IF A HOT HATCH REPRESENTS THE MOST accessible entry point to trackday driving, the simple front-engined rear-drive sports car is the next rung up the ladder. Not necessarily in terms of outright speed around a lap, but very much as a way of developing your driving skills and enjoying the endless fun of steering a car on the throttle.
The GR86 and MX-5 make a great pair. Both are evo favourites and each occupies the sweet spot where your daily driver can double as something for weekend fun or the occasional trackday. The Toyota here is bone-stock while the MX-5 is a BBR-modified example, so it's not quite like-for-like, but the comparison should be fascinating with very little to choose between them.
Each offers similar on-paper performance via somewhat different routes. Toyota's naturally aspirated 231bhp 2.4-litre flat-four offers 231bhp and 184lb ft of torque, while the Mazda's 2-litre in-line four gains a Rotrex supercharger and free-flow manifold and exhaust system to make 250bhp and 220lb ft.
Small and light by 'proper' road car standards, the GR86 weighs in at 1309kg on Cadwell's scales, the MX-5 a flyweight 1084kg (both with a full tank of fuel). When it comes to weight distribution the Mazda is 46:54 frontto-rear, while the Toyota flips that with a 55:45 balance.
We start with the GR86. While it's easy to be seduced by the more hardcore TCoty contenders, there's much to be said for something with modest power and easy-to-read handling. While the lairy metal is best left in the paddock when it's raining, the Toyota is in its element, slithering and sliding around and coping with standing water with little of the jeopardy that comes with taming big power and stiff suspension in dicey conditions.
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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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