Enlarge / We never get tired of seeing the different ways Porsche finds to tweak the venerable 911. It's outdone itself with the Sport Classic, but the car comes with a price tag that means very few will experience it. (credit: Bradley Iger)

Sports cars have always been emotionally driven purchases, and perhaps no automaker understands this better than Porsche. There are more than two dozen iterations of the 911 on sale today, and while it can sometimes feel like sussing out the differences in character between one variant and another is an exercise in splitting hairs, the new Sport Classic tugs at enthusiasts' heartstrings in a way that no other modern 911 can.

Part of the Heritage Design Edition series, which includes a 911 Targa as well as two more as-yet-unnamed models, the new Sport Classic leverages the formidable capability of the latest 911 Turbo while delivering a genuinely unique driving experience and a distinct sense of style.

While its purposeful stance comes courtesy of the Turbo's widened body, elements like the bespoke carbon fiber hood, the Carrera GT-inspired carbon “double bubble” roof, and the eye-catching carbon fiber ducktail rear spoiler—the latter of which pays homage to the iconic 911 Carrera RS 2.7 of the early 1970s—help to provide the Sport Classic with a look all its own. The bodywork is also further differentiated from its Turbo sibling thanks to the deletion of the side intakes, a change that necessitated new tooling to stamp the unique panels that run from underneath the front of the doors all the way to the rear bumper. New inlets installed under the ducktail spoiler are on hand to channel air into the engine's intake system.

Enlarge / Alfa Romeo has a new crossover called the Tonale. (credit: Jonathan Gitlin)

I don't believe that Jeremy Clarkson was right when he said that you could only be a true petrolhead once you'd owned an Alfa Romeo, but the oafish TV presenter wasn't entirely off-base. I've just spent a week with Alfa's latest creation, the unfortunately named Tonale, and it has left me scratching my head. Beset by gremlins and not exactly cheap, it nonetheless charmed me in a way that I really don't think would have happened if I'd been driving, say, a Dodge .

Once upon a time, Alfa Romeo was Ferrari before there really was a Ferrari, building Grand Prix-winning race cars and drop-dead gorgeous road cars. That feels like a very long time ago now. A planned resurgence, set in motion while the brand was under the control of the late Sergio Marchionne , has fallen far short of its original ambitious sales targets— 100,000 Guilias a year , we were told at the time.

But the brand lives on, and it has an all-new model out. The Tonale is a smaller crossover than the Stelvio, and here in the US it is only available with a plug-in hybrid powertrain. It pairs a 180 hp (135 kW), 1.3 L four-cylinder gasoline engine that drives the front wheels via a six-speed automatic transmission with a 121 hp (90 kW) electric motor that drives the rear wheels, fed by a 15.5 kWh lithium-ion battery.

Enlarge / The regular Hyundai Ioniq 5 is one of our favorite EVs. Now there's a hot hatch variant, and it's great. (credit: Hyundai)

Hyundai provided flights and accommodation from Los Angeles to Seoul for Steve to drive the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N. Ars does not accept paid editorial content.

SEOUL, South Korea—EV drivers either seem to love or hate the fake powertrain sounds that accompany their cars. Some fully embrace the spaceship or video-game-like noises, while others can't turn them off fast enough. I'm firmly in the latter group, long believing that the best thing about an EV is its dead-silent operation. Or, at least, I was until I drove the new Hyundai Ioniq 5 N earlier this month.

When you put the Ioniq 5 in N mode, it calls up a few different sound profiles—everything from your typical spaceship-y wooh-ahh tones to something attempting to re-create the aural quality of a turbocharged hot hatch. I say “attempting” because, well, none of the soundtracks are particularly good or high-quality. I've heard better stuff in Gran Turismo . Like, the first Gran Turismo .

