View Poll Results: Who do you think will win
Senna
50
41.32%
Pista
31
25.62%
GT2RS
33
27.27%
The rest don't matter
7
5.79%
Voters: 121. You may not vote on this poll
R&T Performance Car of the Year
09-20-2018, 07:37 PM
#1
R&T Performance Car of the Year
One of These Eight Cars Will Be Our 2019 Performance Car of the Year
Our most varied field ever.SEP 19, 2018
118
.It's that time of the year again, folks. Time for us to put down our laptops, to stop arguing about manual gearboxes on Twitter, and time to stop staring at cars we'll never buy on eBay or Bring-a-Trailer.
Instead, it's time for us to convene on the back roads of Tennessee and Kentucky as well as on track at NCM Motorsports Park in Bowling Green to determine what car is worthy of earning the title of Road & Track's 2019 Performance Car of the Year.
Our rules for competing are the same as years prior. That means the cars included need to be new to the market or heavily, heavily revised. The winner from the year before is not invited back to defend the crown, so our apologies to the McLaren 720S for having to sit and watch.
This year's field is probably our most diverse ever, featuring sports cars, GTs, supercars, and even, gassssspppp, a crossover. Yes, you read that right.
We'll gather on Sunday evening and then the test starts early Monday in Lexington, Kentucky. We'll wind through the picturesque region until we reach Bowling Green and NCM Motorsports Park late on Tuesday night. There we'll collect laptimes, instrumented testing, and conduct our final vote on what will be the 2019 PCOTY.
Be sure to follow along on Instagram all week as we'll be posting incessantly about our days on the road and the track (hey that's our name!). The contenders are below, in no particular order.
McLaren Senna
MCLAREN
Yes. The outrageous McLaren Senna is taking part in our test. The 789-horsepower special is the most expensive car to ever compete during PCOTY, with a price tag touching $1 million. It also has radical aero and weight savings compared to last year's winner, the 720S. It's sure to be unreal on track, but how will it fare on the road?
Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio
ALFA ROMEO
Talk about contrast. The Stelvio Quadrifoglio may be the first crossover in PCOTY, but it's earned a place there. Based on the excellent Giulia Quadrifoglio, the Stelvio retains the 505 horsepower 2.9 liter V6, adds all-wheel drive, and raises the ride height. Don't knock it till you try it.
Ferrari 488 Pista
FERRARI
The 488 Pista is the latest rocket to come out of Maranello. The track-focused version of the 488, it sheds weight and gets power up to 710 from the 3.9 liter V8. We loved the 458 Speciale and 488 GTB when they competed over the past few years, so it stands to reason that the Pista will be a contender from when we set off on day one.
Mercedes-AMG E63S Wagon
MERCEDES-BENZ
A late addition to the lineup, the Mercedes-AMG E63S Wagon wasn't originally on our list. Then we drove it. It's not only fun, it's a rocket ship. With 603 horsepower and all-wheel drive, it's nuttily quick. And you can even turn off the power to the front axle to create a hooligan of a car. Don't count it out.
Porsche 911 GT2 RS
RICHARD PARDON
Last year we had a manual GT3. This year we have Porsche's rear-wheel drive, 700 horsepower, GT2 RS. It briefly held the lap record at the Nurburgring, which means it stands a chance at being hugely quick around NCM's technical track.
BMW M5 Competition
BMW
Another all-wheel drive rocket from Germany, the M5 Competition turns up the 4.4 liter twin-turbo V8's power to 617 horsepower. The M5 was already one of the quickest cars we'd driven this year, so the M5 Competition is set to impress.
Chevrolet Corvette ZR1
CHEVROLET
Somehow, a 755 horsepower Corvette ZR1 isn't the most powerful car in the test. But it is the most powerful Corvette we've ever tested, and one of the quickest cars we've ever run around the track at NCM Motorsports Park. Though that's fitting since the track is named for the nearby National Corvette Museum.
Audi RS5
AUDI
Last year we had the compact TT RS, this year we're moving up in size. The Audi RS5 used to be all about its naturally aspirated 4.2 liter V8. But the days of high-revving, NA engines have passed, and now we have a 2.9 liter twin-turbo V6. The sound might be gone, but the pace likely hasn't.
