EFFORT AND REWARD ARE AT THE VERY HEART OF what most of us love about cars. Not just our own effort. The obsession with extracting the most from a car, or just making it flow with economical grace, one apex to the next in a wonderfully easy equilibrium, is a naval-gazing but endlessly diverting pursuit, sure. But, very often, feeling and harnessing the effort of the car itself is the reward. Hearing a momentary flare of wheelspin over a mid-corner bump just as the engine hits the sweet spot and the chassis is stretched right to the very limit... well, it's just bloody good fun. I think it can be boiled down to intensity. We want to be there, in that moment, orchestrating the car's effort and immersed in the intensity of it all.
Maybe that's why it's hard to fall under the spell of EVs. The soundtrack of a conventional car is like the heartbeat, ramping up and up as every other element of the car is stretched to the limit. It underpins the whole experience and without it everything is less vivid. Anyway, let's not turn this into an EV lament. The point is that this magical zone where a car is at full load, full noise and still hanging in there with accurate response and unbreakable control isn't dependent on power, engine placement, even which axle is driven. It's why a Peugeot 106 GTi can get you to similar places to, say, a Porsche 911, or an Impreza RB5 or a McLaren 750S. The experience is different but the thrill of the chase and the sense of awe as the car deploys its all under your instructions is basically what has fed this magazine for 25 years. Effort and reward.
Denne historien er fra May 2024-utgaven av Evo UK.
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Denne historien er fra May 2024-utgaven av Evo UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Cupra Formentor Abt
It's farewell to the original Cupra Formentor with an Abt-tuned run-out package. It's a quietly excellent car; just a shame about the price...
Renault Sport Clio 200 Turbo
This misguided departure from the French brand's hot hatch heritage saw the Clio fall from grace
REBIRTH OF AN ICON
The Kalmar 9X9 is a modernday reinterpretation of Porsche's game-changing 959 supercar, with a carbon body and up to 917bhp. And evo is helping to develop it
Volkswagen Golf GTI
The underachieving Mk8 GTI gets a shot at redemption with the new, revised Mk8.5 version. Is it the leap forward it needs to be?
BEST BUYS
FAST FORDS FROM THE CORTINA TO THE ESCORT AND THE FIESTA, Ford is responsible for some of the most popular cars in British history. But alongside these everyday machines it has also produced a stream of desirable driver's cars.
HY AND DRY
The switch to electric power means an early exit for Hyundai N's brilliant ICE hot hatch duo. We go for a farewell drive in the 120 N
SEXY BEAST
The Vanquish name is back for Aston Martin's latest seriesproduction flagship, with a stunning new look and simply brutal performance from an 824bhp twin-turbo V12
THE JOY OF DRIVING
From mastering the everyday commute to unlocking the full potential of your performance car, our new series will help you become safer, more confident and ultimately more skilled behind the wheel
TINY DANCER
You haven't seen a Mini dance like this before, but then you haven't seen a Mini with a 4-litre M Power V8 under the bonnet and rear-wheel drive. Introducing Vini...
LAMBORGHINI GALLARDO
Grandaddy to the Temerario and the car that transformed Lamborghini was the brilliant, V10-engined Gallardo. We get reacquainted with a Lambo legend