A decade of champions
A run-through of our performance car champions from the last 10 years
Our annual fast car shoot-out dates back to 2002, so we’ve been putting the UK’s best performance cars to the test for 10 years.
Here we run through a decade of champions, and as you can see, raw speed alone isn’t enough to scoop the coveted title.
Only the most absorbing and entertaining models stand a chance of securing the Auto Express Performance Car Of The Year crown.
2002: Lotus Elise 111SSuperb traction and nimble handling meant Elise kept up with cars boasting more power at Llandow Circuit, Glamorgan.
2003: MINI Cooper S WorksOn our first visit to Anglesey, the tuned MINI won the day. “200bhp turns this shopping car into a projectile,” we said.
2004: Nissan 350ZIn 2004, we revisited Anglesey, and this time it was a win for the 350Z, which we labelled a performance car bargain.
2005: VW Golf GTIA long-awaited return to form made the GTI a popular winner. “It’s planted in faster corners and has real sports appeal,” we said.
2006: Porsche Cayman SWe moved from Anglesey to Croft in North Yorkshire in 2006, and witnessed the arrival of a modern legend: the Cayman S.
2007: Porsche Cayman SOur first trip to a revised Anglesey. Its National layout was new, but our champ wasn’t, as the Cayman S won again.
2008: Nissan GT-RIn terms of bang for your buck, the GT-R was hard to beat. We hailed it “one of the most capable supercoupes ever”.
2009: Audi R8 V10We know Audi does luxury, but in 2009 it proved it can also do pace and poise. The R8 V10 left us grasping for superlatives.
2010: Ferrari 458 ItaliaLast year witnessed the first Ferrari victory at our annual shoot-out, as the 458 easily swept a strong field aside.
2011: Ferrari 458 ItaliaAs a stunning new Spider version joins the line-up, the 458 Italia coupe has become only the second car in PCOTY history to retain its title.
