‘Clutch kick’, supercar royalty: best rides of 2024
This year was one of extraordinary cars, these are the best of the best when it comes to being behind the wheel.
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Motoring writers have an incredibly privileged job that involves telling stories about the automotive industry and the cars it creates.
Like any job, there are deadlines, stressful elements and plenty of days we would rather forget. But the best days are outrageous.
Here are seven of the best days we had in the office this year:
The ultimate lap: Porsche 911 Dakar
Porsche’s jacked-up, off-road-ready 911 Dakar is a wild machine. Rather than hosting media and influencers at a central event, the brand asked us to dream up our ultimate test drive for the car. Keen to experience the machine without breaking road rules, we took it for the ultimate lap of Sydney Motorsport Park, combining the conventional circuit with its four-wheel-drive course, slippery skid pan and rocky gravel access roads to get a taste of Porsche’s remarkable coupe. You can try the same elements by booking experiences through Driving Solutions – though putting it all together in one continuous lap was a special privilege.
Australian Grand Prix: Mercedes-AMG C63
You don’t have to be a Formula 1 superfan to know that Albert Park is not a racetrack for the majority of the year, and that opportunities to drive the Australian Grand Prix course at speed are quite rare.
When Mercedes-AMG offered customers a chance to drive the new hybrid-powered C63 around the track, we might have snuck in and taken one for a few laps.
Though the brand’s change from a snarling V8 to a heavily boosted four-cylinder engine is controversial, there’s nothing wrong with 500kW of power and all-wheel-drive traction that rockets you down the straight at more than 200km/h.
Tricky restrictions ahead of the Grand Prix made it hard to secure photos of the test drive, so we made do with illustrations that seared the experience into our minds.
Bathurst 12 Hour: McLaren Artura
The Bathurst 12 Hour is a brilliant event that merges world-class driving talent with stunning supercars made by the likes of Lamborghini, Ferrari, Porsche and McLaren.
We took a new McLaren Artura to this year’s race, driving from Sydney to Bathurst at dawn before completing a silent and emissions-free parade lap of Mount Panorama using its electric motor. Half art, and half ooh-rah, this gorgeous sliver of carbon fibre represents one of the most advanced cars on the planet.
Electric skids: Hyundai Ioniq 5 N
Hyundai’s Ioniq 5 N is the first electric car made for petrolheads. We knew what had to happen when the team responsible for engineering the car explained that it has a drift mode, variable torque bias, brake regeneration designed to induce oversteer and even a “clutch kick” function that pulses torque to the rear motor to initiate a skid.
At the end of the car’s launch at Sydney Motorsport Park, we had one final lap to experiment with the car’s drift settings and see if this electric car really could get people to trade in their V8.
Several cameras, four vaporised Pirellis and one thrilled journalist can attest that this is an EV like no other.
NZ ice driving: BMW M3
Drifting is just about the most fun thing you can do in a car, and there’s no better place to do it than on ice. Driving sideways on a slippery surface is equal parts thrilling and hilarious, particularly when you’re behind the wheel of a special machine such as BMW’s M3.
Most ice driving experiences are held in the northern hemisphere, which makes them a significant investment in time and money for Aussie enthusiasts. But BMW’s ice driving school is just around the corner in New Zealand, making it the perfect addition to a ski trip or weekend getaway.
Wanted: Ferrari 296 GTS
Ever feel like you’re being watched? Test-driving an $800,000 Ferrari was a nerve-wracking experience because it came the day after I riled up the highway patrol with a video (and opinion piece) pointing out unfair tactics used to catch speeding drivers.
Several million people saw my video, so I felt like I had a target on my back when test-driving a bright red Ferrari with way more power than most racing cars.
Every drive in a new supercar is a special occasion – especially in something as gorgeous and rapid as the Ferrari 296 GTS. Taking one for a spin is amazing – as is giving it back with your licence intact.
Paris to Le Mans: Ford Mustang GT
Ford returned to Le Mans to take on supercar royalty including Ferrari, Porsche, Lamborghini and McLaren in the GT3 class at Le Mans this year. If you’ve seen Matt Damon and Christian Bale in Ford v Ferrari, you’ll know that the 24 hour classic means a lot to the blue oval.
We’ll never forget taking the new Mustang on a gallop from the heart of Paris to the racetrack, rumbling through villages and roaring past castles before watching the Ford beat the odds to take a podium trophy on debut.
Thank you for reading and watching our content in 2024 – for the millions of video views, countless stories read and thousands of comments that help us remain a link between the car industry and motoring public.
Let us know what you want to see in 2025 by emailing cars@news.com.au
Originally published as ‘Clutch kick’, supercar royalty: best rides of 2024
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