LAMBORGHINI Aventador LP700-4
OUR HUMBLE broadsheet, the Inquirer, is celebrating its 30th anniversary. While I ve only been part of it for the last five plus years, It s been a real blast! Here are some of the most memorable ride and drives I ve sampled in the last five years.
1. Porsche 918 Spyder Weissach Handling Pack. There s fast, then there s 918 Spyder. There s high-tech, and then there s the 918 Spyder. Other hypercars might be faster, but the 918 Spyder is the only hypercar for the 21st century that I ve had the pleasure of experiencing at Aldenhoven test track near D sseldorf, Germany. This is the absolute, distilled essence of what makes Porsche tick. Porsche Intelligent Management at its best.
2. Lamborghini Aventador LP
700-4. Mad Italian styling, rumbling V12 like Thor clearing his throat, few cars possess the drama, speed, passion, and surprisingly, ease of use as this V12 supercar. Throw in a full GP circuit in Sepang, Malaysia, for my maiden drive of this beast, and I m surprised I haven t warped-speeded myself into kingdom come!
3. Porsche 911 Turbo S (993, 996, 997 and 991). The 911 is the original all weather, all-season, all-roads supercar. Get in, start the engine and attack the Autobahn near Zuffenhausen, Germany, the redline and the speedometer. Few cars are as easy to drive at close to 300 kilometers per hour as this.
4. Porsche 911 GT3/GT3 RS (996, 997 and 991). Same as above, but with more focus on steering, throttle and braking purity. The GT3 and the GT3 RS are true keepers in the automotive world.
5. Lexus LFA. With a 10-year gestation, Japan s first real exotic (V10 engine, carbon-fiber tub chassis) was worth the wait. Even the wailing V10 have Italian fans trembling in their knees.
6. Porsche Cayman GTS/Boxster GTS. On a pouring wet track in Circuito de Algarve in Portimao, Portugal, the Cayman GTS and Boxster GTS proved that there is indeed no substitute for Porsche s own brand of performance. It makes you feel like a driving god in dangerous conditions. And a bit of danger always reaffirms our will to live.
PORSCHE 911 GT3
7. Ferrari F430. The first real modern Ferrari is a brute! The sound is intoxicating, the vibrations almost sexual in experience and the feminine looks hide a dangerous yet satisfying experience.
8. Nissan R35 GT-R Nismo N
Attack Package. In true Japanese fashion, the R35 defied physics for me at the very technical Sodegaura Forest Raceway in Chiba, with massive high-tech all-wheel drive, rearranging your internal organs in the process. And the VR38 is tuneable to 2000 horsepower. It s not cheap, but it s far more attainable than you think. Hopefully Nissan Pilipinas brings it in at a price more people can afford.
9. Bentley Continental GT Speed. With 60 being the average age of a Bentley owner, this is one car I d look forward to if and when I can afford it by the time I hit the big six-zero. Effortless speed, superb refinement, and enough power to bait supercars on the highway. All in bespoke British charm and style. I almost flew off the German Alps, 5,000 feet down the cliff in this.
10. Acura/Honda NSX. The original is still the best, and I was lucky to drive a friend s NSX on local roads a few years back. It lives up to its hype: sublime steering, sharp handling, raucous engine and inevitable as death and taxes.
PORSCHE 911 Turbo S
11. Audi R8 V10 GT. The German interpretation of an Italian formula: high-tech aluminum space-frame chassis with a barking mad V10 engine. Five hundred-sixty horsepower never felt so right, and the cabin is roomy for a supercar. I tore up the streets of BGC and C-5 in one of three locally imported units. Memorable indeed.
12. Ford GT. The Ford GT is built like a racecar: tubular space-frame chassis wrapped by a sexy composite body in large cowls. No electronic aids save your foot. The Ford GT looks and feels daunting to drive. But at 250 kph, it s surprisingly well-behaved and benign. It is a living legend.
13. Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG. The attention that those gull-wing doors receive alone is enough for the price of admission as you step out onto a busy sidewalk. The SLS is fantastic to drive, and is superbly refined on long drives to boot. The German Gentleman s refined GT.
14. Chevrolet Corvette C6 ZO6. It s easy to dismiss the Corvette as all power and no poise, lumping it together with the likes of other muscle cars. But the Corvette is America s original sports car, and despite the massive grunt, also has the grace to move skillfully about. Plus the 7-liter V8 sounds like Armageddon on the highway.
