Best sports cars of 2024 set pulses racing

We’ve assembled our top six high-performance cars of 2024, and four of them are petrol-electric hybrids. It’s a sign of the times, with stringent antipollution laws driving a move to battery-powered cars in coming years.

In 2024, the sports car world saw the sad demise of the petrol-powered Jaguar F-Type as the British brand transitions to an all-electric future. Many other sports car marques are still hanging onto internal combustion engines, albeit increasingly paired with electric motors — a combination that allows for outrageous performance figures with respectable fuel consumption and emissions.

In a momentous move, Porsche earlier this year launched the  GTS as the first hybrid 911, the latest step in the company’s plan to electrify more than 80% of its range by 2030. Also in 2024, Ferrari and McLaren took their F1 fight to the streets by unveiling road-legal big guns driven by petrol-electric powertrains.

Ferrari F80

Ferrari has a raft of potent prancing horses in its stable, but its halo supercar is the new F80.

It has technology used by the Italian carmaker in the World Endurance Championship (WEC) and Formula One and all 799 units have sold out despite its $3.9m (about R72m) price.

Featuring butterfly doors, the F80 is an all-wheel drive hybrid car combining a 3.0l turbocharged V6 engine with three electric motors (two on the front axle, one on the rear) for a total output of 895kW, good for a claimed 0-100km/h in 2.15 seconds and a top speed of 350km/h.  

It is equipped with a motorsports-derived CCM-R Plus brake system, state-of-the-art active suspension and ultralight 3D printed metal parts. An active aero system generates 1,000kg of downforce at 250km/h.

The cabin has two seats that are longitudinally offset, with the driver’s one slightly ahead of the passenger’s one to allow for a narrower interior while retaining good ergonomics and comfort.

McLaren W1

Built as the successor to the legendary McLaren F1 of the 1990s and the hybrid P1 of 2013, the W1 is the fastest-accelerating and fastest-lapping road legal McLaren to date.

A hybrid power train comprises a 4l twin-turbo V8 with an electric motor for combined outputs of 938kW, thrusting the British supercar from 0-100km/h in 2.7 seconds, and perhaps even more remarkably, 0-300km/h in 13.7 seconds. Maximum speed is limited to 350km/h.

The rear-wheel drive W1 is three seconds a lap quicker than the racing-inspired McLaren Senna around Italy’s Nardo handling circuit.

Built with McLaren’s motorsport knowledge, the gullwing-door two-seater features a new Aerocell carbon fibre monocoque shaped to facilitate ground-effect aerodynamics similar to a Formula One car’s, F1-inspired suspension, ride height that can be lowered for racetrack use, and an active rear wing that extends rearwards by 300mm to improve downforce.

Only 399 units of the £2m (R47m) car will be built and every one is already spoken for.

BMW M3 Touring

Seeking a track-capable sports machine that doubles as a family car with copious luggage space? Look no further than the BMW M3 Touring launched in SA this year.

It’s the first time Bavaria’s famous sports sedan has become available in Touring guise, and is the fastest wagon around Germany’s famous Nürburgring Nordschleife circuit, lapping the 20.7km circuit in seven minutes and 35.060 seconds.

Priced at R2.2m, the BMW M3 Touring is available in Competition guise. All-wheel drive M xDrive traction with an active rear M differential keep the load-lugging BMW pinned to the road, with a selectable rear-wheel drive mode.

The 3.0l six-cylinder in-line M TwinPower Turbo engine produces outputs of 375kW for a claimed 3.6 second 0-100km/h sprint and 280km/h top speed.

Ford Mustang GT

Ford’s new pony car has arrived in SA in two guises: the GT and the more hard-core Dark Horse.

Both are powered by a 5l normally-aspirated V8, with the unpopular 2.3 Ecoboost four-cylinder engine from the previous generation falling away.

A marriage of tradition and technology, the latest iteration arrives in Mustang’s 60th anniversary year boasting a digital dashboard with video game-style interfaces. As a party trick, you can stand outside and start the car and rev the engine using the key fob.

The standard Mustang GT priced at R1.3m wields 328kW of power for a 0-100km/h sprint in 4.9 seconds and a governed 250km/h top speed. MagnaRide active suspension ensures the rear-wheel drive coupe has a good balance between a comfortable ride and tidy handling.

The R1.5m Dark Horse brings 334kW and a 264km/h top speed to the party, along with a track-tweaked chassis and more aggressive styling. To handle the rigours of track work, it also has additional engine and brake cooling.

Porsche Panamera E-Hybrid

It’s hard to believe the Panamera is a heavy luxury car from the way it takes corners without any body roll.

The new third-generation Panamera arrived with a hi-tech trick up its sleeve called Porsche Active Ride suspension, an option offered in the E-Hybrid models.

Unlike regular active suspension which simply softens and stiffens the ride, Active Ride has hydraulic pumps that push the wheels into potholes and lifts them going over bumps to keep the body level, providing an unsurpassed combination of ride comfort and handling.

It is impressive technology, and Porsche Active Ride can also be used to lift the vehicle to ease getting in and out, and to prevent it from scraping on steep driveways.

Panamera E-Hybrids are available in three versions, with the range-topping R4.7m Turbo S plug-in hybrid boasting a supercar-like 575kW of power from its 4.0l turbocharged V8 petrol engine and electric motor.

Mercedes-AMG C63 S E Performance

Some Mercedes-AMG purists bemoan the latest C63 “selling its soul” by replacing the previous 4.0l V8 engine with a hybrid 2.0l petrol-electric powertrain.

The four-cylinder turbo engine doesn’t sound nearly as sporty but the new car is significantly quicker with its potent 500kW of power and 1,020Nm of torque — a mighty jump over the old V8’s 375kW and 700Nm.

With the aid of all-wheel drive traction, the new C63 trounces its rear-wheel drive predecessor by a full second over the 0-100km/h sprint, which equates to several car lengths.

Despite gaining a lot of weight, the latest C63 is a capable corner carver with the aid of rear-axle steering that helps the car turn crisply into corners.

For its red hot performance the R2.5m car is a civilised executive sedan with impressive refinement.