202 + A better drivers’ Ferrari than the 288, F40 or Enzo - Not better looking, though 33333
Ferrari F40 222 F ’87-’92 8/2936 471/7000 426/4000 1100kg* 437 4.1 - - 201 + Brutally fast - It’s in the dictionary under ‘turbo lag’ 33333
Ford GT 241 F $450,000 6/3497 647/6250 550/5900 1385kg* 475 2.8 - - 216 + Everything it does on track - Too many of the things it does on the road 33334
Ford GT 200 F ’04-’06 8/5409 550/6500 500/3750 1583kg 353 3.9 - - 205 + Our 2005 Car of the Year - Don’t scalp yourself getting in 33333
Hennessey Venom GT 180 F ’11-’17 8/7000 1244/6500 1155/4000 1244kg 1016 2.5 - - 270 + 0-200mph in 14.5sec, and it handles too - Looks like an Exige 33333
Honda NSX 246 F £144,765 6/3493 573 476/2000 1776kg 328 2.9 3.0 6.9 191 + Blisteringly quick and brilliantly engineered - Limited range on a full tank 33333
Honda NSX (NA2) 188 F ’97-’05 6/3179 276/7300 224/5300 1410kg 196 5.7 - - 168 + ‘The useable supercar’ - 276bhp sounds a bit weedy today 33334
Honda NSX-R (NA2) 100 F ’02-’03 6/3179 276/7300 224/5300 1270kg 221 4.4 - - 168 + evo Car of the Year 2002 - Hard to find in the UK 33333
Jaguar XJ220 157 F ’92-’94 6/3498 542/7200 475/4500 1470kg 375 3.7 - - 213 + Britain’s greatest supercar… - …until McLaren built the F1 33332
Koenigsegg One:1 202 F c£2.0m 8/5065 1341/7500 1011/6000 1360kg 1002 2.9 - - 273 + One of the most powerful cars we’ve tested - It’s sold out. We couldn’t afford one anyway 33333
Koenigsegg Agera R 180 F ’11-’14 8/5032 1124/7100 885/2700 1435kg 796 2.8 - - 273 + As fast and exciting as your body can handle - It’s Veyron money 33333
Koenigsegg CCXR Edition 118 F ’08-’10 8/4800 1004/7000 796/5600 1280kg* 797 2.9 - - 250+ + One of the world’s fastest cars - Spiky power delivery 33333
Lamborghini Huracán RWD 229 F £155,400 10/5204 572/8000 397/6500 1389kg* 385 3.4 - - 199 + More seductive than the 4WD Huracán - Feels like there’s more to come 33334
Lamborghini Huracán 209 D £186,760 10/5204 602/8250 413/6500 1422kg* 430 3.2 - - 201+ + Defies the numbers; incredible point-to-point pace - Takes work to find its sweet-spot 33334
Lamborghini Huracán Performante 242 F £215,000 10/5204 631/8000 442/6500 1382kg* 464 2.9 - - 201+ + The realisation of the Huracán’s ever elusive potential - Kitchen-worktop carbonfibre 33333
Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 180 D ’08-’13 10/5204 552/8000 398/6500 1410kg* 398 3.7 - - 202 + Still a missile from A to B - Feels a little dated next to some rivals 33332
Lamborghini Gallardo LP550-2 Balboni 138 F ’09-’10 10/5204 542/8000 398/6500 1380kg* 399 3.9 - - 199 + Mad, rear-wheel-drive Lambo - Limited numbers 33334
Lamborghini LP570-4 Superleggera 152 F ’10-’13 10/5204 562/8000 398/6500 1340kg* 426 3.4 3.5 - 202 + Less weight and more power than original Superleggera - LP560-4 runs it very close 33334
Lamborghini Gallardo 094 F ’03-’08 10/4961 513/8000 376/4250 1430kg* 364 4.0 4.3 9.4 196 + On a full-bore start it spins all four wheels. Cool - Slightly clunky e-gear 33334
Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera 104 F ’07-’08 10/4961 522/8000 376/4250 1420kg* 373 3.8 - 196 + Lighter, more agile - Grabby carbon brakes, clunky e-gear 33334
