AFTER THE YEAR we’ve had it’s easy to forget the seemingly unstoppable march of new fast cars remains in full swing. That’s despite catastrophic weather events, a global pandemic and the loss of local icons threatening, at times, to end all the fun.
As you’ll see, casting our gaze into 2021 only brightens the horizon for incoming fodder. Get ready for the Mach 1, our most track-focused atmo Ford Mustang yet, or the Chevrolet Corvette – Australia’s first taste of the high-performance GM brand’s halo product. The Mk8 VW Golf GTI will aim to set a new hot hatch benchmark, while Hyundai’s i20 N takes the brand into new, hotly contested waters.
At the top end of town, AMG’s Project One will bring F1-derived fantasy to life alongside Toyota’s allnew Le Mans hypercar. Brace yourself...
01 Alfa Romeo Giulia GTA
HOPES REMAIN high for Alfa Romeo’s track-terrorising Giulia GTA and GTAm to come here.
FCA UK has reportedly confirmed some of the 500 units planned will be right-hand drive, while FCA Oz maintains it’s looking at the 397kW twin-turbo V6 four-door for our shores.
Celebrating its 110th birthday, the pair sport wider tracks, tweaked suspension, new aero (adjustable on GTAm) and will ditch Pirelli for Michelin tyres.
The hardcore GTAm sheds 100kg and sports a two-seat cabin, while the GTA shares its carbon body panels and Lexan windows. The 1520kg GTA covers 0-100km/h in a claimed 3.6sec.
02 Mercedes-Benz S-Class
AS USUAL THE Mercedes-Benz S-Class will offer a jewel-adorned statement on safety, comfort and, ahem, class, but even MOTOR has reason to salivate over the new seventh generation before the AMG versions arrive.
Besides the impressive augmented reality head-up display and frontal airbags for rear occupants, the new S580 mates a twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 with EQ Boost hybrid tech, good for 370kW and 700Nm.
Those numbers are directed through a nine-speed automatic and all-wheel drive for now. There’s no word on a V12 yet, but the six-pot hybrid 580e can go 100km on electric power alone.
03 Hyundai i30 N
HYUNDAI’S BEEN busy under the i30 N’s sheets, applying the biggest changes to its hot hatch since its 2017 debut.
Besides welcoming a new face and redesigned lights, it has squeezed out 4kW/39Nm from the 2.0-litre turbo four, dropping the 0-100km/h sprint to 5.9sec.
Lighter wheels cut 15 unsprung kilograms and the front brake discs are now 360mm, up from 345mm. New seats also shed 2.2kg. Crucially, Hyundai’s finalised its eight-speed dualclutch gearbox. It adds weight, but can hold the torque between shifts when you’re flat-out.
Expect it and the six-speed manual here in early 2021.
04 McLaren Sports Series
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