BMW Z8 - High Speed - All Cars - Flamboyant Ferrari

Part of the Z06's diet was concerned with unsprung and rotational weight. Top of the list, wheels and tires were lightened by almost 6 lb each (no more "runflat" tires). Even the windshield and rear glass were thinned down to reduce weight. One of the trickest bits of lightening is a cat-back titanium exhaust system (including the mufflers) that shave another 17.6 lb.

All told, this Z06 Corvette not only lives up to its Z06 heritage (the first was also a lightweight race-inspired Vette, back in '63), but also certifies Chevy's own billing as the "quickest, best-handling Corvette ever."

Ferrari 360 ModenaElegantly Flamboyant-And Way, Way FastIt's difficult not to be overwhelmed by Ferrari's $141,525 Modena. In spite of its alluring looks, great moves, high technology, and marque history steeped in legend and lore, its primary calling card is 400 hp (actually 395, but close enough) at the most blood-curdling 8500 rpm you'll ever hear from a street-legal car.

New from the ground up this year, the 360 Modena employs aluminum alloys just about everywhere you look. Its lightweight space frame is cast, stamped, extruded, and forged entirely of the stuff. Ditto the 3.6L DOHC 5-valves-per-cylinder (cinquevalvole) V-8, and six-speed transaxle. Upper and lower A-arms and uprights? Aluminum. Most of the curvaceous coachwork? Same. Even the center console, lower door panels, foot pedals and dashboard trim? You guessed it.

You'd expect the 360 Modena to perform well as an exotic sports car. And it does. But it's a surprisingly good gran turismo, too. It's got more than adequate leg/head/shoulder/foot room, especially for a midengine car. The front trunk is large and deep; more luggage fits behind the seats. The entire cabin is wrapped in leather, stitched as only Italians can. Electronically adjustable shock absorbers allow you to dial up Highway or Sport mode. Ride quality is superb, and the cockpit's even quiet-as long as you stay off the throttle. Overheating and other temperaments were non-existent, given the 110-plus heat. All our temp and oil gauges never wavered and the A/C blew so cold we had to turn it down.

Our staff was split on the F1 "paddle-shifter" transmission option. It shifts faster than the floorbox and delivers the most amazing, perfectly rev-matched downshifts you can imagine. But it's still a bit jerky on part-throttle upshifts, and some of us still relish snicking a genuine shifter through that classic, milled aluminum shiftgate.

Biggest gripe? That our names are not on the 360 Modena buyers waiting list.

Think of MT's patented standing-mile acceleration test as the ultimate drag race: a full-throttle, redline-shifting, neuronfiring adrenaline-rushing charge for 5280 ft-four times the length of a dragstrip! This is a tough test not only of a car's power, but also its traction, gearing, shifter alacrity, cooling system thermal reserve, and aerodynamics. Like at the drags, it's low E.T. that crowns the winner, but it's trap speed that shows where the big horsepower resides. Less than a second separates the four quickest cars, but the Shelby's 450 hp pulls it ahead of the Vette's 385 by a significant 4 mph.