Lamborghini Aventador S 246 F £271,146 12/6498 730/8400 509/5500 1575kg* 471 2.9 - - 217 + A more agile, more connected Aventador - Synthetic steering 33334
Lamborghini Aventador SV 216 F £321,723 12/6498 740/8400 509/5500 1525kg* 493 2.8 - - 217+ + More exciting than the standard Aventador - ISR gearbox inconsistent 33333
Lamborghini Aventador 194 F ’11-’17 12/6498 690/8250 509/5500 1575kg* 445 2.9 - - 217 + Most important new Lambo since the Countach - Can feel a little clumsy 33334
Lamborghini Murciélago LP640 093 F ’06-’11 12/6496 631/8000 487/6000 1665kg* 385 3.8 - - 211 + Compelling old-school supercar - You’d better be on your toes 33333
Lamborghini Murciélago LP670-4 SV 200 F ’09-’11 12/6496 661/8000 487/6500 1565kg* 429 3.3 3.2 7.3 212 + A supercar in its truest, wildest sense - Be prepared for stares 33333
Lamborghini Murciélago 089 D ’01-’06 12/6192 572/7500 479/5400 1650kg* 351 4.0 - - 206 + Gorgeous, capable and incredibly friendly - V12 feels stressed 33333
Lamborghini Diablo VT 6.0 019 F ’00-’02 12/5992 543/7100 457/5500 1625kg* 343 3.9 - - 208 + Best-built, best-looking Diablo of all - People’s perceptions 33334
Lexus LFA/LFA Nürburgring 200 F ’10-’12 10/4805 552/8700 354/6800 1480kg 379 3.7 - - 202 + Absurd and compelling supercar - Badge and price don’t quite match 33333
Maserati MC12 079 F ’04-’05 12/5998 621/7500 481/5500 1445kg 437 3.8 - - 205 + Rarer than an Enzo - The Ferrari’s better 33332
McLaren 540C 234 F £135,000 8/3799 533/7500 398/3500 1311kg* 413 3.5 - - 199 + An excellent junior supercar - The 570S is still better to drive 33333
McLaren 570S 229 F £149,000 8/3799 562/7500 443/5000 1440kg 397 3.2 - - 204 + A truly fun and engaging sports car - McLaren doesn’t call it a supercar! 33333
McLaren 570S Track Pack 235 D £159,750 8/3799 562/7500 443/5000 1415kg 404 3.2 - - 204 + Feels like a 675LT that’s been dialled down a couple of notches - Engine response lacks edge 33333
McLaren 570S Spider 239 F £164,750 8/3799 562/7500 443/5000 1498kg 381 3.2 - - 204 + Even more fun and engagement than hard-top 570S - Industrial engine note 33333
McLaren 570GT 228 F £157,000 8/3799 562/7500 443/5000 1495kg 382 3.4 - - 204 + Blurs the line between grand tourer and supercar brilliantly - 570S is more involving 33333
McLaren 570GT Sport Pack 246 D £161,900 8/3799 562/7500 443/5000 1486kg 384 3.4 - - 204 + 570GT looks with 570S responses - It should be the standard set-up 33333
McLaren 720S 244 F £218,020 8/3994 710/7250 568/5500 1283kg* 562 2.9 2.9 5.6 212 + evo Car of the Year 2017 - Favours precision over emotion 33333
McLaren 650S 196 F ’14-’17 8/3799 641/7250 500/6000 1428kg 456 3.0 - - 207 + Better brakes, balance and looks than 12C; more power too - Which all comes at a price 33334
McLaren 675LT 228 F ’15-’17 8/3799 666/7100 516/5500 1328kg 510 2.9 - - 205 + Runner-up at eCoty 2015; asks questions of the P1 - Aventador price tag 33333
McLaren 675LT Spider 222 D ’16-’17 8/3799 666/7100 516/5500 1368kg 495 2.9 - - 203 + Spectacularly fast; involving, too - Might mess up your hair 33333
