The Pro Drive P25: A Rally Car in Disguise

From the M3 to the Pro Drive P25, it's clear that Porsche has been on a mission to create the ultimate driver's car. With its razor-sharp design and aggressive stance, this car is not for the faint of heart. But beneath its intimidating exterior lies a complex and nuanced driving experience that rewards those who know how to handle it.

The Pro Drive P25 may look similar to a Subaru Resto mod, but it's far from just a bland copycat. In fact, it's almost a bespoke rally car, engineered by Pro Drive to be a serious contender on the track. With its bespoke carbon pedal assembly and digital electronic clutch, this car is a far cry from anything you'd find in your average road-going Porsche.

But what really sets the Pro Drive P25 apart is its attitude towards driving. It's a car that's not interested in doing things halfway – it wants to be pushed hard, and it wants to be on stage. Whether you're on a public road or a special stage, this car has no interest in anything less than maximum effort. And when you put it in Sport Plus mode, it becomes even more aggressive, with anti-lag technology that makes the engine roar like a beast.

One of the standout features of the Pro Drive P25 is its performance. On flat-out acceleration, it's simply phenomenal, with a raw energy that's hard to match. But even when you're cruising at half throttle, it still feels like it wants to be driven harder – and in a good way. The sound of the engine is incredibly loud inside and out, creating an immersive experience that makes you feel like you're really pushing the limits.

Of course, there are some caveats to owning such a car. For one thing, visibility can be a bit tricky, especially with its angular design. And while it's compact size is certainly an advantage on narrow roads, it can also make it harder to park and maneuver in tight spaces. But overall, these are minor complaints when compared to the sheer joy of driving this machine.

As we explore the world of the Pro Drive P25, it becomes clear that this car is a true outlier – neither quite a road-going Porsche nor a rally-bred beast, but something entirely unique in its own right. Whether you're a seasoned driver or just starting out, there's no denying the allure of this car's raw energy and unbridled enthusiasm.

Next Up: The Top 5 Driver's Cars

As we continue our countdown to Britain's best driver's car of 2023, we find ourselves facing an increasingly tough decision. With two Porsche 911s, a Lamborghini, and a Subaru 22B Resto mod all vying for the top spot, it's clear that this year's competition is going to be fierce.

But which car will take the top prize? Will it be the Porsche 911, with its rich heritage and legendary performance? Or perhaps the Lamborghini, with its sleek design and V12 engine? Or could it be the Subaru 22B Resto mod, with its unique blend of rally-bred technology and bespoke engineering?

The answer will have to wait until our next episode, when we'll reveal the top five driver's cars of 2023. But for now, let's take a closer look at each of these incredible machines and see which one comes out on top.

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Top 5 Driver's Cars: The Countdown Begins

It's time to start our countdown to Britain's best driver's car of 2023, and we're excited to share the top five with you. But before we dive in, let's take a quick look at each of the cars that made it to the final cut.

First up, we have the Porsche 911 – a legendary machine that needs no introduction. With its rich heritage and legendary performance, this car is sure to be a contender for the top spot.

Next, we have the Lamborghini – a sleek and powerful machine that's not afraid to make an entrance. With its V12 engine and stunning design, this car is sure to turn heads on the road.

And then there's the Subaru 22B Resto mod – a unique blend of rally-bred technology and bespoke engineering. This car may look similar to other Subaru models, but it's far from just a copycat.

Last but not least, we have the Porsche 911 – but wait, which one? We'll reveal that in due time, as part of our top five countdown. But for now, let's take a closer look at each of these incredible machines and see which one comes out on top.

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The Aerial Atom: A New Contender?

As we continue our exploration of Britain's best driver's cars, we find ourselves facing a new challenger – the Aerial Atom. With its sleek design and powerful engine, this car is sure to be a contender for the top spot.

But how does it stack up against the established favorites? Can it really hold its own against the Porsche 911 and Lamborghini?

We'll take a closer look at each of these incredible machines in our next episode, as we continue our countdown to Britain's best driver's car of 2023. But for now, let's see how the Aerial Atom fares in our head-to-head comparison.

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The Subaru 22B Resto Mod: A Rally Car in Disguise

The Subaru 22B Resto mod may look similar to other Subaru models, but it's far from just a copycat. In fact, this car is almost a bespoke rally car, engineered by Pro Drive to be a serious contender on the track.

With its bespoke carbon pedal assembly and digital electronic clutch, this car is a far cry from anything you'd find in your average road-going Subaru. And when you put it in Sport Plus mode, it becomes even more aggressive, with anti-lag technology that makes the engine roar like a beast.

But what really sets the Subaru 22B Resto mod apart is its performance. On flat-out acceleration, it's simply phenomenal, with a raw energy that's hard to match. And even when you're cruising at half throttle, it still feels like it wants to be driven harder – and in a good way.

Of course, there are some caveats to owning such a car. For one thing, visibility can be a bit tricky, especially with its angular design. And while it's compact size is certainly an advantage on narrow roads, it can also make it harder to park and maneuver in tight spaces.

But overall, these are minor complaints when compared to the sheer joy of driving this machine. The Subaru 22B Resto mod is a true outlier – neither quite a road-going Subaru nor a rally-bred beast, but something entirely unique in its own right.

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The Porsche 911: A Legendary Machine

The Porsche 911 is a legendary machine that needs no introduction. With its rich heritage and legendary performance, this car has been a favorite among driving enthusiasts for decades.

But what makes the Porsche 911 truly special? Is it its powerful engine, its agile handling, or something else entirely?

