2016 Porsche Cayman GT4

The Cayman GT4 manages the neat trick of being both reassuringly familiar and radically different. Nobody with prior experience of any GT-badged 911 is going to be either offended or surprised by the way the über-ized Caymandrives, or the clinical competence with which it deals with the all-important business of being thrashed around a racetrack. Yet, within the rarefied world of Porsche’s GT division, the very fact that the Cayman doesn’t have its engine hung behind its rear axle is a ground-shaking departure from the norm. Then there’s its price tag: $85,595. That might seem like ludicrous money for a Cayman, but this is the cheapest GT-badged Porsche ever sold in America.

A PARTS-BIN SPECIAL

The GT4 development team made one critical decision—to give the car an engine from the mainstream side of the Porsche business. In this case, the 3.8-liter flat-six from the 911 Carrera S. Doing this enabled money to be spent on other areas, including giving the Cayman many of the same suspension components as the current 991 GT3. But it does mean an engine that, on paper, lacks some of the high-revving Götterdämmerung we’ve come to expect from a GT-level Porsche.

Just getting the engine into the Cayman required some engineering gymnastics, including turning it 180 degrees so it sits on the other side of the rear axle. Exhaust and intake systems are necessarily new, but the internals are unchanged, and the only other alteration is a lighter flywheel. Officially the GT4 has 385 horsepower—45 more than the Cayman GTS but 15 fewer than the same engine in the 911. But we’ve been assured that output figure represents the very least number of horses any GT4 will ever deliver, likely while climbing a mountain on a hot day.

HARDER EDGEYou’d struggle to improve on the rest of the mechanical specification. The really good news is the presence of a six-speed manual gearbox, proof that the GT3’s PDK didn’t find universal favor. Beyond that there’s a limited-slip differential, Porsche’s torque-vectoring system, and the firm’s active transmission mounts. The front suspension has been pretty much taken straight from the GT3, with the two cars sharing hub carriers, shim-adjustable control arms, and the same steering rack. The rear suspension is similarly beefed up, with ball-jointed links and “helper springs” to pre-tension the main springs. The GT4 sits on track-biased Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires, and the aerodynamic kit—which replaces the standard Cayman’s pop-up spoiler with a carbon-reinforced polymer wing that looks like it could shave a whale—develops actual downforce. The GT4 is a parts-bin special at heart, but what a bin.

Porsche took us to Portugal to drive the GT4, being keen for us to experience the car (and its aggressive tires) in warm, dry conditions. The company had also booked exclusive use of the very impressive, if little used, Autódromo Internacional Algarve in Portimão. Before that, however, there was the chance to drive the ultra-Cayman on some of the twisting inland roads that give the Algarve region much of its touristic charm, as well as an alarming percentage of its accident statistics.

The GT4 starts off doing a remarkable impression of the 991 GT3. Given the price disparity between the two cars (the GT3 starts at $131,395), this is a good thing. Yes, the mid-engine Cayman’s mass sits much farther forward than that of the 911, but at road speeds it generates so much mechanical grip that you don’t feel much difference beyond the fact that the GT4 is smaller and lighter, making it easier to place on the tight-fitting roads and giving it a greater enthusiasm for obeying directional inputs. The steering feels pretty much identical to the GT3’s—not too heavy, with a strong caster feel and delivering far more information than Porsche allows to pass through the electrical assistance of its regular cars.

The sweet-shifting manual gearbox delivers plenty of compensation. The engineering team acknowledges it’s not as quick as the PDK would have been, but we’d say that it’s at least 400 percent more involving, although—as in all Porsches—the gearing is still toweringly tall (second runs out at 81 mph). Sport mode also brings a rev-matching function if you’re not willing or able to do your own heel-and-toe downshifts.Against that, the engine is a slight disappointment. And we stress slight—the GT4 pulls harder than any other Cayman, sounds great while doing so, and delivers the sort of perfectly proportional throttle response that vindicates the decision to stand against the turbocharge-everything orthodoxy that’s sweeping the industry. But while it has plenty of midrange punch, it can’t come close to matching the GT3’s enthusiasm for revs. The Cayman’s fuel cut arrives at 7800 rpm—impressive by modern standards but pretty much exactly where the GT3’s engine starts to do its best work.

Predictably, the rest of the GT4 is far harder edged than even the Cayman GTS. The car we drove had optional fixed-back carbon-fiber bucket seats, which would probably start to bite hard after a couple of hours at the wheel, and the suspension never feels anything other than very firm (even with the switchable dampers in their default, softer setting). The upside is mighty body control even over broken road surfaces. And let’s be honest—if you’re looking for ride comfort, this probably isn’t the car for you.