McLaren 12C 228 F ’11-’14 8/3799 616/7500 442/3000 1434kg 435 3.3 - - 207 + Staggering performance, refinement - Engine noise can be grating 33332
McLaren P1 228 F ’13-’15 8/3799 903/7500 664/4000 1490kg 616 2.8 - - 217 + Freakish breadth of ability - At its mind-bending best on track 33333
McLaren F1 228 F ’94-’98 12/6064 627/7500 479/4000 1138kg 560 3.2 - - 240 + Still the most single-minded supercar ever - There’ll never be another 33333
Mercedes-AMG GT R 236 F £143,260 8/3982 577/6250 516/1900 1555kg 377 3.6 3.3 7.1 198 + Fun and blisteringly fast; a true rival for the 911 GT3 - A touch showy, perhaps 33333
Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG 159 F ’10-’15 8/6208 563/6800 479/4750 1620kg 335 3.9 4.1 8.4 197 + Great engine and chassis (gullwing doors too!) - Slightly tardy gearbox 33333
Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Black Series 204 F ’13-’15 8/6208 622/7400 468/5500 1550kg 408 3.6 - - 196 + Stunning engine, superb body control - Be careful on less-than-smooth roads… 33333
Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren 228 F ’03-’07 8/5439 617/6500 575/3250 1693kg 370 3.8 - - 208 + Zonda-pace, 575-style drivability - Dreadful brake feel 33332
Noble M600 186 F c£200,000 8/4439 650/6800 604/3800 1198kg* 551 3.5 3.8 7.7 225 + Spiritual successor to the Ferrari F40 - It’s a bit pricey 33333
Pagani Huayra 185 F c£1m 12/5980 720/5800 737/2250 1350kg* 542 3.3 - - 224 + Our joint 2012 Car of the Year - Engine isn’t as nape-prickling as the Zonda’s 33333
Pagani Zonda 760RS 170 F £1.5m 12/7291 750/6300 575/4500 1210kg* 630 3.3 - - 217+ + One of the most extreme Zondas ever - One of the last Zondas ever (probably) 33333
Pagani Zonda S 7.3 096 F ’02-’05 12/7291 555/5900 553/4050 1280kg* 441 3.7 - - 220 + evo Car of the Year 2001 (in earlier 7.0 form) - Values have gone up a fair bit since then 33333
Pagani Zonda F 186 F ’05-’06 12/7291 602/6150 575/4000 1230kg* 497 3.6 - - 214+ + Everything an Italian supercar ought to be - Looks a bit blingy next to a Carrera GT 33333
Pagani Zonda Cinque Roadster 147 D ’09-’10 12/7291 669/6200 575/4000 1210kg* 562 3.4 - - 217+ + The best Zonda ever - Doesn’t come up in the classifieds often 33333
Porsche 911 GT3 (991.2) 246 F £111,802 6/3996 493/8250 339/6000 1413kg 355 3.9 - - 198 + Almost impossible to criticise - Not the easiest car to place an order for 33333
Porsche 911 GT2 RS (991.2) 243 F £207,506 6/3800 690/7000 553/2500 1470kg 477 2.8 - - 211 + A proper, angry turbocharged Porsche - Too noisy for trackdays; ‘limited availability’ 33334
Porsche 911 GT3 (991.1) 206 F ’16-’16 6/3799 468/8250 324/6250 1430kg 333 3.5 - - 196 + evo Car of the Year 2013 - PDK only 33333
Porsche 911 GT3 RS (991.1) 223 F ’15-’16 6/3996 493/8250 339/6250 1420kg 353 3.3 3.0 7.1 193 + Sensationally good to drive - The Cayman GT4 is even better 33333
Porsche 911 R (991.1) 229 F ’16 6/3996 493/8250 339/6250 1370kg 366 3.8 - - 200 + evo Car of the Year 2016 - Limited availability 33333
Porsche 911 GT3 (997.2) 182 F ’09-’11 6/3797 429/7600 317/6250 1395kg 312 4.1 4.2 9.2 194 + Even better than the car it replaced - Give us a minute… 33333