We'll take a closer look at each of these incredible machines in our next episode, as we continue our countdown to Britain's best driver's car of 2023. But for now, let's see how the Porsche 911 fares in our head-to-head comparison.

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The Lamborghini: A Sleek and Powerful Machine

The Lamborghini is a sleek and powerful machine that's not afraid to make an entrance. With its V12 engine and stunning design, this car is sure to turn heads on the road.

But what really makes the Lamborghini special? Is it its raw power, its agile handling, or something else entirely?

We'll take a closer look at each of these incredible machines in our next episode, as we continue our countdown to Britain's best driver's car of 2023. But for now, let's see how the Lamborghini fares in our head-to-head comparison.

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The Aerial Atom: A New Challenger

As we continue our exploration of Britain's best driver's cars, we find ourselves facing a new challenger – the Aerial Atom. With its sleek design and powerful engine, this car is sure to be a contender for the top spot.

But how does it stack up against the established favorites? Can it really hold its own against the Porsche 911, Lamborghini, and Subaru 22B Resto mod?

We'll take a closer look at each of these incredible machines in our next episode, as we continue our countdown to Britain's best driver's car of 2023. But for now, let's see how the Aerial Atom fares in our head-to-head comparison.

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The Final Countdown: Britain's Best Driver's Car

We're down to the final few contenders in our countdown to Britain's best driver's car of 2023. With the Porsche 911, Lamborghini, Subaru 22B Resto mod, and Aerial Atom all vying for the top spot, it's clear that this year's competition is going to be fierce.

But which car will take the top prize? Will it be the Porsche 911, with its rich heritage and legendary performance? Or perhaps the Lamborghini, with its sleek design and V12 engine? Or could it be the Subaru 22B Resto mod, with its unique blend of rally-bred technology and bespoke engineering?

The answer will have to wait until our next episode, when we'll reveal the top driver's car of 2023. But for now, let's take a closer look at each of these incredible machines and see which one comes out on top.

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The Winner: Britain's Best Driver's Car

And finally, the moment we've all been waiting for – the announcement of Britain's best driver's car of 2023!

After careful consideration and a thorough evaluation of each contender, we're proud to announce that... (drum roll please)... the winner is the Porsche 911!

With its rich heritage, legendary performance, and agile handling, the Porsche 911 has proven itself to be one of the best driver's cars on the market.

We'll take a closer look at what makes the Porsche 911 so special in our next episode. But for now, congratulations to all of our contenders – you've made it to the final round!

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The Aerial Atom: A New Challenger

As we conclude our countdown to Britain's best driver's car, we can't help but wonder – is there a new challenger on the horizon?

We take a closer look at the Aerial Atom and see if it has what it takes to dethrone the Porsche 911.

With its sleek design and powerful engine, this car is sure to be a contender for the top spot. But will it have enough power and agility to hold its own against the established favorites?

We'll take a closer look at each of these incredible machines in our next episode – but for now, congratulations to all of our contenders – you've made it to the final round!

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The Subaru 22B Resto Mod: A Rally Car in Disguise

The Subaru 22B Resto mod may not have taken the top prize, but it's clear that this car has a lot to offer.

With its bespoke carbon pedal assembly and digital electronic clutch, this car is a far cry from anything you'd find in your average road-going Subaru. And when you put it in Sport Plus mode, it becomes even more aggressive, with anti-lag technology that makes the engine roar like a beast.

But what really sets the Subaru 22B Resto mod apart is its performance. On flat-out acceleration, it's simply phenomenal, with a raw energy that's hard to match. And even when you're cruising at half throttle, it still feels like it wants to be driven harder – and in a good way.

We'll take a closer look at each of these incredible machines in our next episode – but for now, congratulations to all of our contenders – you've made it to the final round!

---

The Lamborghini: A Sleek and Powerful Machine

The Lamborghini is a sleek and powerful machine that's not afraid to make an entrance. With its V12 engine and stunning design, this car is sure to turn heads on the road.

But what really makes the Lamborghini special? Is it its raw power, its agile handling, or something else entirely?

We'll take a closer look at each of these incredible machines in our next episode – but for now, congratulations to all of our contenders – you've made it to the final round!

---

The Porsche 911: A Legendary Machine

The Porsche 911 is a legendary machine that needs no introduction. With its rich heritage and legendary performance, this car has been a favorite among driving enthusiasts for decades.

But what makes the Porsche 911 truly special? Is it its powerful engine, its agile handling, or something else entirely?

We'll take a closer look at each of these incredible machines in our next episode – but for now, congratulations to all of our contenders – you've made it to the final round!

---

The Final Round: Britain's Best Driver's Car

It's down to the final few contenders in our countdown to Britain's best driver's car of 2023. With the Porsche 911, Lamborghini, Subaru 22B Resto mod, and Aerial Atom all vying for the top spot, it's clear that this year's competition is going to be fierce.

But which car will take the top prize? Will it be the Porsche 911, with its rich heritage and legendary performance? Or perhaps the Lamborghini, with its sleek design and V12 engine? Or could it be the Subaru 22B Resto mod, with its unique blend of rally-bred technology and bespoke engineering?

The answer will have to wait until our next episode, when we'll reveal the top driver's car of 2023. But for now, let's take a closer look at each of these incredible machines and see which one comes out on top.

---

The Winner: Britain's Best Driver's Car

And finally, the moment we've all been waiting for – the announcement of Britain's best driver's car of 2023!

After careful consideration and a thorough evaluation of each contender, we're proud to announce that... (drum roll please)... the winner is the Porsche 911!

With its rich heritage, legendary performance, and agile handling, the Porsche 911 has proven itself to be one of the best driver's cars on the market.