NOT LIKE A PENDULUM

The track at Portimão has been cleverly designed to deliver big surprises. Although none as large as that handed to the taxpayers who helped fund the building of this vast elefante branco, which hosts little more than a round of the MotoGP championship when not being used by manufacturers or for track days. The course features a tough combination of corners and crests, several of which leave you facing an empty horizon and the knuckle-whitening hope that you’re going to find the apex where you expect it. That said, it’s also immediately clear that the GT4 is in its natural environment.

But the higher loads of track use also brought out a different side to the GT4’s character—it starts to feel mid-engined, in the same way you only really realize how much mass the GT3 carries at the back under really hard driving. The GT4 turns in more keenly than the 911, and feels more stable under hard braking, but it lacks the corner-exiting traction its big-assed sister can generate. Nor does it have the sensation of trying to steer a pendulum that the 911 delivers on the limit. It’s a less demanding car to drive hard, but it’s not less of a car for it. Even in very close proximity to its limits, the GT4 stays predictable and even playful; we ignored the official instruction to leave the stability control switched on and discovered that the Cayman is profoundly unscary even with it fully defeated. Grip fades progressively and slides are easily corrected or extended, according to individual preference.Most of what we learned on the road is true here, as well. The Cayman’s steering remains wonderfully accurate, its resistance to understeer near total. Even Portimão’s longer straights don’t make the car feel in any way slow, and the gearbox seems to work even better under the increased pressure of track use. We drove cars fitted with both steel and the optional carbon-ceramic brakes, with neither system showing any signs of wilting under the sort of use that would boil the brake fluid in most sports cars.

It’s tempting to see the GT4 as a little brother, yet in many ways it’s not. Its official Nürburgring Nordschleife time is 7:40, a respectful 15 seconds behind the 991 GT3’s. However, Porsche told us at that car’s launch that the 911 GT3’s active rear steering and PDK gearbox (neither of which is present here) together shaved more than 15 seconds off of its ’Ring time, meaning the GT4 is closer than you’d think.ENTER THE GATEWAY

The bigger mystery is why Porsche’s GT division—which has long proved capable of selling every car it makes and which has very limited production capacity—should have gone to the trouble to develop something cheaper rather than one of the familiar 911 variants, which would have had lines forming around the block. The answer, of course, is that the Cayman GT4 is a gateway drug, designed to introduce a whole new generation of potential addicts to one of the most expensive, and exciting, automotive addictions there is.

2015 Mercedes-Benz S550 4MATIC Coupe

As the technological leader of the Mercedes-Benz brand, the big coupes have sent us searching for superlatives for decades. The new S-class coupe is awesomer than ever. See? We’re still searching.

Built on a shortened version of the all-singing, self-driving S550’s bones, the S550 coupe is a stunner in person. There’s real presence here, from the lack of a B-pillar, to the chrome ring around the greenhouse, to the small chrome dots on the grille that look like the knobs on a dresser drawer. The S-class-based coupes have always drawn envious stares from men old enough to remember when personal luxury denoted two-doors with names like Toronado and Eldorado, but this Benz’s new styling had strangers of all ages eyeing it.

Personal luxury is just that—it’s personal. And, to that end, the S550 is a sublime car for the solo pilot. The structure is made up of welded stampings, just like other cars’, but the silence and solidity suggests forging. Not much disturbs the cabin. Wind noise is eerily absent. A slight hum from the wide tires is the only audible indication of motion. Only under extreme use does the 4.7-liter twin-turbo V-8 raise its voice. Even then, it emits only a 79-decibel snarl.

We couldn’t stop staring at the leather-lined interior. Most cabin pieces are shared with the S-class sedan, but the coupe receives a unique upper instrument panel. It’s a more playful design, as if Italians had been asked to redo the S-class’s interior. Our test car arrived with the optional Designo package ($3250) that wraps even more surfaces in leather. Add the Premium package’s massaging front seats and the Warmth and Comfort bundle’s heated seats, steering wheel, and armrests and you won’t want to get out. You’re putty in the S550 coupe. Just sit back and melt into the heat while the $6400 Burmester audio system plays whale sounds. Driving? You should probably park if you’re that relaxed, but the $2800 Driver Assistance gadgets mean the S550 coupe can practically drive itself. Back-seat riders might want to get out, though. There’s adequate space for two adults back there, but rear legroom is limited despite a long 115.9-inch wheelbase.