Porsche 911 GT3 RS (3.8, 997.2) 200 F ’10-’11 6/3797 444/7900 317/6750 1370kg 329 4.0 - - 193 + We named it our favourite car from the first 200 issues of evo - For people like us, nothing 33333
Porsche 911 GT3 RS 4.0 (997.2)File 187 F ’11-’12 6/3996 493/8250 339/5750 1360kg 368 3.8 - - 193 + evo Car of the Year 2011 - Unforgiving on-road ride; crazy used prices 33333
Porsche 911 GT2 RS (997.2) 204 F ’10-’13 6/3600 611/6500 516/2250 1370kg 453 3.5 - - 205 + More powerful than a Carrera GT. Handles, too - Erm… 33333
Porsche 911 GT3 (997.1) 182 F ’07-’09 6/3600 409/7600 298/5500 1395kg 298 4.3 4.3 9.4 192 + Runner-up at evo Car of the Year 2006 - Ferrari 599 GTBs 33333
Porsche 911 GT3 RS (997.1) 105 F ’07-’09 6/3600 409/7600 298/5500 1375kg 302 4.2 - - 193 + evo Car of the Year 2007 - A chunk more money than the already brilliant GT3 33333
Porsche 911 GT3 (996.2) 221 F ’03-’05 6/3600 375/7400 284/5000 1380kg 272 4.5 4.3 9.2 190 + evo Car of the Year 2003 - Chassis a bit too track-focused for some roads 33333
Porsche 911 GT3 RS (996.2) 068 F ’04-’05 6/3600 375/7400 284/5000 1360kg 280 4.4 - - 190 + An even more focused version of the superb GT3 - Limited supply 33333
Porsche 911 GT2 (996.2) 072 F ’04-’06 6/3600 475/5700 472/3500 1420kg 338 4.0 - - 198 + Revisions made it even more of a star than the 456bhp 996.1 GT2 - Care still required 33333
Porsche 911 GT3 (996.1) 242 F ’99-’01 6/3600 360/7200 273/5000 1350kg 271 4.8 4.5 10.3 187 + evo Car of the Year 1999 - Porsche didn’t build enough 33333
Porsche 911 Turbo (991.2) 234 F £128,692 6/3800 533/6400 524/1950 1595kg 340 3.0 - - 198 + Makes the Turbo S seem unnecessary - But you still would… 33333
Porsche 911 Turbo S (991.2) 223 F £147,540 6/3800 572/6750 553/2250 1600kg 363 2.9 2.6 6.0 205 + Enormous performance - Not as thrilling as some rivals 33333
Porsche 911 Turbo S (991.1) 217 F ’13-’15 6/3800 552/6500 553/2200 1605kg 349 3.1 - - 197 + Superb everyday supercar - At times disguises the thrills it can offer 33333
Porsche 911 Turbo (997.2) 218 F ’09-’13 6/3800 493/6000 479/1950 1570kg 319 3.7 3.2 7.3 194 + The Turbo at the very top of its game - Favours outright grip over adjustability 33333
Porsche 911 Turbo (997.1) 094 F ’06-’09 6/3600 472/6000 457/1950 1585kg 303 3.7 4.0 8.7 193 + Monster cornering ability - A bit woolly on its standard settings 33333
Porsche 911 Turbo (996) 017 F ’00-’06 6/3600 414/6000 413/2700 1540kg 273 4.2 4.1 10.0 190 + evo Car of the year 2000; the 911 for all seasons - We can’t find any reasons 33333
Porsche 911 Turbo (993) 066 F ’95-’98 6/3600 402/5750 398/4500 1500kg 272 4.3 - - 180 + Stupendous all-weather supercar - It doesn’t rain enough 33333
Porsche 918 Spyder 233 F ’13-’15 8/4593 875/8500 944/6600 1674kg 531 2.6 - - 211 + Blistering performance; cohesive hybrid tech - Added weight and complexity 33333
Porsche Carrera GT 200 F ’04-’06 10/5733 604/8000 435/5750 1380kg 445 3.9 - - 205 + Felt ahead of its time - Needs modern tyres to tame its spikiness 33333
Ruf CTR ‘Yellowbird’ 097 F ’87-’89 6/3366 469/5950 408/5100 1170kg 345 4.8 - - 211 + A true legend - We can’t all drive like Stefan Roser 33333

www.evo.co.uk 169

ISLE OF MAN
TT COURSE