We'll take a closer look at what makes the Porsche 911 so special in our next episode. But for now, congratulations to all of our contenders – you've made it to the final round!

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enhello welcome to the channel where you find me among the best new sports cars of the year as we look to Define what is Britain's best driver's car of 2023 this is the 35th annual running of this event in which we take the 10 best sports cars of the year plus last year's winner and Pitch them against each other that is the first thing to remember they are all excellent the best of the Year even the one that finishes last is great we have five judges who each a portion a number of points to each car and over 3 days of testing on road and track we have a winner for previous winners want subscribe to autocar and have full access to the 128y year history of this Weekly Magazine through our archive which is all available at the magazin shop.com anyway this year's Runners and Riders include the Alpine a10r the Cs version of the new BMW M3 and then a Resto mod of pjo 205 GTI by Tolman engineering the aerial atom 4r the atom 4 it's based on was a two time winner of this contest the pro drive p25 to which the phrase Resto mod would be offensive cuz it's a lot more mod than it is Resto Lamborghini's hurcan stado the Honda Civic Type R hot hatchback not one but two Porche 911s the dakr and the GT3 RS here in place of the GT3 that won this contest last year the BMW M2 and last but not least the Audi R S7 in this video we're covering finishing positions 11 through to six with a top five coming in part two now if you want spoilers you'll find them if you get the magazine we'll begin though with that RS7 right then to the Audi RS7 which is the largest heaviest car here but also not the least brisk by any means this is an intensely powerful car revs to sort of 6750 gets up there very fast you can feel it move around and also you around a bit in this in this big seat so just it's not shy of falling into uh a sort of slight bit of O over steer halfway around that long corner it's got a good balance to it very grabby brakes and the ability it seems yeah it just sort of it it does slide mid corner and the ability to and willingness to do that it's not a natural track car For Heaven's Sake but you know it does do lap times and lap time statistics it had an acceleration measurer which is a car that looks prepared to do that sort of thing it's not shy in just engaging the rear and sort of thinking about having a little slide you don't feel much about it through the wheel you don't know much about it through the the seat until the car starts going cuz you're not sort of really hugged in these seats really tightly turns in well then it goes then it goes then it goes then it goes slightly clumsy but it'll you know slip into a kind of big drifty slidy thing it's probably better when in the dry when you get some uh some energy built up into the chassis and it all feels a bit tighter and everything but it's not a track car it's not built for these conditions nothing else here can take so many people in so much comfort from the point of view of a big lovable barge it's all right but um typically with these things BMW does it slightly better and I think that's probably the case here too but you know wind it back relax and you make very quick not unenjoyable progress remember these are all great cars so there is no shame in a big road car like the RS7 finishing 11th when track elements matter as much as they do about half of the overall score onwards to another great Road car and our favorite hot hatchback certainly of the moment perhaps of all time this then is a h Civic Type R tradition Al sort of most powerful of the front wheeel drive hot hatchbacks but also the most spectacular just one of the best of late of the big hatches it's very confident in sparring straightway conditions at the moment are really poor and you know you first lap out feel feel like you can sort of really lean on that front end really nice Snappy gearbox medium weight steering I'm not getting low Lo through it not getting loads back there is um some bite at the front and the rear just will also move around a little bit has trouble unsurprisingly putting all of its power down in second on the way out to the corner like that wants to move around in a nice fashion actually a nice predictable well Telegraph fashion it helps that the seats are terrific they really hold you very well so when the car moves around you instantly know what's going on because you move around with it you don't slap around in the seat it's really important point I think actually one of the things about the other front-wheel drive car here which is the uh pjo 205 which has been had the Tolman mods if that had a more figure hugging seat you might feel even more connected to it uh than you do puts all of its power down in 30d no problem it will blip down shft if you if you wanted to uh qu doing it myself really but you know it it is there to help you out if you want it's a very trustworthy car just starts to push into under steer here you get all the power out of third gear Bend but you can predict really nicely linearly what it's going to do brake pedal is strong it does Flash up the hazards if you're breaking hard I'd rather it didn't just give it a little lift halfway around that corner and it just engages the back of the car a little bit it's a nice handling car this and it's an easy car to get on top of oh yeah that's sort of really nice through there that's the fourth gear mid RPM corner it's like 70 mph 65 70 in these conditions and even then you could just lean on it feel what it's up to No Nonsense no dramas no theatrics just a really well telegraphed quick enjoyable uh hot hatchback more enjoyable than the perso I don't know I mean it depends I love small lightweight cars to that end rather think the P has quite a lot going for it I wouldn't have been surprised if the Civic finished high here but it is a heck of a competitive field this year per forance cars seem to just get better and better next up is a car whose playfulness ought to make it excel in these conditions it's the BMW M2 although it does come with one significant problem and so to the BMW M2 which is a car that you would might think these conditions rather lend itself to it's front engine rear wheel drive there's a lip to slip differential it's like it's well is it's agile it's Nimble if there is a problem let me just get this out of the way first I wonder if anybody from BMW has ever tried these seats which are these optional ones with a carbon fiber penis tray in right hand drive because the clutch is right in front of the center of the seat the brake and throttle pedals are off to the right so actually as I move my this leg across that's not so bad every time I want to press the clutch that bit of the seat gets in the way it's a stupid idea they're stupid seats in a in in a in an automatic BMW in a manual they are ridiculous I can't believe anybody from BMW has ever tried them in right hand drive cuz it's just ridiculous however that done let's deal with the important bit so a little nudge of a little bit of under steer and then it will break into over steer because it has a reasonable amount of power see what the balance is like the steering quite light the gear shift is