SAY hello to Daniel Ricciardo’s new company car, the Infiniti QX30. While his ex-teammate Sebastian Vettel will be prancing around in cars like the Ferrari 488 GTB that will also be at the Geneva show, the QX30 will be flying the Infiniti flag as an alternative to the Lexus NX and the Audi Q3, as well as the BMW X1.
This is the first look at a complete QX30 that’s essentially a Mercedes-Benz GLA with the German maker providing components and engines for Infiniti, with the latest Q50 sedan update including Mercedes’ 2.0-litre diesel. That makes the QX30 the crossover big-bro of the Infiniti Q30 hatch that’s due here in 2016.
The Geneva show car’s 21-inch wheels won’t make production, but the rest is ready for showrooms. While we’ve only been shown the rear, where there’s a pair of integrated square exhausts, splintered tail-lights and a rising waistline met by a roofline that tapers down, the front of the QX30 is sure to have Infiniti’s pre-requisite trapezoidal grille.
That kick in the C-pillar is a smart brand identifier, crucial so that the QX30 doesn’t get lost in the tsunami of SUVs in shopping centre car parks. There’s a 30mm increase in ride height over the Q30 hatch, carbonfibre lower cladding and a set of roof rails, the latter something that helps evoke a ‘poise for action’ stance, according to Infiniti.
Specification is yet to be confirmed, as is the QX30’s arrival in Australian showrooms, yet given the popularity of the medium- and small-SUV segments, Infiniti would salivating over a chance to enter the burgeoning segment.
Strengthening the case is that the QX30 will also use Mercedes engines, with the GLA offered with a choice of two powerplants: a 100kW/300Nm 2.0-litre turbodiesel and a 2.0-litre petrol engine in 155kW/350NM. There is of course the firebreathing Mercedes-AMG GLA 45 with 265kW, but it’s unlikely Mercedes will let Infiniti into that part of its toy chest.
While it will use the Mercedes MFA platform and mechanicals, the QX30 will be built in the United Kingdom at Nissan’s Sunderland plant alongside the Q30. Infiniti is also looking to expand production to Mexico in 2017, and that may provide a second facility for QX30 production.
The QX30 will be revealed at the 2015 Geneva motor show on 3 March before going on sale here in 2016 from an estimated $45K. Fingers crossed that there isn’t a Daniel Ricciardo version.
First fang? Hasn’t the world’s media driven the 4C umpteenth times?
Well, no. Not in Aussie production spec, not in right-hook Launch Edition spec and not out on those pockmarked and heavily policed twisties across the local landscape. Even after the foreign drive impressions and so-called ‘Aussie first drives’ in a left-hook Euro-spec base car across Avalon Airport’s aircraft hanger’s concrete floor last June, a proper impression deserves a judgmental reset.
Is it any good?
It’s… It’s… brilliant! Utterly brilliant! From how good it looks in the flesh to how it goes, the 4C is better than I’d imagined.
Hold on, Mister Enthusiasm. We’ve heard mixed reviews about. Isn’t the 4C just a mid-engine Giulietta? A Lotus with an Italian badge? A really pricey MX-5 substitute?
I presumed so. Y’know, why bother when you can have a Toyota 86 for a fraction price sort of thing. And I’ll eat humble pie on any of those preconceptions now I’ve driven for 150 kays across local hot spots.
The only rival out there I think matches the fiery featherweight experience – the vibe – of the Alfa is a Lotus Exige. And even then the Lotus feels, and is, a generation older, not nearly as exotic in construction or as nicely screwed together.
Alfa Romeo decided to build a Honey-I-Shrunk-A-Mid-Engined-Ferrari and absolutely nailed it. It really is a scaled-down and affordable supercar.
But this Launch Edition version doesn’t sit at 4C’s $89,000 entry price, does it?
No. The Launch Edition ups the price to $109,000, get a racier suspension tune in the dampers and anti-roll bars, an inch-larger wheel set (18in fronts, 19in rears) with Pirelli P Zero rubber, microfibre sports bucket seats and a raft of conspicuous natural carbonfibre details and trim pieces.
