2019 ROAD & TRACK PERFORMANCE CAR OF THE YEAR

always a good article. They do great videos on YT...

 

I'm surprised they'd already have access to the Pista and Senna.

 

These articles are dung, the only opinion that matters is your own and the best performance car is what's in your garage.

They didn't even include the latest Camry, especially with the revised aero. I get passed by them all the time on the highway.

 

totally agree, there is no something like best car ...

 

Actually, no jokes, I got passed by Prius all the time.

 

Which one do you think will win?

My bet GT2RS

 

Same! I'm super quick off the line, but don't go too far over the speed limit. Priuses and Camrys do.

 

Seriously I hate these articles. If I have a car that doesn’t win, I’m going to run out and sell it and trade for the car that did win.

Lame

 

The Senna needs to have points deducted due to its very challenged looks in addition an owner would need to careful consider his/her attire due to its see through doors, far too much compromise there.

 

If the scoring is biased towards track performance, the Senna. If it is more road orientated, the Pista.

 

Senna = $1m +. It better win.

 

Corvette ZR1 already has the record lap at that track.

 

The Pista better beat everything with the exception of the Senna. If “performance” is the only metric NOTHING will beat the Senna.

If Ferrari’s performance track car can’t beat the GT2 and Corvette it will be very disappointing...

 

Porsche needs to take it seriously though - in french magazine Sport Auto, the GT2RS failed to deliver a really impressive lap time because Porsche did not have the tailor made Michelin Sport Cup 2 they used for the Nurburgring record (these tyres are supposed to be standard on th GT2 RS, but they were not readily available and many GT2RS have been delivered without them).
The McLaren 720S achieved a better time than the GT2RS on the same track (Le Mans Bugatti) with the same driver.

 

I wish they would have included the 600LT and the SVJ.

I would expect Pista to come out on top of the cars tested. too much aero on the 2RS. Senna is too impractical.

 

Fast Facts About the Eight Contenders for Road & Track's 2019 Performance Car of the Year

Next week, we're bringing eight wildly different performance cars together for testing on the road and track. Only one can be the winner

Image Unavailable, Please Login
ROAD & TRACK
Next week, the Road & Track staff heads to Kentucky to conduct our 2019 Performance Car of the Year testing. We'll be bringing eight of the hottest performance machines the industry has to offer, all of them brand-new or considerably revised this year. And the Class of 2019 might just be the most wide-ranging in the history of PCOTY.


To refresh your memory, the eight competitors this year are:

• Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio
• Audi RS5
• BMW M5 Competition
• Chevrolet Corvette ZR1
• Ferrari 488 Pista
• McLaren Senna
• Mercedes-AMG E63 S Wagon
• Porsche 911 GT2 RS

Ahead of our week of road and track testing, we took a little look at the facts and figures on these eight competitors. Here's some fun facts for you:

• The Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio is the first utility vehicle to compete in PCOTY. If you've read our review from earlier this year, you'll understand why: It's razor sharp and rewarding on the road in a way that outstrips any other performance SUV.
• The Mercedes-AMG E63 S is not the first station wagon to join our competition. An earlier version of the Mercedes ultra-wagon competed in our inaugural PCOTY test, conducted in 2013.
• The most expensive vehicle in our test is, naturally, the McLaren Senna, with a price that basically rounds out to $1 million. The least expensive competitor? The Audi RS5, with a base price of $70,000.
• The Senna also takes the cake for highest horsepower, with 789. The lowest horsepower rating? Once again, the Audi RS5, with a mere 444.
• But when it comes to torque, the Corvette ZR1 trounces everything with a whopping 715 lb-ft. The least torque-ful of our competitors? It's a tie between the Stelvio Quadrifoglio and the RS5, each bringing 443 lb-ft to the party.
• Going by manufacturer-reported acceleration times, the 911 GT2 RS is the quickest to 60 mph, at just 2.7 seconds. Both the Senna and the 488 Pista have factory-claimed 0-60 times of 2.8 seconds; we suspect these are conservative estimates. The Stelvio at 3.7 seconds and the RS5 at 3.8 are the slowest sprinters.
• The highest top speed goes to the Corvette ZR1, at 212 mph. Senna and Pista aren't far behind at 211 mph, followed by the 210-mph 911 GT2 RS. Once again, the 176-mph Stelvio and 174-mph RS5 bring up the rear.
• The largest engine in the competition is, of course, the supercharged 6.2-liter V8 in the Corvette ZR1. It's also the only competitor that isn't sporting twin turbos. The smallest engines? You guessed it: Stelvio and RS5, each with a 2.9-liter twin-turbo V6. Take away the 'Vette, and the largest engine is the 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 in the BMW M5 Competition, followed by the 4.0-liters in the McLaren and E63 S.
• Among the eight cars in our test, there are five V8s, two V6s, and one flat-six. Bet you can guess which car that belongs to.
• For the first time in PCOTY history, there is not a single competitor with a manual transmission. The Corvette ZR1 is available with a seven-speed stick, but the example provided to us by General Motors has the automatic.

That last point may make some readers (and R&T staffers) groan, but it highlights a big reason why we do this annual test: To survey the state of high-performance cars on an annual basis. Our world isn't just about two-door sports cars anymore, and this test will help us understand what that means for driving enjoyment.

And that's why this test is about more than just lap times. Sure, running a bunch of cars around a race track is a great way to get concrete information about which is quickest, but fast doesn't necessarily mean fun. These things still have to function like real cars, and we intend to test that.

Will the Senna reign supreme? Will Pista give it a run for its money? Will the ZR1 thunder its way ahead of the competition? Will we decide that the best performance car this year is a four-door sedan, a station wagon, or—gasp—a crossover? Stay tuned. We can't wait to find out and tell you all about it.

 

Potential Demo Videos

GT2RS @ NMC motorsport park west

1:31.17 (Damp) potentially Cup2 R

488 Pista @ NCM Motorsport park west
1:32.5 (Damp)

 

Both lap times were being completed in damp conditions...but if those time differences (1.3 seconds) do stand it’s very disappointing considering the Ferrari had more time for development then the Porsche GT2 RS. There’s no excuses to have the Pista not beat the GT2 RS, unless we are going to say the Pista wasn’t designed for the track. LOL. Then Ferrari will need to rename the Pista...Strada.

 

Would be very surprised if Pista beats the Porsche.
It’s designed to be more engaging, not the quickest around the track. Same like Speciale.

 

All I can see is turn 10 and Pista slided out a bit and TC prevented further throttle input and understeered away from apex.
GT2RS stayed put and made the turn.
Well done Ferrari to keep up with 2RS.