The best pictures and outtakes from Sports Car Giant Test 2018

On days like these... We've taken the six best sports cars of 2018 on a European odyssey, driving from Britain to the Circuit de Charade in central France for an eye-watering test of mettle and muscle. In this gallery we showcase some of the best pictures and out-takes to give you a flavour of what happened when we threw a McLaren Senna and Ferrari 488 Pista against an assortment of different performance cars from different sectors and price points. The juxtapositions were thought-provoking - and a reminder that you CAN still have fun in cars in 2018. Click 'Next' to see more of our photos and out-takes. This is what it's all about: the sensuous Ferrari 488 Pista, sun-dappled in the September sunshine, as it tracks the surprisingly hilly Circuit de Charade. The Pista won plaudits from all drivers, for its mix of nutty performance, visceral feedback and everyday usability. It's not all supercars: we took the BMW M2 Competition, too - setting up some real David and Goliath moments. The baby M car is just so malleable: it can play cruiser on the long schlepp south, demolishing autoroute mile after mile, yet also thrill on track, as James Taylor demonstrates here. The two writers from CAR magazine: James Taylor (left) discusses the finer points of handling balance and adjustability with arch tyre smoker Ben Barry (right). Don't miss the full 26-page feature in the November 2018 issue of CAR magazine, available now in print and digital editions. Alpine A110 and Aston Martin Vantage on track at Charade. Two polar opposites from the performance car spectrum: the French leader is a delicate scalpel of a coupe, all lightweight poise and minimalist vibe; the Aston is a big British bruiser, with a German bi-turbo V8 and a chunky-but-funky aesthetic. Which would you choose? Two German powerhouses in action at Charade: the BMW M2 Competition alongside the Porsche 911 GT2 RS. The swansong 991 proved a smash hit with the CAR magazine testers, who drove it thousands of miles from Porsche GB HQ in Reading to the middle of France and back. You notice the lack of soundproofing on a motorway cruise, but it retains all the usual 911 attributes. And here's Ben Barry demonstrating what 690bhp of turbo flat six and rear-wheel drive does to the 911's handling. Only on track can you truly appreciate its 2.8sec 0-62mph time and 211mph potential. One of the great modern 911s... The full convoy of six performance greats: the Porsche 911 GT2 RS leads the Ferrari 488 Pista, Alpine A110, Aston Martin Vantage, McLaren Senna and BMW M2 Competition. A pretty lively bunch, we'd say. Ben Barry doing his thing onboard the McLaren Senna. This photo doesn't quite do justice to how hot it was in here. With air-con despecced in the name of lightweight dieting, the Senna rapidly turned into a sauna in the last vestiges of a French summer. Polar opposites with the same idea: both Alpine A110 and Porsche 911 GT2 RS focus on delivering the maximum number of smiles per hour. We took the finalists on to a road section, where the GT2 battled the Pista on some of Europe's finest mountain roads. Richard Pardon's photos bring the whole test to life across 26 pages in the November 2018 issue of CAR magazine. We did a lot of this: refuelling became a regular sport, especially during the track testing. Local garagistes welcome our six-strong, thirsty band of sports cars with open arms and a broad smile. Can't imagine why... Testing the tyre pressure on the McLaren Senna. All the cars performed faultlessly, bar the Alpine which suffered an electrical glitch. Fortunately, Alpine had a spare A110 on hand and we could continue the test unimpeded. A new shape of Aston Martin design: is the Vantage different enough from the DB11 with which it shares its oily bits? On this evidence, we'd say yes. It looked stunning in this gun-metal silver at Circuit de Charade. Jake Groves hangs out in the Alpine A110. When we ran out of seats, we stowed our youngest team member in the trunk of the French coupe. Only for short journeys, mind. Wherever our convoy went, the cameraphones were whipped out. Kodak moments have been usurped by smartphone selfies. The Ferrari 488 Pista demonstrating exactly how Maranello's Dynamic Enhancer works. It's basically the next level of stability system that can dial in more or less slip, to let you showboat like Ben Barry is here. We'd still be nervous about letting complete beginners loose in it, but this shows just how adaptable the Pista is on track. It's the James and Jake show. Coming to a YouTube channel near you some time soon... What are the chances? As we pulled into yet another garage to refuel, we bumped into a V6 A310 Alpine. The lady owner pulled up alongside our new A110 (before it broke) and exchanged pleasantries with digital overlord Tim Pollard, who charmed her with his 'Où est la gare?' schoolboy French. James Taylor looks a little more worried when we threatened to shut him in the GT2's frunk. It's not the kind of car you'd want to lugged in unless you're firmly ensconced in one of its bucket seats. Circuit de Charade: playground of the gods. Opened in 1958, this track actually hosted the French grand prix for four years in the 1960s and '70s, but we were driving the modern iteration that opened in 1989. It's a cracking circuit, spiced up by undulations and elevations, technically tricky corners and the most mon dieu French countryside you could imagine. We lucked out: it was bathed in golden autumnal sunshine for most of our two days there. Don't try this at home. Ben Barry gives the Aston Martin Vantage maximum stick on track. 'A performance road car of huge talent, and entertaining on track,' we surmised. How many journalists and Ferrari PRs does it take to erect a picnic table? More than four, as it turns out. CAR's Ben Pulman, Tim Pollard and Mal Bailey assist Ferrari's Jason Harris to no avail in the pitlane. Contenders ready: snapper Richard Pardon's drone served up some lovely aerial photography during Sports Car Giant Test 2018 - nowhere more so than on the start-finish straight of Circuit de Charade. Our erstwhile support car proved a hit on SCGT18: the VW Arteon long-termer coped with a lot of photography equipment and overnight bags, cameramen leaning out of its boot and the not insignificant task of keeping up with the year's hottest new cars. It's amazing who you get chatting to when you hold the keys to a million pounds worth of sports cars... though we should point out that this lady actually claimed to work for the local Alpine dealership... Working to Ben Pulman's military timetable, nights were short and days long: the McLaren Senna's rear wing frames a blood-red sunrise at Charade on the first day. To see more great photos, be sure to see the November 2018 issue of CAR magazine out now in print and digital editions.