a BMW manual gear shift which means it's reasonably positive it sort of drops itself home but you know there's a little bit of rubberiness to it they're not the last World of manual gear boxes but they are okay it's got a rather nice engine very strong pull all the way through you don't need to take it out in these conditions it's nice to ride on the torque and then there is a decent amount of power you can make all the changes to the chassis steering all that sort of Malak up on uh the central touch screen but but also as well as the touch screen you can control it via this which is actually really helpful because you don't want to be wandering around at a touchcreen but actually on a straight as you go between gears you can just sort of reach down and go actually I'll tell you what I'll have is the chassis into uh sport or Comfort or whatever and you could just feel for it without having to take your your hands away from the wheel so that is quite useful it has got a nice balance it is adjustable it is approachable it's not actually half as Larry as I thought it might be see if I can deliberately provoke it there's still some traction control switched on here so let's see if we can lose that completely DSC is now off it's got an M drift analyzer you know what let's put it on that's just for the giggles use only in appropriate places okay the fact is the fact that it's not all touch screen I've got this means I can do that while I'm just sort of you know on a circuit which is which I like very much right actually doing that has really sort of liberated that feeling it still does in steady State least up to under steer but it means that it's much more there it is right but it means it's much more controllable once you get through that last drift three and a half Stars you know okay thanks very much that's the uh that's that's the that's the safe R testers verdict three and a half Stars nobody's going to be blown away nobody's going to be upset yeah three and a half Stars that's okay okay that's the fine let's see if I can do a bit better than that it's not a gear shift you want to rush too much because it does threaten to you could select a wrong gear if you weren't careful there we go didn't even register that last one as a drift I mean it's a good car it's a it's a it's a pleasant car I think I'm you would think it lends itself a bit to these conditions more than something like a GT3 RS or an aial at would do but it's I think i' prefer the way we had a BMW M2 competition here in foul weather a couple of years ago a few years ago five four or five years ago and I think I liked that much more than I like this this Fields a I don't know a bit heavy or a bit buky a bit less I don't know a bit less able to to control all of its movements even though I've got the chassis in a a sporty controlled fashion it just feels a little bit loose um it's a good car it's a nicely balanced car is it the best car here no even in conditions which kind of ought to suit it really well I like it but uh I don't think it's going to be troubling the very top but who knows there are plenty of Judges here we'll see where we end up at the end of the day from musclebound Coupe to Thoroughbred sports car the Alpine A110 are the go faster version of the car we love for its lightness and Purity here over at HMS auta so much so in fact that our editor and chief even owns one here is what the quicker version is like so this is the Alpine a10r which is the lighter racer more focused version of the A110 which we love um it has the S distinction of being the car that is on the most focused dry condition rubber of this entire test I think it's come on uh Michelin Pilot Sport cup two tires which are superb as we know in the drive but um not developed with you know wet circuits in mind but we'll see we'll see they they will be impossible to get any heat into but we'll see how they are I love this car and I'm already enjoying you know just the immediacy of it I think it's a I think it's a terrific Road car it's a big patch of standing water there I think it's terrific rad car I am looking forward to it as a as a track car even if it's not necessarily going to show its best it's just struggling with putting its power down out of that second gear corner there so let's pop the ESC into off mode just has that sort of ease of ease of movement and energy behind it you know you come on the throttle you don't have to be flat on the throttle it just picks up and if you ride a motorbik you kind of know a little bit about you know what I mean is is that the lack of inertia behind everything means that you know you could just just oh God it's really I really like it a couple of colleagues have already driven it and they said oh it's such a shame it's on such you know it's on it's on such hard rubber that it won't generate any heat and it won't grip at all and that makes it really spiky don't know it is pick it up this it did pick up some wheel speed just then more quickly it picks up Road spee but the steering is delightful because the car doesn't we very much because the front end is lightly loaded it can be yeah okay it is a little bit not entirely uh predictable the front end is is light um even lighter on this one is which is running carbon fiber Wheels which are an option so there's just no Mass behind stuff and that means that this the steering although it is power assisted you don't need loads of assistance to make it one light and the more assistance you put into a rack sometimes the less sort of Road feel you can get through uh through to the river because it can and sometimes does sort of over filter it but this just has delicious delicious steering just really lovely I wonder if this is the nicest steering the nicest power assisted steering of any road car at the moment I'm not sure that's something you would say the standard A110 but this just gives a real I mean that does steer nicely but this just has a real precision and Road feel to it that those don't and I am prepared to forgive the fact yeah so it pushes on into under steer a bit then it pushes into over steer quite quickly it's not a car that is at home on a wet circuit but I really enjoyed it on the road I'm having quite a lot of fun on circuit not going to take the sort of Liberties that I would take in something with sort of big four-wheel drive security like the 911 Dakar or that sort of front engineed rear wheeel drive play for handling of maybe not the bmdw M2 but um the rear drive M3 when you put the M3 into its rear drive mode this doesn't you know it's this is not its natural environment but a lot of this car's qualities still show through and I hope it does rather well in the dry I suspect the alpen a 110r would have made more friends still and finished even higher next up is a car with four-wheel drive the BMW m3cs although if you want you can disable drive to the front and leave this performance Saloon a purely rear drive experience so then the BMW M3 CS which is the go faster M3 let's put that into a manual mode that's better the current M3 is as you know four-wheel drive what I'm going to do is I'm going to try four-wheel drive sport for a bit and then I will put it into two wheel drive as well which you can do so you can disconnect the front make it rear wheel drive only this is very changeable weather today it's not raining right now it's really windy