Fiat Chrysler Australia have secured 75 of the Launch Editions and has put in an order for “a few hundred” base and high-spec 4Cs it hopes to get by year’s end, though FCA admits the volume Aussie buyers will get depends on global demand for right-hookers.
Is the $20K premium warranted if a buyer doesn’t want to wait for the base car?
Having not driven the base car the jury is out as to what exactly the Launch Edition enhancements bring to the party but. But if I was parting with my own cash, I’d have my 4C exactly in the form I’ve driven, with all its harder-core, carbon-fetish goodness.
So what makes it so brilliant?
The 4C takes all the key attributes of a true sports car experience and not only ticks all the crucial boxes, but even over-delivers in some areas. Stuff like the fizzy of the unassisted steering, the simplicity of the controls, the responsiveness of the chassis, sensation of lightness and intimate connection to the road. It feels quick, engaging and exciting, even at moderate road/track speeds. Y’know, all that 86/MX-5/Lotus Elise stuff…
On top that, there’s a real supercar feel about the package. And that extends from the cabin design and execution through to its carbonfibre-infused construction, its serious quick 0-100km/h-in-4.5sec pace and its impressive 1.1G of peak lateral cornering acceleration.
Right-o, but where’s it over-delivering on the sportscar stuff?
It’s a car that brims with sensory perception. The 177kW and 350Nm looks modest on paper, but through the race buckets it feels fused to your spine and its roar seems almost amplified through the cabin. It’s effortlessly punchy and makes a fair mockery of the car’s 1025kg dry weight.
Tied to an impressive positive-shifting six-speed twin-clutch, the 4C feels toey in any gear, downright visceral for rolling punch. There’s just far more noise, fizz, vibration and ceremony than you expect from the modern sportscar experience.
Initially, the unassisted steering feels light off-centre on the move, concrete-heavy during parking manoeuvres. But live with it a little and it makes normal ‘assisted’ steering systems, even the good ones, feel dull and lifeless.
It’s brakes, too, have that direct, clear feel you want in the heat of the battle.
Fine, but could you live with it?
The 4C, at least in Launch Edition trim, can be fatiguing – the noise, the ride quality – on the long haul. But I reckon that softening the 4C up in any way is a step backwards.
It’s so stiff that few cars feel this lively across a seriously bumpy back road, but that’s something particular drivers relish. And it’s a car for particular drivers, notably those who ‘get’ the Lotus Exige. For sun kissed grand touring, you might be better off in a softer and comfier Mazda MX-5. Even Porsche’s Boxster is a far more polite device. But if you want to climb out from an utterly engaging experience fully buzzed, the top-spec 4C is your answer.
It mightn’t suit being your only car. But as that wild second or third beast tucked in the garage for spirited weekend punts, it’s right up there as a list-topper.
So a possible contender for a PCOTY win?
Again, it remains to be seen if the base 4C can nail the mini-supercar role as confidently as the Launch Edition does, but if there was a contemporary performer capable of knocking off both (the sub-$100K) Bang For Your Bucks and PCOTY events in one year, it’s quite likely to be the 4C.
SPECS Engine: 1.75-litre turbocharged four, DOHC, 16v Power: 177kW @ 6000rpm Torque: 350Nm @ 2200rpm Weight: 1025kg (dry) 0-100km/h claim: 4.5sec (claimed) Top speed: 257km/h (claimed, limited) Price: $89,000 (base) $109,000 (Launch Edition)
THE Giulietta Quadrifoglio Verde packs the 4C’s 1750 turbo four when combined with the TCT twin-clutch transmission. Improved materials quality, a more aggressive soundtrack and a host of detail changes see the hottest Giulietta come out swinging.
WHAT IS IT? The 2015 Giulietta QV has developed into a capable and credible Volkswagen Golf GTI rival courtesy of a huge tick-sheet of improvements. The engine and gearbox combo is all-new and there have been incremental gains right across the board that demonstrate Alfa Romeo is finally listening.
