OF ALL THE ROADS IN ALL THE WORLD, THE Route Napoléon is the one that holds the very best memories for me. From 997 GT2 RS and Ferrari 458 Italia to Ford GT and Lamborghini Murciélago, the N85 has been the stage for some of the most unforgettable drives imaginable.
The finale to 2005's eCoty, held on this magical stretch in the south of France, was something of a classic and I can relive various experiences from it in my mind's eye any old time. The best moment? Watching the Gallardo SE's flame-spitting exhausts lighting up the rock faces as it sniped at the rear of an F430 should be right up there.
And it is. But I was in the wrong BMW. For whilst I greatly enjoyed the M6's outrageous V10 engine and sequential 'box in grenade mode, the killer BMW of '05 was the M3 CS. Even as the SE's squared-off tail was being licked by blue and yellow flames and its howling V10 drowned out the M6's, I was still thinking about a simple dash to pick up lunch in the CS a few hours earlier...
It was just one of those perfect drives. The road, sparse traffic and a car that seemed so poised and well balanced, so sharp and yet so smoothly controlled and with perhaps the optimal balance between power and grip. The big hitters - notably the Ford GT - had already overwhelmed the CS in some respects and I knew it couldn't win, but at that moment BMW's newest M3 seemed just about faultless. Except the brakes. Always the crappy brakes with the M division cars of this era.
So, it's with some trepidation that I approach James Mills's lovely M3 from 2003. Even noting the connoisseur's choice of 18-inch wheels, it seems hard to imagine that a standard M3 could hope to match up to my dappled sunshine-covered recollections. I've driven CSLs since that day in '05 several times, a few CSs, too.
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BEST BUYS BMW M CARS
THE PERFORMANCE CAR LANDSCAPE WOULD HAVE looked very different over the last five decades without BMW. Its M division, founded in 1972, has produced some of the best driver’s cars ever to hit the road, and in the process has provided a stream of benchmark models for its rivals to chase. In recent years, stricter emissions regulations, downsizing and electrification have seen some of those rival cars falter, yet by and large BMW’s M machines have remained strong. In fact, some rank among the greatest the department has made think of the eCoty-winning M2 CS and M5 CS while others are the only options worth recommending in their respective segments. Price tags have risen with performance, however, putting those latest offerings out of reach for many, but the marque’s popularity means there are numerous earlier M models available on the second-hand market for far more attainable figures. Here are four of our favourites.
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Three Japanese performance icons - Lexus LFA, Subaru Impreza 22B and Nissan GT-R. Over three days on some of our favourite roads we explore what makes each uniquely thrilling, but also the car culture that unites them
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F1, P1... and now W1. The next chapter in McLaren's Ultimate Series is the British firm's challenger to the forthcoming new Ferrari hypercar and a £2million, 1257bhp, hybrid-powered, technical tour de force
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One man’s dream to build the perfect Porsche 911 has resulted inthis aaticMously restored and enhanced classic. We delve into the details and take it for a drive
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The new Continental GT is the most powerful Bentley ever, and the beginning of anew plug-in hybrid era for Crewe. But is it still a benchmark grand tourer?
