Some of the requirements to qualify for the contest included cars that are from the most recent model year, can be driven as everyday transport, go fast in any condition, cruise quietly on the freeway, carry multiple people and more luggage than just a helmet.
The four track-inspired cars had the best times around the NCM Motorsports Park, but this competition is more than just lap times. It is also about the personalities of the cars, and none of them disappointed. The Stelvio has a delightfully loose corner-exit balance on throttle, the RS5’s famous Quattro system with the active rear differential allows unmatched high-speed cornering yaw, and the M5 builds momentum under acceleration that feels like hyperspeed. The Pista supplies on-demand oversteer whenever desired, while the ZR1’s reactive chassis and menacing supercharger scream excite the senses at every curve. The GT2 RS simply produces effortless speed, and the Senna gives you supreme confidence to push as hard in the fastest area of the track as in the slowest.
At the end of all the driving and testing, the vote was close, yet clear-cut. Second place: the McLaren Senna. It is the best million-dollar car in history, bar none—and that is no longer a backhanded compliment in this increasingly plutocratic age where you can have everything from a Ferrari hybrid to a 16-cylinder pocket battleship for that kind of cash.
First place winner: The 2019 Corvette ZR1, because it brought out the wide-eyed enthusiast in all of us—IndyCar pros, club racers, and jaded journalists alike. Everyone wanted more time in the ZR1. Every aspect of the ZR1, from the rib-cage-vibrating engine note to the adjustable traction control, strikes a chord. The Chevy also happens to exhibit many of the McLaren’s qualities at one-seventh the price. It too is awkwardly but compellingly styled by the demands of the air and the engine. Like the Senna, it combines an appetite for lap time with a remarkable ability to handle imperfect roads.
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