/CHRIS HARRIS ON CARSThe Showdowns

Chris Harris reviews the new 2012 BMW M5 and Nissan GT-R, in the rain, on the street and on the track.

This is first time that the 475 hp Ariel Atom V8 and 650 hp Noble M600 have been to the Nordschleife. They were scary as s***. Awesome times.

You know the form by now: driving the GT3 RS 4.0, M3 GTS, and X63 AMG Black on road and track. Carving the neat, fast line. Then pulling massive slides, and telling it how it really is with all three cars.

The GT-R Track Pack seems a bit half-hearted and, on-paper, the 997 Turbo S is the closest rival. I went to an evening track event at Brands hatch to discover the differences/ work out if the Track pack is worth the extra cash.

We drive the new Audi RS4, try the original B5 and the amazing B7, and then match the latest version against the 6.2 liter Mercedes C63.

The two muscle-motors of the moment, head-to-head. Hard to imagine a factory-warranted Mustang with 670hp, or a state-subsidised 580hp Camaro!

We know it works on track, but is 200 hp enough on the road? You can get a Nissan 370Z for similar money. Or a used Cayman S. If the FR-S can do the business here, it has to be one of the great cars of the year.

BMW's M135i undercuts the RS3 by £10k in base spec, it's only 20 hp down and weighs 150 kg less. Can a sub M-car beat Audi's premium fast car representation?

What happens when you let a Porsche GT2 RS stretch beyond 150mph? No bikers were hurt in the making of this film.

With over 1100 hp combined, these are the ultimate super-heated GT cars. Fast enough to match a Porsche 911 Turbo, comfy enough to cruise a continent.

Not a natural pairing, but a quick drive in both got me thinking about how VW manages its various brands in terms of character and driving behaviour. All very grown up, I know, but we can't skid the shizzle out of stuff every week.

This is the long-awaited showdown between the new Ford Focus ST and Europe's other latest hot hatches, the Renaultsport Megane RS and Vauxhall Astra VXR. On road and on track.