Motor Trend picks America’s best-handling car
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Ever wondered which car currently on sale in North America has the best chassis, the one with the killer combination of speed, agility and grace? So has enthusiast magazine Motor Trend. Solely in the interests of science — and they probably had no fun at all — MT’s test team rounded up what can most charitably be described as an eclectic assortment of 10 cars.
Sure, some of the predictable models were there: the Porsche 911 Turbo (sadly, they couldn’t get hold of a sharper model like a GT2 or GT3), the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution MR, the Nissan GT-R, the new BMW M3 and the Audi R8. And having a Mini Cooper S in the mix was a good idea.
But including a Chevy Cobalt SS and a Ford Mustang (though, yes, the former is quite good for a front-driver and the latter is the almighty Shelby GT500KR version) and not throwing in a Lotus Elise or Exige (which can outhandle almost anything) sounds like pressure from the ad department. And if the Mazda RX-8 could be a contender, then why not a Honda S2000 CR?
Politics notwithstanding, MT secured the services of pro sports car racer Randy Pobst, plus a barrage of measuring equipment, and hit the Laguna Seca race circuit for a showdown. It’s not giving anything away that the Audi R8 drove off with top honors, but some of the other placings make for interesting reading. For example, Pobst loved the Shelby car initially, even though its handling was described as ‘messy.’ But that goes to illustrate one little-appreciated point when it comes to driving: Sometimes the most capable cars are not necessarily the most fun.