right Chris we'll get straight to the
heart of the matter and when you wrote
about the super in recent topic there is
one quote which I've picked out which
was this is one of the strangest cars
I've ever driven
so can you explain yourself okay and
this might be peculiar to people that
test cars because I'm too familiar with
individual brands and and the way that
they resonate with me so what I get in
an Audi there's a smell to an Audi
there's a feeling to the seats that put
into the steering wheel for leathers the
textures that there's an identity to the
vehicle right there's an identity to a
BMW as well and I'm very familiar with
that from the way the key operates the
way the door-handle works the weighting
of the controls everything is particular
to a BMW so when you get in a car just
bad Toyota and it goes BMW in your head
everything says BMW from the sound it
makes to the way that it drives the way
that it sounds
the way that the materials even smell
inside it you go this is weird this
doesn't quite work for me now the
argument is leveled in people like me is
well that's peculiar to you because
you're a car tester if someone's not
driven a BMW they won't know well I
don't think that's right
I still don't think that works for me
this is an enthusiast car but I maintain
my argument if we were talking about a
Corolla and it had a load of BMW
1-series in it then I would then I'd
understand it it's a halo car for the
whole brand this is a statement to the
world that what toys you can do so what
they need to go and make that statement
they go to BMW and say you make it we'll
slap a badge on it I've just wound you
up Dom pérignon you know nip down the
road and said well we'll Nick a bit of
that stuff yeah now did paddy give you a
go in the a ATV the old super sure you
driven one I've driven funny I don't
want to give away your age but you may
have one you know I've never driven one
but I suggest I think that the legend
probably doesn't live up reality mr.
burrows into spectacles there's a Stein
of car it was you know made a 9 to 8
look agile and they were a bit heavy you
know anyway so but it was the tunability
that massive lump of heavy 2jz became a
legendary vehicle like so many cars that
are standard were a bit lackluster by
the time they've gone through the
Japanese tuning mill you know
the young supers and all those other
things they were they just became part
of folklore motoring folklore and they
coincided with the max generation which
is wonderful so that's a very treatable
engine but but they're gonna do great
things with this car they can make it go
really fast and I think for me there's
something really appealing about the
core DNA of a properly Japanese sports
car they are more often than not not is
objectively good that's gonna say yeah
you know GTR intersects Supra these are
all quite deeply flew cars they do they
but they carry with them a story and
narrative of kind of Japanese obsession
and there's something about them that
makes you when you sit in with you go
why are they done that so you ever been
to see the guys who build the GTR
engines yeah there's only two of them
that can build them at a time it's like
a 10-year training process white gloves
a lot but I love all that and this to me
just doesn't feel Japanese it's a bit
like going to Oktoberfest in the kimono
it doesn't quite work
it's an idea for a feature there you go
think right so let's get down for
nitty-gritty if you had to have one in
this class would you have the super the
Alpine m2 comp or the Cayman Cayman GTS
to stand out cars in the class for me
there's the alpi and there's the m2 comp
net their head and shoulders above this
as a both as an object to own and a
carpet if you had to take one home out
of those two I'd have the AL theme yeah
yeah I just think it's the standout
sports car of the last few years it
offers something nothing else does that
has sort of Lotus lightness of touch
it's a car that you enjoy every Drive
and it it reveals more and more of its
personality the m2 is a bit more of a
blunt instrument if you want to go and
smoke something around yes and it's
always got rear seats but the our peen
is at almost an unrepeatable prospect at
the moment so yeah all day long I
wouldn't look at one of these I'm afraid
though Chris is the wrong answer
Gordon what is it because you'd have a
Cayman gt4 with you the new one but yeah
but that's 75 grand isn't it questions
are open to interpretation well no I
think yeah I think the alpide is the one