We reach the first entry to the list with one of toyota's most anticipated sports cars being the limited run Toyota GR86 which sold out within 90 minutes in the UK! This car contains a naturally aspirated 2.4L boxer 4 cylinder creating 234 horsepower with 250 nm of torque while being rear wheel drive and also containing an LSD. Toyota went driver's style with this entry completely outshadowing the GT86. The wheels are also inspired by blades which I found a cool detail. The car can come equipped with either a 6 speed manual or automatic gearbox giving the car some personalisation on the preferred transmission. Finding out about this car in 2024 fascinated me with its limited entry run and amazing performance package. Too bad that they are sold out since it is a limited run after all!
Number 9 brings us to the GMA (Gordon Murray Automotive) T.50. This car pays homage to one of my favourite vehicles of all time being the Mclaren F1! The T.50 is a 2023 built sports car sporting a brand new V12 engine producing 654 horsepower with 467 NM of torque. Despite how it may look, the T.50 is one of the lightest in its class weighing at 987kg giving an extremely good power to weight ratio of 672 hp per tonne. One of the most noticeable features of this vehicle is the huge fan at the rear powered by a 48 volt electrical motor. This motor improves ground effect by sucking air under the car to provide additional downforce! This beautiful vehicle has 100 units with 25 track units making this a low number icon respecting the early F1. This car is a light, delicate air handling menace travelling through the roads as an arrow soars over the battlefield landing it a beautiful spot at number 9.
The Lotus Evora is a beautiful turning point in Lotus' career as the introduction of this car was the newest vehicle platform since the Elise in which the Exige and Europa S are built on! This car was a standalone beauty built to be a track toy while also remaining sensible for daily road use. The vehicle shown in the images is actually the Evora S heritage racing edition which features unique styling illustrating Lotus' beautiful racing history.The car came in either 6 speed manual or automatic. The evora is much more up to date than the others giving it a more modernised driving experience with models up to 2016. The car comes packed with a 3.5l Toyota V6 which also has a supercharged variant producing 416 horsepower and 430 NM of torque. I have been a huge lotus fan this year so expect another to pop up in the lower rankings!
I recently took a trip to Holland to see my father and the car scene was beauitful! Classics were always around the corner and so was I ready with my camera. But I have seen many of the classic Porsche 911's and fell in love with them all over again! (Fun Fact: the Top photo was taken by me!!) The 1974 911's had a more increased power 2.7l flat 6 producing 148 horsepower. The 911s had the same engine with 175 horses while the carrera variant produced 210 horsepower being the European spec I also saw during my trip!. The car came with either a 5 speed manual or a 3 speed sportomatic which was a semi automatic gearbox made to make driving more accessbile to those who didn't want to operate the clutch. The style including unique impact bumpers and variety of performance gave Porsche a dominant market position at this time. They sure caught my eyes 50 years later! (The carrera 2.7 will be used for performance specs)
"The Last V12 Child of Enzo" the Ferrari Daytona SP3 caught my eye when I decided to purchase and build the lego technic version of it. This car is part of a limited recent series of vehicles called the Icona series. Built in 2023, this will be the final naturally aspirated V12 Ferrari ever. The car runs on a 7 speed DCT with a 6.5l V12 making 829 Horsepower. The design itself is like that of a retro futuristic vehicle whicn, in my opinion, is how all newer cars should look! The car's design is based off of a prior vehicle, of course, being the Ferrari 330 P4 which won at 24 hours of Daytona in 1967. I fell in love with this car as soon as i saw its design and it truly does live up to the legacy of ferrari. My favourite part of the design has to be the rear. It looks like something out of a cyberpunk movie with that visor of a tail light.
The MK3 Leon is quite a sentimental car to me as I discussed. The memories from my brother's FR stil stay with me to this day. We come to the car holding the midpoint of this list. The MK3 Cupra. Produced between 2012 and 2020, the MK3 contains a 2.0 TSI Turbocharged inline-4 producing 300 horsepower. The car came in either 6 speed manual or DSG Automatic for smooth track like shifts. The cupra was known for its agile cornering due to it being a light hatchback making it a wonderful choice for true enthusiasts who want something more than just the Leon FR. The car was also more affordable compared to the Audi S3 or Golf GTI while still holding high performance value. The car was one of the first in its class to feature variable valve timing and Turbocharged stratified injection technology which provided aggressive power while also keeping fuel economical! This car is and forever will be one of the most prettiest hatches to me from its striking big cat like design in its headlights and structure.
There's the M3,4 and 5. But what if I want something smaller that I can hurl around corners with amazing power following up right after? Thats where the 2016 M2 comes into picture. A compact package housing the spirit of the M sport. This car houses a 3.0l 453 horsepower twin turbo'd inline 6 with 465 NM of torque giving this car explosive power to slam on after bends. This, in my opinion, is the perfect BMW sporting power, handling and a sleek and beautiful design highlighting the aggression this car will release on all asphalt. This car comes chambered in either a 6 speed manual with seamless rev-match technology for crisp downshifts or an 8 speed M steptronic automatic transmission for track style vindication. I have always been a fan of this car so it is hard not to include this in my 2024 favourites!
We have now reached the top three! I have been an avid fan of Lotus this year and the exige is my most favourite of them all. The cup 260 variant is a limited track focused version of the vehicle designed to be thrown around corners with its light weight of 928 kg. The vehicle is powered by a 1.8l supercharged Inline 4 from toyota producing 260 horsepower. It came chambered in a 6 speed manual for that driver's experience. This track demon gives pure adrenaline featuring an added large rear wing, front splitter and underbody diffuser to create that downforce when whirling at higher speeds. Built on the 2007 exige chassis, this vehicle preserves its image of being a dominate force representing all of what Lotus stands for. This car screams lightweight track toy even having a lighter weighted battery just to shave off those extra kilograms. Only 50 units of this beautiful sports demon making it a sought after collector's item.
Number two goes to the ST. Ford knows how to dominate the hatchback scene. The vehicle itself is dearly loved in its era by the community because it captures the heart of what a performance hatch should be. The car sports a 1.6l ecoboost inline 4 delivering 180 horsepower turbocharged to deliver that torque when desired by the driver. Speed and power isn't everything on a car. Wanna know why? Well he car itself was built on a great chassis making the mk 7 my favourite due to its responsive handling and light weight build of 1172kg making this vehicle very powerful around bends and corners. I actually saw an upgraded one of these zoom past an apex shocking me and making me fall in love with the car. This chassis of the fiesta can handle great even making the base models a fun drive which does showcase ford's genius when building it. The ST180 is still, to this day, highly regarded and talked about in the car community giving this a deserved number two ranking. I love hatchbacks the most out of any other body style so what could number one be?
We reach my current dream car and favourite car of this year. The GR Yaris is what Toyota proved to be one of the most ultimate cars developed in recent years. This car blows a fresh gust of air upon the hot hatch game completely changing it with birth. A vehicle with true track potential. The GR Yaris Circuit Pack is powered by a 1.6l 3 cylinder turbocharged engine creating 268 horsepower with 390 NM of torque creating an, essentially, pocket rocket. The car comes chambered in a 6 speed manual with the optional button tap to turn rev matching on and off giving a true driver's experience. The car also is an all wheel driver which is absolutely insane for a hatchback! This gives precise and perfect handling around corners. The Circuit Pack comes with upgraded suspension and dampers, an LSD to help the car maintain cornering grip and anti roll bars for even more control. Toyota envisioned their rally heritage when making this car which enables a super fun experience while also being a road legal daily hatchback for all your practical needs.
