The data behind Performance Car of the Year 2022

Data logging is a crucial aspect of Performance Car of the Year, with each car testing its merit against the stopwatch.

Under review is their real-world performance compared to their manufacturer's claims, as well as providing integral points of comparison.

Testing was conducted on the main straight of Phillip Island, with each car measured across the same 400m stretch of tarmac. Conditions were sunny and clear, with temperatures between approximately 20 and 25 degrees. Inconsistent gusts from the Bass Strait saw some cars battling against headwinds while others benefitted from a tailwind.

Why is there a McLaren here?

8

The McLaren 720S isn’t a part of this year’s PCOTY, but given that it’s been the supercar performance benchmark for the last few years, we performance tested Kirby's long-termer and sent Luffy out for a hot lap just to add some frame of reference as to how our PCOTY contenders stacked up against it. While nothing could touch the Big Mac’s terminal velocities, three cars – the all-wheel drive Taycan and Huracán and the rear-engined GT3 beat it to 100km/h.

0-400m

Drivers: Andy Enright, Louis Cordony

The 470kW all-wheel drive Lamborghini Huracan Evo topped the ranks in various disciplines, scorching the 400m dash in just 10.57-seconds. The Taycan Turbo S follows closely, leveraging its instant torque delivery and four-wheel traction to nail a 10.73-second pass.

8

0-400m V-Max

Drivers: Andy Enright, Louis Cordony

The Huracan, again, tops the PCOTY field, but is significantly overshadowed by the wildcard McLaren. Despite only two driven wheels, the 720S' 520kW makes up for a slow start off the mark, eclipsing the Lamborghini's 400m V-Max by a full 12.1km/h.

8

0-100km/h

Drivers: Andy Enright, Louis Cordony

A dominant performance from the Taycan Turbo S was expected, but the biggest surprise came from the Alpina B3 sleeper - clocking triple digit speeds within tenths of the more powerful C8 Corvette and 911 GT3.

A mid-field result from the McLaren makes its 400m stats all the more remarkable. That car is all about the top-end.

8

Lap Time

Driver: Warren Luff

No prizes for predicting that the ultra-focused 992-generation of GT3 would emerge as 2022's hot lap hero. The Huracan Evo trails by three seconds, with its modest footprint and standard Pirelli P Zero rubber limiting its ambitions.

The rear-drive manual M3 was the biggest surprise, finishing third within the PCOTY field and besting the capable Corvette and Boxster 25.

The McLaren's lap time was also hampered by comparatively narrow Pirelli P Zeros and, amazingly, could have eclipsed the heroic Porsche with an upgrade in rubber.

8

Lap V-Max

Driver: Warren Luff

While the GT3 achieves its dominant lap times with Cup 2 tyres and clever aero, the Huracan Evo's V-Max figures indicate that it makes its time in very different areas of the track.

8

100-0km/h

Drivers: Andy Enright, Louis Cordony

A modest kerb weight of 1422kg, combined with monstrous carbon-ceramic brakes (one of two sets in the field) saw the Huracan Evo pull up stumps in the shortest distance from a 100km/h roll.

Porsche fills out the following three spots, with the Boxster coming to a stop 1.02 metres further than the Huracan. The Taycan, the only other competitor with carbon-clad stoppers, trails almost a metre behind, matching its GT3 sibling exactly despite carring an extra 800kg on board.

8

Technical Data