Best sports cars arriving in 2020

The Porsche Cayman GT4 will restore balance to the 718 series by reintroducing the flat six-cylinder engine.

Head of Editorial

CarsGuide

28 May 2020 • 6 min read

The sports-car segment may have taken a step backwards in 2019, down 20.8 per cent, but that won’t stop carmakers from releasing new models in 2020.

Granted there aren’t many sports cars on the cards for 2020, those that are coming are no less important.

In fact, we’d argue the selection of sports cars we’ve listed here are among the most desirable in the world. Read on.

Audi R8 – Third quarter

The Audi R8 is back and bolder than ever thanks to a midlife facelift. And while it has dialled the visual aggression up to 11, that’s not the headline here.

After a successful limited production run in pre-facelift form, the rear-wheel-drive R8 is a permanent fixture from the third quarter and beyond!

Joining the all-wheel-drive model that has been in place since the R8’s arrival, the aptly named RWD variant is sure to put smiles on faces. A 397kW/540Nm 5.2-litre V10 helps matters, too.

BMW M2 CS – Second half

The BMW M2 has always been a favourite, and it got even better when the Competition version arrived – but that was only the beginning. Now we have the CS flagship on the way.

As the highest-performing version of the 2 Series to date, the M2 CS is no slouch. And if you thought its rear-wheel-drive platform was pretty great, BMW has gone ahead and added a manual transmission to make purists grin that little bit harder.

Lashings of sinful carbon-fibre, smart adaptive suspension and a potent 331kW/550Nm 3.0-litre twin-turbo inline six-cylinder engine mean the second half of 2020 can’t come soon enough.

New BMW M2 CS 2020 pricing and specs detailed: Limited-edition hardcore coupe rockets in

Jaguar F-Type – April

Since its release, the Jaguar F-Type has been an absolute head-turner. And while you could argue ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’, a rather significant facelift is still on the way in April.

We’re sure many will debate whether or not this iteration of the F-Type is more attractive than its predecessor, but there’s no doubting it’s seductive in its own right.

Engine options more or less carry over, with a turbo-petrol four-cylinder and a supercharged V6 and V8, which is good news for those with a performance bent.

Lexus LC500 convertible – Second half

Lexus definitely teased the convertible version of its LC flagship harder than other model in 2019, but it’s finally official and coming to Australia in the second half of 2020.

While hybrid LC500h and V8 LC500 variants of the coupe are on offer, only the latter will be available in convertible guise from launch, but that’s great news for those that enjoy wind through their hair while listening to a naturally aspirated soundtrack at full volume.

And given the LC is already one of the most stylish sports cars in existence, it will stand out from the crowd even more in convertible form, which in fact gains sex appeal sans roof.

Lexus LC convertible 2020 detailed: V8-only soft-top due in second half of next year

Porsche Cayman GT4 and Boxster Spyder – February

Porsche's 718 has been hit and miss as far as purists are concerned. That said, the mechanically related Cayman GT4 and Boxster Spyder are looking to right nearly all of these wrongs.

Out goes the turbocharged four-cylinder engine and in comes the naturally aspirated six-cylinder unit. Yep, the flat screamer is back and better than before!

Better yet, the Cayman GT4 and Boxster Spyder will only be available with a six-speed manual from their launch in February, so the PDK dual-clutch automatic transmission can move aside.

Porsche Cayman GT4 and Spyder 2020 revealed