1. Ford Mustang
   Audi A8
2. Porsche 911
   Chevy Camaro

The Mustang is one of the most iconic of American sports cars. After a decline in sales in the early '80s, Ford introduced the 5-liter engine and the Pony Car roared back to life.

1. DeLorean DMC-12
   Chevy Corvette
2. Chevy Camaro
   Ferrari Modena

The Camaro hit the market in 1966 as a competition for the Mustang. The two cars have dominated the domestic mid-price sports car market ever since.

1. Mercedes SL 500
   Chevy Corvette
2. Dodge Charger
   Pontiac Trans Am

The Trans Am was a version of the Pontiac Firebird. It was made famous as the car Burt Reynolds drove in the "Smokey and the Bandit" movies.

1. Pontiac Firebird
   Alfa Romeo Spider
2. Volkswagen Jetta
   Audi A8

The Firebird was conceived as a competitor to the Mustang, aimed at the Pony Car market. It was known for the striking Firebird hood decal that looked like Quetzalcoatl.

1. Cadillac CTS-V
   Alfa Romeo Spider
2. Jaguar XJ-S
   Volkswagen Golf

The Spider was a classically European sports car. It was tiny, tough and ferociously fast through corners. It was made from 1966-1994 and is still a favorite among collectors.

1. Chevy Camaro
   Dodge Stealth
2. Porsche 911
   Cadillac CTS-V

The Porsche 911 was the first Porsche most Americans saw. It hit big in the market in the '80s, and soon the low-slung speed demons were everywhere.

1. Dodge Viper
   Lamborghini Diablo
2. Aston-Martin DB5
   Volkswagen Jetta

The Jetta was one of Volkswagen's first attempts to shed the mold of the "Beetle" company. It's compact, powerful and incredibly reliable.

1. Citroen 2CV
   Ferrari Testarossa
2. Ford Thunderbird
   BMW M1

France's Citroen 2CV may not look like a sports car, but it's been a favorite among rally drivers. This Beetle lookalike has a two-cylinder engine, which doesn't give it a very high top speed, but it's light and nimble around corners.

1. Dodge Viper
   Ferrari Testarossa
2. BMW M1
   Jaguar XJ-6

The Testarossa's unmistakable silhouette, with the side "strakes" looking a bit like a cheese grater, served a purpose. The dual radiators were in back with the engine, so the strakes were needed to keep airflow to them.

1. Ferrari Testarossa
   Austin-Healey 3000
2. Lamborghini Diablo
   Maserati Quattroporte

It's rare that a car name is so literally translated to its design, but the Quattroporte is a four-door luxury sports "saloon." This means it's got luxury-level comfort but will still leave just about anyone in the dust.

1. Audi Quattro
   Honda Civic
2. Subaru Impreza
   Mazda Miata

The Honda Civic is something of a stealth sports car. It started out as an economical sporty car, but improvements over the years have turned it into a favorite speedster among younger buyers.

1. Lamborghini Diablo
   Dodge Charger
2. Mazda MX-5
   Chevy Corvette

The Corvette Stingray, with its distinctive bulges over the front wheels, is one of the classic American sports cars. A redesign in the '80s to a more traditional wedge shape was initially rejected, but the 'Vette is still one of the most popular high-end sports cars.

1. Dodge Stealth
   Lamborghini Diablo
2. Dodge Challenger
   Ford Mustang

The Challenger is a mid-priced sports car that is targeted at young men. The passenger compartment is a bit small, though, so they need to be shorter young men.

1. Acura NSX
   Chevy Corvette
2. Jaguar XJ-5
   Alfa Romeo Spider

Acura is Honda's luxury/performance nameplate in the U.S. market. This car is a bit of both.

1. Subaru WRX
   Aston-Martin Vanquish
2. BMW M3
   Porsche Carrera

BMW has been THE status nameplate in the U.S. market for years. This "beemer" has enough muscle to outrun just about anything else on the road.

1. Cadillac CTS-V
   Subaru WRX
2. Ford Thunderbird
   Ferrari Modena

Subaru is known for selling practical, sturdy and safe vehicles. The WRX is a mold-breaker, built for European rally racing. It corners tightly, and the acceleration will snap your head into the headrest.

1. Nissan GT-R
   Audi Quattro
2. Volkswagen Golf
   Jaguar E-type

Bring your BIG checkbook if you want to buy this car, which starts at more than $100K. However, for your expenditure you'll get a state-of-the-art power plant that can generate up to 600 HP.