WHY WE’RE TESTING IT Plumbing Alfa Romeo’s best engine and transmission into the pointy end of a Giulietta will be enough to have many looking for a dotted line to sign on, but there’s more to this QV version than that. The interior quality is leagues better, the styling has been tweaked, there’s a new Uconnect multimedia system and there’s even launch control for the perfect getaway.
MAIN RIVALS Ford Focus ST, Mini JCW, Renault Megane RS 265, Volkswagen Golf GTI
THE WHEELS VERDICT The Alfa Romeo Giulietta QV delivers convincing performance in the go, stop and steer department. That much was expected; the quality of the rest of the package is the big surprise. Although it’s still not as meticulously buffed across the board as a Golf GTI, you’ll never need pre-prepared excuses.
PLUS: Handling; soundtrack; pace; TCT transmission; value MINUS: Packaging; still no looker
THE WHEELS REVIEW IF YOU’RE anything like us, the measure of an Alfa Romeo Giulietta Quadrifoglio Verde is a considered estimate of how long it will take for buyer’s remorse to give you a solid shoeing. The good news on this latest model is that this period isn’t going to be measured in mere hours, days or weeks. It’s a genuinely well-sorted package thanks to the availability of the 4C’s direct-injection 1750 turbo four when teamed with the twin-clutch transmission.
The six-speed TCT option tacks another three grand onto the manual car’s $39,000 asking price, but where the manual car uses a carry-over powerplant, the TCT model gets the superior aluminium-block unit that lifts power to 177kW. It also gets launch control. This carves great chunks out of the 0-100km/h time, dropping it from the manual model’s 6.8 to 6.0 seconds.
Previous QV models sounded rather adenoidal, the 1.4 MultiAir engines in lowlier Giuliettas delivering a more sonorous soundtrack. This time around, the car pipes the winning sound of intake manifold through the scuttle. The ‘QV Intake Engine Sound’ pretty much clues you in to what you’re going to get, delivering the Barry White through a soilpipe bass timbre that the reedy 1750 was so signally lacking.
Plug the DNA driving mode selector into Dynamic and torque cranks up from 300 to 340Nm. For such a modest capacity, this direct-injection four is a lugger, with meaningful go on tap from 2000rpm. It also means you rarely feel the need to worry the wheel-mounted paddles, the TCT box’s software deftly returning you to the main vein of turbocharged torque each time with barely there 130 millisecond shift times.
The launch-control mode doesn’t require an arcane 17-point sequence to initiate and sets the revs at a sensible 4000rpm before you sidestep the brake pedal so as not to cremate the front P-Zero Rossos.
The steering is authoritative, the Brembo brakes well up to the mark and the ride firm, though with just enough secondary suppleness to pass muster. Front-end grip impresses and the stability control goes all the way to zero if required.
The Chrysler-sourced Uconnect multimedia system is slick and intuitive, interior materials have improved, and the new leather and Alcantara seats are a welcome upgrade.
There are still some typically casual design signoffs – seat recliner pinioned beneath the seat belt and clunky air-con controls – and you’ll need to be the final arbiter on the styling updates. But buyer’s remorse? Not going to happen.
SPECS Model: Alfa Romeo Giulietta QV Engine: 1742cc 4cyl, dohc, 16v Max power: 177kW @ 6000rpm Max torque: 340Nm @ 2200rpm Transmission: 6-speed TCT automatic Weight: 1299kg 0-100km/h: 6.0sec (claimed) Economy: 7.0L/100km Price: $42,000 On sale: Now
Set for production middle of this year and likely to hit Aussie showrooms early 2016, the Evora 400 promises to be the fastest model in Lotus’s 63-year car-making history.
While the new 400 might look much like the current S version, the latest king-of-the-Evoras promises not only more power but a lighter kerb weight and more user-friendly design.
No prizes for guessing that the 400 nameplate refers directly the engine’s horsepower count, the updated 3.5-litre supercharged V6 producing an extra 41kW (298kW) and 10Nm (410Nm) over the existing Evora S unit.
