Tyres are great - but they don't drive themselves. Paddy Comyn puts some rubber to the test
You need to get pretty imaginative if you are a tyre manufacturer and you want to get your product spoken about, written about or even noticed at all. Perhaps all of us as motorists pay too little attention to those black rubber rings under our car than we should do. When is the last time you checked your tyre pressure or tread?
For the record, the legal tread depth is 1.6mm, however manufacturers have been calling for this to be increased to 3mm for some time now. A car with tyres of the legal tread depth will brake some 8 metres later than one with 3mm.
Continental chose the Ascari Racetrack near Rhonda in Spain to launch their new ContiSportContact3 range of tyres, which are aimed specifically at the high performance market. The new tyre has been developed alongside some of Europe's leading car manufacturers and will be a standard-fit on the next Audi TT, the stunning new Audi RS4 and on many of the Porsche 911 range.
Naturally enough, using a fleet of Nissan Micras to illustrate the wonder of this new tyre might have returned a smaller turn-out than to a paint-drying exhibition, so three generations of Porsche 911, the 993, 996 and 997 were shod with three generations of the ContiSportContact3 tyre and there were also three generations of Audi's RS models (RS2 and two RS4s) used for just the same purpose. This might not be such a bad day after all.
So imagine my surprise to walk into the pit lane at the superb Ascari race circuit to find not only the three generations of my two favourite cars, but a line-up of performance machinery that would bring a tear to the eye of any car-lover.
I felt myself get somewhat panicky and short of breath as my eyes darted along a line-up that included a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, a Bentley Continental GT, a Volkswagen Golf R32, an Alfa Romeo Brera and sitting at the very end, a Lamborghini Gallardo.
I felt like I had just entered the motoring equivalent of the Playboy mansion. There was beauty and lust everywhere.
The Porsche and Audi cars were fitted with tyres according to their age, the oldest with the first-generation tyre and so on.
It is incredible to sit into a 10-year-old car and find it feels like it's from another era, but that was certainly the case with the evolution of the Porsche 911s. The latest model 997 is such a well-behaved and easy-to-drive sports car compared to its slightly more naughty ancestors.
Even with the added weight that progress brings, the newer 911 out-performed both the 993 and 996 on the track and to their credit, the ContiSportContact 3's provided reassurance, and thankfully, incredible grip.
Having tried the 911s, it was time to muscle in and flirt outrageously with the new Audi RS4. The new car is in the process of being delivered to a number of Irish buyers blessed with incredible taste and, of course, the €113,000 price tag.
The RS4 is nothing short of astounding. With 420bhp from a 4.2-litre V8, the performance is blistering. The six-speed manual gearbox is slick and the grip from the Quattro all-wheel drive - and of course the tyres - was incredible. If your budget does not quite extend that far, another car that is new to Ireland is the Volkswagen Golf R32. The R32 is like an uber-GTi. Instead of the 2.0-litre turbo-charged engine with 200bhp and front-wheel drive, there is a 3.2-litre V6 with 250bhp and four-wheel drive in what is still quite a discreet package.
The Ford ST is a delight on the track and surely the best front-wheel drive hot hatch about right now. But the maroon-coloured Lamborghini was attracting, undoubtedly, the most attention.
The Gallardo is staggeringly beautiful and you really do just find yourself standing and staring at it open-mouthed. The stats are impressive too: 500bhp from the 5.0-litre V10 makes the kind of sound that creates car-lovers.
As the day progressed, the line for the Gallardo got ever longer and I got more anxious. So I resorted to the sort of tactic that has made German tourists famous the world over. I skipped lunch and sat in until the session started again.
So I hit the track in the Gallardo and it all seemed so familiar. The same controls, button and navigation system that I had seen on the RS4 were present in the pretty-bland cabin.
And there were gear-change paddles in a very odd place behind the wheel and they didn't move with the wheel either. But the Gallardo is staggering. You sit so low and there is so much instantaneous power that you push harder and harder, swatting so-called performance cars with one dart of the pedal. If you want one in Ireland you would need more than an SSIA. But if you have €250,000 lying about, I'd reccommend one.
For the rest us, it is at least good to know that you can have the same tyres. The ContiSportContact 3 range is on sale now.