Call it a sign of the times, but whether due to tightening regulations, rising costs or the unfortunate trend toward SUVs, we’re just not buying sports cars these days. There are some notable exceptions, of course, but a shrinking market and the need to diversify into EV models have forced the hands of many manufacturers to step away from the sports car as we know it.
But, while they’re not long for this world, there’s still a bunch of brilliant petrol-powered sports cars that don’t cost the earth but won’t be renewed for a new generation. Some have been relatively short-lived, joining the tail end of the sports car phenomenon just in time to make a statement, but others have been transformative to the class and the industry at large, creating dynasties in their own right.
So before they say sayonara, these are five sports cars that we’ll definitely miss when they’re gone – if they’re not already…
Porsche 718 Cayman
It’s not unrealistic to consider the Porsche 718 Cayman ‘the perfect sports car’. This mid-engined model quietly sat below the hero 911 with less power, less focus, and a little more cynicism built in. However, it often operated way above its station thanks to stunning chassis balance and charismatic powertrains.
Initially launched after the second generation Boxster roadster as a slightly more expensive coupe, it proved to be one of the purest and most engaging sports cars of any price, thanks to how it distilled many of Porsche’s best bits. This was then modelled into a compact and well-formed package.
Late versions, such as the 718 Cayman GTS 4.0 and GT4, took that recipe and finally gave it the edge so many wanted, but its position under the 911 meant Porsche was always somewhat hesitant to push the package too far in fear of rendering the rear-engined flagship pointless.
In any case, Porsche still doesn’t see a future for the petrol-powered coupe, but there is word of an electric version coming at some point.
porsche.com
Alpine A110
Another world-changing sports car with two seats and an engine in the middle came not from Germany or the UK as most do, but France. Alpine’s rebirth in the mid-2010s was always an exciting enterprise, but its first model proved this wasn’t just a branding exercise. It was the creation of a whole new type of sports car.
The chassis was designed to be super lightweight, with extensive use of aluminium and a clever package that gave the two passengers a surprising amount of room inside, along with a fair amount of luggage space. The cabin itself, while sparse, was perfectly formed and featured superb Sabelt bucket seats, but it was the driving experience that dominated the whole experience.
Thanks to a surprisingly soft suspension set-up focused on compliance and driveability, the A110 drives like no other sports car. Where others might be knocked off-line or compromised over bumps, the Alpine sails right overtop, making the best use of its low weight to shrug off almost any intrusion on the road.
The engine is also extremely sweet, and even the dual-clutch box, while lacking the polish of Porsche’s PDK, is still a superb sidekick to the rorty little engine. Alpine says that a new A110 will be coming, but like the Porsche, it’ll be electric, and therefore, any notion of true lightweight engineering will be gone alongside its true USP.
alpine-cars.co.uk
Audi TT
Less sports car and more design icon, the TT has been given the chop as Audi shifts its energy towards electric cars. It lasted three full generations, being at its purest in that first generation, which was revealed at the turn of the century. The clever, modernist design—both inside and out—set the template for future generations, and while they did have their own highlights, the later models didn’t quite have the same impact.
However, what later models did well, especially the final third generation, is drive. Working on VW’s flexible MQB platform, Audi combined it with their own sense of weight saving and – by keeping the technical packages relatively simple – created some entertaining little sports cars towards the end. The third generation also introduced a superb cabin design that was more than fitting of the TT name.
But with Audi needing to put its not inconsiderable resources towards the design, development and production of new electric models, the TT has for now been consigned to the history books, with no replacement in the product plan.
It’s not out of the realm of possibility that the TT name will return in future, but we would be surprised to see it with less than four doors, let alone with a sense of style that lives up to the original.
audi.co.uk
Lotus Emira
If there’s a name that’s potentially most associated with the notion of a sports car, it would have to be Lotus. The British brand didn’t create the category, but over its history, it has come to define it with models like the Elan, Elise and, finally, the Emira. Redeveloped from the ground up, Lotus’s ambitious new sports car only arrived in 2020, but it has since had a complicated and tumultuous life.
This was down to many factors, but the ambitious nature of the sports car was largely due to its need to accommodate two completely different engine options and no less than three transmissions. First to arrive was the supercharged V6 option with a six-speed manual, which had its usual teething issues surrounding build quality and production. The plan was also to launch with an eight-speed automatic, and a turbocharged four-cylinder turbo complete with a dual-clutch was due soon after.
Yet without the facility to manufacture any of these elements, the sheer complexity of making one car accept both a supercharged engine from Toyota and a turbocharged engine from Mercedes-AMG caused massive delays to the latter, with very different engineering solutions required to fit both options. Lotus has not stopped production yet, but the Emira isn’t long for this world.
Like many of the cars on this list, it will be reimagined with an electric powertrain, though. However, whether it ever comes to fruition is the more open-ended question.
lotuscars.com
BMW Z4
The final car on our list is the iconic BMW roadster, a model that’s been a constant in the range since the mid-90s Z3. Although this was a typically strong seller over the years, shrinking sales meant the latest model was co-developed with Toyota and built by third-party manufacturer Magna Styr in Austria.
This didn’t mean the last Z4 was a bad car, but it did lack some of the variability that created some of the best versions, including the M Coupe. As a result, the only Z4 currently available comes in one four-cylinder and one six-cylinder variant, both with an eight-speed automatic transmission and very similar styling and features.
As a final flourish, BMW has introduced a ‘Handschalter package’ for the flagship M40i model, which swaps out the eight-speed auto for a six-speed manual, plus a host of other subtle suspension and chassis tweaks to make it into something a little bit special to drive. In reality, it’s done just that, giving BMW fans something to hold on to while it focuses its new development effort and budget on the EVs and SUVs that it hopes we’ll all be buying in droves.
bmw.co.uk