Not much upsets the serenity, even if you begin treating the 4761-pound Benz like a Mazda Miata. Cornering grip is good for something this large, at 0.92 g, and the handling is secure. The steering doesn’t serve up sports-car feel, but it is accurate even at triple-digit speeds. Acceleration is strong, but there is slight delay before the wick lights the 449-hp charge. Sprints to 60 mph take 4.5 seconds, four-tenths quicker than the rear-wheel-drive S550 sedan. Standard four-wheel drive makes for repeatable runs. Top speed is governed at 130 mph for U.S. versions, despite the Y-rated Goodyear Eagle F1 tires.

Mercedes-Benz certainly charges full price for its personal-luxury experience. Prices start at $120,825, but our test car cost $149,575. We’d suggest avoiding some of the more expensive options on our example, but if you can afford this car in the first place, we wouldn’t dream of denying you of your personal luxury.

Capsule Review: 2015 Ford Mustang V6

This is easy. We can skip the introduction. You know what this is, right?

Just in case, let’s be clear. This is a V6-engined, sixth-generation Ford Mustang. Newly released for the 2015 model year, all Mustangs have fled their truck-like ways in favour of an independent rear suspension. That’s just one of a number of factors that cause the new Mustang to feel more like a sports car than a traditional American muscle car, even in this basic form.

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• USD Price As-Tested: $27,505

• Horsepower: 300 @ 6500 rpm

• Torque: 280 lb-ft @ 4000 rpm

• Observed Fuel Economy: 19 mpg

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Much of the discussion surrounding the arrival of a new Mustang related to the availability of a mid-level four-cylinder EcoBoost engine, a turbocharged 2.3L with 310 horsepower and 320 lb-ft of torque which, when attached to a 6-speed automatic and drinking premium fuel, travels 21 miles per gallon in the city; 32 on the highway. This is not that car.

This 3.7L V6-powered car makes 10 fewer horsepower and generates 40 fewer lb-ft of torque. On regular fuel, it travels 19 miles per gallon in the city and 28 on the highway. In the U.S., upgrading from this engine to the EcoBoost costs $1500. The automatic transmission is an $1195 option.

Besides the 6-speed auto shifter, this car, loaned to us for a week by Ford Canada, was fitted with a couple grand in options: 18-inch wheels, a power driver’s seat with power lumbar support, a block heater, a security package, and backup sensors. At USD $27,505  as tested, it’s $5620 less than the least costly V8-engined Mustang GT.

In other words, a big monetary leap is required to earn the coveted 5.0 badge, enough of an increase in the initial outlay alone to think that the two ends of the Mustang spectrum – at least until special editions and Shelby models arrive – are scarcely geared toward the same buyer.

Therefore, resign yourself, as I did, to the fact that the car which showed up to replace a $50,000 minivan and $65,000 Audi in my driveway wasn’t a $40,000 Mustang but rather a $30,000 Mustang.

Was I better off as a result? I won’t go nearly that far, but the basic Mustang has a certain charm, a real-world affability, that rarely left me wanting more. Aside from, you know, a 5.0 badge, the accompanying 135 extra horsepower, and a 6-speed manual transmission.

But only on occasion. When did 300 horsepower become inadequate? A decade ago, one of my first reviews for my local paper’s Wheels section concerned a 4.6L, V8-powered Mustang with, you guessed it, 300 horsepower. Both this V6 and the decade-old V8 accelerate to 60 mph in slightly more than 5 seconds. The new V6 Mustang is less than 50 pounds heavier than that early fifth-gen car, puts its power down more effectively, and makes a fairly decent noise of its own.

Everything else about the latest Mustang? Also better. And there’s a part of me that wonders whether much of what makes the new Mustang so outstanding to drive is enhanced in this V6 car. It weighs nearly 200 pounds less than the V8, with much of that weight loss occurring at the front end. Would steering this delicious be so sweet when saddled with extra heft up front? I doubt it.

Keep in mind, the Mustang permits three different steering modes. The lightest Comfort setting is not in keeping with the car’s twisty road capability and the weightiest Sport setting seemed slightly unnatural to me.

Normal mode, on the other hand, is anything but normal: most other modern cars simply don’t offer up this level of connectivity, and while often precise and quick, they rarely allow your hands to comprehend just how precise and how quick their racks really are.