The gains are said to arrive courtesy of revision to the supercharger unit, intercooler, engine management and exhaust, while the six-speed manual (an auto will be optional) mates to a new clutch and flywheel.
A modest weight reduction program shaves 22kg from the package, with the 1419kg Evora 400 capable, it’s claimed, of hitting 100km/h from a standstill in 4.2 seconds.
A Lotus-benchmarking 300km/h top speed is achievable despite a more aggressive aero treatment to the 400’s front and rear ends, the former now said to produce positive downforce to complement the triple-element rear wing.
Designers have freshened the interior and modified the bonded-aluminium ‘tub’ chassis’ sills to allow more graceful cabin entry and egress.
While it’s far too early for pricing on the Aussie-delivered version, it’s fair to expect that the Evora 400 will lob into local showrooms at a premium over the current manual S’s $152,990 ask.
Welcome to MOTOR’s 60 Greatest Performance Cars of all time.
The list first appeared in our June 2014 issue as part of our 60th Anniversary celebrations. What better way to celebrate 60 years of testing performance cars than to name the best we’ve ever driven?
Now, given the last was compiled almost 12 months ago there are some obvious cars missing. At the time, we hadn’t driven the incredible LaFerrari or the sublime 458 Speciale, and we hadn’t yet sampled the excellent 991 GT3.
Bar a few recent models, however, it’s a list that’s unlikely to significantly change, now or into the future, as these 60 cars represent the pinnacle of performance motoring. That said, if we’ve missed your favourite, please let us know in the comments below. Enjoy.
10. BMW E46 M3 CSL
Wow, did this start a few arguments. Every gen bar the E36 had its backers, but in the end we chose the E46 CSL. Yes, SMG sucks and the brakes are weak, but it makes a noise to die for and has one of the best rear-drive chassis ever. Bested a 911 GT3 and came within a whisker of beating the Gallardo in PCOTY 2004.
9. Ferrari F40
If you like your driving to be a challenge, the F40 could well be your number one. Massive power that comes on in mighty turbocharged lumps, marginal brakes and a complete lack of driver aids (including power steering and brakes) offers a driving experience that makes you feel truly alive. If it doesn’t kill you first.
8. Porsche 918 Spyder
Stuttgart’s latest hero car proves that environmentalism and excitement need not be mutually exclusive. It may be the slowest of the new hypercar trio, but it also pushes the game furthest forward. Electric motors not only provide 30km of ‘zero emissions’ travel but also offer handling abilities impossible to achieve with conventional mechanicals. And let’s be honest, a 6min57sec ’Ring lap isn’t exactly pedestrian.
7. Mercedes- Benz 300SL
This one had the younger members of the MOTOR crew scratching their heads, but the fact three of our more seasoned correspondents (who’ve actually driven one) had it high in their personal top 10s made it a shoo-in. Any performance car that still feels sharp 60 years after its introduction is something truly special.
6. Lexus LFA
Drive an LFA and you can almost understand why it took Lexus 11 years to finish the thing. The speed and the superb quality were to be expected, but what came as a complete shock was the passion engineered into it. The idea of a $750K Lexus seems absurd – until you experience it. One of the most complete and exciting cars of the 21st century.
5. Ferrari F50
Criticised at launch for being too harsh and no faster than the F40, two decades on the F50 is finally getting the recognition it deserves – have you seen the price of one lately? Being bolted directly to the chassis means its 4.7-litre V12 is spine-tingling in more ways than one, but the last ‘analogue’ Ferrari supercar is seriously one of the true greats.
4. Ferrari F12
When it comes to Ferraris, the latest is indeed the greatest. Just ask anyone who’s driven an F12. Or don’t, because you won’t be able to shut them up. It has probably the greatest road-car drivetrain currently on sale matched to faultless brakes and perfect steering, yet it’s comfortable, quiet and as easy to drive as your mum’s Fiesta. It’s truly spellbinding.
