Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport Rally Car

Remember that Porsche Cayman rally car we reported on last year? It turns out Porsche is actually going to make it after all. According to a new release from Stuttgart, the overwhelmingly positive repsonse to the rally car led company to put it into production. There is a small difference though. While the concept was based on the outgoing Cayman GT4, the new rally car will be built using the recently released 718 Cayman GT4 race car, instead. That means 420bhp and 313lb ft from a naturally-aspirated 3.8-litre flat-six, composite body and lower production costs, of course. When it does get built, Porsche will be entering the Cayman rally car into the FIA R-GT class, which doesn鈥檛 require the investment or performance of something like the WRC car you鈥檇 most commonly associate with rally. You can read more about the Cayman GT4 rally car, below. You're looking at a one-off testbed for a Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport rally car. Essentially a concept car for the motorsport scene, Porsche admits it could go into production if enough privateers and teams show interest.

Announced via a tweet from Porsche Motorsport, little is known at this stage about the racing Cayman, which is designed to compete in tarmac rally stages. The Cayman GT4 Clubsport is just a concept car for rallys,' the tweet said. At the German @WRC round Rallye Deutschland we will collect feedback from the rally scene. We live in hope! It's a conceptual look at what a 718 Cayman rally car would look like if designed to compete in the FIA R-GT category for road rallying. Porsche has confirmed it has 380bhp from its 3.8 flat six engine, reminding us that competition GT Porsches will continue to use six-cylinder power; none of this namby-pamby downsizing to four-pots here. As befits that evocative Clubsport badge, it's stripped back with toughened suspension, a chunky rollcage, reinforced undertray for rallying, that charismatic four-strong auxiliary lighting bar on the bonnet and a 'snorkel' air scoop on the roof. You may glimpse it being used as a course car at the German leg of the World Rally Championship later this month.

Not that this has hobbled the Honda in the past, because it has seen off the challenge of the likes of the all-wheel-drive Ford Focus RS. The AMG A 35 has a tough task to take on these two titans of the hot hatch world, then. We know a great car in this class has to tick many boxes, but is the new Mercedes talented enough to walk away with the win? The Mercedes-AMG A 35 currently sits at the top of the A-Class range. It鈥檚 the most expensive model of our group, at 拢35,580, although our test car was laden with expensive options, including the 拢2,595 style pack that adds the large rear wing. That spoiler, 19-inch alloys and aerodynamic trim on the bumpers are all part of the styling pack, because the standard A 35 looks much like a lesser AMG Line version. But AMG has applied plenty of tweaks beneath the skin to sharpen up the A-Class鈥檚 responses and make the most of its 302bhp 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine.

There are MacPherson struts at the front and a multi-link set-up at the rear, while the brand has tweaked the suspension extensively and combined it with a 4MATIC four-wheel-drive system. Power is sent to the wheels through a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox, just as it is in the Golf R - and with similar power outputs, the German rivals have a similar approach. The Honda is a contrast, with its manual transmission and front-wheel-drive layout. A highlight of the new A-Class range is the interior, and it鈥檚 the same story with the A 35. The quality is excellent and the cabin is the classiest of these three hot hatches. While the Golf isn鈥檛 far behind the AMG, the Honda trails its competitors in this respect. Mercedes鈥?standard MBUX infotainment system features two seven-inch display screens, with one of them replacing traditional dials behind the steering wheel, although our test car had two 10.25-inch units fitted as part of its 拢8,380 of optional extras. The larger screens are great, though, adding a hi-tech feel.

Standard equipment on the Mercedes includes 18-inch alloy wheels, AMG styling, selectable driving modes, Artico man-made leather sports seats, LED headlights, climate control and satellite navigation. The A 35 is actually the least powerful model of our test trio. There鈥檚 only a few bhp in it, and 302bhp is not to be sniffed at, while all three cars have the same maximum 400Nm of torque. However, the AMG is the heaviest model here, at 1,555kg, which is pretty chunky for a hot hatch of this size - it鈥檚 a whopping 175kg heavier than the Civic Type R, and 72kg more than the Golf. All three cars recorded a 30-50mph time of 2.2 seconds in third gear, which shows how well matched they are for performance once they鈥檙e rolling. However, while it鈥檚 linear and also pretty refined, the A 35鈥檚 engine feels a bit flat. It鈥檚 a similar story in the Volkswagen, though, and while the Honda鈥檚 engine is more visceral, none of these 2.0-litre units sounds particularly exciting.