Something rather special, and
single-minded, is needed for
roads as intimidating as these
by HENRY CATCHPOLE
AS YOU REACH FOR THE BEDSIDE
switch, and with a ‘click’ plunge your
world into darkness, so the scenes flicker
in your mind. And as your head sinks
into the pillow, taking the strain from
your neck and relaxing your shoulders,
so the sounds begin to play in your ears.
There are nearly always two identical cars
because, hey, you’re dreaming, and it’s
cooler with a pair. And the road is always
closed. No traffic. No limits.
Initially you see the two shapes, almost
perfect wedges in this instance, as if from
a helicopter. Already in full flight, they
are tearing across a bleak landscape,
heathery mountain moorland spreading
out around. The distant sea, despite the
sun being out, has a steely blue hue.
The cars brake – there’s more dive than
you had expected to see, the surprisingly
‘THIS IS PROPER ANALOGUE
DRIVING AND YOU’RE AT THE
CENTRE OF THE ACTION,
JUST LIKE ON A BIKE‘
162 www.evo.co.uk
DREAM DRIVE
lengthy travel and tall sidewalls
compressing as the drivers hit their
respective middle pedals moments apart,
but perhaps leaving a little more leeway
than expected, suggesting unassisted
anchors. They jink through a sort of
chicane of incongruous low, white walls.
As you zoom in for a closer look you see
the roll transform into squat as a flare of
revs sees both cars slide slightly on exit,
struggling to contain a combined 1200bhp
with no help from any electronics.
Now you’re in the driver’s seat of the
first car and you begin to understand
why your subconscious chose this car for
this place. Something responsive with a
neck-jolting power-to-weight ratio was
required, but it’s no good running out
of puff at 150mph up here, so you want
something capable of big numbers, too.
With the four-point harness clamping
your shoulders and waist to the thin seat
you feel a part of the car, particularly
when you go for another gear, your right
hand guiding the smooth, stubby lever
around a gate no bigger than a matchbox.
This is proper analogue driving and you’re
at the centre of the action, just like on a
bike. Which is appropriate, because this is
Snaefell Mountain, the end of the famous
– infamous – Isle of Man TT course.
On to the Mountain Mile and the white
paint on the road is blurring into one
Ramsey
Peel
Douglas
continuous stripe. With nothing coming
the other way you can commit to each of
the three apices of the Verandah, trying to
maintain a constant lock with the steering
that has become much lighter with speed.
This place demands you feel intimidated
and the car is certainly intimidating.
Approaching the wide, cambered
Windy Corner you find yourself in the
car behind, the shriek of the exhausts in
front mingling with the induction noise
in your own cockpit so that the V12’s
full repertoire consumes you. Past Kate’s
Cottage and then feed in the McLaren F1’s
floor-hinged throttle, nose rising as you
accelerate downhill towards the Creg.
Revs flare as the road falls away, and as
you land so you twitch in your sleep and
the image fades. Just a dream.
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