RSS_Auto_Poster
Well-known member
Written by Jack Rix
Welcome to Top Gear magazine"s Speed Week. The 14 best performance cars in the world have descended upon a mildly terrifying Seventies-spec F1 circuit, for several days. There will be enthusiastic driving", there will be a well-stocked tyre truck close to hand and there will be industrial quantities of home-made sandwiches. Here"s a teaser from the track, as the BMW M2 Competition takes on Aston Martin"s new Vantage "Two cars separated by 99bhp, 70,000, eight-tenths from 0 62mph and 40mph at the top end. Not much competition when it comes to image, either: the Vantage is a tailored suit; the BMW, a pair of off-the-peg Levis. Yet draw away from the details and they play much the same role. Both are rapid rear-drive coupes, both aren"t cut out for family life (although the BMW can claim rear seats) and both are just as capable at squashing huge distances as they are vaporising a set of rear tyres. Fortunately, our patented Speed Week scoring system (the car which makes us grin inanely the most, wins) takes price, power and any other numerical comparison out of the equation, levelling the playing field nicely. "Unsurprisingly, it"s the Aston that looks, feels and smells infinitely more exotic. So, given this is a track I"ve never driven, and the sadistic proximity of the concrete walls, I head for the BMW first. I admire its perfect proportions and bulging wheelarches like a clenched fist in a white leather glove and say a silent thank you to BMW for not tinkering too much with the standard M2"s design, besides adding proper M car wing mirrors. On paper, the M2 Competition is the car we all wished the M2 had been from the outset: a true, bespoke road racer dry-rubbed with M"s magic dust, rather than an M240i with some extra sauce on the side.
Date written: 16 Oct 2018
More of this article on the Top gear website
ID: 13714
Welcome to Top Gear magazine"s Speed Week. The 14 best performance cars in the world have descended upon a mildly terrifying Seventies-spec F1 circuit, for several days. There will be enthusiastic driving", there will be a well-stocked tyre truck close to hand and there will be industrial quantities of home-made sandwiches. Here"s a teaser from the track, as the BMW M2 Competition takes on Aston Martin"s new Vantage "Two cars separated by 99bhp, 70,000, eight-tenths from 0 62mph and 40mph at the top end. Not much competition when it comes to image, either: the Vantage is a tailored suit; the BMW, a pair of off-the-peg Levis. Yet draw away from the details and they play much the same role. Both are rapid rear-drive coupes, both aren"t cut out for family life (although the BMW can claim rear seats) and both are just as capable at squashing huge distances as they are vaporising a set of rear tyres. Fortunately, our patented Speed Week scoring system (the car which makes us grin inanely the most, wins) takes price, power and any other numerical comparison out of the equation, levelling the playing field nicely. "Unsurprisingly, it"s the Aston that looks, feels and smells infinitely more exotic. So, given this is a track I"ve never driven, and the sadistic proximity of the concrete walls, I head for the BMW first. I admire its perfect proportions and bulging wheelarches like a clenched fist in a white leather glove and say a silent thank you to BMW for not tinkering too much with the standard M2"s design, besides adding proper M car wing mirrors. On paper, the M2 Competition is the car we all wished the M2 had been from the outset: a true, bespoke road racer dry-rubbed with M"s magic dust, rather than an M240i with some extra sauce on the side.
Date written: 16 Oct 2018
More of this article on the Top gear website
ID: 13714