So the V6 is likely sufficient and the steering sets the Mustang apart, but does the car live up to its sporty billing? Undeniably. The Mustang V6 may even be aided by its dearth of performance add-ons – the performance packages available for the EcoBoost and GT aren’t even on the options sheet here. The potential degradation of ride quality caused by track-oriented equipment never crops up. Oh, it’s firm, but it’s not busy or crashy or beholden to its unsprung weight. Moreover, the soft 235/50R18 Michelin X-Ice tires are of an aspect ratio too pillowy to cause any harm to the Mustang V6’s ride.

Tied to a stiff structure, this is a suspension that copes with all that a road throws its way while also being tuned to accept inconsistent and even ham-fisted inputs from the driver. This basic Mustang isn’t a track bruiser, but driven in a semi-aggressive style on a great road, it’s engaging and capable enough to encourage further advancement toward its limits.

Dynamically, it’s a positively European-feeling car; not unlike Ford’s Fusion, Focus, and Fiesta in that respect. But there are undertones of American muscle that link this car to its predecessors and its most direct rival from Chevrolet. I give it credit on both accounts.

The 2015 Mustang isn’t perfect. Although the rear seat is decent for a car of this type (we threw in a front-facing Diono Radian RXT child seat with little difficulty) and the driver’s seat sits pleasantly low and is well-bolstered, front seat passengers couldn’t get comfortable because of the bolstering (their arms aren’t extended to a steering wheel but rather squeezed in the wrong places) and the small footwell. This basic Mustang’s SYNC system, while relatively straightforward, doesn’t use a touchscreen and isn’t a paragon of modernity. The screen for the backup camera is tiny. The overall interior design that earned so much initial applause is less whelming in this lesser guise.

Worst of all, the downshift paddle was literally coming apart at the seams. I was the first auto writer this Mustang visited on its press tour and I hardly used the paddles. After all, they only serve to control a 6-speed automatic transmission that doesn’t shift with the swiftness a sporty car deserves. Nevertheless, there it is, splitting in two. The upshift paddle remained in one piece but isn’t made of high quality plastic. I can’t imagine it will last.

Yet by a measure of many miles, I’d prefer to spend time in this Mustang than in a better-built Chevrolet Camaro, if in fact Camaros are more solidly constructed. The Mustang doesn’t have visibility issues; visibility is the Camaro’s achilles heel. The Mustang feels like it totes around 500 fewer pounds; it’s closer to a 200-pound differential. The Camaro handles with grip and sheer force as though handling is work, like a 9-to-5 job. The Mustang handles with the kind of effervescence we typically encounter in lightweight cars with two-thirds the power, as though handling is Friday night fun.

With added refinement and improved dynamics, it’s hard to imagine many ways in which the Mustang’s appeal could be broadened. I suppose they could add all-wheel-drive availability – gasp – but after spending much of my time with the 2015 Mustang V6 on snow-covered roads, I sincerely hope that the Mustang owner base takes advantage of every opportunity for on-demand tail-out action. Eschew traction. Embrace oversteer.

2016 McLaren 675LT fully revealed

McLaren's hot, new 675LT is a higher-performance variant of the 650S, and the LT portion of its name is derived from the wild 1997 F1 GT "Longtail" homologation special. That rare McLaren menaced the road with radically lengthened bodywork, racy aerodynamics, and a better power-to-weight ratio than the car on which it was based. The 675LT has two of those things, but its tail? Quite vestigial, we'd say.

In fact, the 675LT is just 1.5 inches longer than the 650S, and it appears a decent stretch of that extra length comes from the sports car's epic chin splitter. The rest goes to a slightly longer active rear spoiler that McLaren claims is 50 percent larger than the one fitted to the 650S. McLaren says that a "focus on outright performance, weight reduction, and ultimate levels of driver engagement" define a Longtail, so maybe we're just being too literal. That said, the mighty F1 GT Longtail got more tail—the car was a full 25 inches longer than the regular F1—not to mention a full aero kit that entirely altered the supercar's visuals.

Setting aside the 675LT's length issue, there's little question it'll be an epic thing to drive. The 650S on which it is based is no slouch, and McLaren says it swapped out more than a third of that car's parts to reduce weight and increase power. Standout visual differences include a louvered plexiglass rear window; a contoured, P1-like rear fascia with thin horizontal LED taillights and two big titanium exhaust outlets; a plethora of extra scoops and vents; and a carbon-fiber aerodynamics package. The 675LT is 220 pounds lighter than the 650S, thanks to the plastic rear window, additional carbon-fiber body panels, a redesigned exhaust system, and carbon-fiber seat shells.

