The Future of Sports Cars: A Debate about Fun and Performance

As we sit here, surrounded by the latest and greatest sports cars on the market, it's hard not to wonder what the future holds for this beloved genre. Are we going to be able to love sports cars in years to come, or will they become soulless, high-tech machines that fail to capture the essence of driving? To answer these questions, we've pitted two of the most iconic sports cars against each other: the Porsche 911 GT3 and the BMW i8. But before we dive into our track test results, let's talk about what makes a great sports car.

For many of us, the 911 is more than just a car - it's an experience. It's a sensation that can't be replicated by any other machine on the planet. The way it handles, the sound of its engine, and the feeling of power that comes with every turn... it's all part of what makes driving a 911 so addictive. But as we move into the future, it's clear that things are going to change. Electric cars like the i8 are becoming increasingly popular, and they're not just about efficiency - they're also about performance.

The Porsche 911 GT3 is a beast on the track. Its precise handling and razor-sharp turning capabilities make it a joy to drive, but even its greatest fans will admit that it's not without its quirks. The steering, in particular, has always been a point of contention among enthusiasts. It's too light, too soft... or so they claim. But when you get behind the wheel and put your foot down, all those criticisms disappear. This is what driving is all about - the thrill of speed, the rush of adrenaline as you push the car to its limits.

But how does this compare to the BMW i8? On paper, it sounds like a less desirable proposition. The 911 has a proven track record, and the i8 is just a newcomer trying to make a name for itself. But our first impressions were wrong. The i8 may not be as fast as the 911 - at least, not yet - but it's also more adjustable. The chassis is so well-balanced that you can turn in too hot and get a huge amount of push... but if you do it just right, it neutralizes itself beautifully.

The skinny tires on the front axle are a bit of a mystery to us - why would anyone put such thin tires on a sports car? But as we explore the i8's capabilities, we begin to realize that this is exactly what makes it so special. The lack of turning grip means you have to be patient with the front axle... but if you turn into a corner on the brakes or off throttle at speed, the car magically corrects itself. It's astonishingly adjustable, and for the first time in our lives, we're actually enjoying the i8.

Of course, this is all on a conventional two-car track test - but it only scratches the surface of what this car can do. The real question is, can it get anywhere near the 911's lap time? We'll have to wait and see... for now, let's just say that we're eager to find out.

As we line up our two cars on the track, one thing becomes clear: this is not going to be an easy contest. The 911 is already ahead by four tenths of a second as we cross the line into the first corner. But we're not here to make up numbers - we're here to have some fun.

The i8 takes the first turn beautifully, its adjustable chassis allowing it to neutralize any excess speed... but it's just not quite as sharp as the 911 in the corners. The Porsche turns into the second of two left-handers at 70 miles an hour, while the i8 is still struggling to find its rhythm at 62. It's now 1.7 seconds behind - and it's only going to get worse.

As we hurtle through the complex, twisting circuit, the i8 starts to come into its own. The power of its electric motor is incredible, but it's not just about raw speed - it's also about finesse. You need to feel the car, anticipate what's coming next... and that's where the i8 really shines.

But in the end, it doesn't matter how much fun we have on track. The 911 still walks away with a massive lead - by 3.8 seconds! It's clear that this car is still the king of the road, but our experience with the i8 has left us with one burning question: what does the future hold for sports cars? Will they become high-tech, efficiency-focused machines that sacrifice driving joy for environmental credentials? Or will there be a way to balance all these competing demands - power, speed, fun, and sustainability?

One thing is for sure: we're excited. The BMW i8 has shown us that electric cars can be more than just soulless machines - they can be thrilling, exciting, and downright enjoyable. And as we look towards the future of sports cars, it's clear that this is a debate worth having.

So what do you think? Will electric cars like the i8 change the game, or will traditional gasoline-powered machines remain the gold standard for driving enthusiasts? Let us know in the comments below - and don't forget to join us on our next track test adventure!

