With 200bhp on tap and a kerb weight of 495kg, the road legal Formula Ford EcoBoost could be the future of sports cars, track cars, and even supercars.

SUBSCRIBE to Autocar: http://youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=autocar

You could argue Ford's 1.0-litre EcoBoost-powered, road-legal Formula Ford is just a marketing exercise. But from an engineering - and a petrolhead's - point of view it's a whole lot more relevant than that; an intriguing gaze into what might be achievable for sports cars of the future. In the tail sits a 200bhp version of Ford's three cylinder 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine, and although there are headlights, indicators and even a handbrake to justify the numberplates, to all intents and purposes this is a racing car that will never be raced.

Steve Sutcliffe pitches it against the Audi R8, BMW M6 and Mercedes A45 AMG to find out just how capable it really is.

Autocar, the world's leading motoring magazine and website, delivers industry-leading news, the most in-depth car reviews and opinion from our team of experts. Our presenters include some of the world's top motoring journalists who have unrivalled access to the world's fastest, rarest, most exotic and most exciting cars on some of the world's best roads and race tracks.

Can a supercar beat a superbike? Can a Audi A1 outrun a Nissan GT-R on a wet circuit? Can a Porsche 911 slay a Corvette on the drag strip? Autocar pitches the giants of the performance car world against each other to deliver the all-important verdict.
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL683B44EF38362015

Read Autocar's Formula Ford EcoBoost review:
http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review/ford/first-drives/formula-ford-ecoboost-first-drive-review

Read Autocar's Mercedes A45 AMG review:
http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review/mercedes-benz/a45-amg

Read Autocar's Audi R8 review:
http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review/audi/r8

Read Autocar's BMW M6 Gran Coupe review:
http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review/bmw/6-series-gran-coupe/first-drives/bmw-m6-gran-coup%C3%A9-first-drive-review

Visit http://www.autocar.co.uk for the latest news, reviews and analysis

New videos are uploaded to Autocar's YouTube channel each week. Don't miss a single one. Subscribe to the channel now: http://youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=autocar

http://www.youtube.com/autocar

LIKE Autocar on Facebook: http://www.autocar.co.uk/facebook

FOLLOW Autocar on Twitter: https://twitter.com/autocar

+1 Autocar on Google+: https://plus.google.com/+autocar