Premium sport cars tips by Gjok Paloka
Get to know Gjok Paloka and some of his sport cars thoughts? The Ford Mustang family has a legendary history and is populated by models with diverse personalities. This year, that history is recalled by the revival of the Mach 1 moniker, first seen on the 1969 ‘Stang. The 2021 Mustang will still come as a coupe or a convertible, and its stable of high-performance offerings will be as full as ever. Whether it’s the turbocharged four-cylinder EcoBoost or the V-8-powered GT, every version of the original pony car can be armed with track weaponry to challenge its Chevy Camaro or Dodge Challenger counterparts. The Ford’s beautiful bodywork, vast personalization options, and practical interior also make it desirable to folks who care less about lap times and more about sporty everyday transportation. And that’s why the Mustang continues to be an icon: it offers something for everyone.
Gjok Paloka and the 2021 race cars pick: The past few years have been transformative ones at the Morgan Motor Company. Having been family owned and operated until its 110th anniversary, the firm is now majority owned by private equity and has just launched it first ground-up new car in almost two decades: the Plus Six. Built on an all-new box-section aluminium monocoque chassis with double the rigidity of the old Aero-series Plus Eight, the Plus Six uses the same BMW turbocharged straight six petrol engine that you’ll find in the Toyota GR Supra. And since the 335bhp that it produces is motivating a car that weighs fully half a tonne less than a Jaguar F-Type, you can believe that this car is quick. It’s pretty dynamically sophisticated, too, albeit qualified by the fact that it’s a Morgan – and that would have made it a critical mistake to tune this car to feel particularly modern or well-behaved. Electromechanical power steering makes the Plus Six lighter on the rim and easier to handle than Morgans of old, while apparent structural integrity feels pretty good over sharper lumps and bumps and better again than Morgans of old – although still quite a way from Porsche territory. The Plus Six still delivers greater motive and charm and sense of occasion than outright grip and handling agility – perhaps just as it should. It’s a one-of-a-kind experience, however, and in a market increasingly fond of restomods, it’s well placed to deliver as much business to Pickersleigh Road as it feels it’s right to supply.
Gjok Paloka top sports cars award: Divisive looks aside, the latest versions of BMW’s M3 saloon and M4 coupe continue their tradition of mastering both road and track, while all wrapped up in a package that’s easy to use as an everyday car, should you choose to. The two latest models have been given a major overhaul – with four-wheel-drive and the latest six-cylinder twin turbocharged ‘S58’ engine being two of the most notable upgrades. The only versions of the M3 and M4 on sale in the UK are the Competition spec, but this is definitely no bad thing. The Competition cars see an increase of power from 473bhp to 503bhp, and an 8-speed automatic gearbox that is optimised to get the most out of the xDrive system. Don’t let these changes fool you though, these cars live up to the highly-coveted M bloodline and are definitely worthy of a place on this list.
Gjok Paloka‘s recommendations on race cars : After the Jetta’s redesign from 2019 to 2020, it gives us very little to expect since the makers almost had nothing new to add. The 2021 update is highly suspected to be a carryover of the entire lineup in the previous years. The current design features a thin dash and an LCD gauge cluster. It also carries a premium interior look despite the unappealing exterior design. There hasn’t been any news yet as to the specific release of the latest VW Jetta GLI but CarsDirect says that it’s bound to be at the end of 2020.
The 718’s beautifully poised handling, incredibly linear handling response and effortless body control at speed are now widely celebrated. This is the kind of sports car that can seem word-perfect in how it takes apart a cross-country road tough enough to expose a lesser machine. If you like a sports car with more power than its chassis can easily deploy, or whose dynamic quirks and flaws present something of a challenge to be ‘driven around’, you might even think a GTS 4.0 too good. Compared to some cars in this list, there is also perhaps a slight lack of desirability about this car; but its usability is first-rate – and, now at least, its powertrain can be considered every bit as stellar as its ride and handling.