The same twin-turbocharged 3.8-liter V-8 bolted between the 650S's rear wheels is present here, but McLaren massaged it for an extra 25 horsepower and 16 lb-ft of torque. While the car's name is drawn from its 675 metric power, we tabulate its might as 666 devilish horsepower and 516 lb-ft of torque. With less McLaren to haul around, the V-8 punches the 675LT to 62 mph in a claimed 2.9 seconds—0.1 quicker than McLaren's stated time for the 650S—and on to a top speed of 205 mph. The LT uses the 650S's seven-speed dual-clutch automatic, and power is still routed to the pavement through the rear wheels.

2015 Chevy Corvette Z06 Road Test

Quick Summary
Wicked power. Endless grip. Fantastic brakes. Functional aerodynamics. If that were all the 2015 Chevy Corvette Z06 offered it would still be a winner, but it also has the same superb ride quality as the normal Corvette, which makes it a class leader by a country mile. If the new Z06 was wearing anything other than a Chevy badge, it would be twice the price.

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See 2015 Chevrolet Corvette Inventory in Your Area

Build and Price Your Car MSRP from $54,000

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What Is It?
The 2015 Z06 starts with the superlative platform of the new Corvette Stingray and turns every knob to 11. The normal Corvette has a 6.2-liter V8 that makes up to 460 horsepower and 465 pound-feet of torque. For the Z06, Chevy added a supercharger to the 6.2-liter V8 that pushes output to 650 hp and 650 lb-ft of torque.

To help wrangle all that power, Chevy added ultra-fat (285/30ZR19 front, 335/25ZR20 rear) tires that required widening the fenders by more than 2 inches up front and more than 3 in back. Beyond the less-than-obvious width increase, the Z06 also gets additional external changes including a unique front splitter, spats by the front wheels that lead into black fender extenders, larger side vents, and a hood and rear spoiler made from carbon fiber. Interior changes are minimal, a flat-bottom steering wheel with a "Z06" logo being one of the only noticeable upgrades.

What Body Styles and Trim Levels Are Available?
The 2015 Chevy Corvette Z06 is available as coupe (with removable roof) and, for the first time ever, as a convertible. Pricing for the coupe starts at $79,990, while the convertible starts at $84,990. A slick seven-speed manual transmission is standard, while the eight-speed automatic adds $1,725 to the price.

Like the Corvette Stingray on which it's based, the Z06 is available in three trim levels: 1LZ, 2LZ and 3LZ. The differences here are mostly to do with interior trim and options. The 3LZ trim comes with napa leather seating, navigation, Chevy's Performance Data Recorder and the highest price tag. More important and interesting, however, is one line-item on the options chart, the Z07 Performance package.

This $7,995 option transforms the already racy 2015 Z06 into a track-ready beast that will run with any street car in the world. At any price. From any manufacturer.

Additions include functional aerodynamic enhancements that produce downforce you can actually feel, a stiffer suspension and carbon-ceramic brakes the size of cymbals (15.5 inches up front). A set of ultra-stickyMichelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires are also part of the package. They're so close to slicks, a Michelin rep told us that they're counting on Chevy and dealers to warn people about using them around standing water.

How Does the Base Z06 Drive?
The base C7 Z06 with a manual transmission is remarkably civil. As with the Stingray, if you keep to a reasonable speed with the standard magnetorheological suspension in Comfort mode, the Z06 loafs along, barely above idle, cruising over road imperfections as if they're not even there. Road noise is minimal, wind noise nonexistent. It's not twitchy and on edge, goading you into driving like a lunatic the way a Porsche 911 GT3 or the last-generation Chevy Z06 does. The C7 Z06 is restrained until you want it not to be and then...whoa.

Engage Track mode, punch the gas and try to remember that a death grip on the wheel isn't doing anyone any good.

You hear the supercharger whine, the exhaust changes from a muted whoosh to an open-mouthed belch and the traction control light flashes what we can only assume is Morse Code for "650 horsepower through the rear wheels and you went full throttle?" With the manual, 1st gear is just a smokescreen generator. With a smart shift, 2nd hooks up and rockets you past 90 mph. Bang it into 3rd and hang on. With hot tires there's no wheelspin as you think about how decent a life you've lived as 120 mph rolls on by.

When it comes to cornering, like the Stingray, the Z06 is pointy. There's no steering delay and the nose goes where you point it the millisecond you ask it to. The difference is that with nearly 200 more horses, things happen faster. With Chevy's genius traction management turned off, the base Z06 takes a delicate right foot and quick hands to stay straight. Unsurprisingly, it can get a little loose. Keep the system on.

