A Love Letter To The American Performance Car
If you ask Jack Baruth, the Chevrolet Corvette Stingray is probably the finest sports car on sale today. And with the addition of a new 8-speed automatic (a feature that will be more popular than many enthusiasts will care to admit), the C7 will add gains in performance and fuel economy. The 0-60 mph and 1/4 mile sprints shed a tenth of a second each: 60 mph comes up in 3.7 seconds, while the 1/4 mile is covered in 11.9 seconds. Highway fuel economy is up 1 mpg to 29 mpg. Yes, these are incremental improvements, but it’s also amazing that you can buy something with supercar performance and highway fuel economy within spitting distance of a mid-size V6 sedan.
Beyond the ‘Vette, the array of American performance cars on sale right now is staggering. If you like muscle cars, you can have your pick of a Mustang, Camaro or Challenger, where even the weakest variants offer 300+ horsepower V6 engines that are quick enough to run with the V8 Mustangs of ten years ago. At the upper end, you have big block pony cars that come with more power than most Italian exotics, available at prices well south of the six figure mark.
If you want something a bit more European, Ford will sell you not one, but two turbocharged hatchbacks that are widely regarded as the top of their class. There are a myriad of sedans in all kinds of flavors, from the pseudo-Euro Cadillac CTS and ATS to the unmistakably American Chrysler 300 and Dodge Charger and the under-appreciated Buick Regal GS. And let’s not forget the formidable Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT, which makes the AMG and M SUVs obsolete by virtue of its existence.
I was born an import guy, and have long worshiped at the altar of VTEC. JDM parts, drifting and Sport Compact Car were my holy sacraments. But the last year has been a sort of Damascene conversion for me. The most exciting cars have, in my opinion, been coming out of Detroit, and they’re no longer the one-trick ponies..err, pony cars that I remember from my youth, good for straight line performance, big torque and little else.
For someone of my means, it’s hard to think of something more compelling than the Fiesta ST, which can hit 60 mph in less than 7 seconds while returning as high as 40 mpg on the highway. If I were a wealthier man, than the C7 would be what I’d want – but I’d take the 7-speed manual. I’m not quite ready for two pedals yet.
Perhaps I lack the context and years on this planet to make this judgement call, but I can’t think of an era where the American performance car has been so well-rounded, dynamically capable and competitive against the global offerings of the performance car world. Let me know what you think.
More by Derek Kreindler
Latest Car Reviews
Read moreLatest Product Reviews
Read moreRecent Comments
- ToolGuy 9 miles a day for 20 years. You didn't drive it, why should I? 😉
- Brian Uchida Laguna Seca, corkscrew, (drying track off in rental car prior to Superbike test session), at speed - turn 9 big Willow Springs racing a motorcycle,- at greater speed (but riding shotgun) - The Carrousel at Sears Point in a 1981 PA9 Osella 2 litre FIA racer with Eddie Lawson at the wheel! (apologies for not being brief!)
- Mister It wasn't helped any by the horrible fuel economy for what it was... something like 22mpg city, iirc.
- Lorenzo I shop for all-season tires that have good wet and dry pavement grip and use them year-round. Nothing works on black ice, and I stopped driving in snow long ago - I'll wait until the streets and highways are plowed, when all-seasons are good enough. After all, I don't live in Canada or deep in the snow zone.
- FormerFF I’m in Atlanta. The summers go on in April and come off in October. I have a Cayman that stays on summer tires year round and gets driven on winter days when the temperature gets above 45 F and it’s dry, which is usually at least once a week.
Comments
Join the conversation
As the saying went, "You just can't catch a 5.0" But around here, they target the Windsor 5.0's specs, without ever driving one. In a Fox Mustang and 5-speed, that is. Back then, there wasn't much that could match its performance. Especially not in its price range. Yes a 2014 Accord Sport manual could give an '80s 5.0 Mustang GT a run for it's money, but you have to leave the Mustangs rear gears stock. (and not the notchback) All stock vs stock. Never mind the '80s Accord was rock'n 89 HP back then.
Great thoughts Derek. My impression of the 80/90s, and I am a little older than you, was that the domestic performance cars were worlds better than the old "muscle car days" but always a little cruder than the import stuff. the fox Mustang is a legend but it was a little outdated and simple and maybe some of the kids didn't like that. Lots of choices for import performance. Once the STI and Evo hit it was like 300hp rally rocket or 260hp Mustang GT still based on fox body live axle hmm...tough choice. Now we have little from the Japanese, mostly mainstream stuff. Where is the Prelude VTEC, Celica, Supra? Gone and nobody cares. But the Mustang and Camaro...oh I really want one of those 1LEs with the Recaros bad...