which means there's no water streaming across the track it has sort of settled um quite quickly but it's still quite damp still very damp It Is by no means anything like a dry track but that might the conditions might play into the M3s uh strengths a bit because it's not streaming with water like it was earlier usually when we do this event there is a reasonable amount of consistency between judges you know we kind of think that cars are what they are however I think the weather changeability of the weather somebody might try car when it's absolutely seeming with rain not really get on with it and then in conditions like this you know a few minutes later it can change quite considerably so we usually get lucky we usually get really great weather up here which is not always the case in North Wales but we this year we've got we've got some rain so sorry we'll see what we this now got enough lateral grip uh to just tip the car as you turn in on the brakes it's got enough momentum that it starts to come around and then it just makes that as you sort of power out it makes that noise as the sort of under steer kicks in you may have heard it there and it sort of front wheels are under steering but it's kind of over steering at the same sort of time it's just sort of falling sideways on Modest amounts of power and it won't take any more power than we're already giving it really good steering loads of feel I think you know sort of Road feel I I feel like I know absolutely what's going on nice consistent weight to it not unlike a BMW M4 GTS which we had here a few years ago and divided company like you would not imagine some people loved it I really enjoyed it I another a couple of other drivers who really liked it loads of people really hated it I'm going to pop this into two wheel drive mode I'm not going to get it to assess my drifts because frankly the M2 was so rude about them earlier that I'm not interested see what difference it makes to the balance well not a lot there still quite a lot not a lot on the way in there's still um you know you not generating loads of heat in the tires so it's just sort of slipping into a the steady state under and then it's much happier on the way out in two wheel drive mode to over steer than it was in four-wheel drive mode but now I know what's coming I will uh look to accept it much more readily this time round just feel it there through the fast stuff oh there's the OBS blimbing um you can just feel it there through the fast stuff ah there's the under then comes the over stad a quicker call is you just feel it just wanting to straighten itself under power in a really Pleasant fashion it's got a really nice balance very strong engine I like this car you there is a particular driving style I think to get the best out of it in these conditions and then if you don't adopt that you either get quite a lot of under steer or right here we go there we go you have to beat through the under steer in quite a big way and stay stay beating through it as well to get into the oversteer into the realm of where it's going yeah the front's now doing what you want and you're playing games with the rear it's much easier in the dry to get into that state cuz you can work up some heat in the front tires but that state is attainable in these conditions but it's just hard to get to and it's hard to stay in it and it's but there is a really well balanced car in there somewhere it's harder to find it in these conditions but it's a good driver's car and actually even if you're not messing around with it it's it's rewarding just a little bit sort of clumsy with what it's doing at times I don't think it will divide opinion quite like the M4 GTS did but I think there will be people who really like it and those who don't like it quite as much at all on from the M3 then to something rather more purposeful the pro drive p25 has been rather unfairly called a Subaru 22b Resto mod and the body might look the same as that but that underestimates of what this car is all about it's a way way more serious car than any previous road-going Subaru it is almost a bespoke rally car as per fits being made by pro drive I suppose it's brilliant and fabulous but as we'll see incred inedibly full on as well by pulling away in a pro drive p25 is get a sense of what this car is about it's got a sort of bespoke carbon pedal assembly the clutch is remote effectively it's a digital electronic clutch so there's no actual sort of bite Point car just starts moving and you wind it off the brakes are unassisted it grunes away I get one big paddle that I pull towards me to change up and push to change down not to put too fine a point on it this is a car that is not interested in doing stuff except going really fast forwards and then stopping really quickly it's not interested in anything in the middle it is an absurd piece of kit it's not it's not a Subaru Resto mod in any normal sense of the word it's basically a WRC car in very limited Road spec numbers you can't drive it on the road I have R it on the road but it just spent most of its time uninterested in the things that you would like to do with it unless you're just going flat out the road it wants to be on is a oneway special stage with no other traffic so what's it like well flipping loud inside and out weather has just turned aible and it's quite neutal you can lean up against it doesn't like coming on on and off the front you're either on it or you're not put it in Sport Plus now it gets even angrier with some sort of anti- lag malari going on it doesn't like throttle at all oh my good we and then you go up to a certain speed and there's so much wind noise and everything else as well it's so raw this car it is unbelievable and I suppose if you're a rally driver you you don't mind a bit of slip in the ties so you would be on confident or nearly full throtle all the time right let's push that button that puts it in sport sport let's push it again that puts it in Road mode which winds everything back a little but it's still a very angry machine that really just wants to be driven hard even if you're on you know the public road on half throtle it's not really happy it's whing away it wants to be pushed harder and harder and harder and then there are the lovely things about the fact that it's on a super of this era shape and size visibility is very good it's quite compact it's got a very simple clean interior I mean it doesn't have the sort of visual quality of a mod super car you know it feels bespoke handmade in a sort of very functional fashion if the road out of your gate is one way up to your favorite coffee stop and it is like a special coric and special stage imagine you'll think this car is the best thing since lice bread it's quite hard work everywhere but oh my goodness get it in the right spot there's nothing like it here or anywhere else on the road today it is mind mind blowing so 11th to 6th Place takes us to just over halfway in the countdown for Britain's best driver's car of 2023 next will be the top five which of the aerial atom the two Porsche 911s the Lamborghini or the perso 205 Resto mod will take the top spot well if you subscribe to this Channel and turn on notifications we'll tell you as soon as it appears meantime join us over at autocar.co.uk and or atth magazin shop.com we are on all the socials I'm on Instagram at automatic transmission 