3. McLaren P1
Just as it did with the F1, McLaren has again redefined what a production car is capable of. It’ll eat Veyrons in a straight line, but it’s the P1’s braking and cornering abilities that draw new lines in the sand. There’s only one thing jeopardising the P1’s place on this list, and that’s the fact it’s yet to go head-to-head with LaFerrari.
2. Porsche 911 GT3 RS 4.0
Any number of 911s could’ve appeared on this list, but only one deserved to rank this high. The 997 GT3 RS is one of the greatest cars this magazine has ever driven, but adding another 200cc sent its abilities into the stratosphere. Porsche cherry-picked the best components from its race and road cars (RSR crankshaft and aero; GT2 RS suspension) to create this: the ultimate 911.
1. McLaren F1
You should have had a feeling the F1 would finish here. And it deserves to – to put it anywhere but first would be plain shit-stirring. It’s unlikely we’ll ever see another car like the F1. Unlike the Veyron, the numbers were never the end goal, simply the product of no-compromise engineering and the design nous of Gordon Murray. Update its brakes and give it ESP and the F1 would still hose most of today’s supercars. It’s the ultimate driving experience. And it’s our number one.
Alfa Romeo delivers on its promises with the 4C. With drive going to the right pair of wheels, a carbon tub and a mid-rear-mounted engine bunkered low, this ought to be a modern classic.
WHAT IS IT? Alfa Romeo’s modern-day sports car is rawer and more uncompromising than you thought was possible from a mainstream manufacturer. In philosophy, if not price, the Alfa Romeo 4C appears to sit halfway between a Lotus Exige and a Porsche Cayman but there’s a complexity to its character that’s like nothing else.
WHY WE’RE TESTING IT The 4C has taken a long time to make its way Down Under. While the Europeans have had their hands on it since 2013, production volume and compliance hurdles have seen the Aussie launch pushed back. We’ve driven it on European roads but this is the first time we’ve had a genuine thrash on home turf.
MAIN RIVALS Audi TT S-Line quattro, BMW M235i coupe, Lotus Exige, Peugeot RCZ-R, Porsche Cayman
THE WHEELS VERDICT
The Alfa Romeo 4C is a seductive and exotic ownership proposition and while it’s still a little unresolved at the very limits of its dynamic envelope, it offers a sense of theatre that more than justifies the asking price. There’s the kernel of an all-time great sports car here if Alfa is committed to further development.
PLUS: Styling, pace, charisma, brakes, slick dual-clutch transmission MINUS: Flat underlying acoustics, ragged at the limit, ergonomics
THE WHEELS REVIEW FOR such an ostensibly simple car, the Alfa Romeo 4C packs in a lot of surprises. The key one is how unlike a Lotus Exige it is. The form factor might be similar, but from there the execution is wildly different.
Where an Exige feels like an ill-sorted bucket of self-tappers when driven at anything less than eight-tenths, the Alfa is utterly beguiling at everyday speeds. The unassisted steering bobs and jinks in your hands like an old 911, your hands guiding the wheel rather than chasing every kick, and the hyperactive gearing means you rarely have to take your hands from the tiny Alcantara rim. The engine helps, delivering a surge of turbocharged torque from just 2000rpm, assisted by theatrical turbo fizzes and crackles on overrun. Leave the TCT dual-clutch transmission to do its own thing and it slurs between shifts smoother than a Rat Pack martini order.
Ask the 4C to do more than this and it starts to drop out of its comfort zone. The steering, which seems so entertaining under more moderate loads, starts to get a bit spooky. Bump-steer and kickback leave you with worrying moments of lightness through the rim as you tip into a corner, the same lightness that usually signals the moment a car tips into oversteer. Alfa has cleverly fitted comparatively narrow 205-section front tyres to the 4C which introduces a degree of reassuring push from the front end just as the rear is about to lapse into oversteer. That’s fine for a road car, but it is at exactly this moment that the depth of dynamic talent in an Exige or Cayman becomes apparent. How relevant this degree of adjustability is to a road car is something that’s open to discussion, but as a yardstick of chassis talent and engineering commitment, it leaves the 4C shy of the best.