In any case, when you activate N mode, the 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster also displays a tachometer in the middle, complete with a needle that rests at an imaginary idle. The regenerative braking paddles mounted to the steering wheel suddenly become gear shifters, and the sound of the "engine" rises and lowers as you move through each "gear." (Read all these as air quotes—it helps.)

Enlarge / Lotus followed up the Eletre S with a far more powerful Eletre R. Lotus purists might not like how much mass it carries around. (credit: Seyth Miersma)

The Lotus Eletre R is an electric SUV with 900 hp (671 kW), a curb weight of approximately 5,820 lbs (2,640 kg), and a six-figure sticker price. If you’re a longstanding fan of the British brand—look around, is there a small model of a race car within sight or Colin Chapman biography on your bookshelf?—that opening sentence likely causes some distress. If you are like most Americans, however, a mention of "Lotus" is just as likely to conjure up thoughts of gardening as grands prix.

Therein lies the puzzle for a company that is in phase one of a total reinvention. Lotus cars have never sold particularly well, but for seven decades now if you bought one you knew what you were getting: a minimalist sports car with a focus on extreme weight savings. Folks, the Eletre R ain't that.

I think it's more important to ask if this Lotus is any good, rather than arguing about whether or not it's a "real Lotus." The EV revolution may be underway in earnest, but it's not as though we're awash in quasi-exotic electric SUVs with outrageous power outputs and challenging design language. Brand aside, what does this car compete with, and does it have a chance to win?

Enlarge / McLaren Automotive got its start with the clinical MP4-12C. The 750S is an evolutionary descendant of that car and shows how far McLaren has come since 2011. (credit: McLaren)

McLaren provided flights from Washington to Lisbon and two nights in a hotel so we could drive the 750S. Ars does not accept paid editorial content.

What do you get the supercar that has everything? McLaren must have been thinking about that question when it came time to give the already rather good 720S a bit of a midlife refresh. The answer is more power, less weight, and a raft of updates here and there that make the new McLaren 750S more useable but also even better on track, if that's your thing.

Starting from a standard configuration, a 750S weighs 3,062 lbs (1,388 kg), 66 lbs (30 kg) less than the car it's replacing. But if you select the right combination of options, from single-piece carbon fiber racing seats to titanium wheel bolts, you can trim that down even further—McLaren says to as little as 2,815 lbs (1,277 kg), but that's a dry weight.

Regardless, the all-carbon fiber construction results in a car that's both very stiff and lighter than the competition. And the penalty for switching to a retractable hardtop roof is just 108 lbs (50 kg), although it does bring the car's center of gravity up a smidge.

Enlarge / After a confusing mess for the last generation, Toyota's stylists have done a decent job with the new Prius. I think it needs a front plate if you're going to have it a light shade like this silver. (credit: Jonathan Gitlin)

Earlier this year, we spent some time with the new Toyota Prius . There was a lot to like about the new car, the fifth to bear its name—sleek looks and minimal fuel consumption are the highlights. Today, it's Prius Prime, the plug-in hybrid variant. Toyota might have been early to hybrids and uncomfortably late to battery electric vehicles, but the Prius Prime straddles the line between the two, offering a battery big enough for most daily driving and a highly efficient gas-burning powertrain for longer journeys.

Much of what I wrote about the not-Prime Prius applies to the plug-in, too. There are the same sleek looks, with a steeply raked windshield and a far more cohesive design than the model it replaced—that one looked like the result of two separate car designs that were later crashed into each other . I'm starting to think that the car needs a front license plate to look right—that little bump out on the fascia where a plate is supposed to attach looks rather obvious in the case of our Virginia-registered tester.

The $39,170 Prius Prime XSE Premium we tested doesn't look quite as racy as the blue car we had in May—mostly, that's down to the different design of alloy wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels with aerodynamic covers are available with the Prius Prime SE ($32,350), but like the XSE Premium, the mid-range XSE ($35,600) also rides on the bigger 19-inch wheels. I mention this upfront because if you're looking for the most efficient option, the stripped-out base model on small wheels has a lower drag coefficient and runs more economically.

