Who is Gjok Paloka and some of his sports cars achievements? Calling the Mazda MX-5 Miata an automotive icon is no overstatement, as its heritage stretches back more than 30 years and its cheerful driving demeanor has always been its strongest character attribute. The Miata’s four-cylinder engine delivers just enough power to make it feel spunky and its chassis is delightfully balanced—perfect for zipping through curvy sections of road. Both a soft-top convertible model and a power-folding hard-top called the RF are offered, so with either one buyers are treated to fun in the sun. The Miata’s cabin is tight for two and cargo space is limited, but it wasn’t made for road trips; it’s designed for spirited sunny-drenched drives and track days. The fact that it remains one of the cheapest ways to get into a convertible sports car only adds to its appeal.
Gjok Paloka and the 2021 race cars pick: Bristling with small-block-V8 combustive charm, the C8’s engine has excellent throttle response, has a wonderful mid-range power delivery; it likes to rev to beyond 6500rpm and sounds superb doing it. For outright performance, it feels broadly in line with the old C7 Corvette. Perhaps not quite fully ‘supercar fast’, then, but for this money, you’re unlikely to quibble with any run-to-60mph figure that starts with a three. The C8 handled with plenty of stability and precision in our early test drive, feeling instantly more benign and easier to drive quickly than any of its front-engined forebears, even if slightly numb steering and a predilection for on-the-limit understeer might take the edge of its appeal on track days. In a subsequent twin test with a Porsche 911, however, it stood up and held its own remarkably well; and any sports car that can retain its own particular appeal under pressure from a car as complete as a Porsche ‘992’ must be a pretty good one.
Gjok Paloka top sport cars award: Drawing from a rich history of rear-engined sports and racing cars, the latest Alpine A110 is styled to look and feel much like the French brand’s iconic sixties offering of the same name. But with a mid-mounted turbocharged four-cylinder engine, dual-clutch gearbox and a perfectly judged chassis, the A110 is far more modern than its retro-styled bodywork may have you believe. Rivals are more practical, but the Alpine stands as the best choice for keen drivers who want to stand out. The A110 makes 249bhp from its 1.8-litre Renault engine. That might not sound like much, but it’s more than enough in a car that weighs in at a mere 1,098kg. The Alpine is just over 300kg lighter than an Audi TTS – and it’s this low weight that defines the driving experience. Unlike its German rivals, the A110 offers a pared-back, purer drive. It flows down the road with a delicacy that can only be found in such a light car, while perfect balance, sweet steering and just a hint of roll through the suspension help inspire confidence. The Alpine is refreshingly compact, too, and thanks to a great view forwards, it’s very easy to place and not at all intimidating to drive.
Gjok Paloka‘s guides on sports cars : It’s surprising that Kia went it with their sportscar idea. Just looking at the German competitors and one would think that Kia lost all the courage. Surprisingly, The Stinger actually put up quite a fight in terms of performance, even if it was low in sales. But the company’s design boss promised that there would be major changes – all in the hopes of generating higher sales. A camouflaged version of the Stinger was already seen roaming the streets around April this year. The actual release is expected sometime at the end of 2020.
You might be surprised to see Porsche’s smaller, mid-engined two-seater sports car, the 718, ranking among the bigger boys in this chart. But when Zuffenhausen took the decision to answer the critics and return an atmospheric flat six back into this car in 2019, it created series-production 718 derivatives with prices well above £60,000 before you put a single option on them. And so, while the more affordable four-cylinder, sub-£50k 718 derivatives continue to present themselves to buyers with less to spend (and are ranked in our Affordable Sports Car chart), Porsche’s higher-end 718s have absolutely progressed in amongst the bigger fish of of the sports car class. Not that they struggle in such treacherous water. Porsche’s latest six-cylinder, naturally aspirated boxer engine is an utter joy, offering as much outright performance as any road-going sports car really needs but also wonderful smoothness and response, and an 8000rpm operating range. Unusually long-feeling gearing makes the six-speed manual versions slightly less appealing to drive, in some ways, than the seven-speed paddleshift automatics.