We could all see it coming in the automotive industry, but in 2019/2020, the definitive turning point will be reached.
And I'm not talking about the uprise of expensive, premium electric cars.
I'm talking about the disappearance of atmospheric engines in sports cars.
They're already scarce on the price lists, and for the few last cars standing,
the future doesn't look incredibly bright. That's why we're honoring them today,
and we kick off with this Toyota GT86.
It's a weird car, isn't it? This Toyota GT86. It's so incredibly different than any other Toyota we've tested...
for the past ten years. Even the hardcore Yaris GRMN has got nothing to do with the pure roadster this is supposed to be.
If we have to be honest, it's a Subaru. Subaru builds it, Subaru supplies the flat-engine,
it's technologically identical to the Subaru BRZ, and there are reasons for that.
The car itself has been designed by Toyota, because Subaru didn't like rear-wheel drive,
and after that, they decided to build it themselves as well as the BRZ.
It's powered by a 2.0-litre flat-four which really reminds me of the old days. You really have to rev high to find the power.
It'll produce its maximum amount of power at 7.000 RPM, and that's a long way.
You really need to get there, because the gears are relatively long and you don't have a lot of power in lower revs.
Especially in this version with automatic gearbox. You should never get it with an automatic gearbox,
That would be an enormous mistake. Always get this car with a manual gearbox.
If I'm honest, this isn't the best example to tell you guys about the perks of an atmospheric engine.
I think the engine is a little too sluggish. The chassis is good, the steering is very pure, no complaints there,
but the drivetrain never became what we hoped it would become.
If you want a sporty, high-revving 4-cylinder engine which is still new in the showrooms, get a Mazda MX-5.
I recently drove the 2.0-litre in Romania. Fantastic little car.
With this GT86 you always get a feeling like it's a missed chance. Even though the platform and driving experience are good,
but the drivetrain never had that sporty, feisty, high-revving feeling, and that's too bad.
Other than that, there aren't a lot of sporty 4-cylinders available anymore. The MX-5 is the only other example.
You've got some atmospheric 4-cylinders in other cars as well, but when it comes to sports cars, this is it. With the BRZ of course.
If we look at the past, we can't not mention the Honda S2000, which was able to reach 10.000 in some versions.
Those were the days.
Let's step it up a notch. 5-cylinders without turbo's aren't around anymore,
only two 5-cylinders with turbo's are left actually. One engine: the Audi TT RS and RS3.
Other than that, there aren't 5-cylinders available anymore. That's why we take it up a notch with an atmospheric 6-cylinder...
Just wow. Of course, it's seems to be inevitable,
but it would be such a shame if the next GT3 and GT3RS become turbocharged. It's still a rumour, it's not confirmed yet,
but it would be such a shame. It's such a pure and high rev. Unbelievable.
The previous GT3 reached 9.000 RPM before the facelift, the RS only reached 8.800,
but after the facelift, the RS reached 9.000 RPM as well. The maximum power became available at 8.500 RPM.
You might think, "those final 500 revs, what do they matter?" But they matter. They do.
The hell really starts to break loose. Everything starts shaking, your skull starts resonating, your skeleton forms with the car...
It's such a kick to reach that... 8.000, 8.500... 9.000 RPM!
It adds so much to the experience. Really, I can't explain it with words.
I'll try to explain why atmospheric engines are important. Why do we, car journalists, want atmospheric engines?
Why don't we like those powerful turbo's, which give us a push in our backs? It's all about the throttle response.
Whenever you're high in the revs and I move my small toe, the car starts revving even higher.
That also means you get more or less power when accelerating. Also, the nose reacts to your throttle movements.
If you lift, the nose dives forwards a little. That means there's more pressure on the front wheels,
and the car will move to the inside of the corner. If you accelerate again, the cars moves to the outside again.
That means you're able to steer the car with your throttle, without it becoming unbalanced.
In an atmospheric engine, the throttle response is so much more direct than in a turbocharged engine.
You can position the car better, even with your throttle, and that means the car feels better as a whole.
You can never get that feeling with a turbocharged engine. I do have to say, Ferrari and Porsche do create works of art...
if you look at the reactions of their turbocharged engines, but they're still not as good as atmospheric engines.
My second point that it's more fun. Let's compare it with a shooter game.
If you play on the easiest mode, you can run into every building and shoot every one down.
If you select harder modes however, there's more of a challenge.
You've got to be more careful, you need to be more precise. It's the same with racing games, and it's the same with atmospheric engines.
You don't always get to the 9.000 RPM, because you'll be shortshifting or there's a corner coming up,
or you change up, but whenever you do actually get there... It's really satisfying.
It gives you a kick when you're driving, and that makes it more fun to drive.
Turbocharged engines usually are about going as fast as possible in a straight line,
but with an engine like this, it's always a challenge to reach 9.000 RPM in a corner or before.
You'll be having fun and if you ask me, when it comes to sports cars, fun is more important than lap times.
