BMW M2
£62,420 / £70,410
PORSCHE 718 CAYMAN GT4
£81,700 / £99,575
AUDI RS3 SALOON
£53,520 / £57,190
Stick a bookmark in this one. I’m not sure how many more times TopGear will bring you a good old fashioned sports car battle featuring one naturally aspirated engine, two manual gearboxes and three completely electric free powertrains.
Progress is great of course, but these are the last dance sports cars as you know them. BMW isn’t protesting any claims its new M2 is the last non-hybrid M car. Porsche has confirmed the next Cayman will be electric, with its batteries heaped in the centre to evoke a mid-engined ‘feel’. And the future of all Audi RS cars, from the R8 replacement south, is e-tron by 2030 at the latest.
If you read Chris Harris’ poignant column in last month’s issue, you’ll understand why this can provoke soul searching from car folk. Is it fair or sporting to chide the BMW M2 for having all the visual appeal of a gangrenous war wound, to mark down Porsche once again for fitting the Cayman with the gearing from an Intercitytrain, and to sneer that RS3s are the most obnoxiously driven cars in Europe?
