Unlike other types of vehicles created for the sake of function and affordability, sports cars are geared towards one thing: performance. Designed and constructed specifically for speed, they symbolize the pinnacle of driving pleasure, connecting man and machine, while proving adept at holding their value over time.
Yes, both aesthetically pleasing and typically of better quality than your everyday crossover, sedan or commuter car, time and again, today’s sports cars have the potential to become tomorrow’s classics.
Here, our picks for 2019’s best.
Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye
Using its high-performance engine street credibility to elevate the entire Challenger lineup, Dodge has gone back to its muscle car roots by taking its biggest, most powerful engine — the supercharged HEMI Demon V8 — and leveraging its enormous power output to boost the performance of the Hellcat. The result? The SRT Hellcat Redeye, which boasts a rating of 717 horsepower and 656 pound-feet of torque. It’s also the quickest production muscle car on the market, reaching nearly 100 km/h in 3.4 seconds.
BMW i8 Roadster
The i8 Roadster was conceived to propel BMW even further into the fast lane of emissions-free and high-performance driving. All-electric mobility extending well beyond city limits rules the day here. Wielding a hybrid synchronous electric motor and three-cylinder petrol engine, the i8 Roadster can travel up to 120 km/h on electric power alone, while posting a range of 55 kilometres. And thanks to the next-gen BMW i Wallbox, its high-voltage battery requires only a couple hours to charge.
Ferrari 488 Pista Spider
Amplified by an impressive technological transfer from the race track, the 488 Pista Spider represents the most powerful series production spider in Ferrari history. On one hand, its engine is the strongest V8 ever mounted on a road-going Ferrari. On the other, the 488 Pista Spider’s performance figures rank as the best of any spider to come off the Italian marque’s assembly line, including 0 to 100 km/h acceleration in just 2.85 seconds.
Jaguar F-TYPE
Generating a power output second to none within its model lineup, the F-TYPE’s Ingenium engine is the most athletic four-cylinder unit offered in a production Jaguar to date. Equipped with filters to reduce additional emissions, the remarkable performance from an engine this size contributes to the most accessible F-TYPE experience yet. Same goes for the available selection of manual transmissions, intelligent all-wheel drive and driver-focused technology, such as a world-class infotainment system.
Mazda MX-5
From a newly refined powertrain to an improved torque curve, Mazda has enriched the MX-5’s SKYACTIV-G 2.0-litre engine with the goals of superior response, performance, feel, and efficiency. Customer-driven upgrades further encompass a new rearview camera and expanded i-ACTIVSENSE safety equipment. The outcome is a MX-5 which isn’t just quicker, more responsive and more engaging to drive, but adheres to marque’s unique Jinba Ittai engineering philosophy: horse and rider as one.
