There are as many different definitions of a performance car as there are performance car buyers. Some want power and the ability to smoke tires at the stoplight. Others are looking for a back-roads tourer that likes being chucked into corners. Whether they offer track day performance or hot rod hooliganism, these cars all deliver the same thing: the joy of driving them.
In a nutshell, the Miata is the best sports car that can be had for the money. Two seats, no top, front engine, rear drive: this is the recipe that sports cars have been based on for generations, and it works. Add to that perfect weight distribution, joyful handling, and bulletproof reliability, and it's easy to see why the Miata has been a winner since its debut way back in 1989.
In the immortal words of Jeremy Clarkson, "The MX-5 is perfect. Nothing on the road will give you better value. Nothing will give you so much fun. The only reason I’m giving it five stars is because I can’t give it fourteen."
The little bother of the 911 (or the hard top Boxster, depending on how you look at it) is the best driving machine in the Porsche lineup today. The base model comes with a 2.7-liter 275-horsepower flat six; the S and R models have a 3.4-liter engine and 325 horsepower on tap. Combined with a truly gifted chassis and perfect weight distribution, the Cayman is a driver's car, balancing grunt with grip and making even a run to the corner market feel like Le Mans.
Yes, Porsche purists will gnash their teeth and flail their arms and insist it's not a "real" Porsche, but the fact that it isn't a 911 means that it cost roughly $35,000 less when new, and that used values are kept in check. And yes, a 911 will beat a Cayman on the track, but only just; and with the thousands of dollars saved, the Cayman owner can afford stay out on the the track perfecting heel-and-toe work for years.
The newest version of the Pontiac GTO is not a pretty car. At best, it might be described as looking remarkably like any other plasticky mid-sized Pontiac on the road. However, all resemblances to normality end once the hood is lifted and the 400-horsepower 6-liter LS2 is revealed.
This is no ordinary Pontiac. The GTO is a rebadged Holden Monaro, an Australian V8 hoon-mobile capable of transforming even the dullest of law-abiding citizens into juvenile delinquents hellbent on an eternity traffic court. When wound up through the gears, the Goat's engine thunders like the Atlantic Fleet on D-Day. Merely poking a toe at the throttle shreds tires, pavement, and any hope of the ice caps refreezing.
There are better-handling cars than the new GTO. There are certainly better-looking cars. However, nothing compete with the joyful hooliganism this Aussie Pontiac inspires. It is, in a word, wonderful.
The engineers who created the third-generation M3 were obsessed with speed and durability. Even when parked, the coupe's athleticism shows through in the domed hood and bulging fenders. Firing it up will release a raspy bark from the 338-horsepower naturally-aspirated straight-six, and mashing the gas pedal to the floor will bring 60 mph in under five seconds.
But what make this car so truly special is the handling. Though a bit of a heavy at 3,450 pounds, it's nimble and precise, everything a BMW hopes to be. It's infinitely pitchable into corners, and balances on the throttle beautifully.
It's been said before and it must be said again: the new Dodge police cars are terrifying. With a 5.7-liter Hemi V8 under the hood, a Pursuit will top 160 mph. The fuzz have their own special performance upgrades, as well: front and rear stabilizer bars, heavy-duty antilock brakes, police-specific stability control, and 18-inch performance tires. Right out of the box, this heavy-duty Dodge is the speed machine nightmares are made of.
On the used market, a Charger Pursuit can be had for as little as $8,000, and that is an amazing amount of car for the money. Even with the extra wear a service vehicle might have, this Dodge is the performance car value of the century.
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