Adding to the trickiness, the Z06 comes with steel brakes that simply aren't up to the task of keeping the Z06 in check. On a short loop at Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch that saw top speeds in the low 130s, we experienced brake fade on the first hot lap, which is a disappointment. The Z07's carbon-ceramic discs would make a great upgrade, but aren't available on the base car.

Though this isn't the fastest way around a racetrack, it's so much more exciting than anything else you can get for $80,000. Alive and responsive, frightening but controllable, this could be our favorite Corvette ever.

How Much Difference Does the Z07 Package Make? 
The Z07 package takes all of that speed potential and adds the brakes, aerodynamics and tires the Z06 so desperately wants. The result is a car with videogame-like manners. More speed means more downforce means more grip means better cornering. Couldn't get back on the power soon enough at exit? Who told you to slow down so much going in? Front end got squirrely at that corner entry? Go faster.

Every bit of the Z07 echoes this ethos. The giant carbon-ceramic brakes are unflappable. The liquid in your inner ears will fail before they do. The Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2s are racecar tires in disguise. The automatic transmission is an outstanding track-day secret weapon that should be banned by any sane regulating body. Yes, the automatic Z06 is the fastest Corvette you can buy.

On the road, the eight-speed is fine for cruising, but can be jerky at very low speeds, fails to respond to manual inputs well and times out of its more aggressive sport modes far too early. On the track, however, the 8AT is as close to perfect as we've experienced.

Ignore the paddles, stick the thing in Drive, turn the dial to Track and go set the fastest lap of your life. The transmission, talking to all of the other sensors in the car, knows what you're doing and predicts without fail when to hold gears, when to upshift and exactly how quickly it needs to downshift. Go boot up Forza, select your favorite high-dollar exotic and race in fully automatic mode. It's like that but better.

On the track we were some 20 mph faster through certain corners and on the road, there are no sacrifices beyond a lower top speed and the fuel efficiency hit that the aero and tires will ultimately cause. The only downside is the Z07 car makes it almost too easy: Endless grip, flawless brakes, predictable electronics. Who needs experience?

What Is the Interior Like?
The Z06's interior is exactly like that of the Corvette Stingray. The only difference is a small plaque that tells you how much horsepower and torque the Z06 makes, and a flat-bottomed steering wheel that says "Z06" on it.

Like the Stingray, the Z06 is available with either the touring seats or the more aggressive competition seats. We like the look of the Competition seats better, but found they can be a little tight in the shoulders and we're disappointed that they don't sit lower than the normal seats.

In a car like the Z06 where a driver has a high chance of wearing a helmet, we'd like to see more headroom available. We also noticed on Z07-equipped cars that both seats rocked forward slightly on hard deceleration.

What Kind of Unique Safety Features Does It Have?
The 2015 Z06 is a road car and has everything you'd expect like antilock brakes, a back-up camera, a host of airbags and GM's OnStar suite of emergency services. And with this motor, we're going to lump Chevy's magical Performance Traction Management (PTM) into the safety category.

PTM is what makes it possible for a mainstream company to sell a 650-hp rear-drive car to normal people. When fully engaged, PTM allows a whiff of wheelspin, even under full throttle. Even midcorner. As you get more comfortable with the way the car behaves, there are a handful of more advanced modes that require you to know what you're doing, but simply help the car put down the power. In the focused Track modes, it's clever enough for the driver to go full-throttle at the apex, steer toward the exit and let PTM figure out the traction. It's not as fun as sliding around like a lunatic, but it is way faster.

What Are Its Closest Competitors?
Dodge Viper: The bad boy among bad boys. The Dodge Viper was finally forced to add traction control, but it's still a beast. The 8.4-liter V10 now makes 645 hp and 600 lb-ft of torque. The only transmission is a six-speed manual, and the most advanced traction control available is the one that links your brain and right foot. In a comparison test against a Z51-equipped Corvette Stingray, the Viper barely eked out a victory on the track. After a massive price drop, the Viper now starts at $86,990.

Nissan GT-R Nismo: The Nismo might be the final iteration of this generation of Nissan GT-R, and, boy, is it a doozie. The Nissan's twin-turbo 3.8-liter V6 makes 600 hp and 481 lb-ft of torque, and that's delivered to the pavement through all four wheels. Add the upgraded suspension and aerodynamic tweaks and the $150,000 price doesn't seem so bad. Unless you compare it to the Z06.

