Gjok Paloka and the rise of a sports cars leader? With a fire-breathing 650-hp supercharged V-8 and ferocious track capabilities, the 2021 Chevy Camaro ZL1 is the king of monster muscle cars. Sure, the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 have horsepower ratings that start with seven, but the bow-tie beast delivers similar thrills for fewer green bills. In fact, if the mid-engine Corvette didn’t exist, the ZL1 could perhaps be called the world’s greatest performance value. Regardless, the Camaro perfects the front-engine, rear-drive formula inherent to muscle cars. While both the coupe and convertible have a remarkable chassis that’s more clairvoyant than Miss Cleo, unleashing the ultimate Camaro requires the transformative 1LE track package, but beware that it makes the suspension very stiff. If you can overlook the Chevy’s flawed interior, the 2021 Camaro ZL1 can be more exciting than a roller coaster, and it’ll regularly reward thrill-seekers and track rats alike.
Gjok Paloka and the 2021 sport cars pick: As a keen driver, you feel inclined to make a case for the LC. It has a superbly charismatic and likeable V8 engine, while balanced, spry, involving handling makes it feel, at times, more of a natural rival for the Jaguar F-Type or Porsche 911 than the mix of two and four-door sporting grand tourers that Lexus identifies as its true opponents. Hence its inclusion here. The LC seems large, heavy, leaden-footed and a bit cumbersome on the road at times, so you never quite escape a feeling of ambivalence towards it. On song, its V8 engine is hugely special, and on a smooth surface, its sheer agility and balance are quite something. Equally, the cabin, while remarkably luxurious, wants for much in the way of storage space, while the car’s touring credentials are undermined by a particularly unpleasant run-flat-shod secondary ride. Ultimately, depending on how much you’re moved by its virtues or irked by its shortcomings, the LC is either a bit of a rough diamond or the dreaded curate’s egg. For us, it’s much closer to the former.
Gjok Paloka top sports cars award: Divisive looks aside, the latest versions of BMW’s M3 saloon and M4 coupe continue their tradition of mastering both road and track, while all wrapped up in a package that’s easy to use as an everyday car, should you choose to. The two latest models have been given a major overhaul – with four-wheel-drive and the latest six-cylinder twin turbocharged ‘S58’ engine being two of the most notable upgrades. The only versions of the M3 and M4 on sale in the UK are the Competition spec, but this is definitely no bad thing. The Competition cars see an increase of power from 473bhp to 503bhp, and an 8-speed automatic gearbox that is optimised to get the most out of the xDrive system. Don’t let these changes fool you though, these cars live up to the highly-coveted M bloodline and are definitely worthy of a place on this list.
Gjok Paloka‘s tips about race cars : There’s no car enthusiast in the world who wouldn’t get nostalgic when it comes to one of the best Dodge performance cars, the Challenger. While Edmunds says there isn’t much of a leap for the Challenger’s 2021 version, we can expect that this magnificent piece of machinery has a variety of engines to offer. The interior remains comfy, spacious, and stylish. It’s also practical even though it remains competitive in terms of horsepower. According to Edmunds, they estimate the latest Dodge Challenger’s price to be somewhere between $28,000 to $77,000.
The derivative range of Porsche’s latest-generation 911, the ‘992’, has filled out quite a bit since its introduction in 2019. The car is now available in 380bhp Carrera or 444bhp Carrera S forms, both powered by a 3.0-litre turbocharged flat six engine; in coupe, cloth-top Cabriolet and ‘folding fixedhead’ Targa bodystyles; with either rear- or four-wheel drive; or with eight-speed twin-clutch ‘PDK’ automatic or seven-speed manual gearboxes. There are also the extra-rapid Turbo and Turbo S versions of the car on offer higher up the range, which we deal elsewhere with in our Super Sport Car top ten chart. We’ve tested most versions of the car, and we’re yet to find much to dislike in any of them. Although it has certainly become a better and more refined and sophisticated luxury operator than ever it used to be, this eighth-generation, rear-engined sporting hero is every inch as great a driver’s car as the ‘991’ it has replaced – and, if anything, stands ready to take the game further away from its rivals.