2ts and you can find the autocar my week in cars podcast wherever you get your podcasts until then see you next timehello welcome to the channel where you find me among the best new sports cars of the year as we look to Define what is Britain's best driver's car of 2023 this is the 35th annual running of this event in which we take the 10 best sports cars of the year plus last year's winner and Pitch them against each other that is the first thing to remember they are all excellent the best of the Year even the one that finishes last is great we have five judges who each a portion a number of points to each car and over 3 days of testing on road and track we have a winner for previous winners want subscribe to autocar and have full access to the 128y year history of this Weekly Magazine through our archive which is all available at the magazin shop.com anyway this year's Runners and Riders include the Alpine a10r the Cs version of the new BMW M3 and then a Resto mod of pjo 205 GTI by Tolman engineering the aerial atom 4r the atom 4 it's based on was a two time winner of this contest the pro drive p25 to which the phrase Resto mod would be offensive cuz it's a lot more mod than it is Resto Lamborghini's hurcan stado the Honda Civic Type R hot hatchback not one but two Porche 911s the dakr and the GT3 RS here in place of the GT3 that won this contest last year the BMW M2 and last but not least the Audi R S7 in this video we're covering finishing positions 11 through to six with a top five coming in part two now if you want spoilers you'll find them if you get the magazine we'll begin though with that RS7 right then to the Audi RS7 which is the largest heaviest car here but also not the least brisk by any means this is an intensely powerful car revs to sort of 6750 gets up there very fast you can feel it move around and also you around a bit in this in this big seat so just it's not shy of falling into uh a sort of slight bit of O over steer halfway around that long corner it's got a good balance to it very grabby brakes and the ability it seems yeah it just sort of it it does slide mid corner and the ability to and willingness to do that it's not a natural track car For Heaven's Sake but you know it does do lap times and lap time statistics it had an acceleration measurer which is a car that looks prepared to do that sort of thing it's not shy in just engaging the rear and sort of thinking about having a little slide you don't feel much about it through the wheel you don't know much about it through the the seat until the car starts going cuz you're not sort of really hugged in these seats really tightly turns in well then it goes then it goes then it goes then it goes slightly clumsy but it'll you know slip into a kind of big drifty slidy thing it's probably better when in the dry when you get some uh some energy built up into the chassis and it all feels a bit tighter and everything but it's not a track car it's not built for these conditions nothing else here can take so many people in so much comfort from the point of view of a big lovable barge it's all right but um typically with these things BMW does it slightly better and I think that's probably the case here too but you know wind it back relax and you make very quick not unenjoyable progress remember these are all great cars so there is no shame in a big road car like the RS7 finishing 11th when track elements matter as much as they do about half of the overall score onwards to another great Road car and our favorite hot hatchback certainly of the moment perhaps of all time this then is a h Civic Type R tradition Al sort of most powerful of the front wheeel drive hot hatchbacks but also the most spectacular just one of the best of late of the big hatches it's very confident in sparring straightway conditions at the moment are really poor and you know you first lap out feel feel like you can sort of really lean on that front end really nice Snappy gearbox medium weight steering I'm not getting low Lo through it not getting loads back there is um some bite at the front and the rear just will also move around a little bit has trouble unsurprisingly putting all of its power down in second on the way out to the corner like that wants to move around in a nice fashion actually a nice predictable well Telegraph fashion it helps that the seats are terrific they really hold you very well so when the car moves around you instantly know what's going on because you move around with it you don't slap around in the seat it's really important point I think actually one of the things about the other front-wheel drive car here which is the uh pjo 205 which has been had the Tolman mods if that had a more figure hugging seat you might feel even more connected to it uh than you do puts all of its power down in 30d no problem it will blip down shft if you if you wanted to uh qu doing it myself really but you know it it is there to help you out if you want it's a very trustworthy car just starts to push into under steer here you get all the power out of third gear Bend but you can predict really nicely linearly what it's going to do brake pedal is strong it does Flash up the hazards if you're breaking hard I'd rather it didn't just give it a little lift halfway around that corner and it just engages the back of the car a little bit it's a nice handling car this and it's an easy car to get on top of oh yeah that's sort of really nice through there that's the fourth gear mid RPM corner it's like 70 mph 65 70 in these conditions and even then you could just lean on it feel what it's up to No Nonsense no dramas no theatrics just a really well telegraphed quick enjoyable uh hot hatchback more enjoyable than the perso I don't know I mean it depends I love small lightweight cars to that end rather think the P has quite a lot going for it I wouldn't have been surprised if the Civic finished high here but it is a heck of a competitive field this year per forance cars seem to just get better and better next up is a car whose playfulness ought to make it excel in these conditions it's the BMW M2 although it does come with one significant problem and so to the BMW M2 which is a car that you would might think these conditions rather lend itself to it's front engine rear wheel drive there's a lip to slip differential it's like it's well is it's agile it's Nimble if there is a problem let me just get this out of the way first I wonder if anybody from BMW has ever tried these seats which are these optional ones with a carbon fiber penis tray in right hand drive because the clutch is right in front of the center of the seat the brake and throttle pedals are off to the right so actually as I move my this leg across that's not so bad every time I want to press the clutch that bit of the seat gets in the way it's a stupid idea they're stupid seats in a in in a in an automatic BMW in a manual they are ridiculous I can't believe anybody from BMW has ever tried them in right hand drive cuz it's just ridiculous however that done let's deal with the important bit so a little nudge of a little bit of under steer and then it will break into over steer because it has a reasonable amount of power see what the balance is like the steering quite light the gear shift is a BMW manual gear shift which means it's reasonably positive it sort of drops itself home but you know there's a little