When it comes to 6-cylinders, there aren't a lot of contenders available. There's only one other sports car which still has an atmospheic 6-cylinder.
We're talking about the Nissan 370Z, which is still in the showrooms. Other than that, there's nothing left.
If we move on to the past, there are lots of nice 6-cylinders. Alfa for example, or all of the RS- and GT Porsche's from back then.
You had the GT4, but also the 964 RS, and so on. The 911R. Beautiful atmospheric high-revving 6-cylinders.
If I have to choose one icon however, I'd say the BMW M3 CSL.
Right, time for me to move on to the 8-cylinder. Despite it having two additional cylinders, it produces less power.
This might look like the odd one out, this Mustang. Especially when it comes to previous generations,
the engines were atmospheric, but they weren't high-revving at all. Some of them even redlined at 4.000 RPM.
They were V8's for the big torques underneath in the rev range, rather than focussing on the high revs.
However, for this generation and especially after the facelift, it's not to bad. Peak power at 7.000 RPM and a redline at 7.500.
It might not be as high as some other cars we're driving today, but you it isn't what you'd call low-revving.
It's putting your foot down and shifting through. In the past and present, we had sportier Mustangs...
which had engines that revved higher. For example, I once drove the Mustang Boss and the GT350R as well,
with the latter reaching 8.250 revs.
Anyway. A Mustang is the ultimate example for why people should buy turbo's though.
It's more efficient, the CO2-emissions are lower on paper, and that's what makes cars in the Netherlands cheaper.
And with this Mustang, in which the V8 isn't the most modern, the result is that it has so much additional taxes,
it's almost twice as expensive as the 4-cylinder turbocharged version. And that's why turbo's are everywhere today.
And that's too bad, because it's the exact type of engine you need for a car like this.
You don't want a 4-cylinder in a Mustang. The typical American V8-sound, which is different Italian V8's produce,
that just fits a muscle car like this. You just want to cross America with that sound, through deserts...
and across the prairies. If we look at other atmospheric V8's in the Netherlands,
it's quite a compact market. There's the Mustang, there's the Corvette Stingray, the C7...
That too still has an atmospheric V8. It has a very nice, industrial sounding engine.
Also, Lexus has their RC-F and LC 500, which still have high-revving, atmospheric V8-engines.
Other than that, there's nothing left. If we look at the second hand market,
there were lots of beautiful sounding V8's available. Maserati, or the Aston Martin GT8,
which was available until last year. The Vantage GT8. That sounded incredible.
But as my absolute favorite, I have to mention the 458 Speciale.
It screamed like crazy at 9.000 RPM, but it has been succeeded by a turbocharged engine in the 488.
Now it's time to move on to the 10-cylinder...
Oh wow... Oh wow...
This just isn't normal anymore. And the best thing is,
just to compare, but an Audi R8 has the same engine, and an R8 sounds sublime but next to this...
It's just like a Golf GTI with exhausts from Halfords. It's such a huge difference.
It's just screaming of violence...
It really is fantastic. Of course, this is the Performante Spyder-version of the Huracan,
and it doesn't really matter for the engine. It peaks at 8.000 RPM when it comes to the power,
and you can keep going until you reach 8.500. The Performante does have a different intake system...
and an open exhaust, so the sound is even more intense than on the already great 'regular' Huracan.
The engine is the biggest perk of this Lamborghini compared to the turbocharged competitiors at Ferrari...
and McLaren, which just don't sound anything like this. I mean, the 488 is nice and all,
but this is the reason a Huracan, and especially the Performante, would be preferred over a 488 or a McLaren 570S.
Unbelievable. There's something special going on with this V10 however.
Just like the Dodge Viper and the E60 M5, the engine is mounted in a 90-degree angle.
Normally, that would be the angle of a V8. And that's not a strange thing,
because it has been developed from the V8 from the first Audi R8. The engine from the RS 4 really.
That was mounted in a 90-degree angle as well. To be blunt, they've sticked two extra cylinders on it,
and that's how it became a V10. For the ideal ignition however, it should've been mounted in a 72-degree angle.
What car has that? The Lexus LFA for example,
and that's why the LFA, but Carrera GT as well, which has an engine mounted in a 62- or 68-degree angle,
sound clearer than this V10 which sounds more like a V8 on steroids. With an extra kind of rumble in it.
I'm not bothered by it in any way today though.
This is how a supercar is supposed to sound.
There's still hope for Lamborghini though. Yes, they have to follow the CO2-reduction,
but they might use hybrid technology, without applying turbo's.
We know because of the LaFerrari or the 918 Spyder that if you put an electric motor on a combustion engine,
you get electric boost or you can drive fully electric at lower speeds,
without compromising on the personality and the sound of an atmospheric engine.
It would be fantastic if we're able to keep sounds like this, because it's the ultimate driving pleasure.
You'll just never get the same feeling with a turbocharged engine, this amount of fun...
Hahaha!