McLaren is a young company that has created an absolutely world-class junior supercar. It has a 570 horsepower engine, which is ridiculous for its power output. There's nothing around it that can match what it does. I think it's finished where it probably deserved. If you look about the difference in price between it and the 911, yeah, I feel bad for it - six figures differ between them. It's like they're different beasts.

I think we can justify the prices because of McLaren's differences. They're phenomenal cars. We have two cars in second place or third place as you prefer, which means the Ferrari 488 GTB last year's winner in this contest came within a whisker of retaining its title. Oh, I love this car! It just wants you to have so much fun. It has a great engine, the best gearbox here, and the most liberated mid-engine chassis in the business - it's fabulous. Equal with the Ferrari is the McLaren 675 Longtail. Now, this is one of a few cars here that is built in very limited numbers.

Should they exclude them from the contest? Well, answers on a postcard, all we know is that we set out to test the best sports cars of the year, and the longtail unequivocally is one of them. It's the fastest here; it has masses of integrity, and it feels like it could lap at speed all day long. I know what I'd have - and it's got a Ferrari badge! What would you have? I'd have the McLaren big because I think it's just enough better as a road car. Better steering, easier to place; it's sensational. But I think Ferrari takes itself a bit less seriously.

It does what it does well, but that's not all - it really good proper hardcore driving start and then does, giving you something to work on. You know, it sort of says, 'No, I'm not easy to drive.' That's the kind of challenge it has to be hard to drive. I think it keeps you interested for longer if sets you a bit of a challenge. But I don't know - does it just want to make you look brilliant? Go on! Make you go and chuck it around like a Toyota GT86 - that's absurd for a mid-engine Ferrari with two turbo i going, take your point about the Ferrari.

But I think the Italia did it better than the 488 on that front - yeah, absolutely. The 4 got a chassis and a half; I thought the SC area was brilliant and the Italia was even better; the special was off the scale! And I do admit that the Ferrari is is a better track car narrowly.

The remarkable thing about the longtail for me is just how able it is - how able it is to go and perform at such a high level, but the McLaren does not grab you by the scruff and say, 'Just drive me!' Our winner is the Porsche 911R.

The remarkable thing about the 911R is all of the best bits about a GT3 or GT3 RS 911 - it's got the engine, the gearbox, the chassis - everything that makes a great sports car. But owing to its manual gearbox, it is just way more engaging as a road and circuit car. We're pleased delighted happy to announce that the Porsche 911R is autocar's Britain's best driver's car of 2016.

Fantastic car; great on the road for my money; phenomenal on the track - engine superb! It's just a lovely thing, you know. The only disappointment about the fact that it did is one is because it feels so cynical to me. I mean, it's the car everybody wants in the first place - yes, you want a manual gearbox, you want GT3 chassis with GT3 engines. Just make it, just make that in the first place, because that's what people would like clearly, because people want to pay 800,000 quid for it.

Just make it and get on with it! Don't be cynical, that should have been a done deal, five years ago. Yeah, yeah - exactly. And that really annoys me. So, it's brilliant - I don't doubt it's brilliant. It's not off the scale different to GT3 or GT3; it's just the car you'd want.

It does everything that you know most of the rest of these cars are brilliant at something and that just does absolutely everything you want from a sports car. I think - um, you know - it's got the sort of tactility in the McLarens and the balance of the Ferrari and the road manners of the Jaguar. And it's got all the sort of theatricality. It just has to be the best driver's car here, doesn't it? Doesn't matter what it cost!