Porsche 911 GT3: Call it the gentleman's racer if you must, but Porsche managed a real feat with the new GT3. Porsche squeezed 475 hp from a naturally aspirated 3.8-liter six-cylinder, and the GT3 does zero to 60 in 3.3 seconds. Not bad for a car that's made for racetracks, not straight lines. Prices start around $150,000.

Why Should You Consider This Car?
You want a car that'll get you to the track comfortably and then whoop everybody out there. Horsepower doesn't scare you, but being boring does.

Why Should You Think Twice?
The 2015 Chevy Corvette isn't subtle. It shouts its performance potential from the rooftops and looks every bit the part of almost-racecar. That's not everyone's bag.

Edmunds attended a manufacturer-sponsored event, to which selected members of the press were invited, to facilitate this report.

2015 Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe Nighthawk

The last time we reviewed a Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe, it was 2009, and none other than P.J. O’Rourke wrote an enlightened piecefull of magnificently qualified praise for the glittery land yacht, with cheeky nods to the people who buy them. We certainly won’t attempt to match O’Rourke’s sage perspective, social insights, and penchant for literary flourish. But we can tell you about the new Phantom Drophead Coupe “Nighthawk”, one of nine produced exclusively for the U.S. market, and how it feels to drive it in an area of the country where the car is even more in its element than O’Rourke’s New Hampshire ’hood: Los Angeles.

STEERING CLEAR OF TMZ

The car hasn’t changed a bit since 2009, at least mechanically, which is why we didn’t bother retesting it. Unless the laws of physics have changed, the 5800-plus-pound cabriolet probably still hits 60 mph in about five and a half seconds, still negotiates corners with roughly 0.76 g of lateral grip, and comes to a halt from 70 mph in 177 feet give or take.

As for driving it today, being at the helm of a three-ton, $570,000 beast as it lists like the Costa Concordia on Mulholland Drive’s notorious S-curves can be pretty terrifying. It’s all about the consequences: Put a wheel off in the Rolls and you’ll make the evening news. Or worse, TMZ.

BORN FOR THE BOULEVARD

And so, this baller Roller is happiest when wafting along PCH or one of L.A.’s famous boulevards at a prudent pace. It is there that one notices the eerie, mausoleum-like quietude with which the Rolls-Royce glides along, as if in its own cone of silence. We’re moving, but is there a V-12 underhood? The top is down, but where are the wind and tumult? We see cracks and expansion joints, visible just beyond the famous Spirit of Ecstasy, but were they suddenly filled by the time our tires reached them? The Drophead Coupe feels as utterly disengaged from the road as its customers feel to the bourgeoisie, which is entirely appropriate, as there’s comfort in isolation.

Unless you live in Beverly Hills, Monte Carlo, or perhaps West Palm Beach, a Phantom sighting is rare. But alas, we encountered no fewer than three other Phantom Drophead Coupes during our 72-hour tryst. That’s where Bespoke comes in.

“BESPOKE”—NOT JUST AN ADJECTIVE ANYMORE

In Rolls’ lexicon, Bespoke is not just an adjective, it’s a division, and its sole purpose is to do things that can’t be done from the company’s conventional list of can-dos—some $62,350 worth of them appear on the Nighthawk. Specifically, these include seat piping ($3375), special wood veneer ($6710), and contrasting RR monograms on the headrests ($1450). And there’s a flat charge of $44,115 for the Diamond Black “matt” (sic) paint applied to the hood, windshield surround, and grille surround; the full carbon-fiber dashboard, dials, and clock face; and the leather-lined trunk and leather-covered driveshaft hump. Plus a $3400 charge for the privilege of ordering Bespoke interior stuff in the first place. All that is in addition to the veneered steering-wheel spokes ($1025), heated rear bench ($1450), black headliner ($1650), and seven-spoke 21-inch wheels ($9875) that are on the regular options list. All together, the extras swelled the Phantom Drophead Coupe’s $484,875 base price to $569,600. The bourgeoisie need not apply.

A word about the matte finish on the hood and windshield surround: It’s the same Diamond Black Metallic as the gloss paint, only it’s not shiny. It is sheeny, though, and we’re not sure it works that well: Up close it looks great, but from 10 paces, it almost looks as if the car had been left outside since the Nixon administration, or the butler waxed the hood in the dark.

READY FOR ITS CLOSE-UP

Admittedly, though, the Nighthawk turned out rather fabulous, even by Rolls-Royce standards. The Nighthawk’s black-on-black over black-and-red color scheme fit right in to the exotic-car parade that is Sunset Boulevard on a Saturday night, it appears a touch crass for an afternoon lunch on Rodeo Drive, and it is suitably glamorous swinging open its coach-style doors at the Hollywood Bowl—and we experienced all three. But where it felt perhaps most at home was creeping around the Hollywood Center Studios lot, to which—after a few phone calls—we were graciously granted access on a Sunday morning for our photo shoot. (It’s all about who you know in this town.)

