Given the cars in this list extend from Ford S-Max to Audi R8 via Toyota GT86 and Jaguar XJ220, it's clear that most memorable drive is about so much more than just the car. That being said, most drives in an XJ220 must be pretty memorable...
What we're really celebrating here are those moments where car, conditions and road (or track) come together for a truly unforgettable drive. One of them covers three days up to and around Scotland, another just a single lap of Goodwood. Driving can be totally miserable on occasion, but here's a little reminder of when it really is the best thing in the world.
We would love to hear about your most memorable drives from 2015 too. Please share comments and pics in the thread!
Portimao Audi R8 night lap
GT3 RS
around Donington on a race
test day
? Definitely memorable, and way more fun than I expected. Likewise a north to south navigation across Wales in the
McLaren 675LT
. I enjoyed more than my fair share of laps of Portimao this year too in cars as diverse as the
AMG C63
Cayman GT4
McLaren 570S
Golf GTI Clubsport
. The circuit knowledge this gave me meant I was able to fully exploit the opportunity Audi gave us to do
it at night
, in an effort to show off the frickin' laser headlights on
the new R8
. This was very brave. To properly demonstrate the lights we couldn't do the usual ducks and drakes. Portimao is a confusing enough track in the daylight - at least one fellow journo went off the circuit, ended up on an expanse of run-off and having found the track was so disoriented he didn't know which way to go. With or without the headlights I at least had half a sense of where I was going though, some successful blagging scoring me some extra lap tickets from others too freaked out to venture into the darkness. Brilliant fun. (
North Coast 500
I'm already planning a return to Scotland next year to do this as holiday; it's that good. Sure, that we had reasonable weather will have helped my favourable thoughts on the NC500. But the breadth of driving roads on offer, the spectacular scenery, the places to visit and the friendly welcome we received would have made the trip superb even with less sunshine. I wish we had had longer to explore, because there are sections of road and views up there you could spend hours enjoying. That we were doing it with two cars
so well matched
to the roads made it even better. The best 1,500 miles in four days I've ever experienced. (
Jaguar XJ220
For all the niceness of press launches and related boondoggles they rarely feel that exclusive - for the simple fact they're not. You're one among many, your time with the car (or the senior executive) is carefully limited and shared with many others. Not so my day with the Jaguar XJ220 that we used for our Heroes shoot in the summer, which pretty much involved being thrown the keys to the car, shown how to start it and then told to go out and enjoy it on a private test track. This was the car that I'd grown up lusting after but that I had never even sat in before. A sizeable part of me was expecting to be underwhelmed; it's not like the XJ220 is regarded as being an unambiguous success. But I was genuinely impressed, both by how fast it still felt and how easy it was to drive. A real dream come true. (
Kawasaki H2R and Yamaha R1
Two events stick out in my mind. I was given the keys to Kawasaki's supercharged 310hp H2R and with no warm-up at all told to race a MotoGP bike down an airstrip. I won. When you have absolutely no idea how a bike will respond and you are confronted with the kind of aggression and sheer mind-bending acceleration the H2R delivers it makes a lasting impression on you - as does the top yoke on your forehead if you aren't careful.
Riding the new Yamaha YZF-R1 at Eastern Creek was also very special; the electronics package raised my confidence levels to new heights while being distracted by Josh Brookes (who won BSB on the R1) at the end of the straight while flat out in fifth and having to use the escape route was also memorable... I drove my rebuilt Citroen 2CV away from the church after getting married and caused an impressive tailback on the way to the reception venue as well! (Jon Urry)
Lap of Goodwood in a Ford S-Max
Who would have imagined that my first drive on track would be in a Ford S-Max? I had only been round as a passenger in an MX-5 and a Clio 182 Trophy the day before, so learning the track wasn't easy. Both cars were not a good indication of what was to come in the S-Max, surprisingly enough. After the Goodwood
Sunday Service,
one of our highest attendances of 2015, we sneaked out on track. Thankfully only Ben's TT Quattro Sport was on track and made it easier to follow racing lines.
I can proudly say that driving on this historic track was one of my greatest experiences and I have definitely caught the track day bug! Here's to getting on track in 2016 and in something a lot lighter. With some grip. And some power. (Nik Attard)
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