Were the 2000s and 2010s the performance car sweet spot?
The 2000s saw an abundance of cheap finance and brilliant new performance cars, but were the 2010s actually even better?
We tried. We really did. But no matter which way we sliced it, the 2000s couldn’t be adequately represented with six cars. And so – much to the dismay of photographer Dean Smith – we went with seven. He should count himself lucky we stopped there, for we could have had ten cars and still not touched the sides. This glut of great ’00s candidates is indicative of what amounted to a gold rush for lovers of every high-performance genre.
Of course, the abundance of cheap money, or rather ultra-low interest rates, fuelled the fire. And the transformation of Aston Martin and Bentley, as these once aristocratic, elitist and idiosyncratic brands suddenly embraced new money and tempted fans of the never-never with fresh, relevant and – crucially – affordable new models.
We could have included the original W12 Conti GT, but in the end the trifecta of Aston Martin V8 Vantage, Audi R8 4.2 and Porsche 997 Carrera S covered the bases perfectly. We shoehorned in the E46 M3 because it was too good to ignore, slotting in between the trio of coupes and our populist hot hatches – the fizzy R53 Cooper S and masterful Mk5 VW Golf GTI.
The inclusion of old friend Simon George’s bazillion-mile Lamborghini Murciélago was driven by nostalgia, but it seemed appropriate to celebrate the last of the dinosaur supercars. A T-Rex to be precise. Hindsight suggests a Ferrari 599 would have been more representative of the decade’s direction, and it was another contender on our (very) long list, but the gnarly Lambo served as analogue’s last hurrah.
I have very fond memories of all these cars and the era. After launching evo in late ’98 and surviving long enough to see in the new millennium, the ’00s were the decade that saw us grow from plucky start-up (or possibly up-start) into an established and increasingly successful brand. The profusion of exciting new cars couldn’t have come at a better time. We truly filled our boots.
Perhaps as a consequence, I expected the ’00s to be ‘the’ decade, but on the day (or rather three days) I didn’t feel quite the degree of euphoria I experienced during the ’90s gathering. It wasn’t because I was disappointed by the cars. Far from it. But with some time to reflect, I’ve concluded that ’00s cars are going through that phase where they’re not quite old enough to be classics, but not fresh enough to truly mix it with the best of the ’10s and ’20s contenders.
Their time will come. And when it does I’ll be kicking myself for not behaving like it’s 2006 and borrowing a load of money to snap up bargain-priced Vantages, R8s, M3s and non-GT3 997s.
The ’10s was unique for me because I brought my 2016 Fiesta ST200 along to be part of the test. I felt a bit apprehensive as Yousuf, Sam and James headed off in turn to try the car, then proud when they returned to say how much they enjoyed it. Of course I’m biased, but it was nice to hear praise for a car that suffers from a misplaced snobbery around fast Fords. The ST wasn’t the biggest-selling hot hatch for nothing.
Being reacquainted with the Mk3 Mégane RS reminded me how these RSs traded classic hot hatch rowdiness for a more ruthless style of point-to-point pace. Now that we seem to be less fixated with speed and more drawn to fun, I found myself smiling more in the Fiesta, but these RS Méganes are terrific. Hard to believe they’ve gone.
My take-home from the ’10s was just how much things had moved on compared with the ’00s. The 991 911 GTS (in turbocharged 991.2 form) was an absolute cracker. So much more modern feeling than the 997, yet still uniquely characterful and capable in the company of its contemporaries. I know we bore some of you with our admiration for the 911, but as this series illustrates, Porsche nails the brief decade after decade.
The Nissan GT‑R, which first appeared in the late ’00s but really hit its stride in the ’10s (allowing us to bump it along a decade to ease pressure on the earlier test), was a proper monster. Not quite as feelsome or physical as I recall, but the first of the indecently fast millennial heavyweights, and still the only bulky high-performance car that truly defeats physics and gets better the harder you drive it.
And the McLaren 650S was sensational. It’s so much more engaging than the 12C and marks the moment McLaren combined blinding capability with true emotion. There’s so much more to it than raw speed. Its steering response and sense of connection is truly exceptional, and the cockpit architecture is a lesson in simplicity with style. Yet another special car from some very special times.
