Our favourite moments

Epic road trips peppered with great performance cars and sinewy mountain passes create standout moments. These ones are seared into our memories

Terence Steenkamp

A Porsche with a GTS badge on its rump and Gydo Pass make an incomparable match. On this bumpy but marvellous ribbon, the Cayman came alive; it knuckled down, breathed with the road’s rippling surface, deftly applied its power and flew. Magical.

Ian Mclaren

The first car I drove on day two, I arrived at Burger’s Pass outside Montagu suitably comfortable behind the wheel of the M2 Competition. Tight, twisty and bumpy in places, I rejoiced at the level of concentration required to drive this ferocious little BMW fast.

Gareth Dean

Piloting the RS5, there was a brief moment of elation as I managed to edge ahead of the M5 in the drag race before being pipped just metres from the finish line. Only the ignominy of the head cam I was made to wear could match that feeling of dejectedness.

Nicol Louw

Surprisingly, the BMW M5 Competition snapped at the heels of the Porsche Cayman GTS in the latter’s natural habitat: a tight mountain pass. The road opened and it was time to unleash the nuclear-like 460 kw. Indicator on and the poor Porsche became a yellow spec in the mirror.

Peter Palm

While all the cars were exciting to drive, if I had to choose one to simply have some fun with around town, I would choose the Yaris. It’s so easy to drive, so nippy and has a delightful engine/gearbox combination, making Shootout a real pleasure.

Wilhelm Lutjeharms

Leading the pack on the beautiful and twisty R317 and R60 towards Montagu, I tried not to hold everyone up in the very enjoyable, light and fun Yaris GRMN. It is the most I have giggled during a Shootout and the longest I’ve kept my right foot flat on the floor.

Ryan Bubear

I piloted the Yaris as we hit the R320 outside a blistering Hermanus. Wilhelm was leading in the Type R, with Nicol snapping at his heels in the STI. Somehow, I kept sight of the two hefty wings through the crests and dips, and the three manuals legged it.

Nikesh Kooverjee

The road to Steenbras Dam is short, winding and tight, making it the perfect environment for the Type R. The seemingly endless frontend grip, impressive K20C engine and slick six-speed manual gearbox didn’t need to work hard to make me feel like a toge champ.

Damian Adams

The tight Burger’s Pass in the adrenaline-charged Type R and Yaris GRMN, followed by a switch to the Subaru STI, trailing Nicol in the Cayman GTS, meant a demanding yet rewarding drive keeping the rumbly turbo-boxer motor on the boil for the flowing R318.

Marius Boonzaier

En route to Gydo Pass, the Civic Type R’s rear wing disappeared behind a hill. The Racing Yellow 911 T became a speck on the horizon. I was in the cheeky Yaris GRMN, playing catch-up with a convoy of performance cars led by an Aston Martin Vantage. So much fun!