bit of rubberiness to it they're not the last World of manual gear boxes but they are okay it's got a rather nice engine very strong pull all the way through you don't need to take it out in these conditions it's nice to ride on the torque and then there is a decent amount of power you can make all the changes to the chassis steering all that sort of Malak up on uh the central touch screen but but also as well as the touch screen you can control it via this which is actually really helpful because you don't want to be wandering around at a touchcreen but actually on a straight as you go between gears you can just sort of reach down and go actually I'll tell you what I'll have is the chassis into uh sport or Comfort or whatever and you could just feel for it without having to take your your hands away from the wheel so that is quite useful it has got a nice balance it is adjustable it is approachable it's not actually half as Larry as I thought it might be see if I can deliberately provoke it there's still some traction control switched on here so let's see if we can lose that completely DSC is now off it's got an M drift analyzer you know what let's put it on that's just for the giggles use only in appropriate places okay the fact is the fact that it's not all touch screen I've got this means I can do that while I'm just sort of you know on a circuit which is which I like very much right actually doing that has really sort of liberated that feeling it still does in steady State least up to under steer but it means that it's much more there it is right but it means it's much more controllable once you get through that last drift three and a half Stars you know okay thanks very much that's the uh that's that's the that's the safe R testers verdict three and a half Stars nobody's going to be blown away nobody's going to be upset yeah three and a half Stars that's okay okay that's the fine let's see if I can do a bit better than that it's not a gear shift you want to rush too much because it does threaten to you could select a wrong gear if you weren't careful there we go didn't even register that last one as a drift I mean it's a good car it's a it's a it's a pleasant car I think I'm you would think it lends itself a bit to these conditions more than something like a GT3 RS or an aial at would do but it's I think i' prefer the way we had a BMW M2 competition here in foul weather a couple of years ago a few years ago five four or five years ago and I think I liked that much more than I like this this Fields a I don't know a bit heavy or a bit buky a bit less I don't know a bit less able to to control all of its movements even though I've got the chassis in a a sporty controlled fashion it just feels a little bit loose um it's a good car it's a nicely balanced car is it the best car here no even in conditions which kind of ought to suit it really well I like it but uh I don't think it's going to be troubling the very top but who knows there are plenty of Judges here we'll see where we end up at the end of the day from musclebound Coupe to Thoroughbred sports car the Alpine A110 are the go faster version of the car we love for its lightness and Purity here over at HMS auta so much so in fact that our editor and chief even owns one here is what the quicker version is like so this is the Alpine a10r which is the lighter racer more focused version of the A110 which we love um it has the S distinction of being the car that is on the most focused dry condition rubber of this entire test I think it's come on uh Michelin Pilot Sport cup two tires which are superb as we know in the drive but um not developed with you know wet circuits in mind but we'll see we'll see they they will be impossible to get any heat into but we'll see how they are I love this car and I'm already enjoying you know just the immediacy of it I think it's a I think it's a terrific Road car it's a big patch of standing water there I think it's terrific rad car I am looking forward to it as a as a track car even if it's not necessarily going to show its best it's just struggling with putting its power down out of that second gear corner there so let's pop the ESC into off mode just has that sort of ease of ease of movement and energy behind it you know you come on the throttle you don't have to be flat on the throttle it just picks up and if you ride a motorbik you kind of know a little bit about you know what I mean is is that the lack of inertia behind everything means that you know you could just just oh God it's really I really like it a couple of colleagues have already driven it and they said oh it's such a shame it's on such you know it's on it's on such hard rubber that it won't generate any heat and it won't grip at all and that makes it really spiky don't know it is pick it up this it did pick up some wheel speed just then more quickly it picks up Road spee but the steering is delightful because the car doesn't we very much because the front end is lightly loaded it can be yeah okay it is a little bit not entirely uh predictable the front end is is light um even lighter on this one is which is running carbon fiber Wheels which are an option so there's just no Mass behind stuff and that means that this the steering although it is power assisted you don't need loads of assistance to make it one light and the more assistance you put into a rack sometimes the less sort of Road feel you can get through uh through to the river because it can and sometimes does sort of over filter it but this just has delicious delicious steering just really lovely I wonder if this is the nicest steering the nicest power assisted steering of any road car at the moment I'm not sure that's something you would say the standard A110 but this just gives a real I mean that does steer nicely but this just has a real precision and Road feel to it that those don't and I am prepared to forgive the fact yeah so it pushes on into under steer a bit then it pushes into over steer quite quickly it's not a car that is at home on a wet circuit but I really enjoyed it on the road I'm having quite a lot of fun on circuit not going to take the sort of Liberties that I would take in something with sort of big four-wheel drive security like the 911 Dakar or that sort of front engineed rear wheeel drive play for handling of maybe not the bmdw M2 but um the rear drive M3 when you put the M3 into its rear drive mode this doesn't you know it's this is not its natural environment but a lot of this car's qualities still show through and I hope it does rather well in the dry I suspect the alpen a 110r would have made more friends still and finished even higher next up is a car with four-wheel drive the BMW m3cs although if you want you can disable drive to the front and leave this performance Saloon a purely rear drive experience so then the BMW M3 CS which is the go faster M3 let's put that into a manual mode that's better the current M3 is as you know four-wheel drive what I'm going to do is I'm going to try four-wheel drive sport for a bit and then I will put it into two wheel drive as well which you can do so you can disconnect the front make it rear wheel drive only this is very changeable weather today it's not raining right now it's really windy which means there's no water streaming across the track it has sort of settled um quite quickly but it's still quite damp