Indeed, if there is any car in the world that can make someone feel like an A-list movie star, it’s a Phantom Drophead Coupe. With that in mind, we imagine our visit re-created an oft-spied scene at the studio over its near-century in business: a Rolls-Royce perched just outside the huge barn doors of the lot’s numerous sound stages, at times mixing it up with production trucks, stage hands, and forklifts. We saw no movie stars, at least none that were suitable to command a car like this, yet it was all very Hollywood—because it was Hollywood. With respect to our friend Mr. O’Rourke and those who drive a Phantom Drophead Coupe anywhere else in the world, Los Angeles is where this car belongs.

Bentley Mulsanne Speed (2015) review

► We drive the new go-faster Mulsanne
► 530bhp 6.8-litre twin-turbo V8
► Full CAR magazine review

It’s hard not to think that the Bentley Mulsanne Speed is for a person a bit like Augustus Gloop, Roald Dahl’s greedy nincompoop.

For this hand-built paragon to lives filled with Golden Tickets now seems at the vanguard of gluttony: a standard 505bhp Mulsanne just not enough lavish sustenance? Then for about £23,000 more, why not tuck into a Speed version with 25bhp extra, some discreet badges on the flanks and a more oily-looking grille? On the surface, the exercise seems gratuitous.

What do you get on the Bentley Mulsanne Speed (2015)?

Like Gloop, each Speed is mollied and coddled to a degree beyond nth: 400 people take 298 hours to build it, the car is hand-polished with lamb’s wool for 12 hours before leaving the factory, there are 120 colour options to choose from (some with gold in them).

But beneath the heavily buffed surface something more is stirring. Alongside that fairly insignificant power increase, an additional swell of torque has been hubbled and bubbled into existence, so the Speed delivers 811lb ft to the rear wheels. That’s like lashing three-and-a-bit Golf GTIs together; only the Veyron offers more shove. This has been achieved with revised combustion chambers, intake ports, injectors and spark plugs, while in Sport mode snappier gear ratios, stiffer air suspension settings and heavier steering have been configured to help deal with the additional surge.

On the road: CAR magazine's Mulsanne speed review

When switching the Speed on, it just rolls away, heading in the direction you have prescribed for it as though on a river of molten chocolate. There can be few cars for which motion is inherent – often they come to a stop when you stop – but the Speed, with its twin-turbo motor plodding along, seems to create its own gravity.

This is ideal for a chauffeur spiriting occupants about without fuss but it has been created to be driven harder too. Bentley’s customers are now younger and more demanding of drama, and for those who are captain of their own ship the firm reckons this is the fastest luxury saloon on the planet and a more focused driver’s car. 

Fast, too, I guess?

Certainly pieces of the planet became very small, very quickly, including a two-mile runway, which was swallowed in the blink of an eye with unbridled 170mph avarice. That said, the three-tonne Speed and its girded loins has to doff its cap to Earth’s forces in corners, though it’s capable and swift if you adopt an old-fashioned slow-in, fast-out approach.

Thing is, such is the stately comportment in the cabin that the Speed doesn’t feel especially speedy. Even the force pushing you into the seat is more akin to a Labrador sitting on you in your favourite armchair, and while there is some distant retort from the new rifled exhausts, the 14 cows that died to cocoon the interior did not expire in vain – it’s a hide cacoon of the very highest calibre. 

Verdict

So by any common criteria the Speed struggles to make a case. Yet it sits in the pantheon of the sublime and the ridiculous. As Willy Wonka said of the man who got everything he wanted: he lived happily ever after. And he probably drives a Bentley Mulsanne Speed.

Statistics

How much?	£252,000
On sale in the UK:
Engine:	6752cc 32v twin-turbo V8, 530bhp @ 4200rpm, 811lb ft @ 1750rpm
Transmission:	Eight-speed automatic, rear-wheel drive
Performance:	4.9sec 0-62mph, 190mph, 19.3mpg, 342g/km CO2
How heavy / made of?	2685kg/steel, aluminium
How big (length/width/height in mm)?	5575/1926/1521

Ratings

Handling	3 out of 5
Performance	5 out of 5
Usability	4 out of 5
Feelgood factor	5 out of 5
CAR's Rating	4 out of 5