Star cars of 2008 - part 4 - Sports and performance cars

Fiat 500 Abarth/Grand Punto Abarth
Price £13,000 and £16,600 (est)
On sale Summer
What's new? More power and more attitude for baby Fiats

The Abarth brand has long been associated with tuned Fiats, especially 1960s Fiat 500s.

So it's fitting that with the reinvention of the 500, Fiat is also relaunching Abarth.

More than the usual performance badge, Abarth is a self-contained tuning operation with a race shop and a team of engineers developing new road-going Fiats, as well as building race and rally cars for customers around the world.

The 152bhp Grande Punto Abarth goes on sale around June for about £16,600 and will feature a tuned version of the 1.4-litre T-Jet engine, with sharp handling and plenty of grip.

For hardcore enthusiasts, a further £4000 will buy a dealer-fit Esseesse (SS) kit, with more turbo boost producing 176bhp. Top speed is 135mph, with 0-62mph in just 7.5sec.

The most hotly awaited new model is the 500 Abarth, due at Geneva in March, and an obvious competitor for the Mini Cooper.

Powered by a soft-turbo version of Fiat's new 1.4-litre T-Jet petrol engine, it's tipped to make about 130bhp.

Pictures we've seen of the prototype testing show a car with broader wheels and with sticky new tyres for extra grip and high-speed stability. The suspension will be uprated, too, for sharper steering and handling.

The classic white paint job and red stripes from Abarth's racers of the 1960s will also feature.


Audi RS6
Price £75,000 (est)
On sale Spring
What's new? It's the S6 but with a twin-turbo

In the unlikely event that the 430bhp Audi S6 isn't quick enough for you, the RS6 ought to do the job.

With 572bhp available from the twin-turbo version of the S6's 5.2-litre V10, it can muster the kind of horsepower that even a BMW M5 or a Mercedes E63 AMG can't manage.

The quattro four-wheel-drive is standard, and the performance numbers are nothing short of breath-taking: 0-62mph in 4.6s. There's even an Avant version.

Due in April, prices will start at £70,000.


Lexus IS-F
Price £40,000
On sale March
What's new? Debut for Lexus in the performance car market

Having challenged BMW and Mercedes in their home territory of the luxury car market, Lexus is turning its attention to the German's compact sports saloon with the IS-F, a rival for the BMW M3.

With a 5.0-litre, 417bhp V8 engine shoehorned under the bonnet, the IS-F is a muscular hot-rod, despatching 0-62mph in 4.9sec and running on to a top speed of 168mph.

The engine, a derivative of the LS460 V8, is the IS-F's star feature, rumbling like a 1950s American saloon at low revs, yet roaring like a race car when you put your foot down.

An eight-speed auto transmission, another item borrowed from the LS saloon, also comes as standard with the IS-F.

Handling is a big improvement over the standard IS models, with extra grip, agility and responsiveness evident from the driver's seat.

Prices are tipped to start at £40,000 and the launch is pencilled in for March.


Mitsubishi Evo X
Price £32,500
On sale August
What's new? More grip, more stability and a dual-clutch auto

Mitsubishi is used to facing Subaru in rallies, and this year it does the same with the Evo X, the rally-inspired spin-off of the new Lancer.

Due in March, the 280bhp car features many driving and stability aids, such as Super All Wheel Control (S-AWC) and electronically controlled permanent four-wheel drive.

Powered by a turbocharged 2.0-litre engine pumping out 280bhp and 311lb ft of torque, the Evo lies between the Impreza WRX and WRX STi in performance - 0-62mph in 5.2 sec and a top speed of 150mph.

Electronics control the rear differential with 'yaw' sensors deciding how much drive to push to each rear wheel. This adds up to an unflustered chassis, with bags of grip.

Another addition is the option of a dual-clutch auto gearbox, dubbed SST (Super Sport Transmission), which mimics race car-type gearchanges.


Nissan GT-R
Price £60,000 (est)
On sale Late 2008/early 2009
What's new? A real performance coupe

Eagerly awaited by performance car fans for at least four years, Nissan will replace its iconic Skyline GT-R model with a true performance coupe: the new GT-R.

Tipped to cost around £60,000 when it finally hits the UK late this year or in early 2009, the car features a turbocharged 3.5 V6 with 473bhp and performance levels to equal a Porsche 911 Turbo - 0-62mph in 3.5sec and a top speed of 194mph.


Renaultsport Twingo
Price £12,5000
On sale Summer
What's new? Huge wheelarches, wide skirts

Renault has already given us a glimpse of the hot Twingo it will launch in March: 18 months ago it dressed up the new Twingo as a Renaultsport model for the car's launch.

That car was distinguished by bulging wheelarches, wide side skirts, a deep front spoiler and a rear diffuser - all hallmarks of other Renaultsport models.

Renault is keeping details of the hot Twingo's engine a secret until closer to the launch, but we understand it will have power of nearly 150bhp from a high-boost turbo version of the Twingo GT's 1.2-litre engine.

Expect a stiff chassis and wide, low profile tyres to keep the diminutive Twingo tied down in the corners. They're a typical Renaultsport feature and featured on the concept.

Interior tweaks will be centred on high-back sports seats trimmed for a race-car look, as well as other race-inspired design themes such as Alcantara trim and metal or carbonfibre-look trim on the dashboard and doors.


Subaru Impreza WRX & STi
Price £25,000
On sale Spring
What's new? Now only available as a five-door hatch

Subaru's iconic performance Imprezas are all-new this year, with a few changes - the most significant of these being that the five-door hatchback Impreza will be the only models to go on sale.

The company has also announced a competitive price for its new WRX, meaning that at just £19,995 it becomes a great choice for hot hatch buyers. The car combines its four-wheel drive with 227bhp, too, something most competitors can't manage.

Equipment levels are good, with 17-inch alloys, climate control, six-disc CD player and xenon headlamps as standard, even if the five-speed gearbox isn't the best to use. Yet performance is brisk, with 0-60mph in 6.1sec and a top speed of 130mph.

The fastest Impreza is the WRX STi model, which gets even closer to rally specification.

With a heavily modified chassis to cope with the 304bhp output, the STi's turbocharged two-litre engine is good for 0-62mph in 4.9sec and a 158mph top speed.

The six-speed manual gearbox with its four-wheel-drive system also gives the car plenty of grip.

The estimated starting price for the STi will be around £26,000.


VW Passat R36
Price £28,000-£30,000
On sale March
What's new? GTi version of the Passat

Volkswagen's family saloon has never had the GTi treatment, but that will end in February with a new hot Passat R36 due to come on sale then.

Featuring a 297bhp, 3.2-litre V6 and 4Motion four-wheel-drive, the hot Passat will be available as both a saloon and an estate model.

All of the R36s will also come with a double-clutch DSG automatic as standard. Expect prices to be in the region of £28,000-£30,000.