Recreational and semi-professional car racing has long been an American obsession. Ever since someone decided to connect four wheels to a motor, we’ve yearned to find out who is fastest, whether in that most American race of the flat-track, straight quarter mile, or the more European style of road racing, where cornering is king and braking is equally as important as raw power and acceleration.
And now, with high-performance vehicles available straight from the manufacturer more easily than ever before and how-to instructionals no more than a click away, getting yourself out for a track day has never been easier.
But, after the unbridled desire to see just what their car is capable of and to beat the driver next to them, the first thing a person needs is a heck of a car.
BMW M-Series
The BMW M-Series was dreamed up on a racetrack and built with road-gripping, corner-grabbing, high-end acceleration in mind.
With bodies that skew a bit bigger than most of their contemporaries, M-Series cars offer a bit more heft in the turns, which can be a good thing when handled properly. They also blend straightforward power with precision steering and an ultra-responsive driving profile better than almost any other car in their category.
A BMW M-Series is a racecar that you can take on the road. Not the other way around.
Mazda MX-5 Miata
Head to any road course on Earth and you’re bound to see more than a few Mazda MX-5 Miata models.
Whether in the pits between heats or out on the track leaning into the curves with less body roll than just about any other racecar, the MX-5 Miata is favored by racers thanks to its ultra light weight and the ease with which they can be modified.
You don’t need a PhD in electrical engineering with a Miata to modify it to your liking as you might with some of its German counterparts, meaning that you can build the MX-5 racecar of your dreams right at home, with a little bit of elbow grease and minimal technical knowhow.
Honda S2000
Much like the MX-5 Miata, the Honda S2000 is a mainstay at racetracks nationwide.
The big difference is that the S2000 was dreamed up as a touring car, one in which comfort could be enjoyed with a bit of performance tossed in for good measure.
Of course, racers saw different, noticing a lightweight body paired to a powerplant that offered a whole lot of get-up-and-go and a stiff driving profile that was responsive in all the right places.
Few factory cars can be sent into turns deeper and faster than a Honda S2000.
Dodge Challenger
We can’t only talk about road racers here. Because few things matter more in American racing than raw, straight ahead power and few manufacturers produce raw, straight ahead power than the folks churning out MOPARs, a brand that has defined American muscle for over half-a-century now.
And there is no car more indebted to the classic era of American muscle than the Dodge Challenger.
Thanks to the absolutely legendary Hemi powerplant, nothing will toss you straight back into your seat quite like a Challenger that has just been gunned.
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