still very damp It Is by no means anything like a dry track but that might the conditions might play into the M3s uh strengths a bit because it's not streaming with water like it was earlier usually when we do this event there is a reasonable amount of consistency between judges you know we kind of think that cars are what they are however I think the weather changeability of the weather somebody might try car when it's absolutely seeming with rain not really get on with it and then in conditions like this you know a few minutes later it can change quite considerably so we usually get lucky we usually get really great weather up here which is not always the case in North Wales but we this year we've got we've got some rain so sorry we'll see what we this now got enough lateral grip uh to just tip the car as you turn in on the brakes it's got enough momentum that it starts to come around and then it just makes that as you sort of power out it makes that noise as the sort of under steer kicks in you may have heard it there and it sort of front wheels are under steering but it's kind of over steering at the same sort of time it's just sort of falling sideways on Modest amounts of power and it won't take any more power than we're already giving it really good steering loads of feel I think you know sort of Road feel I I feel like I know absolutely what's going on nice consistent weight to it not unlike a BMW M4 GTS which we had here a few years ago and divided company like you would not imagine some people loved it I really enjoyed it I another a couple of other drivers who really liked it loads of people really hated it I'm going to pop this into two wheel drive mode I'm not going to get it to assess my drifts because frankly the M2 was so rude about them earlier that I'm not interested see what difference it makes to the balance well not a lot there still quite a lot not a lot on the way in there's still um you know you not generating loads of heat in the tires so it's just sort of slipping into a the steady state under and then it's much happier on the way out in two wheel drive mode to over steer than it was in four-wheel drive mode but now I know what's coming I will uh look to accept it much more readily this time round just feel it there through the fast stuff oh there's the OBS blimbing um you can just feel it there through the fast stuff ah there's the under then comes the over stad a quicker call is you just feel it just wanting to straighten itself under power in a really Pleasant fashion it's got a really nice balance very strong engine I like this car you there is a particular driving style I think to get the best out of it in these conditions and then if you don't adopt that you either get quite a lot of under steer or right here we go there we go you have to beat through the under steer in quite a big way and stay stay beating through it as well to get into the oversteer into the realm of where it's going yeah the front's now doing what you want and you're playing games with the rear it's much easier in the dry to get into that state cuz you can work up some heat in the front tires but that state is attainable in these conditions but it's just hard to get to and it's hard to stay in it and it's but there is a really well balanced car in there somewhere it's harder to find it in these conditions but it's a good driver's car and actually even if you're not messing around with it it's it's rewarding just a little bit sort of clumsy with what it's doing at times I don't think it will divide opinion quite like the M4 GTS did but I think there will be people who really like it and those who don't like it quite as much at all on from the M3 then to something rather more purposeful the pro drive p25 has been rather unfairly called a Subaru 22b Resto mod and the body might look the same as that but that underestimates of what this car is all about it's a way way more serious car than any previous road-going Subaru it is almost a bespoke rally car as per fits being made by pro drive I suppose it's brilliant and fabulous but as we'll see incred inedibly full on as well by pulling away in a pro drive p25 is get a sense of what this car is about it's got a sort of bespoke carbon pedal assembly the clutch is remote effectively it's a digital electronic clutch so there's no actual sort of bite Point car just starts moving and you wind it off the brakes are unassisted it grunes away I get one big paddle that I pull towards me to change up and push to change down not to put too fine a point on it this is a car that is not interested in doing stuff except going really fast forwards and then stopping really quickly it's not interested in anything in the middle it is an absurd piece of kit it's not it's not a Subaru Resto mod in any normal sense of the word it's basically a WRC car in very limited Road spec numbers you can't drive it on the road I have R it on the road but it just spent most of its time uninterested in the things that you would like to do with it unless you're just going flat out the road it wants to be on is a oneway special stage with no other traffic so what's it like well flipping loud inside and out weather has just turned aible and it's quite neutal you can lean up against it doesn't like coming on on and off the front you're either on it or you're not put it in Sport Plus now it gets even angrier with some sort of anti- lag malari going on it doesn't like throttle at all oh my good we and then you go up to a certain speed and there's so much wind noise and everything else as well it's so raw this car it is unbelievable and I suppose if you're a rally driver you you don't mind a bit of slip in the ties so you would be on confident or nearly full throtle all the time right let's push that button that puts it in sport sport let's push it again that puts it in Road mode which winds everything back a little but it's still a very angry machine that really just wants to be driven hard even if you're on you know the public road on half throtle it's not really happy it's whing away it wants to be pushed harder and harder and harder and then there are the lovely things about the fact that it's on a super of this era shape and size visibility is very good it's quite compact it's got a very simple clean interior I mean it doesn't have the sort of visual quality of a mod super car you know it feels bespoke handmade in a sort of very functional fashion if the road out of your gate is one way up to your favorite coffee stop and it is like a special coric and special stage imagine you'll think this car is the best thing since lice bread it's quite hard work everywhere but oh my goodness get it in the right spot there's nothing like it here or anywhere else on the road today it is mind mind blowing so 11th to 6th Place takes us to just over halfway in the countdown for Britain's best driver's car of 2023 next will be the top five which of the aerial atom the two Porsche 911s the Lamborghini or the perso 205 Resto mod will take the top spot well if you subscribe to this Channel and turn on notifications we'll tell you as soon as it appears meantime join us over at autocar.co.uk and or atth magazin shop.com we are on all the socials I'm on Instagram at automatic transmission 2ts and you can find the autocar my week in cars podcast wherever you get your podcasts until then see you next time\n"