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enfor as long as anybody cares to remember the sports car has changed gradually it has evolved and none more so than the porsche 911 it's been doing it for more than 50 years but there's been a revolution spearheaded by bmw's hybrid i8 we're told it's the sports car of the future so that gives us two deadly rivalries for today time-honored 911 takes on new age i8 and present day takes on the future the 911 is a carrera 4 gts with pdk both cars have 4-wheel drive paddle shift gearboxes and cost around a hundred thousand pounds so how do they compare on circuit we're starting off in familiar territory this is the 911 this is the four wheel drive gts version in terms of spec and price it's the closest match for the i8 this gts effectively cherry picks all the best parts from the 911 options list and i have to say it's really really special it really is a lovely lovely car it's absolutely the dynamic benchmark for the i8 to aspire to that engine it's just mighty ripping round to 8 a lot has been said and a lot has been written about this new 991 generation 911 and it is a departure the steering it's not as detailed as the old 997s on the track it doesn't really matter you know where the grip is you can feel the car moving around beautifully through the rest of the chassis out on the road it might not feel like a 911 anymore not as much as the old ones but on the track where you've got space you can still use the weight distribution that unusual weight distribution to get the car turned into a corner to keep the nose pinned onto its line and get the back end sliding around a 911 on its toes like that is just such a wonderful sensation despite this being the four wheel drive version the thing is still so mobile through the corners if you want it to it will fully light up all the way into through and out of the corner yeah you lose nothing dynamically with this four-wheel drive system in fact it probably gives you a bit more control a bit more composure particularly in greasy conditions when you want it this might well be the career of choice right now if i'm being honest i don't think the i8's got any hope any hope at all of matching this car for lap time i don't even know if it's going to be half as much fun as this there's only one way to find out so today the i8 takes on the 911 in a conventional two-car track test but it also sparks a broader discussion about the future of the sports car are we going to be able to love sports cars in years to come the way that we love the current generation are we going to find enough to get excited about are they going to be as appealing as much fun how does this i8 stack up against the amazing 911 gts well let's have a go this car wears a very skinny tire on the front axle it's a low rolling resistance tire it's to get that mpg figure up and it means that we don't have a great deal of turning grip you really have to be patient with the front axle if you turn in too hot ask too much fit you just get this enormous amount of push but if you turn into a corner on the brakes or off throttle at speed it neutralizes itself beautifully i had no idea that i8 would be so adjustable on the brakes and off throttle honestly it's absolutely astonishing i've been having the time of my life in this car today so on these jesus so on these skinny front tyres we don't have a great deal of turning grip we don't have a great deal of steering feel in fact there's none of that at all really but what we do have is an enormous amount of adjustability in the chassis the chassis is so well balanced i'm absolutely amazed i'm going to end this with a pleated bmw please give this car to the end division let them do what they do let them sort out the steering let them find some more power from this complicated drivetrain let them fit some proper tires and some proper brakes an mi8 could be absolutely mighty the 911 is sharper and more precise on track but the i8 was a great deal more fun than we expected it to be the question is can it get anywhere near the 911's lap time with the 911 on the left and the i8 on the right we're across the line by the breaking zone for the fast chicane the 911 is already ahead by four tenths of a second the 911 gets to the apex for the fast left-hander just as the i8 is turning in the porsche gets to the first of the two medium speed left-handers a full second ahead of the i8 the 911 turns into the second of the two left-handers at 70 miles an hour compared to 62 miles an hour for the i8 it's now 1.7 seconds ahead and it carries more speed onto the long straight by the time the 911 breaks at the end of the straight it's 2.7 seconds ahead it pulled out a full second on the i8 down the straight on sheer power alone it gets through the titan twisty complex seven tenths of a second faster than the i8 and it gets onto the start finish straight 3.5 seconds in the lead the 911 gets to the line 3.8 seconds ahead of the i8 in the event the 911 walks it we weren't looking for the i8 to be as fast as the porsche though we were looking for a little seed of potential some kind of sign that the next generation of sports cars will be as fun as the sports car of today judging by how much fun the i8 was on track it's fair to say that the future is looking very bright indeed remember to subscribe to evo tv for more deadly rivals videos so if we come into this third gear left-hander