From the Road to the Track
Maybe you’ve been racing cars your whole life. Maybe you’re new to the sport. Either way, here are a few of the best contemporary cars that can easily double as your track day ride.
These lightweight sports cars run the gamut from two-door roadsters to iconic muscle machines to racehappy sedans. But the one thing they all share in common is their ability to drive deeper into the turns that just about anything else on the road, to hit an apex with aplomb, and to scream down a straightaway, reminding you why racing cars is one of the most fun hobbies on Earth.
Mazda MX-5
The MX-5 (aka the Miata) is a ubiquitous presence at any racetrack around the world.
Its lightweight body is propelled by a peppy and hi-revving 2.5-liter powerplant that makes it perhaps the easiest driving racer out there, meaning its a favorite of amateurs and recreational racers in every corner of the racing world.
Fiat 124 Spider
Italians have been making the world’s finest race cars for over a century now and the Fiat 124 Spider is no different.
These thrilling little roadsters share more in common with the classic-era road racers than arguably any other car available today.
From their styling to their subtle-yet-thrilling turbocharged four-cylinder 1.4-liter engines that produce as much as 164-horsepower (which is a ton for a car as light as this), the 124 Spider is a head-turner whether its on the track or in the pits.
BMW M3
The M3 is one of the few sedans you’ll ever spot out there on track day, which is a testament to the power that BMW’s engineers have always been able to coax out of these rides while still making them endlessly driveable.
They also boast some of the most race-ready cabins out there, with seats that hug your body and keep you exactly where you need to be to make the fastest laps you possibly can.
Toyota Supra
After a too-long absence, Toyota has recently reintroduced the Supra, one of the most beloved sports cars ever built.
What today’s Supra has over its classic-era cousins is that it is a bit smaller, a bit lighter, and significantly more spry on its feet, making it somehow even racier than its predecessors.
Chevrolet Corvette
What more can be said about the Corvette? It’s perhaps the most legendary race car ever built for public consumption and the one that, for all intents and purposes, ignited the golden age of American race car manufacturing.
Though with an all-new design, today’s ‘Vette is closer in spirit to those Italian supercars than it is to pure American muscle.
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