FD RX-7s are hugely popular in Japan as track-day cars, but in America we see a lot fewer
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FD Mazda RX-7
Price 5/10 ($8,000-$25,000)
Stock Performance 7/10
Mod Friendliness 7/10
Ease of ATL Driving 8/10
BFTB 5/10
Total 32/50
Still among the most attractively shaped Japanese sports cars of all time, the FD RX-7 has huge tuning potential and a wonderfully balanced chassis. This platform doesn't seem to be particularly popular as a track-day option in America, but in Japan and Australia they're still a top choice and extremely potent in the hands of super tuners like Panspeed and R-Magic. Perhaps it's the fact that the 1.3-liter 13B rotary engine runs hot and has apex seals that are sensitive to detonation that has scared a lot of Americans away. Truth be told, the FD RX-7 isn't a machine for the novice or the financially challenged, so as badly as we want to put it higher on the list, it only ranks eighth because of its engine's temperamental nature.
The MWorkz 350Z is one of the fastest Z33s in America, but keep in mind it has a fully bui
07
Nissan 350Z
Price 5/10 ($10,000-$35,000)
Stock Performance 7/10
Mod Friendliness 8/10
Ease of ATL Driving 8/10
BFTB 5/10
Total 33/50
When Nissan brought the beloved Z moniker back to life in 2003, it was to rave reviews and strong showroom sales. As a result, there are literally thousands of clean examples ripe for the picking on popular sites like autotrader.com and craigslist. With a rigid and responsive chassis, strong aftermarket support and a naturally well-balanced driving experience, 350Zs represent a solid platform to build your track-day weapon with. On the downside, the VQ35DE V-6 isn't particularly responsive to all motor tuning, so to squeeze some real power out of these big 3.5-liter lumps, you have to go with a pricey and complex turbo or supercharger kit.
Honda's S2000 has proved to be immensely popular as a track-day car, but with a highly opt
06
Honda S2000
Price 6/10 ($8,000-$25,000)
Stock Performance 7/10
Mod Friendliness 8/10
Ease of ATL Driving 7/10
BFTB 6/10
Total 34/50
While it's true that low-mileage AP2s still fetch well over $20K, you can find higher-mileage AP1s for less than $10K these days, and that represents a serious performance bargain in our books. For top-down fun at 9000 rpm, you simply can't beat Honda's screaming roadster. With the right suspension setup and aero, it's hard to beat in the corners. On the other hand, its highly optimized engine is tough to extract more power from without an expensive forced induction setup, and with no ability to carry a set of track-day wheels and tires in the trunk, it does force you to pack light, street drive on your track tires or invest in a truck and trailer. And don't forget to install a roll bar before you start to seriously track these.
S14s like Dave Briggs' are best known for drifting, but with the right engine and suspensi
05
S14 Nissan 240SX
Price 8/10 ($3,000-$10,000)
Stock Performance 3/10
Mod Friendliness 10/10
Ease of ATL Driving 7/10
BFTB 8/10
Total 36/50
Although the popularity of drifting has forced the price up and made it harder to find unmolested examples, if you dig deep enough and don't mind traveling to find the right car, you can still find a relatively fresh S14 in the $2-$6K range. If you're willing to do an auto-to-manual transmission conversion, you might even find a clean grocery-getting version for less. The aftermarket support and engine-swap possibilities with this chassis is virtually unlimited, and the relatively low cost of performance parts and SR20DET engine swaps make them a very attractive option from a BFTB point of view. They may be better known for their sliding ability, but S14s are also a great grip platform if you stuff enough tire under them and set them up properly.