turn in it didn't workfor as long as anybody cares to remember the sports car has changed gradually it has evolved and none more so than the porsche 911 it's been doing it for more than 50 years but there's been a revolution spearheaded by bmw's hybrid i8 we're told it's the sports car of the future so that gives us two deadly rivalries for today time-honored 911 takes on new age i8 and present day takes on the future the 911 is a carrera 4 gts with pdk both cars have 4-wheel drive paddle shift gearboxes and cost around a hundred thousand pounds so how do they compare on circuit we're starting off in familiar territory this is the 911 this is the four wheel drive gts version in terms of spec and price it's the closest match for the i8 this gts effectively cherry picks all the best parts from the 911 options list and i have to say it's really really special it really is a lovely lovely car it's absolutely the dynamic benchmark for the i8 to aspire to that engine it's just mighty ripping round to 8 a lot has been said and a lot has been written about this new 991 generation 911 and it is a departure the steering it's not as detailed as the old 997s on the track it doesn't really matter you know where the grip is you can feel the car moving around beautifully through the rest of the chassis out on the road it might not feel like a 911 anymore not as much as the old ones but on the track where you've got space you can still use the weight distribution that unusual weight distribution to get the car turned into a corner to keep the nose pinned onto its line and get the back end sliding around a 911 on its toes like that is just such a wonderful sensation despite this being the four wheel drive version the thing is still so mobile through the corners if you want it to it will fully light up all the way into through and out of the corner yeah you lose nothing dynamically with this four-wheel drive system in fact it probably gives you a bit more control a bit more composure particularly in greasy conditions when you want it this might well be the career of choice right now if i'm being honest i don't think the i8's got any hope any hope at all of matching this car for lap time i don't even know if it's going to be half as much fun as this there's only one way to find out so today the i8 takes on the 911 in a conventional two-car track test but it also sparks a broader discussion about the future of the sports car are we going to be able to love sports cars in years to come the way that we love the current generation are we going to find enough to get excited about are they going to be as appealing as much fun how does this i8 stack up against the amazing 911 gts well let's have a go this car wears a very skinny tire on the front axle it's a low rolling resistance tire it's to get that mpg figure up and it means that we don't have a great deal of turning grip you really have to be patient with the front axle if you turn in too hot ask too much fit you just get this enormous amount of push but if you turn into a corner on the brakes or off throttle at speed it neutralizes itself beautifully i had no idea that i8 would be so adjustable on the brakes and off throttle honestly it's absolutely astonishing i've been having the time of my life in this car today so on these jesus so on these skinny front tyres we don't have a great deal of turning grip we don't have a great deal of steering feel in fact there's none of that at all really but what we do have is an enormous amount of adjustability in the chassis the chassis is so well balanced i'm absolutely amazed i'm going to end this with a pleated bmw please give this car to the end division let them do what they do let them sort out the steering let them find some more power from this complicated drivetrain let them fit some proper tires and some proper brakes an mi8 could be absolutely mighty the 911 is sharper and more precise on track but the i8 was a great deal more fun than we expected it to be the question is can it get anywhere near the 911's lap time with the 911 on the left and the i8 on the right we're across the line by the breaking zone for the fast chicane the 911 is already ahead by four tenths of a second the 911 gets to the apex for the fast left-hander just as the i8 is turning in the porsche gets to the first of the two medium speed left-handers a full second ahead of the i8 the 911 turns into the second of the two left-handers at 70 miles an hour compared to 62 miles an hour for the i8 it's now 1.7 seconds ahead and it carries more speed onto the long straight by the time the 911 breaks at the end of the straight it's 2.7 seconds ahead it pulled out a full second on the i8 down the straight on sheer power alone it gets through the titan twisty complex seven tenths of a second faster than the i8 and it gets onto the start finish straight 3.5 seconds in the lead the 911 gets to the line 3.8 seconds ahead of the i8 in the event the 911 walks it we weren't looking for the i8 to be as fast as the porsche though we were looking for a little seed of potential some kind of sign that the next generation of sports cars will be as fun as the sports car of today judging by how much fun the i8 was on track it's fair to say that the future is looking very bright indeed remember to subscribe to evo tv for more deadly rivals videos so if we come into this third gear left-hander turn in it didn't work\n"