Meet Our 2024 Performance Car of the Year Contenders
The time has come once again. Over the course of four days this fall, R&T editors made their way to northern California for the big one: our 2024 Performance Car of the Year test.
Starting with two days of lapping on the 2.0-mile Thunderhill West course before tackling the twisting (and often bumpy) roads of Napa Valley, we put nine of the best cars on sale today through the full gamut. Unlike in years past, this fall’s roadside ramblings and cocktail conversations resulted in two winners: one over $100,000, and one under. We won’t tell you which two cars captured the 2024 PCOTY titles just yet, but we can promise that they belong to this list of fantastic machines. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a finer assortment of sports cars in one place.
2023 BMW M2
"The BMW has a lovely, pliable chassis that begs you to lean on it. The drive lacks that edginess you find in more expensive M models, substituting in a creamy limit that’s easy to dip in and out of without ever feeling like you’re losing control. At the same time, the M2’s unique engine tuning takes away some of the low-speed torque, so you actually have to work for your speed instead of having it just handed to you. The M2 is far too heavy to be a perfect track machine, but its mix of everyday practicality and excellent setup means it can deliver more smiles than its siblings." R&T, April 2023
Price:
$75,345
Engine:
3.0-liter twin-turbocharged inline-6
Output:
453 hp @ 6250 rpm
406 lb-ft @ 2650 rpm
Transmission:
6-speed manual
Curb Weight:
3745 lb
0-60 mph:
3.9 sec
2024 BAC Mono
"The little bodywork you will find all serves either an aerodynamic, safety, or regulatory purpose, all in pursuit of an impressive final weight of 1257 lb.
A naturally aspirated 8000-rpm 2.5-liter four-cylinder producing 311 hp sits behind the driver. While that number is not impressive on its own, that low curb weight means that the latest Mono has a weight-to-power ratio of 4 pounds/hp. By comparison, a 707-hp Dodge Charger Hellcat's weight-to-power ratio is 6.3 pounds per horsepower." - R&T, August 2023
Price:
$383,570
Engine:
2.5-liter inline-4
Output:
311 hp
231 lb-ft
Transmission:
6-speed sequential
Curb Weight:
1257 lb
0-60 mph:
2.7 se
2024 Acura Integra Type S
“It's that fluidity, plus the other, smaller benefits that should make the Integra worth the upcharge for many. There's nothing else on the market like it. This mix of excellent dynamics, a manual transmission, and everyday usability is unique and of enormous appeal. Anyone who buys either a Civic Type R or an Integra Type S is getting something amazing, but it's the Acura I want. Badly.” - R&T, November 2023
Price:
$52,595
Engine:
2.0-liter turbocharged inline-4
Output:
320 hp @ 6500 rpm
310 lb-ft @ 2600 rpm
Transmission:
6-speed manual
Curb Weight:
3212 lb
0-60 mph:
5.1 sec
2024 Ford Mustang Dark Horse
"Feel? You don’t need no stinking feel. By the time feel enters the driver’s mind, it’s time to stomp the Brembos and feel the DH bleed speed even more quickly than it builds it. And it’s that initial chomp when the wheel is turned that’s so satisfying. The driver may not feel much through the wheel, but the whole car’s instantaneous turn-in is awesome. That can be felt as the driver’s kidneys slosh over toward the bolsters of the fantastic Recaro chair. Push it hard enough and the DH will rotate elegantly with some throttle application." - R&T, August 2023
Price:
$71,585
Engine:
5.0-liter V-8
Output:
500 hp @ 7250 rpm
418 lb-ft @ 4900 rpm
Transmission:
6-speed manual
Curb Weight:
3975 lb
0-60 mph:
4.1 sec
2023 Porsche 911 Carrera T
"But up on the mountain, the Carrera T really begins to shine, where the numbers don’t matter nearly as much as engagement and feel. At the low end of 3,200 lbs and change, 379 HP with 331 lb/ft across a very wide 4,500 RPM power band is usable and effective, shoving the car out of third and fourth-gear corners with a pace that surprises and delights. Cars like the BMW M4 and Shelby GT350 make substantially more power, but lug around hundreds of extra pounds over the Carrera T. It reminds you multiple times per mile that power is important, but power to weight is more important. " R&T, December 2022
Price:
$128,290
Engine:
3.0-liter twin-turbocharged flat-6
Output:
379 hp @ 6500 rpm
331 lb-ft @ 1900 rpm
Transmission:
6-speed manual
Curb Weight:
3311 lb
0-60 mph:
4.0 sec
2024 Ferrari 296 GTB
"Riding on a shorter wheelbase than the V-8-powered F8 Tributo, the 296 is agile, carving sharp fine lines through corners. But it’s also slightly heavier (about three percent), uses electronically adjustable dampers, and has a network of sensors and computers that would reduce your average IT guy to a pool of anxiety. An automatically deploying rear spoiler motors out from a slot between the taillights and curves up the way a cat licks its own nose. A Caterham 7 this is not. Purity was left at the altar of performance long ago." - R&T, July 2022
Price:
$507,751
Engine + Motor:
3.0-liter twin-turbocharged V-6 + AC motor
Output:
819 hp @ 8000 rpm
654 hp (engine),
164 hp (motor)
546 lb-ft @ 6250
Transmission:
8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Curb Weight:
3532 lb
0-60 mph:
2.4 se
2023 Lamborghini Huracán Sterrato
"Five years later, what could've easily been dismissed as a silly idea, the sort that so many of us come up with in the company of friends and (possibly) lubricated by adult beverages, is a reality. The recipe is fairly simple—take a Húracan Evo, lift it by 1.7 inches, increase the front track width by 1.2 inches and the rear by 1.3, fit Bridgestone Dueller off-road tires on new 19-inch wheels, add aluminum skid plates plus new bodywork, bolt-on fender flares, a roof scoop, rally lights, and presto! Lamborghini Huracan off-roader." R&T, November 2022
Price:
$384.394
Engine:
5.2-liter V-10
Output:
602 hp @ 8000 rpm
413 lb-ft @ 6500 rpm
Transmission:
7-speed dual-clutch automatic
Curb Weight:
3241 (dry)
0-60 mph:
3.0 sec (est)
2024 Nissan Z Nismo
"Then I took it to the street and realized something that you need a road to learn: this car is fast. Like, really, really fast.
I love a race track to find out where a car’s limit is (and maybe go just beyond it once in a while) but tracks warp your sense of speed and make most cars seem slower than they really are. But out in the world, particularly on the windy, steep Oakville grade, the NISMO positively rips. The real-world power is immense, paired expertly with the gear ratios, steering ratio, and brakes. It’s like the BMW M2, but smaller and even more connected to the road." R&T, September 2023
Price:
$68,280
Engine:
3.0-liter twin-turbocharged V-6
Output:
420 hp @6400 rpm
384 lb-ft @ 2000 rpm
Transmission:
9-speed automatic
Curb Weight:
3704 lb
0-60 mph:
4.1 (est)
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