Porsche 911 2007 News

Mazda MX-5From $42,870NOW in its third generation, and with a hardtop option, this the car that revived the roadster. It looks good, drives like a go-kart and has loads of zip. The interior is well designed, and even tall people have plenty of legroom. The manual transmission is close and the suspension firm. Sporty steering and enthusiastic acceleration from the two-litre four will have you heading for the hills.BEST COLOUR: RedBEST ACCESSORY: A mountain-road map Jaguar XK$221,900A REVIVED sense of Jaguar style is complemented by a 4.2-litre V8 with a heartful of attitude, and a paddle- shift sequential six-speed gearbox that leaves the old J-gate for dead. It's billed as two-plus-two, but the backseats just can't be taken seriously — consider them a deterrent to the barrage of requests for a ride.BEST COLOUR: Gunmetal greyBEST ACCESSORY: A silver-service picnic hamper Holden Tigra$34,990ODDLY for a car aimed wholly and unapologetically at young women, the Tigra lacks an auto option. But if the young lady can stand shifting for herself, she'll love this cute two-seater. With competent dynamics and excellent packaging, it's a good alternative to the harder, more focused Mazda MX-5.BEST COLOUR: Lipstick redBEST ACCESSORY: Your bestest gal pal Volkswagen EosFrom $47,990ALTHOUGH options soon shoot the long-awaited four-seat CC past the $60K mark, this VeeWee's value is as hard to fault as its performance. With four-cylinder turbo diesel or turbo petrol engines to choose from, you can get where you want on the back of a mighty wave of torque, or rev high and mighty like a GTI. The only "problem" is that it arguably looks even better when the wonderful metal-and-glass folding roof is up.BEST COLOUR: CrimsonBEST ACCESSORY: Just about anything you care to carry Porsche 911$218,000THE yardstick by which other sports cars are measured. Its potent engine gets you to 100km/h in around five seconds, with pin-sharp steering, athletic handling and a delicious noise. It could do with more room in the back, and the fuel tank could be bigger too. But these are minor niggles dismissed by true fans.BEST COLOUR: BlackBEST ACCESSORY: An IWC Portuguese watch Mercedes-Benz SLK350From $110,900ELEGANT styling and the practicality of a hardtop that, although heavy, hasn't damaged the power-to-weight ratio too much. A muscular 3.5-litre V6 engine that offers slingshot acceleration, plus point-and-shoot steering and tremendous grip,result in a thrilling drive. The cabin is snug, but it's also very comfortable and kitted out in signature Merc style. The COMAND system control interface, however, is needlessly complicated until you master it.BEST COLOUR: SilverBEST ACCESSORY: A Prada briefcase Nissan 350Z Roadster$73,990MORE retro cues here in Nissan's reincarnation of the legendary Z-car, with 1970s lines from the 240Z matched with an enthusiastic and refined 3.5-litre V6. Agile handling and a ride that sits perfectly between firm and compliant make up fora sometimes unforgiving manual transmission.BEST COLOUR: BlackBEST ACCESSORY: A black iPod Ferrari F430 Spider$425,000WITH a chunky V8 sitting in the middle of its chiselled body, the F430 is an aerodynamic marvel with exceptional handling. Much of the design has been borrowed from the race shed, and extensive use of aluminium helps with weight distribution and lowers the centre of gravity.It will rocket to 100km/h in 4.1 seconds and to a top speed of 305km/h. And even just sitting at the lights, it will send all the attention your way. Sex on wheels, really.BEST COLOUR: Need you ask? RedBEST ACCESSORY: A smug smile

Physics tells us that even a Ferrari pushed to the extreme will eventually lose its grip on the road, often with cataclysmic results.It happens when the gravitational force acting on the car exceeds the driver's desire to go in the other direction.We know because we found the limits of the bright yellow Porsche Cayman that we were driving on Dubai's $150 million grand prix circuit last week.The beauty of race tracks, at least modern ones that is, is that they are designed for this eventuality, with run off areas where cars can slide harmlessly to a halt without hitting anything.My little "off" happened on a section of the circuit doused with water, part wet and part dry, to make things that little bit more challenging.Reaching the apex of the corner, I applied too much throttle too soon (at least that's the way I remember it) forcing the rear of the car to flick sideways.I watched as the Porsche in slow motion described a full circle around me before coming to a rest.Intact, but with a slightly bruised ego, I was able to drive off again, hardly missing a beat.In fact, it was over so quickly, that no one realised it had even happened - but they say confession is good for the soul.We were in the United Arab Emirates at the invitation of Pirelli tyres to test their new high performance P Zero.The Italian manufacturer reckons the P Zero is the best performance tyre in the world and it is a claim I find difficult to dispute.The Dubai circuit was divided into a number of areas, each with a different exercise designed to highlight the advantages of the tyre.At each stop there was a smorgasbord of cars from which to chose, but before we got started we treated to some hot laps in the V10 Lamborghini Gallardo,At full noise, in the hands of a professional driver, it's an experience one is not likely to forget in a hurry.As a matter of fact, I recorded the event and it is destined to live for evermore as a ring tone in my mobile.The most telling exercise of the day was one where we drove around and around in a tight circle on a wet and slippery section of track.Two Audi TTs were provided for the exercise, one fitted with P Zeros, the other with a competitor's tyre.At the risk of sounding like an advertise- ment, they were like chalk and cheese - the P Zero had appreciably more grip.We were able to drive a number of different cars on the day, not all of them fitted with Pirellis.They included Audi's S8, Porsche Carrera and Cayman and Boxster and Benz's S 65 AMG, CLS 63 AMG and CLK 63 AMG - to name a few.Although by no means the most powerful of the group, the Porsche Boxster shone on the track, with its sharp handling and responsive six pack.Pirelli is marking the launch of the new P Zero - the fourth since the birth of the original back in 1987 with the Ferrari F40 - with the release of a short film.Called Mission Zero, it's directed by Kathryn Bigelow and starring Uma Thurman and is a kind of a car chase minus the rest of the movie.It features a yellow Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder - finished of course in Kill Bill Yellow.