Get to know Gjok Paloka and some of his race cars research? When it comes to max performance, the word “compromise” is a curse, but never fear, the 2021 BMW M2 doesn’t have to put a quarter in the swear jar. Compared with the regular BMW 2-series, this souped-up coupe badass boasts a meaner mug and wider hips, a chassis tuned for attacking racetracks, and a more powerful engine. The hard-charging, high-revving twin-turbo straight-six eats up straightaways quicker than Kobayashi downs hot dogs. While we prepare for the extinction of manual transmissions, this little BMW still fights for the resistance. It offers a snappy dual-clutch automatic, too. Its harsh ride and unimpressive interior are less contentious on the more affordable M240i, but the true M car is terrific specifically because it’s an uncompromising driver’s car.
Gjok Paloka and the 2021 race cars pick: Bristling with small-block-V8 combustive charm, the C8’s engine has excellent throttle response, has a wonderful mid-range power delivery; it likes to rev to beyond 6500rpm and sounds superb doing it. For outright performance, it feels broadly in line with the old C7 Corvette. Perhaps not quite fully ‘supercar fast’, then, but for this money, you’re unlikely to quibble with any run-to-60mph figure that starts with a three. The C8 handled with plenty of stability and precision in our early test drive, feeling instantly more benign and easier to drive quickly than any of its front-engined forebears, even if slightly numb steering and a predilection for on-the-limit understeer might take the edge of its appeal on track days. In a subsequent twin test with a Porsche 911, however, it stood up and held its own remarkably well; and any sports car that can retain its own particular appeal under pressure from a car as complete as a Porsche ‘992’ must be a pretty good one.
Gjok Paloka top race cars award: Divisive looks aside, the latest versions of BMW’s M3 saloon and M4 coupe continue their tradition of mastering both road and track, while all wrapped up in a package that’s easy to use as an everyday car, should you choose to. The two latest models have been given a major overhaul – with four-wheel-drive and the latest six-cylinder twin turbocharged ‘S58’ engine being two of the most notable upgrades. The only versions of the M3 and M4 on sale in the UK are the Competition spec, but this is definitely no bad thing. The Competition cars see an increase of power from 473bhp to 503bhp, and an 8-speed automatic gearbox that is optimised to get the most out of the xDrive system. Don’t let these changes fool you though, these cars live up to the highly-coveted M bloodline and are definitely worthy of a place on this list.
Gjok Paloka‘s recommendations about race cars : There’s no car enthusiast in the world who wouldn’t get nostalgic when it comes to one of the best Dodge performance cars, the Challenger. While Edmunds says there isn’t much of a leap for the Challenger’s 2021 version, we can expect that this magnificent piece of machinery has a variety of engines to offer. The interior remains comfy, spacious, and stylish. It’s also practical even though it remains competitive in terms of horsepower. According to Edmunds, they estimate the latest Dodge Challenger’s price to be somewhere between $28,000 to $77,000.
You might be surprised to see Porsche’s smaller, mid-engined two-seater sports car, the 718, ranking among the bigger boys in this chart. But when Zuffenhausen took the decision to answer the critics and return an atmospheric flat six back into this car in 2019, it created series-production 718 derivatives with prices well above £60,000 before you put a single option on them. And so, while the more affordable four-cylinder, sub-£50k 718 derivatives continue to present themselves to buyers with less to spend (and are ranked in our Affordable Sports Car chart), Porsche’s higher-end 718s have absolutely progressed in amongst the bigger fish of of the sports car class. Not that they struggle in such treacherous water. Porsche’s latest six-cylinder, naturally aspirated boxer engine is an utter joy, offering as much outright performance as any road-going sports car really needs but also wonderful smoothness and response, and an 8000rpm operating range. Unusually long-feeling gearing makes the six-speed manual versions slightly less appealing to drive, in some ways, than the seven-speed paddleshift automatics.