Best of British

I’m often told what a wonderful job I have (the motor journalism, not my day job as an accountant). While the likes of Top Gear glamorous the industry somewhat, the often rather dreary vehicles I am given to test pose as much of a challenge to write about as the Lions face to stay in Super Rugby next year.

However its days like last week Friday that make up for every boring Toyota I’ve sat behind the wheel of in the last 3 years, because when you get an invite from the Daytona Group you know you’re in for a real treat.

A treat which featured a line up of Britain’s best supercars, from the stable’s of Aston Martin and McLaren, along with something a bit more luxurious in the form of a Rolls Royce Ghost. Yes, I know, couldn’t dream of a better line up really – unless something Italian was to rear its head.

To start off my heavenly afternoon I jumped in the seat of an Aston Martin Vantage S Roadster. That sounds a mouthful so let me put it more simply – it’s an aural masterpiece. As if life wasn’t good enough blasting around the streets of Houghton in a convertible Aston, you have a direct line to the whaling V8 sitting just in front of your leather splashed cabin, conducted by nothing other than the movement of your right foot.

Yes there are niggly things about the Vantage that would probably drive me round the twist. The gearbox, for example, is hopelessly dim-witted at low speeds; while the dashboard buttons come out of a Volvo – but with the soundtrack like that you can merely blast all sorrows into submission.

Something I couldn’t blast into submission however is the distinctly underwhelming performance delivered by the Vantage. There’s just this cavernous gap between the sound emanating from the engine bay and the actual delivery of the 321kW available from the 4.7 litre V8. Don’t get me wrong, this Aston is still mighty fast; it just doesn’t meet the high expectations it induces.

Undeterred I hopped inside the Vantage’s bigger brother, the Virage. As one would expect, the Virage is a slightly more mature option, with a proper roof, twelve cylinders instead of eight and two more seats (if one can call them that). It feels a more refined place to sit, further translated once on the move where the Virage is all together more discreet. It’s about as fast from 0-100km/h as the S Roadster, but without the blaring sound track it feels more impressive.

The Virage also offers a more compliant ride, with softer damping that makes Joburg’s roads less harsh on the spine. But before you think the Virage is only for old men, there is a button that firms up the suspension for those times you find yourself on a nice bit of smooth sweeping tarmac.

When it comes to real luxury and there’s no better name in the business than Rolls Royce. While one might think that the Ghost is no more than a BMW 7 series in a fancy frock, it is in fact not the case. Thankfully the Ghost is absolutely everything one would expect from a Rolls. It’s elegant, sophisticated, understated and best of all ergonomically simple – because real luxury is about having everything done for you.

You see while the 7 series lets you fiddle with all the settings for all the gadgets in its absolutely vast technological array, the Rolls just comes with all of them set to maximum comfort and gets on with the job. A job it does exceedingly well, far surpassing anything I have ever driven, or been driven in, when it comes to the business of ironing out imperfections in the road.

While it might seem a cliché to say I’ve left the best for last, this is one of those few instances where that is in fact the truth. Mind blowing is about the best way to describe the McLaren MP4-12C. I realise that’s a bit weak but to be honest words just don’t do the McLaren any justice.

The rather generic appearance of the McLaren masks the raw capabilities that lie beneath its function following shell. Propelling this marvel of British engineering is a 3.8 litre, twin turbo charged V8, which was developed in house by McLaren themselves. The results are astounding, as one would expect when you have 460kW and 600Nm under your right foot. 3.3 seconds gets you from 0 to 100km/h, while 9 seconds will get you to 200km/h and if you keep your foot flat you’ll soon read 333km/h at the top end.

Unfortunately reading those numbers means little unless you’ve actually experienced the ferocious response from behind the wheel. Stand on the brake pedal and the massive cast iron (or optional ceramic) discs induce organ damage as you’re brought to a halt almost as fast as if you were to hit a brick wall. Or at least that’s what it feels like when the rear spoiler turns itself into an airbrake for additional stopping power.

The MP4-12C boasts double wishbone independent suspension, with three active damping and roll modes selectable by the driver. Given the confines of a residential area, I was unable to give the McLaren a proper cornering workout, however if the rest of the car is anything to go by it’ll have a gum-like grip on the road.

Complaints, well if I was to be picky I’d say it lacks a bit of emotion. The styling isn’t my cup of tea; I’d want a little more pantomime from my supercar. Furthermore there’s an overly clinical sensation from the driver’s seat – which no doubt means the MP4-12C will be epic around a track, for example, I’m just not sure it would leave me grinning like an idiot. 

None the less my day with the Daytona Group and their British marques was an unforgettable one; one that reminded me of why I got into this business. It’s for the love of driving – and despite their respective flaws I loved being behind the wheel of every single one.

Miles Downard
Special thanks to the Daytona Group