Let’s put the title of this award to one side for a second. It’s a distraction. The T.50 isn’t like other hypercars. Less hype, mainly. First let’s think bigger. Cars exist to be driven, and since you’re reading TopGear you believe driving should be fun. Well, this drives better than anything else.
So naming it the best hypercar of 2023 sells it just a tad short. I don’t know what else you might put in your personal list of ultimate driver’s cars. Ferrari F40 or F50 maybe, Porsche 997.2 GT3 RS, Lotus Elise, Singer DLS, Caterham Seven, McLaren F1 or P1, Alfaholics GTA-R, Honda NSX Type R? All would have a place on mine. And right now, I’d take the T.50 over any of them.
It would be all too easy to accuse the T.50 of lacking relevance – it’s £2.8 million after all, and neither forward looking nor future-proof. But its engineering rigour is endlessly relevant. There’s no flab in this 997kg three-seater, and none in its thinking – it’s wonderfully clear minded. When so many cars are trying to cross pollinate themselves (BMW XM anyone?), claiming to be ‘disruptors’, how refreshing to find a car that knows exactly what it’s for and presents itself so clearly. Isn’t that what we’re constantly saying we want from every new car? No one wants or needs the endless driving modes and whizzy graphics,