Beyond the theatrical bangs and whooshes , the 4C’s 177kW 1.7-litre turbocharged four isn’t particularly tuneful, with an unpleasant resonance between 2500 and 3000rpm. It’s otherwise impressive, though, with real lugging power that translates into the ability to utterly demolish even the most ambitious-looking overtaking manoeuvre.
You’ll need to reset your datum to take into account the throttle lag, getting into the throttle a fraction earlier than normal. Switching the DNA controller to Dynamic opens the threshold of the stability-control system, and trail braking into a corner is about the most effective way to introduce a degree of oversteer. But the rear end is so grippy that power oversteer on dry bitumen requires an abjectly Neanderthal approach. The 40:60 weight distribution is actually a couple of points more rear-biased than a current Porsche 911 Carrera but the 4C’s lightweight engine means that it changes direction without the requirement to consciously manage shifting masses.
The floor-hinged brake pedal feels tiny underfoot, but there’s excellent retardation on offer if you commit to giving the Brembos a good kicking. On flakier surfaces, however, the ABS intervenes surprisingly late.
Nevertheless, the fundamentals of the 4C are brilliant. The rock-solid carbon-fibre tub and that gutsy direct-injection turbo engine are a fusion combo that shouldn’t work but do. The steering and suspension are certainly noteworthy. Don’t get too hung up on reports that the Aussie cars have grown a bit lardy. That’s been sparked by comparisons between dry and tare weights. An apples-for-apples comparison shows a 50kg weight increase due to additional crash structures, side impact protection, leather upholstery and air conditioning, which hardly seems worth getting overly critical about.
All of the caveats about the 4C can be easily massaged with subsequent development. Alfa claim to have a $5bn development pot to dip into for the next four years. Throw a little of that the 4C’s way and it could be a five-star car. As it stands, it’s still a consummate entertainer, but has a nagging tinge of missed opportunity about it. For the money, there’s little to touch it in terms of excitement and charisma but if you’re undecided, you might want to sit and wait. It’ll get better.
SPECS Model: Alfa Romeo 4C Launch Edition Engine: 1742cc 4cyl, dohc, 16v, turbo Max power: 177kW @ 6000rpm Max torque: 350Nm @ 2200rpm Transmission: 6-speed dual-clutch Weight: 1025kg 0-100km/h: 4.5sec (claimed) Economy: 6.8L/100km Price: $109,000 On sale: Now
THIS is the ultimate toy – a track-only version of the monster $1.55m McLaren P1 that’s officially christened as the McLaren P1 GTR. The answer to the Ferrari La Ferrari in road-going trim, the GTR version is a wound up, lightened, tightened and salvo launched Ferrari’s way and is set to debut at next month’s Geneva motor show.
The GTR looks more menacing thanks to its 50mm lower ride height at 80mm wider front track. Riding in Pirelli slicks, it’s 50kg lighter than the road-going P1 (so that’s a 1400kg mass) thanks to the same 3.2mm super-thing front windscreen from the road car, but also ditching engine components and other mechanical gear for the GTR version that were designed to make the P1 more comfortable as a road car. There’s also a set of huge twin exhaust pipes made of Inconel and titanium that save 6.5kg over the road car’s system.
There’s now 735kW– that’s a neat, round 1000PS or 789bhp in McLaren’s mother tongue – from the 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8, a healthy 62kW bump over the regular P1. Performance? Well, McLaren hasn’t given away any numbers, but considering its light and more powerful than the regular P1, which blitzes 0-100km/h in 2.8sec, we’re certain it’ll knock your socks off.
There’s more downforce, though, so there’s likely no improvement on the 350km/h top speed (which is limited, anyway). That rear wing sits 400mm above the GTR’s bodywork, 100mm higher than the road car’s wing, and generates 10 percent more downforce – meaning 660kg at 240km/h.