1. Lotus Esprit
   Dodge Viper
2. Lamborghini Diablo
   Audi Quattro

This car melds sports performance with all-wheel drive. In a truck, that gets you deep into the woods. In a car, that gets you serious corner hugging.

1. Mercedes-Benz 560 SEL
   Dodge Challenger
2. Lamborghini Countach
   Subaru Impreza

This car was one of the most recognizable high-end sports coupes of the '70s. In a famous Car and Driver article, humorist P.J. O'Rourke and Rolling Stone editor Jann Wenner drove the car from coast to coast, having misadventures along the way.

1. Audi R8
   Lotus Esprit
2. Kia Stinger
   Mazda Miata

If you think of Audis as sleek European touring sedans, this will come as a shock. This car looks like it just rolled off a Le Mans track, and the $160,000+ price tag means it just might have.

1. Austin-Healey 3000
   Volkswagen Golf
2. Subaru Impreza
   Chevy Corvette

Contrary to its name, this car is not built to haul golf clubs down fairways. It's actually a sport mid-priced sedan that's now become a favorite among amateur rally drivers.

1. Aston Martin Vanquish
   Ferrari Testarossa
2. BMW M5
   Dodge Challenger

This car is classed as a luxury/executive sedan, but that doesn't cover what's under the hood. The 3.8L engine comes with a 5-speed manual transmission, making clutch nuts ecstatic.

1. Chevy Corvette
   Citroen 2CV
2. Mercedes-Benz SL Roadster
   Lamborghini Countach

This sporty two-seater is a bargain by German luxury car standards, coming in just below $90K. For that, you'll get more than 400 horsepower and plenty of second looks.

1. Dodge Challenger
   Aston Martin Vanquish
2. Dodge Stealth
   Ford Mustang

Aston Martin will forever be known as the chosen car of James Bond in the early days. This $300,000 muscle car is a far cry from Bond's wheels, but it doesn't have machine guns or an ejector seat.

1. Acura NSX
   DeLorean DMC 12
2. BMW M1
   Cadillac CTS-V

Cadillac is known for luxury, and this car has that, but it's also got plenty of muscle. More than two tons of Detroit steel contains an engine that produces a neck-snapping 640 hp.

1. Lotus Esprit
   Dodge Charger
2. Jaguar XJ 6
   Ferrari 250 GTO

Dodge is known for making modern muscle cars, and this is one of the best. It's affordable, coming in at under $30,000, but has plenty of speed to rack up interstate tickets.

1. Porsche Carrera
   Mercedes-Bend 560
2. Dodge Stealth
   Ferrari Testarossa

Partnerships between American and Japanese carmakers have yielded mixed results, but the Stealth was definitely a win. It was only sold for five years in the '90s, but collectors still covet them.

1. Jaguar XJS
   Volkswagen Jetta
2. Ford Mustang
   Lotus Esprit

Jaguar (pronounced JAG-yew-er by Brits) has gone through its ups and downs over the decades. This luxury tourer hid a V-12 engine under the hood that could send it hurtling down straightaways at ridiculous speeds.

1. Ford Thunderbird
   Lotus Esprit
2. Mazda MX-6
   Audi R8

You might recognize this as the car that converted into a submarine in the Bond flick, "The Spy Who Loved Me." It also rode across "For Your Eyes Only," giving Aston Martin some British competition.

1. Jaguar E-Type
   Lamborghini Countach
2. Honda Civic
   Dodge Viper

The Viper is Dodge's bid to compete with the high-end Italian sports cars. It's hand-crafted, perfectly rounded and comes in at less than $90K, a bargain!

1. Ford Thunderbird
   Ferrari Modena
2. Kia Stinger
   Subaru Impreza

Classic American car joke: Did you hear about the crash between the Mustang and the Thunderbird? When the police arrived, all they found was a horseshoe and a pile of feathers.

1. Mazda Miata
   Chevy Corvette
2. Volkswagen Karmann Ghia
   Lotus Esprit

This two-door speedster was Volkswagen's big step away from the Beetle. It sold thousands in Europe, where its small body and nimble handling made it a star of the rally circuit.

1. Ford Thunderbird
   Volkswagen Golf
2. Ferrari Modena
   Cadillac CTS-V

The Modena was named after the Italian birthplace of Enzo Ferrari. It wasn't as groundbreaking as previous Ferrari designs, and the 360 line to which it belonged petered out in 2005.

1. DeLorean DMC-12
   Porsche Carrera GT
2. Ford Mustang
   Subaru Impreza

The Carrera GT is the car that Paul Walker of "Fast and Furious" fame was in when he was involved in a fatal crash. With a rear spoiler and an engine that produces north of 600 hp, it's eye candy for those with the money to get one.

