2007 World Performance Car of the Year


Three finalists compete for ultimate performance car recognition


By Gary Witzenburg

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With similar vehicles made and marketed throughout the world, what could be more meaningful to consumers and enthusiasts everywhere than a global “car of the year” selected by motoring journalists from nearly every car-consuming country? That was the premise when a group of Asian, European and North American writers created the World Car of the Year Program and named the Audi A6 its inaugural winner in February 2005.
Untouched by advertising or anyone in the auto business, its purpose is to “recognize and reward automotive excellence on a global scale and make consumers aware of that recognition.” For 2006, the committee added three category awards, including World Performance Car. That year’s winner was Porsche's Cayman S.
For 2007, a 44-member jury of top auto writers from 22 countries nominated 28 new-car candidates and conducted the first round of voting this January, which produced lists of 10 World Car of the Year and 10 Performance Car of the Year finalists. The chosen performance models were: Audi RS4 and S6, BMW 335i and Z4 M, Porsche 911 GT3 and Turbo (all from Germany), Ferrari 599 GTB (Italy), Jaguar XKR (England), Mazda 3 MPS/Mazdaspeed3 (Japan) and Renault Clio Sport (France), A second vote in March narrowed the field to three top finalists: RS4, 335i and 911 Turbo.