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Lotus Exige S

It's been called the best-handling car in the world—actually, it was the Elise that won that compliment. But the U.K.-built Exige—basically an Elise with a hardtop—is even faster in and out of the corners, thanks to an addition of about 100 pounds of downforce at 100 mph. The simple formula at work here is still the one solved by company founder Colin Chapman: Low weight plus balanced chassis plus razor-sharp steering equals extreme thrills. Which is the reason the Exige S is perennially compared to much bigger dogs, despite its relatively wimpy 220-horsepower Toyota-sourced four-cylinder engine. But how does it work in real life? Well, let's put it this way. A bare-bones plastic interior and the real possibility of knocking your knee into your chin while entering and exiting are a small price to pay for this kind of sports-car purity.
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Base price: $60,815
Configuration: Two-door, front-engine, rear-wheel-drive coupe
Engine: Supercharged and intercooled 1.8-liter DOHC 16-valve inline-4
Power and torque: 220 hp at 8000 rpm, 165 lb-ft at 5500 rpm
Curb weight: 2,077 lb