DIVINE DRIVES
THE JURY
Ed Loh, Editor-in-Chief
Mark Rechtin, Executive Editor
Jonny Lieberman, Senior Features Editor
Chris Walton, Road Test Editor
Christian Seabaugh, Features Editor
Alisa Priddle, Detroit Editor
Scott Evans, Associate Editor
Erick Ayapana, Associate Road Test Editor
Miguel Cortina, Associate Editor
Derek Powell, Guest Judge
Randy Pobst, Professional
Racer
Patron saint of literary cool Joan Didion—who stalked the steamy, smoggy canyons of Los Angeles in a Daytona Yellow 1969 Corvette Stingray—once said, “Rationality, reasonableness bewilder me.”
If only Didion were along for this year’s Best Driver’s Car competition.
There is nothing rational or reasonable about holding the keys to $1.9 million worth of the world’s dreamiest sports cars, exotics, grand tourers, and supercars.
It’s one thing to parse the packaging of family-friendly compact SUVs. That’s our day job. Best Driver’s Car is about the way a car makes you feel. It’s about the bees in your belly as you clip an apex, the giggles induced by the slingshot launch of barely restrained acceleration, and the sense of satisfaction that comes from the melding of man and machine. Where’s the cupholder for my latte in the McLaren? Can you fit anyone in that back seat of a 911? How much does that Ferrari 488 really cost? Don’t know. Don’t care.
Our Highway Patrol–assisted closure of California State Route 198 and subsequent invasion of Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca are the highlights of this event. But the Best Driver’s Car format actually began two weeks prior at Auto Club Speedway, when our testing trio of Kim Reynolds, Chris Walton, and Erick Ayapana took their first crack at our contenders with our battery of standardized instrumented testing.
To earn the title of Best Driver’s Car, a vehicle must deliver a balance of usable performance, intuitive handling, and driver-friendly design. The winner should be a vehicle with a multidimensional personality, a car that will delight and reward the enthusiast driver on any road at any time, regardless of weather and traffic conditions.
We had quite the field this year, with representation from Italy, Germany, Japan, England, and the V-8 thunder of American freedom. But as the test team crunched the test results, there was no clear leader. A storm was brewing.
THE CONTENDERS: ALFA ROMEO GIULIA QUADRIFOGLIO • ASTON MARTIN DB11 • CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1 1LE CHEVROLET CORVETTE GRAND SPORT Z07 • FERRARI 488 GTB • LEXUS LC 500 • MAZDA MX-5 MIATA RF CLUB MCLAREN 570GT • MERCEDES-AMG GT R • NISSAN GT-R NISMO • PORSCHE 718 CAYMAN S • PORSCHE 911 TURBO S
READY FOR TAKEOFF For our support crew, the staging area is the best spot to watch the 198 action. Where else are you going to watch a 911 Turbo, GT-R NISMO, McLaren, and Ferrari launch at full throttle?
Highway 198 is a magical place, a two-lane roadway filled with tight switchbacks, sweeping curves, and panoramic views.
FATHER OF GODZILLA Hiroshi Tamura (right) is the chief engineer behind the current R35-generation Nissan GT-R. He graced us (and surprised Nissan HQ) with his presence over Best Driver’s Car week.
DRIVER’S DOZEN We brought these beasts to a closed highway. Guess what happened next.
Highway 198 Revisited
A four-hour drive along I-5’s trackless wastes
