The GD Impreza STI remains a very popular choice among track-day junkies, thanks to its tr
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GD Subaru Impreza WRX STI
Price 5/10 ($15,000-$30,000)
Stock Performance 8/10
Mod Friendliness 9/10
Ease of ATL Driving 8/10
BFTB 7/10
Total 37/50
When Subaru finally blessed us with a USDM version of the WRC-inspired Impreza WRX STI, it became an instant hit with track-day warriors around the country. It's torquey 2.5-liter boxer engine and bulletproof 6-speed gearbox teamed with an intelligent center differential made for ego-boosting lap times and even tolerated some amateur-hour Scandinavian flicks. With a reflash-ready ECU and high-quality aftermarket support, the sky's the limit when building a track-day STI. The biggest downside we've encountered with the STI is the chassis' preference for understeer, making it hard on front tires and requiring either a slow-in-fast-out or Solberg-inspired, back-it-in-sideways driving style.
We've never been to a track day without seeing at least a few nicely prepped EVO VIIIs and
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CT9A Mitsubishi Evolution VIII/IX
Price 6/10 ($13,000-$25,000)
Stock Performance 8/10
Mod Friendliness 9/10
Ease of ATL Driving 10/10
BFTB 7/10
Total 41/50
The CT91 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution is, simply put, a hero car. Get behind the wheel and drive one of these things hard and you're immediately rewarded by quick lap times, thanks to its razor-sharp handling, rev-happy engine and rock-solid brakes. Where the STI understeers and feels a bit vague at the limit, the EVO willingly rotates and feels telekinetically dialed in to your every thought. It just goes where you want it to, and does so very quickly. Its 2-liter turbocharged engine doesn't have the down-low grunt of the STI, but it sings a wonderful song up high in the rev range, making it feel like a AWD version of an Integra Type-R.
DC2 Integras (as well as EG and EK Civics) remain among the most common machines to see at
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DC2 Acura Integra
Price 8/10 ($2,000-$15,000)
Stock Performance 5/10
Mod Friendliness 10/10
Ease of ATL Driving 9/10
BFTB 9/10
Total 42/50
The DC2 Acura Integra is one of the most popular track-day cars in America for a reason. It's incredibly mod-friendly, cheap to buy and build, and has ample power potential if you swap a built B-series or K-series engine into one. And before all you EG and EK Civic owners get your panties in a wad, since the DC2 is basically an EG/EK under the skin, we're lumping them in with the Integra here. With a lightweight chassis, double-wishbone suspension and a huge selection of go-fast goodies, it's easy to build a potent track-day Integra (or Civic) because the tuning path is so well established.
With more Miatas racing in America than any other model, it's impossible to deny this road
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NA/NB Mazda Miata
Price 9/10 ($1,200-$10,000)
Stock Performance 5/10
Mod Friendliness 9/10
Ease of ATL Driving 10/10
BFTB 10/10
Total 43/50
Zoom-Zoom Nation has spoken. No single model is raced more frequently or more competitively at road courses across America than the Mazda Miata. With more than 4,000 Spec Miatas out there - some of which can be bought fully prepped for as little as $7-$8K - you'd be hard-pressed to find a more affordable or fun way to go door-to-door racing. Add to that Mazda's incredible contingency support and racing ladder program and it's easy to see why the Spec Miata continues to be so popular. If autocross or time attack is more your style, NA and NB Miatas have proved their mettle in those forms of motorsports, too. The Miata also has huge aftermarket support and even some funky engine-swap possibilities like a Mustang 5-liter V-8 and the S2000's screaming F20C. It may not be the fastest machine down the straightaways, but you simply can't have more fun for so cheap in the twisties than from behind the wheel of this lightweight little roadster.