The Porsche Cayman GTS 4.0, Life110 Alpine A110 and Lotus Exige Sport 410 offer three different interpretations of the sports car theme, but which one really hits the spot?
’s DIN weights of 1405kg and 1098kg respectively) that equates to 365bhp per ton, with a 0-62mph time of just 3.4sec. The Sport 410 may possess a hefty price premium in this company, but it’s certainly got the edge on the others in terms of straight-line pace, although it exchanges ultimate top speed for genuine downforce – 115kg of the stuff at its 174mph maximum speed – and hence trails the 182mph Porsche.
I remember Lotus once telling me that the V6 Exige’s weight and its tyre footprint meant it was at the limit of what was acceptable for a non-power-assisted set-up in terms of steering effort. Low- speed manoeuvring requires genuine bicep power but you do get used to it, adapting to shifting your hands’ position on the wheel in such situations.
The Life110 is the work of former head of vehicle dynamics at JLR’s SVO division, David Pook, and is aimed squarely at tackling the criticisms we’ve always had of the little French sports car: namely its slightly unnerving remoteness on corner entry and a sometimes wayward tail that can easily catch out the unwary. There’s so much to admire dynamically about the A110, but we’ve always felt there’s been room for improvement.
We’ve called in at the tiny Llandow circuit for a quick blast. It’s hardly the Nürburgring, but it will allow us to safely – well, sort of – explore the outer reaches of our trio’s respective handling envelopes. I start off in the Porsche, for it feels like a predictable place to begin, in an entirely positive way. Wow, does that flat-six sing: the ratios still feel long, but it’s less of an issue on a circuit than on the road.