with its 592bhp V8 and the upswept mortar cannons it calls exhausts – but
has it lost its edge in the process?
This year has also seen the return of two modern-era performance-car
legends: Porsche’s Cayman GT4 and Renault Sport’s Megane Trophy-R.
Now in 718 guise, the Cayman’s gained a new 4.0-litre flat-six (and a little
more weight) but remains naturally aspirated and deliciously agile. If the
stopwatch is anything to go by, the two-seat, fully-stripped Megane is the
hottest hot hatch yet, as in 2019 it stole the front-drive Nürburgring lap
record from the Honda Civic Type R. A hatch has never won SCGT but this
one has enough heart to give it a real shot at the title.
Porsche’s amaranthine 911 regenerated in 2019, too. Now in 992 form it’s
pocketed praise far and wide, but can it thrill as singularly as its predeces-
sors? And Lamborghini too renewed its wildly successful, wild-looking but
previously mild-mannered Huracan. Now dubbed the Huracan Evo, it felt
like a new car at its launch on track in Bahrain: now it’s time to see how
that translates to our own testing tarmac at home.
At the end of two days on Great Britain’s greatest roads we’ll crown one
winner, the one we’d choose to take from A to A, while we still can. ⊲
OCTOBER 2019 | CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK 85
Sports Car Giant Test 2019The dataIts predecessor is one of the all-time greats, so Porsche
hasn’t meddled. Flat-six, no turbos, manual ’box. Bliss.Porsche 718 Cayman GT4Price | £75,348 (£93,810 as tested) Powertrain | 3995cc flat-
six, six-speed manual, rear-wheel drive Performance | 414bhp
@ 7600rpm, 310lb ft @ 5000rpm, 4.4sec 0-62mph, 188mph
Efficiency | 25.7mpg (test 15.7mpg), 249g/km CO2
Suspension | Spring strut Weight | 1420kgBrand-new 992-type 911 saw off Audi’s R8 and McLaren’s
570S in May. Now it faces all-comers – not least the GT4.Porsche 911 Carrera SPrice | £93,110 (£109,187 as tested) Powertrain | 2981cc
twin-turbo flat-six, eight-speed twin-clutch, rear-wheel drive
Performance | 444bhp @ 6500rpm, 391lb ft @ 2300rpm,
3.5sec 0-62mph, 191mph Efficiency | 27.2-28.5mpg (test
16.3mpg), 205g/km CO2 Suspension | MacPherson strut front,
multi-link rear Weight | 1515kgBoiling-hot-hatch conquered Nürburgring front-drive lap
record earlier this year. But SCGT is its toughest task yet.Renault Megane RS Trophy-RPrice | £51,140 (£72,140 as tested) Powertrain | 1798cc
turbocharged four-cylinder, six-speed manual, front-wheel
drive Performance | 296bhp @ 6000rpm, 295lb ft @
3200rpm, 5.4sec 0-62mph, 163mph Efficiency | 35.8mpg (test
14.4mpg), 180g/km CO2 | Suspension | MacPherson strut front,
torsion-beam rear | Weight | 1306kgTook its sweet time getting here; worth the wait. Tiny
wheelbase, lusty straight-six, very rear-wheel drive. Lovely.Toyota GR SupraPrice | £54,000 (£54,620 as tested) Powertrain | 2998cc
turbocharged straight-six, eight-speed auto, rear-wheel drive
Performance | 335bhp @ 5000rpm, 369lb ft @ 1600rpm,
4.3sec 0-62mph, 155mph (limited) Efficiency | 34.5mpg (test
17.8mpg), 170g/km CO2 Suspension | MacPherson strut front,
multi-link rear Weight | 1495kgFacelift brings rear-wheel steer, Performante engine and
new electronic brain. Great on track. What about B-roads?Lamborghini Huracan EvoPrice | £198,307 (£254,455 as tested) Powertrain | 5204cc
V10, seven-speed twin-clutch, all-wheel drive Performance |
631bhp @ 8000rpm, 442lb ft @ 6500rpm, 2.9sec 0-62mph,
202mph+ Efficiency | 20.3mpg (test 12.9mpg), 332g/km CO2
Suspension | Double wishbone Weight | 1422kg (dry)In coupe form the 600LT is a driver-focused dream. Does
losing the roof mean it’s lost its dynamic mojo?McLaren 600LT SpiderPrice | £201,500 (£258,350 as tested) Powertrain | 3799cc
twin-turbo V8, seven-speed twin-clutch, rear-wheel drive
Performance | 592bhp @ 7500rpm, 457lb ft @ 5500rpm,
2.9sec 0-62mph, 201mph Efficiency | 23.2mpg (test 13.7mpg),
276g/km CO2 Suspension | Double wishbone Weight | 1404kgNumbers don’t comeinto it – it’s about which carfeels the most immersive todrive, for the pure fun of it