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Best sports cars on sale in 2019: Toyota GR Supra, Porsche Cayman GT4 and more
From compact convertibles to all-wheel-drive monsters, these are the best cars for pure driving thrills
There has never been a better time to buy a sports car than 2019. Despite the world moving to cleaner, electric-powered city cars, many leading manufacturers are still building models tailored for motoring fans of speed and style.
With the summer in full swing, here are the best sports cars on sale for B-road burn:
Alpine A110
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Renault revived its Alpine brand in 2017 after a 22-year break. The French company rebooted Alpine with the launch of the A110, a mid-engined sports car that honours the rally car of the same name from the 1970s.
While the A110 enters its third year on sale in 2019, it’s still considered one of the best sports cars money can buy.
Autocar, which gives the A110 a five-star score, says it is “quick, agile, effusive and ultimately enormous, accessible fun”.
“Rarely does a car come along so devoted to driver involvement, and so singularly effective at it, even among sports cars”, the magazine concludes.
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The A110 carries a price tag of around £46,000.
Audi TT RS
Sports cars are typically known for delivering speed through a lightweight construction and a small - yet powerful - engine. The Audi TT RS, however, seems to throw the rulebook out the window.
The TT RS is powered by a 2.5-litre turbocharged five-cylinder engine, delivering “almost 400bhp” to all four wheels, notes Evo. It will sprint from 0-60mph in 3.5 seconds, too, which is enough to give most supercars a run for their money.
Its engine offers “huge mid-range torque and almost sounds like the iconic Audi Quattro of the 1980s”, the motoring magazine says.
While the handling isn’t enough to rival the Porsche Cayman, the latest TT RS is “a far more dynamically sorted machine” than the models that came before it.
Pricing gets under way at a little over £52,000.
Mazda MX-5
(Image credit: Dominic Fraser)
The Mazda MX-5 is often hailed as the quintessential sports car. Sharp looks, a lightweight chassis and a high-revving engine are all present in the latest version - and at a price that’s unlikely to break the bank.
“Rather than chasing outright speed, this is a sports car that focuses on plastering a big silly grin on your face regardless of velocity,” says WhatCar?.
It’s so good, in fact, that its only true rival is the Fiat 124, which was based on the MX-5, the reviews site says. “It might only be as fast as a Ford Fiesta ST, and doesn’t have the interior luxury of a Mini Convertible, but you can’t beat it for pure driving enjoyment.”
Costing just over £19,000, the MX-5 is by far the cheapest model in this list. Hard-top versions are also available, with prices starting at around £23,000.
Porsche 718 Cayman GT4
(Image credit: www.richardpardon.co.uk)
The standard 718 Cayman received mixed reviews from critics, mainly due to its lacklustre four-cylinder engine. But the new six-cylinder Cayman GT4 model seems to right many of the base car’s wrongs.
Designed with a focus on driving thrills over comfort, the new model has more aggressive looks, which include larger brake cooling ducts nestled in the front bumper and a fixed rear wing.
It’s also equipped with a six-speed manual gearbox that automatically revs the motor - often referred to as throttle blip - when shifting down the gears to improve engine response, says Top Gear.
But it’s the 4.0-litre naturally-aspirated flat-six engine that steals the show. “Having an engine do exactly what you want, when you want, and sound enthusiastic about it while doing it, is just brilliant,” the motoring site says.
Prices start from £75,000, making it £10,000 more expensive than the outgoing model.
Toyota GR Supra
One of the most important sports cars of 2019 came from Toyota, which brought back the Supra name after a 17-year hiatus.
The new Supra is based on the new BMW Z4 and carries over the same 3.0-litre straight-six engine that can be found in its German counterpart.
In the Toyota, the engine produces 335bhp and 362lb-ft of torque, which is sent to the rear wheels through an eight-speed automatic gearbox.
“It’s a brilliant sports car with an agile rear-wheel drive chassis, bold looks and quality damping that works well on British roads,” according to Auto Express.
Orders are open now, with prices kicking off at £52,695.