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: engreetings pop Pickers and welcome to the finale the countdown the Reckoning of autocar's Britain's best driver car 2016 now we've been doing this contest every year for more than a quarter of a century we take the best new sports cars we've driven each year put them all together and see blondly which is the most fun to drive here then is the Roundup and the reasoning in 11th place is BMW M4 GTS a car I think should be placed rather higher because on track it reminds me of the Mercedes C63 Black Series but each of our testers get to vote and as we have discovered so often recently not everybody likes the way democracy works but on a track trust me the M4 GTS is a fabulous car yeah well that was pretty clear to me straight away when I drove it that the suspension was a very trick and complicated bit of Kit and uh if you bought one you'd spend years and years messing about with the suspension on track days and probably never find what you thought was the perfect setting but needed was was you know was a lift and every spanner in the exactly yeah it feels like a racing go to me I think is great turns in well loads of loads I like the old black series you know in fact if it was a better Road car it would do it would have done what the Black Series did here six seven years ago which is nearly win the M4 GTS is beaten by Ford's Focus RS now we did consider bringing a Volkswagen Golf GTI Club sport s along to this contest but in the end we reckoned the Focus RS was still the hot hatch to beat I think you just fog a club sport s to death wouldn't you but it's always about the front end and managing the front end whereas whereas that's quite involving and quite engaging in a way the golf isn't it feels a bit unsophisticated so that it's not got as much grip ultimately and you know ability to Chuck itself a bit sideways it kind of for me it winds up feeling like a bit of a gimmick because um when you're going fast enough you just want it to be predictable and you want the balance but you don't want it to suddenly decide that now is the right time to to sort of give you a load of to give you 70% to the back yeah exactly but it works best when you're sort of eight or /10 yeah I quite like that I quite like the fact that it's not really tuned for lap times because who you know who really cares tuned for going round and around about it that you can drive everything else here jump in that and still have quite a lot of fun says quite a lot about it doesn't it actually in ninth position is Jaguar's F Type svr the go faster F type that is also more complete more competent and oddly slightly less Lar Wild and the Lesser are model I reckon it's better on road than on circuit but it is good fun in any company given that it's heavier than the Honda yeah incredibly heavy I think it is I think um it's remarkable how good it is really I thought was really stri with it on the road I think was really really nice compromise is a lot broader you know and it's appeal to me dynamically because can be up on its toes and you can get a bit of adjustability out of it yeah I I grant you that's quite nicely around it's quite usable isn't it it's quite but it's not I'm not sure it's the one I'd have still eighth place is where things start to get serious if you really wanted to you could make an argument that the BMW M2 is good enough to finish on the podium in this contest that is how close this competition is that's how good all of these cars are and the M2 is terrific really engaging really adjustable but just up against some of the finest sports cars ever made everybody likes M2 it's just a lovely simple direct thing isn't it it's just it's not hard to understand at all you just it just gives it just does what it does and uh it's it's a lot of fun I think next to the Cayman which is its nearest natural rival it doesn't do as much on the road for me it doesn't it's not as easy to place it's not as um it's just not it just doesn't feel sophisticated to me it's just always on the move it feels musly it's characterful but I don't think it's quite as as advant yeah I might have one over a Cayman just because it's just because it's a bit angry and a bit six-cylinder and you saw go yeah I can see this and it's you know oldfashioned and honest in seventh place is the Honda NSX a car that is back in really enjoyable style some of our testers loved it to bits others found it left them ever so slightly cold in this company at least I think there's a narrow sweet spot where it is as good as anything you care to mention and if that spot were broadened the NSX could be a world beater NSX R anybody I would have liked the NSX to do better just because I would have personally liked to see it higher up for sentimental reasons than than because I think it deserved to like it marginally less on the road over here cuz it's quite wide to be fair the SDR rides better on the road than that does yeah true it's it's just a question of finish if I was golfing I'm sure I would prefer the svr when they sort the ride out on that it'll be you know it'll be a million times better it's to too too firm brittle or too soft at the moment if you drive it just so that you're not hooning oh it's perfect yeah really sweet really lovely maybe it could win it could win this competition again all right ARG is close to it because it's uh yeah an NSX are when they're racing it they're they're putting other ones on Pikes Peak and stuff like that yeah but it feels like a big deal you know sort once in every 25 years that Honda makes a car like that you know I'm glad it's here as to Martin's gt8 then its engine isn't the only reason it finishes so high up the order because it steers wonderfully and has great Road handling but basically I'll stop talking and I wanted a D1 and you didn't cuz you said GTA was the one to have Mr noisy is better that's what I said I stand by that I think D1 would have done well on the road but it wouldn't have done as well on the track yeah I think that's fair in fact I'm not sure