Oh, and that livery? Far from a tribute to the Australian cricket team, it’s yet another tip of the cap to one of the fleet of McLaren F1 GTRs that decimated Le Mans in 1995, the green and gold the colour scheme of the #06 McLaren campaigned by Mach One racing that claimed third in the race – behind both the victorious F1 GTR of Kokusai Kaihatsu Racing and second-placed Porsche-powered Courage C34.
Welcome to MOTOR’s 60 Greatest Performance Cars of all time.
The list first appeared in our June 2014 issue as part of our 60th Anniversary celebrations. What better way to celebrate 60 years of testing performance cars than to name the best we’ve ever driven?
Now, given the last was compiled almost 12 months ago there are some obvious cars missing. At the time, we hadn’t driven the incredible LaFerrari or the sublime 458 Speciale, and we hadn’t yet sampled the excellent 991 GT3.
Bar a few recent models, however, it’s a list that’s unlikely to significantly change, now or into the future, as these 60 cars represent the pinnacle of performance motoring. That said, if we’ve missed your favourite, please let us know in the comments below. Enjoy.
20. Mini Cooper S
The greatest front-wheel drive of all time is the Mini Cooper S. Of course it is. ‘The Flying Brick’ tore up the motorsport rulebook, dominating racetracks and rally stages alike, including winning four straight Monte Carlo rallies and filling the top nine positions at the 1966 Bathurst 500. Drive one today and you’ll truly know the meaning of the phrase ‘go-kart handling’. A legend.
19. Ferrari 250 GTO
When it’s worth $50 million you know it just has to be good. Ok, so the 250 GTO’s sultry, feminine curves go some way to explaining its wallet-wilting value, but they’d be scant compensation if it drove like a Datsun 120Y. Substantial competition success proved that not to be the case, as we’re reminded every year when GTOs rub panels at the Goodwood Revival.
18. Nissan R32 GT-R
With the advent of the R32 GT-R, Nissan was responsible for launching the greatest technological terror since the Death Star. The clever, continuously-variable ATTESA all-wheel drive system put the power of the twin-turbo straight-six to devastating effect on the racetrack, while on the road it banished the parasitic understeer that plagued traditional all-wheel drive setups. Also changed the face of Aussie motor racing.
17. Pagani Zonda F
From fledgling start-up to one of the supercar elite in less than a decade is no mean feat, but Pagani’s rise to stardom was thanks to one incredible car. The Zonda’s stunning design, incredibly well-sorted chassis and thumping AMG V12 created a weapon that was fired across the bows of Ferrari and Lamborghini.
16. Caterham 620R
Its core design has changed little in almost 60 years, which speaks volumes about how right Colin Chapman’s original concept was. But while the basics remain the same, the details differ drastically. In ballistic 620R form, the Seven now develops 231kW (just 201 more than the original), fed through a six-speed sequential ’box.
15. Ford XY Falcon GT-HO Phase III
It’s easy to forget with the passing of time that the Phase III, a limited-run homologation special built by a tiny local team, was in its day the fastest four-door car in the world. Mel Nichols best captured the ferocity of this beast in his famous story ‘HO Down the Hume’; you are left in no doubt that this was a car unlike any other. This was a car that meant business.
14. Mercedes-Benz SLS Black Series
Welcome to Mercedes’ dark side. Giving a car the Black Series treatment is essentially like sending it to SAS training, and the SLS emerged a fitter, harder version of itself. The hardcore revamp transformed the gullwing supercar from a slightly wayward hot-rod into a GT3 racer with numberplates.
13. Audi Ur Quattro
Remember when you traded your old Nokia brick in for a new iPhone? Remember the world of new possibilities it opened up? The Ur Quattro was an automotive smartphone, its all-wheel drive traction consigning wheelspin to the annals of history in 1983, even with a monstrous 147kW (hey, it was 1980).
12. Lamborghini Miura
Beautiful, yes, but the Miura’s substance can’t quite match its style. That gorgeous shape created aerodynamic lift, aspects of the driving experience had strong ties with Lambo’s agricultural past and Ferrari’s Daytona could show it a clean pair of heels. But the Miura’s mid-engined layout set the template for all future supercars.
