Car pictures of the week: evo’s Car of the Year contenders
evo’s Car of the Year issue hits newsstands next week – here's a preview of what you can expect
As 2023 draws to a close, evo’s Car of the Year issue is about to hit the shelves to put you in the driver’s seat of the most exciting new performance cars on sale. With nine contenders from heavyweight hitters in the industry, eCoty 2023 is one of the most closely fought yet, and you can pre-order your copy now via the evo shop to read the full verdict when the issue lands next week.
Our expert road testers spent a week on some of the most spectacular, demanding roads in the country to determine 2023’s pecking order, which features some of the most extreme, desirable and eccentric machinery in recent memory.
From Porsche, there’s the 911 Carrera T and GT3 RS – opposite ends of the 911 spectrum. The lighter, sharper Carrera T is our favourite mainstream 992 yet, and the GT3 RS has utterly blown us away on track. Can it pull the same trick on the road?
Then there are the GTs. eCoty winners can come in all shapes and sizes (our 2022 victor was the Maserati MC20, before that was the BMW M5 CS), and there’s something endearing about a classical front-engined, rear-wheel drive coupe. Maserati’s take is the new, V6-engined GranTurismo, squaring up against the Aston Martin DB12 in a battle of elegant brutes.
There are two mid-engined runners this year – the McLaren 750S and Alpine A110 R – both built to take established evo favourites to new heights. The 750S is an evolution of the stunning 720S that took the eCoty crown in 2017, while the A110 R is the purest, lightest expression of the A110 that placed second in 2018. Can Alpine go one better this time?
But not all the contenders are battle-hardened sports cars. The BMW M3 CS combines the versatility of a 3-series with the feel, response and savage performance to rival just about anything, while Honda’s latest Civic Type R is the most highly developed hot hatch you can buy today. It has all the qualities of a truly world class driver’s car, and it could spring a surprise on its more specialised competition.
This year also sees the eCoty debut of an entirely new class of vehicle: the off-road supercar. The Huracán Sterrato is just as flamboyant and wacky as you’d expect an all-terrain Lamborghini to be, but there’s genuine depth beneath its Instagram-friendly skin. Its 5.2-litre V10 is sensational, and the tall-riding suspension made it a riot when we tried it in California earlier this year. But it needs to prove itself beyond fun and games if it’s to succeed in this company.
evo’s Car of the Year issue hits newsstands next week, but you can pre-order through the evo shop to get your hands on the issue as early as possible.
