Issue Forty Nine
In This Issue
Porsche 911 Turbo 997.1 – The unassuming and understated supercar, you can park it anywhere.
Ferrari 360 Challenge Stradale – The unique features of the Challenge Stradale truly transform this car into a much more focussed supercar.
Audi R8 V10 – The first Audi supercar. Mid engine four wheel drive setup proved to be a very effective combination on the road and track.
BMW M2 CS – The new BMW M2 Competition represents a complete reworking of a car that, in its original incarnation, was already a class-leading sports car.
Italy Motorvalley – This is the epicenter of the Italian supercar world. Lamborghini, Ferrari, Pagani & Maserati all assemble their works of art within the region. Find out all about it in our comprehensive guide.
The digital version of the magazine is available here
Note from the Editor
This edition of MotorStars features the Porsche 911 Turbo 997.1, Ferrari Challenge Stradale, Audi R8 V10 and BMW M2 Competition. All of this cars are formidable road companions and are highly desired by enthusiastic drivers.
For some the 997.1-series Porsche 911 Turbo is the ultimate iteration of the series, as it combines the Mezger engine, developed originally for endurance racing and modern Porsche design, both on the inside and outside. The 997.2-series 911 Turbo moved away from the great engine and sealed the end of the epic Turbo powerplant lineage. The 997.1 is still relatively overlooked and undervalued in our opinion, especially in Tiptronic S form. We usually wax lyrical about the benefits of a manual gearbox, but in this car’s case, the automatic actually suits the car exceptionally well. The gearbox is adaptive and will adjust how fast and violently it shifts gears up and down the box depending on your driving style. We’d recommend driving one to see how great they are.
In the same price bracket as the 911 Turbo there is a V10 supercar lurking, the Audi R8. The timeless styling of the R8 and handling prowess make it an ideal purchase for drivers that want to stand out from the crowd and be reassured by excellent build quality. The V10 engine is essentially the same as the one fitted to the Lamborghini Gallardo, which would cost around double the four-ringed equivalent. The Audi exudes style and finesse in a way the Lamborghini cannot.
The Ferrari Challenge Stradale is based on the 360, and when it was first released it was dubbed as being too uncomfortable and extreme for UK roads. As a result the last few cars struggled to find first owners. The same opinion is not present today. Now they are trading for well over the price when new, just like some other ‘extreme’ road cars, it takes some years for them to be fully appreciated.
Raj Hunjan