11. Bugatti Veyron
An incredible technical achievement, the Veyron redefined what was possible from a production car. It also proved there was a market for ₤1m hypercars; without it the 918, P1 and LaFerrari would not exist. So why does it rank so low? In chasing those all-important numbers, VW created an engineering dead-end and failed to remember cars should be fun as well as fast.
The new Audi R8 will focus on evolution rather than revolution as hard data lobs ahead of the production range’s Geneva show debut.
A number of European outlets have been given access to a camouflaged pre-production example of Audi’s forthcoming next-gen R8, revealing crucial details about Ingolstadt’s flagship sports car.
Despite the signature ‘camo’ treatment, the new R8 closely resembles the outgoing version save for a sharper TT-esque treatment to its exterior design.
Although underpinned by a new chassis, the new coupe’s body is, dimensionally, almost identical to the old and features more-or-less the same wheelbase and track measurements.
As is tradition, the R8 will remain technologically ‘twinned’ with Lamborghini’s ‘baby’ supercar, in this case the Raging Bull’s Huracan, though the Audi is said to be 30mm longer in wheelbase.
In breaking tradition, though, there will be no V8 offered, at least initially. Instead, two petrol ten-cylinder variants will use marginally more powerful versions of the existing 5.2-litre unit, outputting around 400kW in base V10 form and 450kW in V10 Plus spec.
The V10 Plus not only tops R8 heritage for outputs, it also sets new performance benchmarks, including a 0-100km/h acceleration claim of just 3.2sec on its way to a limited 330km/h v-max.
The interior treatments promise less ‘parts-binning’ of more humble Audi stock – a long-standing criticism of the current model range – while customizable Virtual Cockpit instrumentation, as debuted on the gen-three TT, is a welcome addition.
Sadly, according to online reports there will be no conventional manual transmission option – a seven-speed dual-clutch S-tronic transmission will be offered exclusively.
Underscoring the handling package is a new quattro system that, reports suggest, can feed up to 100 per cent of torque to either front for rear axle depending on drive mode and conditional/operational requirements.
At 1555kg in kerb weight, the new V10 Plus is more lightweight than the older bent-ten coupe despite what’s claimed to be a 40 per cent improvement in overall structural rigidity.
Despite more light being shed on upcoming petrol-powered R8 versions, speculation remains around the anticipated all-electric E-Tron version that may lob alongside its V10 kin at Geneva in March.
The Aston Martin Vantage GT3 special edition will be Gaydon-based manufacturer’s most extreme Vantage to date.
Tapping in to Aston Martin’s motorsport experience, the GT3-inspired Vantage will debut at the Geneva Motor Show early next month with more power, less weight and some very extreme looking aero bits.
It’s a simple recipe, and it begins with the 6.0-litre V12 powerplant carried over from the Vantage V12 S. The engine’s modified, and has relied on extensive use of magnesium, and titanium for the exhaust system, to produce a very healthy 441kW – or 20kW more than the Vantage V12 S.
To make best use of the extra power Aston Martin’s carved 100kg out of the Vantage’s weight. The lighter exhaust system, a lithium-ion battery, optional polycarbonate windows, lightened bucket seats and various carbon-fibre body parts means the Vantage GT3 is predicted to flash up as 1565kg on the weighbridge.
Those lightened body parts aren’t just lightening the Vantage either. Thanks to the snow-plough spec front bumper, pronounced side skirts, and a rear-wing that would make a WRX STI whimper, it’s understood by XCAR the GT3 produces seven times the “aero load” of a Vantage V12 S.
Wider, lower and with a broader front and rear track, the Vantage GT3 special edition is certainly reminiscent of Aston’s GT-racing cars. And its chassis is set to be as impressive as the rest of the package, featuring tuned suspension, motorsport wheels and brakes to round out the transformation.
Despite all these radical credentials much of the car’s interior remains tame, besides the bucket seats, leather door straps and new fittings.
Aston Martin will build 100 units, predictably all in the garish-but-sort-of-cool orange, blue and black colour scheme, with deliveries beginning the second half of this year.
