Car Articles

This could easily have been called the Gumpert Phlair because its go-fast aesthetics are just that redundant, and in this the Apollo is the exact opposite of the 8C: It is form following function, and at times, following very very far behind indeed. Intended to be a street-legal but track-ready sports car, every inch of the Apollo's bulbous surface is made for generating downforce or sheeting the air over and under the car as efficiently as possible, enabling the car to allegedly drive upside down when traveling over 190 mph. I say “allegedly” because, surprisingly, no one has been willing to lay their life on the line just to so Gumpert can list another selling feature in their Apollo brochure.

Any petrol head learns that the true beauty of an Alfa is in the intangibles-things besides dependability, build quality, handling, and performance. In terms of performance the 8C is an exception. Making use of a Maserati-sourced V8, the 8C rockets to 60 in 4.2 seconds, and even pulls 1.02G around the skid pad. But the driving dynamics are all off. The steering is numb, there is tremendous oversteer, and the paddle-shifter gear box is quite possible one of the worst ever constructed (to cite Autocar.co.uk). But, as Oscar Wilde said, “All art is quite useless”, and it is for this very reason that the 8C ascends to the status of moving art-more so than even Ferrari-as it is undoubtedly one of the beautiful cars ever constructed.

The Audi Quattro is historically significant for its achievements both on and off the race track. It was the first AWD Grand Tourer since the 1966 Jensen FF, and it was created specifically to take advantage of recent changes in rally car rules to allow four wheel drive systems in competition. The combination of a turbocharged engine mated to an AWD system revolutionized the car's capability in terms of road holding and tractability, and in terms of pure acceleration the car put down impressive stats, boosting its way to 60 mph in 6.2 seconds and a top speed of 140 mph. The official model name was “Quattro”, referring both to the car and the revolutionary AWD system. However, since future Audi's would pay homage to this all important predecessor by using “quattro” drivetrains, the 1980 version is also called the “Ur-Quattro”, with the “Ur” suffix meaning “first” or “original”. While critics doubted the viability of an AWD platform, due to its increased weight and complexity, the Ur-Quattro was an instant success, winning its racing debut on its way to a two-year domination of the rally car circuit.

The M12 was a great car in its own right, but it was still just another thinly disguised race car in street trim. And Lee Noble knew it. So when he created the M15, it was with the intention of creating a genuine competitor to Italian and German exotics twice its price by including luxury amenities such as Sat Nav and providing ample storage space for all those groceries every moderately wealthy gear head needs-and needs fast. But despite all the fluff, the M15 is still one of the purest driving cars ever built, powered by a 455bhp 3.0L twin turbo that's tuned for acceleration-not top speed-to the “tune” of some 3.5 seconds to 60 mph.