it would have done as well on the road and it rides well but I don't think it would I don't think it's as intoxicating as a GTA is when it makes a noise like this what is there not to like that AMG that AMG engine is going to have to be unbelievably spectacular to be anything like as good as that exactly but the major flaws are that you know the gearbox needs work it needs more talk I think I want it be heavy cuz it's based on dv1 it's already quite heavy isn't it allegedly you can take it down to a ton and a half almost oh really really a lot of options yeah but um which has got some off isn't it it's got most of them yeah 220 Grand in that spe but yeah and I don't care about any of that the first time you take 4,000 left dou clutch just because you want to sound like Steve McQueen and bullet it just aesome fifth place goes to the Porsche 718 Cayman despite the fact that the Porsche sounds as flat as the Aston sounds glorious why as high fif then because the quarter has arguably the world's greatest almost affordable sports car Chazzy brilliant on the road yeah absolutely lovely brilliant on track as well yeah what more do you want from a Mid Engine affordable sports car well I want more power just wish it sounded a bit better and that is the kind of thing you now think about with the kman it's just got such an able chassis you just want a bit more power and you stop thinking about the fact that you not got six cylinders very sound anymore I stop thinking about that yet it's good enough to lose yourself in how good it is at handling yeah world class chassi ordinary engine in fourth place then is the McLaren 570s there is a brilliant chassis underneath this car maybe it needs a bit less turbo lag maybe it needs a limited slep differential but what I can tell you is that despite having 570 horsepower it is absolutely engaging on the road and fabulous on a circuit it is a huge amount of fun McLaren is a young Company still a young company but with a 570 it has created an absolutely world class world class Junior super car Junior superar ridiculous 570 horsepower there is nothing around it which does what it does I mean I think it's finished where it probably deserved but if you look about the difference in price between it and the the 6 and5 yeah I feel bad for it six fig something different how good they are cuz it's like because M differences I think we can justify can't we in terms of what's above it but that's a phenomenal car we have two cars in second place or third place as you prefer which means the Ferrari 488 GTV last year's winner in this contest came within a whisker of retaining its title oh I love this car it just wants you to have so much fun it has a great engine the best gearbox here the most liberated mid-engine chassis in the business it is fabulous equal with the Ferrari is the McLaren 675 longtail now this is one of a few cars here that is built in very limited numbers should that exclude them from the contest well answers on a postcard all we know is that we set out to test the best sports cars of the year and the longtail unequivocally is one of them it's the fastest here it has masses of integrity and it feels like it could lap at speed all day long I know what I'd have and it's got a Ferrari badge what would you have I would have the McLaren big cuz I think it's it is just enough better as a road car better steering easier to place it's it's Sensational but I think Ferrari takes itself a bit less serious it does what it does what really good proper hardcore driv start do and that is gives you something to work on you know it sort of says no I'm not easy to drive you know that's the kind of challeng does it have to be hard to drive I think it keeps you interested for longer if sets you a bit of a challenge I don't know does it just want to make you know how good it is cuz fi goes yeah go on I am going to make you look brilliant you can Chuck it around like a Toyota GT86 and that's absurd for a mid- engine Ferrari with two t i going take your point about the Ferrari but I think the Italia did it better than than than the 488 on that front yeah absolutely um that 4 got a chassis and a half I thought the SC area was brilliant and the Italia was even better and the special was off the scale and I do admit that the Ferrar is is a better track car narrowly the remarkable thing about the long for me is just how aable it is how how you go and it is for the performance level but the McLaren does not grab you by the Scruff and say just drive me like our winner does the Porsche 911r has all of the best bits about a GT3 or GT3 RS 911 but owing to its manual gearbox it is just way more engaging as a road and circuit car we are pleased delighted happy to announce that the forter 911r is autocar's Britain's best driver's car of 2016 fantastic car great on the road for my money phenomenal on the track engine superb it's just a lovely thing you know the only disappointment about the fact that did is one is the fact that it feels so cynical to me I mean it's the car everybody wants in the first place yes you want a manual gearbox you want GT3 chass with GT3 engines just just make it just make that in the first place because that's what people would like clearly because people want to pay 800,000 quid for it just make it and get on with it just don't that should have been a have done five as many yeah yeah exactly and that really annoys me so it's brilliant I don't doubt it's brilliant a it's not off the scale different to GT3 or GT3 it's just the car you'd want it does everything that you know most of the rest of these cars are brilliant at something and that just does absolutely everything you want from a sports car I think um you know it's got the sort of tactility in the McLarens and the balance of the Ferrari and the road manners of you know the jaguar and and it's got all the sort of theatricality it just has to be the best driver's car here doesn't it it doesn't matter what it cost no exactly thank you for joining us for more of these Shenanigans subscribe by the mag or come