Nice letter from the editor (Eric Gustafson) in the new SCI. It opens like this:

"The Gustafson Five
Mazda hasn't updated its RX-8 model since its debut five years ago, so until a few weeks back, it had been roughly that long since I'd driven one. While its distinctively smooth and ultra-high revving rotary engine left a lasting impression, I'd forgotten what a great-handling car it is. The RX-8 has all the classic traits: It is exceedingly well-balanced, with virtually no understeer; the steering is responsive, quick and feelsome; it's light on its feet, instilling this Mazda with an eagerness that makes me want to keep driving and wish the road never unwinds. The RX-8 is, by my estimation, one of the best-handling sports cars currently available."

He then goes on to talk about his top five best-handling cars (in no particular order):
-Mazda RX-8
-Porsche Cayman
-Nissan Nismo 350Z
-Lotus Elise
-Audi R8

Nice company. And a good read.

 

I agree with all of his choices except one - the Audi R8 which weighs a whopping 3,700lbs. I would have thought a Ferrari F430 or even 911 GT3 RS would have made the list before that car.

 

Hahaha... poor fellow. Only took him this long to realise something we already knew for so long.
The only car that I cannot agree is the Nismo 350Z. too punishing of a ride to improve on the Z's handling.

 

"The Audi R8's handling blew me away, pure and simple. Ferrari's F430 goes around corners incredibly well and is an absolute blast to drive, but you expect that from Maranello. Up until recently, the same wasn't true of Ingolstadt, which makes Audi's accomplishment all the more impressive. It's not just that the R8's cornering stance is so neutral, that it changes direction with such zeal or that it's steering is so surgically precise—the real revelation with the Audi is its playfulness. For a bona-fide supercar that can generate such stratospheric lateral acceleration numbers to allow such easy experimentation with its limits is incredible, and wonderfully entertaining."

"The Porsche Cayman shares many of the RX-8's handling qualities—balance, agility, responsiveness—but adds effortlessness to the mix. It's just so darn easy to drive a Cayman fast down a backroad. The way it seamlessly flows through bends is uncanny, it's almost as if it can read your mind. Thanks to its mid-engine layout, there's none of the weight-transfer uneasiness that makes its 911 big brother more difficult to drive. Yet the Cayman is still brimming with feedback, ensuring that a hard run is never boring. All these traits apply to the Boxster, as well, but the slightly stiffer Cayman has a sharper, more satisfying edge."—SCI, 3/08

 

^
Thanks.

 

Anyone noticed the oddball 4-dr sedan with back seats on the list?

 

no???

 

Funny how everone knocks the 350 z for being too stiff, then they go around and upgrade to lowered springs or coilovers.

 

I prefer to call it a 4 door saloon...

 

What? No S2000? No Miata?

 

Isn't that the truth.....
The Z is not very hard in my opinion, its stiffer than the 8, but not by much. Even my buddies Z-06 is stiffer than the Z, but its still drivable on long trips or scoots to the grocery store. The only time you will feel like your rib cage is going to come through your body is if your on a ruff road.

To me nothing compares to a touch and go go-cart, now those are back breaking after a few laps around a track.

 

werd.... my shifter kart will bust up even the biggest of kidney stones, but man 3g's of grippin is a sweet feeling.

 

I like the realization from a media guy that just because a car isn't current, it doesn't mean it can't remain a benchmark. Too often the media pitches the manufacturers "new and improved" arguments, and the buying public just laps it up, i.e. having driven a new 3 series I think the old seems much more responsive and composed.

Otherwise, just one guy's opinion, though atleast it's from a respected scribe.

 

One reason SCI is the only mag I bother to buy is because they do not take ads from large manufacturers. Lotus typically graces the back cover, but that's it. They refused to test the Porsche Cayenne because as they noted "it may be a Porsche but this magazine will not test an SUV."

You gotta respect these guys.