09-21-2018, 01:12 AM
#4
Drifting
They make requests for a large variety of cars and take what they can get for their given week of testing. The big coup for R&T is the Senna (Pista to a lesser extent); C&D and MT didn’t have them.
Porsche likely believes that the GT2 RS will represents it best versus the other assembled cars, so that’s what they supplied.
I know the guy who writes the R&T piece each year pretty well; I also know one of the guys who directs the Porsche press fleet, I’ll ask him at Rennsport.
09-21-2018, 02:25 AM
#5
Nordschleife Master
Do you understand how large magazine tests work?
They make requests for a large variety of cars and take what they can get for their given week of testing. The big coup for R&T is the Senna (Pista to a lesser extent); C&D and MT didn’t have them.
Porsche likely believes that the GT2 RS will represents it best versus the other assembled cars, so that’s what they supplied.
I know the guy who writes the R&T piece each year pretty well; I also know one of the guys who directs the Porsche press fleet, I’ll ask him at Rennsport.
Sena to me is is ugly, a hyper car, impossible for 99.99999% of us to buy and will sit in millionaire collections except for idiot events like Gold Rush. Irrelevant if you ask me. Should have ditched it and picked another real world car.
09-21-2018, 05:50 PM
#6
Sounds good Dave. At first blush Hard to argue with 700 TT hp. I get it but based on stats, lap times, NA engine and price the .2 3 RS I think would have done better.
Sena to me is is ugly, a hyper car, impossible for 99.99999% of us to buy and will sit in millionaire collections except for idiot events like Gold Rush. Irrelevant if you ask me. Should have ditched it and picked another real world car.
09-21-2018, 07:15 PM
#7
Drifting
Sounds good Dave. At first blush Hard to argue with 700 TT hp. I get it but based on stats, lap times, NA engine and price the .2 3 RS I think would have done better.
Sena to me is is ugly, a hyper car, impossible for 99.99999% of us to buy and will sit in millionaire collections except for idiot events like Gold Rush. Irrelevant if you ask me. Should have ditched it and picked another real world car.
Trending Topics
09-22-2018, 09:18 PM
#8
It’s definitely not real world, but it’s not as ugly as photos suggest. It is very purposeful, and it is beautifully put together; at the price, it should be. It ought not be in the mix based on the price. In its day the F1 could have drawn similar comments. I recall some even thinking it ugly, believe it or not. I was living in the UK at the time and opinion was divided even as one could see people lined up at the Park Lane showroom just to gawp through the window. I expect some Sennas will do the odd track day. I expect many GT2s will moulder in warehouses masquerading as garages. They are all dream cars to virtually all readers, as Guest89 more eloquently commented. Our GT3 is still a dream car to me. I personally would have preferred seeing the 3RS in the mix because I personally eschew turbos, but most readers sadly do not. Then again, I might have thrown a well sorted Miata into the mix just for comparison as they provide an awful lot of driving pleasure for the money!
09-22-2018, 10:26 PM
#9
Nordschleife Master
It’s definitely not real world, but it’s not as ugly as photos suggest. It is very purposeful, and it is beautifully put together; at the price, it should be. It ought not be in the mix based on the price. In its day the F1 could have drawn similar comments. I recall some even thinking it ugly, believe it or not. I was living in the UK at the time and opinion was divided even as one could see people lined up at the Park Lane showroom just to gawp through the window. I expect some Sennas will do the odd track day. I expect many GT2s will moulder in warehouses masquerading as garages. They are all dream cars to virtually all readers, as Guest89 more eloquently commented. Our GT3 is still a dream car to me. I personally would have preferred seeing the 3RS in the mix because I personally eschew turbos, but most readers sadly do not. Then again, I might have thrown a well sorted Miata into the mix just for comparison as they provide an awful lot of driving pleasure for the money!
The .2 GT3RS seems to have been pushed into the background by PAG for these tests to leave the road wide open for GT2RS accolades for their new "halo" car.
I still call BS.