PORSCHE 918 Spyder
15. Ferrari California T. The first modern turbocharged Ferrari is also the easiest to live with. But when Shell Ferrari F1 test-driver Esteban Guttierez as your chauffeur in Malaysia, the seemingly lazy Cali T takes on a totally different persona. Fast, comfortable and refined don t normally mix in the same breath as Ferrari but the
Cali T is amazingly all of the above.
16. E30 BMW M3. While the newer M3s are faster, more refined and more high-tech, the most alluring, most enticing and most desirable of all M3s (for me at least) is the original. The E30 M3 teaches you to rely on skills, patience and a good dose of cajones to wring out the absolute best from it. Few cars are as satisfying at an orgasmic level.
17. Mitsubishi Lancer Evo (IV-X). The Evo is dead, but it will not be forgotten. The Evo wasn t always the fastest in a straight line or on the track, but on real-world driving conditions, in adverse weather, and with people alongside of you, few cars are faster, and as easy to drive as the Evo.
18. Subaru Impreza WRX STI. Much as above, but with the left-field flat-four warble which brings about a new experience. The latest STI has torque-vectoring, which really pops out your eyeballs
19. Porsche Panamera Turbo S. My first four-door to attempt to break the 300-kph mark in the Autobahn near Stuttgart, Germany. The styling is polarizing, but the driving dynamics and the engine are truly golden.
20. BMW M5. The M5 spawned its segment, being the original brute in a suit. The latest V8 twin-turbo is superbly fast and surprisingly fuel-efficient on a long drive thanks to turbo power and actually looks sedate to the untrained eye. The perfect q-ship.
TOYOTA FJ Cruiser
21. BMW 1M. Another one of Munich s finest, the 1M should be a recipe for disaster: massive power in a short wheelbase. But BMW s boffins have instead created a fine-handling car with the reflexes of a bloodhound on the prowl! Feels much like a rally-rep, but only more refined, more tactile and better built.
22. Land Rover Defender 90. This is a real man s truck. It is the most tiring vehicle I ve ever driven, but also one of the most satisfying once you get it right. Practice your gear-shifting, don t rip your pants on the door latch getting in, and get used to the truck-like driving position. You ll be happy you made the effort.
23. Jaguar F-Type S. A real surprise for me, as its predecessors were more suited for comfortable high-speed cruising. The attest F-Type still the GT bit very well, but it s got amazing athleticism and driver connectivity missing from its predecessor. Lovely to drive, and the styling is unique.
24. Maserati Ghibli. Want a luxurious, refined and opulent luxury car but tired of the usual offerings? The Ghibli is your car. Amazing engine, amazing to drive and with the option of a diesel engine, amazingly fuel-efficient.
25. Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG. Think Mercedes-Benz, and you think of old people driving at a snail s pace from an era long-past. The E63 begs to disagree. Insanely fast, insanely fun to drive and amazingly responsive with a V8 soundtrack more suited to a muscle car. Velvet gauntlet indeed.
26. Honda Jazz. This is the one car that changed my perception on small cars. Versatile, fun and surprisingly quick, if not blindingly fast. I m a
dyed-in-the-wool fan of the Jazz, and always will be.
27. Toyota Vios Cup Car No. 5. My racecar at the inaugural Vios Cup race in early 2014, the Vios Cup car is a real racecar in every sense of the word, yet surprisingly benign, and amazingly handles well. The perfect first car for the average Juan is also the perfect first racecar for the newbie racer.
28. Mazda MX-5. The MX-5 is a car you run out of superlatives. It truly has soul, is sublime to drive, satisfying as any Porsche, Lamborghini, Ferrari or any other car that cost much more. Everyone should own an MX-5 at least once in their life.
29. Toyota FJ Cruiser (personal). Initially, I dismissed the FJ Cruiser as an odd-looking car that answers a question nobody asked. But after driving one through rough conditions, I was converted. The FJ points to today s motoring trends: 4 4, go-anywhere, ready for floods. And it s a icon.
30. Toyota Supra (personal). Of course, I can t mention the 30 best cars I ve driven without mentioning my own beloved Supra. It s the best, not because of its enormous power, impressive driving dynamics, sublime steering or great handling (I m working on all of those dynamic fronts at the moment), but because my Supra taught me to remain committed, to never give up, to learn, and to understand all of life s mysteries and my own car, which was previously problematic. Sometimes in life, you have to suck it up, roll with the punches, keep your head down, focus and learn as much as you can so you can be better, do better and finally succeed! In closing, if someone were to ask me which car I d be willing to add to my garage in this list aside from the cars I already own, I d have to pick the 911 Turbo S. Fast, practical, surprisingly fuel efficient, and it suits my driving style. But that s me. What is yours?
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