to see us at autocar.co.ukgreetings pop Pickers and welcome to the finale the countdown the Reckoning of autocar's Britain's best driver car 2016 now we've been doing this contest every year for more than a quarter of a century we take the best new sports cars we've driven each year put them all together and see blondly which is the most fun to drive here then is the Roundup and the reasoning in 11th place is BMW M4 GTS a car I think should be placed rather higher because on track it reminds me of the Mercedes C63 Black Series but each of our testers get to vote and as we have discovered so often recently not everybody likes the way democracy works but on a track trust me the M4 GTS is a fabulous car yeah well that was pretty clear to me straight away when I drove it that the suspension was a very trick and complicated bit of Kit and uh if you bought one you'd spend years and years messing about with the suspension on track days and probably never find what you thought was the perfect setting but needed was was you know was a lift and every spanner in the exactly yeah it feels like a racing go to me I think is great turns in well loads of loads I like the old black series you know in fact if it was a better Road car it would do it would have done what the Black Series did here six seven years ago which is nearly win the M4 GTS is beaten by Ford's Focus RS now we did consider bringing a Volkswagen Golf GTI Club sport s along to this contest but in the end we reckoned the Focus RS was still the hot hatch to beat I think you just fog a club sport s to death wouldn't you but it's always about the front end and managing the front end whereas whereas that's quite involving and quite engaging in a way the golf isn't it feels a bit unsophisticated so that it's not got as much grip ultimately and you know ability to Chuck itself a bit sideways it kind of for me it winds up feeling like a bit of a gimmick because um when you're going fast enough you just want it to be predictable and you want the balance but you don't want it to suddenly decide that now is the right time to to sort of give you a load of to give you 70% to the back yeah exactly but it works best when you're sort of eight or /10 yeah I quite like that I quite like the fact that it's not really tuned for lap times because who you know who really cares tuned for going round and around about it that you can drive everything else here jump in that and still have quite a lot of fun says quite a lot about it doesn't it actually in ninth position is Jaguar's F Type svr the go faster F type that is also more complete more competent and oddly slightly less Lar Wild and the Lesser are model I reckon it's better on road than on circuit but it is good fun in any company given that it's heavier than the Honda yeah incredibly heavy I think it is I think um it's remarkable how good it is really I thought was really stri with it on the road I think was really really nice compromise is a lot broader you know and it's appeal to me dynamically because can be up on its toes and you can get a bit of adjustability out of it yeah I I grant you that's quite nicely around it's quite usable isn't it it's quite but it's not I'm not sure it's the one I'd have still eighth place is where things start to get serious if you really wanted to you could make an argument that the BMW M2 is good enough to finish on the podium in this contest that is how close this competition is that's how good all of these cars are and the M2 is terrific really engaging really adjustable but just up against some of the finest sports cars ever made everybody likes M2 it's just a lovely simple direct thing isn't it it's just it's not hard to understand at all you just it just gives it just does what it does and uh it's it's a lot of fun I think next to the Cayman which is its nearest natural rival it doesn't do as much on the road for me it doesn't it's not as easy to place it's not as um it's just not it just doesn't feel sophisticated to me it's just always on the move it feels musly it's characterful but I don't think it's quite as as advant yeah I might have one over a Cayman just because it's just because it's a bit angry and a bit six-cylinder and you saw go yeah I can see this and it's you know oldfashioned and honest in seventh place is the Honda NSX a car that is back in really enjoyable style some of our testers loved it to bits others found it left them ever so slightly cold in this company at least I think there's a narrow sweet spot where it is as good as anything you care to mention and if that spot were broadened the NSX could be a world beater NSX R anybody I would have liked the NSX to do better just because I would have personally liked to see it higher up for sentimental reasons than than because I think it deserved to like it marginally less on the road over here cuz it's quite wide to be fair the SDR rides better on the road than that does yeah true it's it's just a question of finish if I was golfing I'm sure I would prefer the svr when they sort the ride out on that it'll be you know it'll be a million times better it's to too too firm brittle or too soft at the moment if you drive it just so that you're not hooning oh it's perfect yeah really sweet really lovely maybe it could win it could win this competition again all right ARG is close to it because it's uh yeah an NSX are when they're racing it they're they're putting other ones on Pikes Peak and stuff like that yeah but it feels like a big deal you know sort once in every 25 years that Honda makes a car like that you know I'm glad it's here as to Martin's gt8 then its engine isn't the only reason it finishes so high up the order because it steers wonderfully and has great Road handling but basically I'll stop talking and I wanted a D1 and you didn't cuz you said GTA was the one to have Mr noisy is better that's what I said I stand by that I think D1 would have done well on the road but it wouldn't have done as well on the track yeah I think that's fair in fact I'm not sure it would have done as well on