1. Austin-Healey 3000
   Mazda Miata
2. Lamborghini Diablo
   BMW M5

The 11-year production run of this car no doubt led to record revenues for speed patrol officers everywhere. It used the familiar wedge shape, with a V-12 engine that was ridiculously powerful.

1. Ford Thunderbird
   Ford Mustang
2. Pontiac Trans Am
   DeLorean DMC-12

While the actual story of the DeLorean is one of failure, it's permanently enshrined in movie history thanks to "Back to the Future." Sadly, the flux capacitor was never included as optional equipment.

1. Pontiac Firebird
   Chevy Corvette
2. Volkswagen Golf
   Austin-Healey 3000

This most successful of all the Austin-Healey coupes is still prized by car collectors and rally enthusiasts. Its distinctive oval grill appears to "kiss" its rivals goodbye on the road.

1. Porsche Carrera
   BMW M1
2. Ford GT 40
   Lamborghini Countach

You could be forgiven for not realizing this was a BMW. The unsuccessful partnership with Lamborghini resulted in the wedge body, and it only ran for three production years.

1. Chevy Camaro
   Lotus Esprit
2. Ford Mustang
   Ferrari 250 GTO

This classic Ferrari comes from long before the days of the wedge bodies. Its rounded contours appealed to connoisseurs, and considering that only 39 were ever made, those are about the only guys who have one.

1. Jaguar E-Type
   Subaru Impreza
2. Honda Civic
   Mazda MX-6

The E -Type began production in 1961 with an atypically small 3.8 liter engine. The Series 1 showed the overlong hood that became a hallmark of Jaguar body style for three decades.

1. Porsche 550
   Tesla Model S
2. Chevy Corvette
   Jeep Wrangler

The Porsche 550, also known as the Spyder, was produced in the mid-'50s. In 2012, one in mint condition sold for nearly $4 million at auction!

1. Kia Stinger
   Ford GT40
2. Lamborghini Diablo
   Volkswagen Jetta

Only 105 of these high-powered racing cars were produced in the '60s. It made a splash in Europe, where it won the 24 Hours of Le Mans for four straight years!

1. Ferrari Modena
   Pontiac Firebird
2. Dodge Charger
   Kia Stinger

If you (rightly) think of Kia as a maker of practical, sturdy but largely boring cars and SUVs, this might shake you up. The Stinger is still a five-door liftback, but it has an optional 3.3 liter twin-turbo V6 that generates a respectable 365 HP.

1. Subaru Impreza
   Ford Thunderbird
2. Dodge Stealth
   Austin-Healey 3000

The Impreza is a steel cousin of the redoubtable Outback, but with far more zip. While it's still a sedan, the handling and power make it an able competitor in amateur road rallies.

1. Pontiac Fiero
   Mazda Miata
2. BMW M5
   Ford Thunderbird

The original Miata was a favorite of young drivers with poor judgment in the '90s. It was very lightweight, which made it not terribly resistant to 3 a.m. collisions with fixed objects.

1. Pontiac Fiero
   Ford Mustang
2. Aston Martin Vanquish
   Tesla Model S

There may be no more sought-after or hyped car at present than the Tesla. The all-electric vehicle with the controversial autopilot feature can range almost 400 miles on a charge, and out-accelerates a lot of its gas-powered brethren.

1. Subaru Impreza
   Hyundai Sonata
2. Toyota Celica
   Ford Thunderbird

The '80s version of the Sonata was a classic boxy Asian rumblebox. The modern Sonata sings on the curves and hustles on the flats, while still coming in under $24K.

1. Mazda MX-6
   Porsche Boxster
2. Aston Martin DB5
   Ford Mustang

THIS is the Aston Martin that made Bond cool. First appearing in "Goldfinger," a restored DB5 was sadly destroyed in "Skyfall," but Bond took his vengeance on the destroyers.

1. Austin-Healey 3000
   Pontiac Fiero
2. Ford GT
   Porsche Carrera

The new Ford GT is an homage to the Le Mans winner, but looks very different. The futuristic carbon fiber body conceals a 6-cylinder EcoBoost engine that generates almost 650 HP.

1. Pontiac Fiero
   Aston Martin Vanquish
2. Porsche Boxster
   Chevy Camaro

The Fiero sold more than 370,000 units in its five-year production run from 1983-1988, almost all of them in the U.S. The plastic body panels made it lightweight, but also led to widespread condemnation among safety-oriented types.