Second Opinions
Let's Get Real
In this midst of this hormonal swirl of exotic high-performance cars, I'll take a swipe at being the voice of temperance and logic (though it runs counter to my nature). Of course, I get a sweaty-palmed charge out of the Viper, the Ferrari, and all the rest of the high-dollar cars here, but all they ultimately prove is that, for a whole lot of money, there are any number of manufacturers that can make you a tremendous car. With enough cash heaved (intelligently) at an engineering challenge, Acura/Dodge/Ferrari/Mercedes-Benz/Porsche can achieve great things. I'm glad there are cars like these in the world, and enough rock stars, executive vice presidents and entrepreneurs to feed their continuing development with bales of ready cash. I'd love to one day be able to comfortably afford one. Immortality would be nice, too. But both eventualities seem like long shots at the moment. That's why, realistically speaking, the Chevrolet Corvette is the decisive winner for me here. It delivers 89 percent of the Ferrari's top speed and 91 percent of the Viper's acceleration. And at about $40,000, it's a comparative steal.
-Jeff Karr
WorkLoad Intensive
I heard an F-117 pilot asked if the Nighthawk was a fun airplane to fly. The pilot responded, "The 117 is workload intensive in the target area." That's a nice way of saying "Fun wasn't included on the list of reasons we flew over downtown Baghdad." I'm adopting the pilot's response for the next time I'm asked if it's fun-or exhilarating, or scary-to go almost 200 mph in a dead-stock road car on a track bounded by a single row of Cuisinart-brand guardrail. When I'm going faster than the rotation speed of a fully loaded 747, I'm focusing on the job at hand. I don't have time for either enjoyment or fear. And I'd best be concentrating totally: Guiding the Ferrari at 194 mph through the exit of Turn Four, where the banking flattens, is like passing between two 18-wheelers running side by side a car-width apart. At the top-speed track, the time for fun begins when I'm sitting on pit wall with all the numbers in the book, the images stuck to film, and those most dangerous devices-video cameras-safely stowed.
-Mac DeMere
Image Isn't Everything
One thing you quickly learn during a week of driving high-performance exotics is that appearances can be deceiving. When the dust had settled and the numbers were crunched, the BMW M-Coupe came off as a lightweight in this power crowd, being relegated to last in all acceleration tests and beating only the Mercedes E55 sedan in handling. But let's get real. With a 5.4-second 0-60-mph time and a 67.4-mph slalom pass, the ultraresponsive, hugely grin-inducing M-Coupe is more than enough sports car for 99 percent of drivers, plus-at $41,800-it's realistically priced. At the other extreme, the Dodge Viper, with 8 hunkin' liters of V-10 muscle, is the undisputed king of the dragstrip. Beneath its swoopy styling and rumbling exhaust, though, the $70,000 Viper is the Hulk Hogan of the group: strong, brutish, and showy. It's cramped, ill-mannered, and audibly abusive. Maybe 30 years ago, that was the way sports cars were "supposed to be," not any more. Forget the fantasy, make mine a BMW.
-Rik Paul
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