the road and it rides well but I don't think it would I don't think it's as intoxicating as a GTA is when it makes a noise like this what is there not to like that AMG that AMG engine is going to have to be unbelievably spectacular to be anything like as good as that exactly but the major flaws are that you know the gearbox needs work it needs more talk I think I want it be heavy cuz it's based on dv1 it's already quite heavy isn't it allegedly you can take it down to a ton and a half almost oh really really a lot of options yeah but um which has got some off isn't it it's got most of them yeah 220 Grand in that spe but yeah and I don't care about any of that the first time you take 4,000 left dou clutch just because you want to sound like Steve McQueen and bullet it just aesome fifth place goes to the Porsche 718 Cayman despite the fact that the Porsche sounds as flat as the Aston sounds glorious why as high fif then because the quarter has arguably the world's greatest almost affordable sports car Chazzy brilliant on the road yeah absolutely lovely brilliant on track as well yeah what more do you want from a Mid Engine affordable sports car well I want more power just wish it sounded a bit better and that is the kind of thing you now think about with the kman it's just got such an able chassis you just want a bit more power and you stop thinking about the fact that you not got six cylinders very sound anymore I stop thinking about that yet it's good enough to lose yourself in how good it is at handling yeah world class chassi ordinary engine in fourth place then is the McLaren 570s there is a brilliant chassis underneath this car maybe it needs a bit less turbo lag maybe it needs a limited slep differential but what I can tell you is that despite having 570 horsepower it is absolutely engaging on the road and fabulous on a circuit it is a huge amount of fun McLaren is a young Company still a young company but with a 570 it has created an absolutely world class world class Junior super car Junior superar ridiculous 570 horsepower there is nothing around it which does what it does I mean I think it's finished where it probably deserved but if you look about the difference in price between it and the the 6 and5 yeah I feel bad for it six fig something different how good they are cuz it's like because M differences I think we can justify can't we in terms of what's above it but that's a phenomenal car we have two cars in second place or third place as you prefer which means the Ferrari 488 GTV last year's winner in this contest came within a whisker of retaining its title oh I love this car it just wants you to have so much fun it has a great engine the best gearbox here the most liberated mid-engine chassis in the business it is fabulous equal with the Ferrari is the McLaren 675 longtail now this is one of a few cars here that is built in very limited numbers should that exclude them from the contest well answers on a postcard all we know is that we set out to test the best sports cars of the year and the longtail unequivocally is one of them it's the fastest here it has masses of integrity and it feels like it could lap at speed all day long I know what I'd have and it's got a Ferrari badge what would you have I would have the McLaren big cuz I think it's it is just enough better as a road car better steering easier to place it's it's Sensational but I think Ferrari takes itself a bit less serious it does what it does what really good proper hardcore driv start do and that is gives you something to work on you know it sort of says no I'm not easy to drive you know that's the kind of challeng does it have to be hard to drive I think it keeps you interested for longer if sets you a bit of a challenge I don't know does it just want to make you know how good it is cuz fi goes yeah go on I am going to make you look brilliant you can Chuck it around like a Toyota GT86 and that's absurd for a mid- engine Ferrari with two t i going take your point about the Ferrari but I think the Italia did it better than than than the 488 on that front yeah absolutely um that 4 got a chassis and a half I thought the SC area was brilliant and the Italia was even better and the special was off the scale and I do admit that the Ferrar is is a better track car narrowly the remarkable thing about the long for me is just how aable it is how how you go and it is for the performance level but the McLaren does not grab you by the Scruff and say just drive me like our winner does the Porsche 911r has all of the best bits about a GT3 or GT3 RS 911 but owing to its manual gearbox it is just way more engaging as a road and circuit car we are pleased delighted happy to announce that the forter 911r is autocar's Britain's best driver's car of 2016 fantastic car great on the road for my money phenomenal on the track engine superb it's just a lovely thing you know the only disappointment about the fact that did is one is the fact that it feels so cynical to me I mean it's the car everybody wants in the first place yes you want a manual gearbox you want GT3 chass with GT3 engines just just make it just make that in the first place because that's what people would like clearly because people want to pay 800,000 quid for it just make it and get on with it just don't that should have been a have done five as many yeah yeah exactly and that really annoys me so it's brilliant I don't doubt it's brilliant a it's not off the scale different to GT3 or GT3 it's just the car you'd want it does everything that you know most of the rest of these cars are brilliant at something and that just does absolutely everything you want from a sports car I think um you know it's got the sort of tactility in the McLarens and the balance of the Ferrari and the road manners of you know the jaguar and and it's got all the sort of theatricality it just has to be the best driver's car here doesn't it it doesn't matter what it cost no exactly thank you for joining us for more of these Shenanigans subscribe by the mag or come to see us at autocar.co.uk\n"