Enlarge / Mass-produced in the 1960s with a not-very special engine, the MGB is a rather good candidate for an electric conversion. (credit: Frontline Developments)

Electrifying classic sports cars is swiftly becoming big business. Battery-powered 911s, E-Types , Triumphs, and more have been around for a while, but the humble MGB has thus far been overlooked… until now. UK-based MG specialists Frontline Developments has a rich history of restoring, modifying, and generally sprucing up MGBs, and has decided that now is the time to inject a cleaner, greener heart into what was once a British sportscar staple.

The MG BEE EV is a neat little thing. Currently in prototype form, it's packing a 40 kWh battery attached to a 114 hp (85 kW) 162 lb ft (220 Nm) Hyper9 motor that sends power to the rear wheels via a five-speed Mazda Miata gearbox. Range is about 140 miles (225 km) if you drive sensibly, and charging takes about five hours. Frontline will build you one as a BEE GT (coupe), or Roadster should you wish to feel the wind in your beard as you roll along.

Frontline Developments is well known in the MG world. Founded in 1991 by Tim Fenna, it started with gearbox swaps, then widened its business with suspension, brake, and even engine upgrades for customers wanting a little more go. The company offers full restorations, as well as its own special editions from time to time. Its LE50 and Abingdon editions came with beautiful aesthetics, twinned with more modern (and powerful) internal combustion engines. It's launching a V8-powered LE60 alongside the BEE for those who fancy old-school thrills.

Enlarge / It meant spending most of the week on the road, but who would say no to a chance to drive Porsche's very first car? Not I. (credit: Tangent Vector/Porsche)

Porsche provided flights from Washington, DC, to San Jose, California, and four nights in a hotel so we could attend Rennsport Reunion 7 at Laguna Seca. Ars does not accept paid editorial content.

CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA, Calif.—Every few years, Porsche holds a big celebration of its racing heritage at the Laguna Seca racetrack in Monterey, California. Called Rennsport Reunion, it's a big deal, drawing a far bigger attendance than when racing series like IndyCar or IMSA visit. And attendees are a passionate crowd, prepared to wait in line for an hour or more just to visit the official merch store.

Rennsport Reunion 7 took place last week, and it was a special one, as this year is Porsche's 75th anniversary. Among the cars brought over from the company museum was the very first to ever bear the Porsche name, the prototype 356/1 roadster.

And Porsche let us drive this priceless artifact.

Enlarge / BMW has a new 5 Series, and it's starting with the fully electric version seen here, the 2024 BMW i5. (credit: Jonathan Gitlin)

BMW provided flights from Washington, DC, to Portugal and three nights in a hotel so we could drive the new BMW i5 and the BMW i7 M70 . Ars does not accept paid editorial content.

LISBON, Portugal—Electric vehicles are becoming normalized. Take BMW, for instance. When the electric i3 went on sale a decade ago, it looked— and still looks, in fact —like nothing else on the road. Fast forward to 2023 and we've reached the point where you'd have to be very observant to spot the differences between the fully electric and internal combustion versions of the new BMW 5 Series. In fact, it's a testament to the importance of the fully electric version that the 2024 BMW i5 is the one the company chose to offer up to the world's journalists for a first drive.

The eighth-generation 5 Series—internal BMW code G60, for those who keep track— broke cover this past May . It has a more restrained look than other electric BMWs we've driven recently.

Back when its range was mostly just 3, 5, and 7, they all wore roughly similar kidney grilles. But in the 21st century, BMW has series going from 1 to 8, not to mention SUVs, with almost as many variations of that famous grille among them. Here, it's a horizontal design, and it's technically not a grille if we're being literal—there's no grate or mesh covering a big air inlet. Behind the plastic exterior live some of the car's forward-looking sensors. And for those who think the design is maybe too restrained, you can opt for an illuminated surround.