I fell in love with the Performante' at the track a few weeks back when someone showed up with one. Love it! Wow. Was even thinking of selling my '05 FGT for one. Have to sleep on that one though.
09-23-2018, 12:56 AM
#10
Performante is gorgeous to multiple senses. If I had an FGT of any vintage I am not sure I could give it up, though. Thel GT40 MK II was my ultimate dream car as a child. It was on the key ring of my parents Ford Anglia! When we were at the Petersen last year I exited the incredible Bugatti display and came face to face with the only MK III I’ve ever seen. I was stopped in my tracks for about five minutes. My dream car now is the F1, though I’m not at all sure I’ve the skill to exploit one. There is a single mid-2000s FGT - yellow - in our town, and a McLaren F1 - a sort of iridescent white. We see the former a few times each summer, the latter usually once annually. Head turning doesn’t describe either experience, which make getting up early on a summer weekend for a drive even more worthwhile.
09-23-2018, 03:26 AM
#11
Drifting
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder as they say.
The .2 GT3RS seems to have been pushed into the background by PAG for these tests to leave the road wide open for GT2RS accolades for their new "halo" car.
I still call BS.
I fell in love with the Performante' at the track a few weeks back when someone showed up with one. Love it! Wow. Was even thinking of selling my '05 FGT for one. Have to sleep on that one though.
The .2 GT3RS seems to have been pushed into the background by PAG for these tests to leave the road wide open for GT2RS accolades for their new "halo" car.
I still call BS.
I fell in love with the Performante' at the track a few weeks back when someone showed up with one. Love it! Wow. Was even thinking of selling my '05 FGT for one. Have to sleep on that one though.
The GT2 RS is Porsche’s highest performing road car ever on the Nordschleife (which is critical for marketing, as you know), and comprehensively outperforms the GT3 RS on any empirical metric.
The GT2 RS also costs more and probably has a higher profit margin, so why not promote it?
09-23-2018, 05:57 AM
#12
Three Wheelin'
I actually think the 3RS would have more chance of winning against this competition. Senna will blitz the laps, drag etc. anyway so why not field the only NA engine to give yourself a chance of involvement score?
09-23-2018, 09:19 AM
#13
Nordschleife Master
There is no “BS” to call.
The GT2 RS is Porsche’s highest performing road car ever on the Nordschleife (which is critical for marketing, as you know), and comprehensively outperforms the GT3 RS on any empirical metric.
The GT2 RS also costs more and probably has a higher profit margin, so why not promote it?
But here is where my beef is. A performance car is the sum of its parts. Exhibit A. Other cars in the competition with comparatively much less power than the 2RS and a universe away in price point.
Lap times. Looking at other data the 3RS turned faster laps than the ZR1 and tied the new Ford GT. It’s 150 hp down on hp and NA. It’s also only a click or two away on most tracks from the TT 2RS and NA and 180 hp down. It’s $75k to $100k less (in a make believe world of no adms) and has a true Motorsport engine. A lot of reviewers have commented it’s more a drivers car on track.
Profit. Off the shelf 3.8 (with some internal gusseting) with bigger turbos, extra cooling and use 3RS body. Bam. Done.
3RS. Millions of dollars in RSR solid valve train development and $ spent through .1RS development = $$$$$pent.
I get it. PAG doesn’t want to risk a real world upstaging of the more profitable new halo car allowing others to see beyond the “emphatically” blinding 700hp.
09-23-2018, 11:10 AM
#14
Race Director
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder as they say.
The .2 GT3RS seems to have been pushed into the background by PAG for these tests to leave the road wide open for GT2RS accolades for their new "halo" car.
I still call BS.
I fell in love with the Performante' at the track a few weeks back when someone showed up with one. Love it! Wow. Was even thinking of selling my '05 FGT for one. Have to sleep on that one though.
The .2 GT3RS seems to have been pushed into the background by PAG for these tests to leave the road wide open for GT2RS accolades for their new "halo" car.
I still call BS.
I fell in love with the Performante' at the track a few weeks back when someone showed up with one. Love it! Wow. Was even thinking of selling my '05 FGT for one. Have to sleep on that one though.
"A GT3 is a GT3"
