Audi's new S3 might have a few striking new features and more power than ever, but the formula underneath is exactly as before: boosted four-pot mated to a quattro driveline, delivering the sort of real-world pace that makes you wonder if you really need anything else for the humble business of road driving. It's an automotive Swiss army knife - although its similarity to what's gone before does beg the question: why fork out for a new one?
Case in point: this six-year-old car, only 10hp short of the latest version. The 2.0 TFSI from the pre-WLTP days is as tractable and effortless as they come (280lb ft arrives at 1,800rpm), and the six-speed dual-clutch it works with is quick and smart. You could leave it to its own devices and revel in the ease of use; or click into sport mode and sprint from 0-62mph in 4.9 seconds. No wonder they sold so many.
It's up for £17,950, which is less than half the price of a brand-new S3. Yes, it lacks the angular bumper additions and a touchscreen capable of Apple CarPlay, but there's still infotainment with sat-nav, Bluetooth and DAB. It's got a Bang and Olufsen sound system, leather seats, cruise, auto lights and wipers, park assist and... the list goes on. It ain't lacking.
You might even argue that this era of S3 is the better looker; certainly, its exterior is less try-hard, and the black paint and 18-inch rims of this car make it brilliantly discreet. Pluck the badge of off the boot and to most people, you're in any old A3. The same disguise cannot be applied to a yellow 2020 S3, put it that way. Stick your thinking cap on and it's hard to argue a case against a used S3.
Funny, isn't it, how motorsport can entirely transform the appeal of a car. Because I can take or leave a roadgoing E-Type - I really don't get the fuss - but as soon as the bumpers are off, the ride height dropped and the roll cage in, I'm obsessed. Weird.
Therefore the news of an E-Type rerun from Jaguar didn't tickle the pickle especially. This one, though, really does - big time. Where ordinary E-Types look to ride perilously high with an oddly narrow track, a racer sorts that out with the body dropped on those gorgeous aluminium wheels. For more than half a century an E-Type for motorsport has looked pretty much perfect; given how they seem to drive, too, steered on the throttle as much as with the wheel, I'm not sure that needs any changing either.
So don't spend half a million (or whatever they may cost) on one of those Geneva cars - take this for less than half. It's an FIA-certified Semi-Lightweight, raced from new and eligible for plenty of classic events while remaining road registered. The storied XK straight-six howls out 330hp, and some vital parts have seen recent attention as well. It's ready and raring to go, basically, for any competition you have in mind. And whatever that might be, one thing is absolutely guaranteed: nothing else in the paddock is going to look quite this good.
Hard to forget my first go in a Kia Stinger GT-S. No car heralding from South Korea ever received so much attention on UK roads. People stared in amazement. On a petrol station forecourt, a bemused chap asked me if it was a Jaguar. A Jaguar - the doyen of British saloon building, and endowed with the kind of heritage that Kia's executives dream of. That's how good the most powerful Stinger looked sucking down super unleaded under neon lights.
Then there was the way it drove. Some genius at Kia had evidently decided that chasing the super-agile, up-on-its-toes dynamic that BMW and Audi dial into their fast saloons was a fools' errand. The Stinger didn't try to turn in like a Caterham; it went about its business smoothly and consistently and very agreeably. And with just enough likeable lowdown grunt from the 3.3-litre turbocharged V6 to keep things interesting.
I liked it a lot. It wasn't trying to be anything it wasn't. It was obviously heavy and a bit thirsty, but I felt no more inclined to hold that against it than I would a close friend fitting the same description. All of which makes news of its impending refresh very pleasing indeed. Kia doesn't appear to have tried too hard in the overhauling - but it didn't need to; a design tweak here and there, additional standard equipment and retention of the V6 are all that was needed.
Of course, if you can't wait till then, the GT-S is available in nearly new format for comfortably less than its £41k listing. This year-old example with 13k on the clock knocks £11k off the asking price. "Must be driven to appreciate how amazing this car is" says the ad. That's overselling it a bit. But not much.
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