Can You ID These Great Cars for Autocrossing?

The Mini, as of late, has taken to filling any shoes and shook the stereotype of being a tiny, impractical car. Models like the Countryman and Clubman appealed to niche markets and helped Mini grow as a worthy rival to many of the compact JDMs on the market. When John Cooper Mini Works (JCW) modifies a Mini, it turns from a comfortable and well-built car to all of the above plus a race car heart.

The fifth-generation Camaro, which brought the Camaro back from hibernation, is really one of the greats. With engine options ranging from the 3.6-liter V6 to the almost double-sized 7-liter V8, this iteration of Camaro was dialed in for success. Balance, poise and power make the fifth-generation a winner-winner-chicken-dinner around the cones.

Although all of the answers are decent at road racing in general, the E36 M3 stands out as the absolute best on overall performance at an autocross. The car is set up to hug corners but be able to pull itself out of them as soon you clear the apex. There is much debate over which is better, the E30 or the E36. In autocross terms, the advanced technology makes the E36 slightly better in the performance department, but nothing can beat the classic styling of the E30.

When you want a gaping hole in the roof, but still want to be able to conquer the corners, the S2000 is for you. It might look slight in size, but don't be disillusioned, it's a mighty little car! Honda made the S2000 a full 10 years between 1999 and 2009, and the car remained a sports car at heart.

The Wankel Rotary engine used in the RX-7 is a complete driving experience compared to a car powered with a typical piston setup. This unique experience allowed the RX-7 to find its way into the hearts of many automotive journalists. It genuinely possessed the athleticism they desired from a two-seater sports car without the European sports car price.

The Lancer EVO was a brilliant blend of conservative sedan and sports-oriented street rocket. Sadly, this niche market was saturated and the Lancer EVO was discontinued in 2015.

Can you think back and remember the adorable commercials when the Neon was first introduced? That innocent "well-equipped" car became even more appealing to the automotive enthusiast market when given the SRT4 package.

It's almost impossible to pin down the perfect Corvette for autocross, mostly because they all have alluring attributes. The C5, however, has one of the best stock setups to go straight to autocross mode without copious amounts of modification.

These cars all share the same general styling, and their guts are precisely the same. Still, with a little badge engineering, they appeal to different people. Each badge marketed the same car, with slightly different goodies, in a different way.

The 2017 Fiesta ST had aggressive styling and even more dynamic handling. The four-cylinder turbo provides enough power to propel itself around corners and pull itself down a straightaway with ease.

Purists might complain that this is nothing but an upscale Civic, but the Integra really had a heart all of its own. When modded with a large rear wing and a carbon fiber hood, the Integra offered a vibe straight out of "Fast and the Furious."

Looks can undoubtedly be deceiving with the Audi R8. The massive engine provides ample power to get through an autocross circuit, but also the agility of a much smaller car. With the use of Quattro technology, the V10 engine places the power to all four wheels, which assists the sleek coupe around corners.

The Nissan 240SX sadly didn't receive as many accolades as some of the other Nissans produced, like the Maxima, and only had a production span of 10 years. Aside from being great around the cones, the easily modifiable chassis makes it an excellent choice for those looking to get into drifting.

If you were to take the 240SX from the last question and make it do weight training for 10 years, you'd end up with something strikingly similar to the Nissan GT-R. The first year GT-R was so great, in fact, "Top Gear" awarded it their prestigious title of the sports car of the year.

Taking the almost unbeatable handling of the 944 and plopping a heavy small block in the engine bay creates a stylish monster that is practically unbeatable on tight courses. It's not as rare as you might think, with many YouTube videos available should you want to give it a try yourself!

With slight modifications to the suspension, the Fox-body can be transformed into a very well-coordinated autocross car. Be warned, without finesse, you'll be crushing more cones than you will be passing, as the Fox-body is notorious for getting loose around corners.

Some people joke in autocross circuits, professing that "Miata stands for M.iata I.s A.lways T.he A.nswer." For autocross, it really isn't that far from the truth. With a go-kart-like suspension that offers the ability to turn on a dime, the tiny two-seater is exceptionally accurate at hitting apexes on the tightest or widest of curves.

. When the 318ti was introduced to the American market, the original plan was to lure in younger and perhaps less affluent buyers with a sporty hatch at a low price. Promoted as a compact 3-series, it got passed over by most of the BMW crowd as a sort of a cheap knock-off of their beloved 3-series.

In 1985, when Honda decided to offer up a Civic that was a little bit different from the pack in, the CRX was born. The car was designed to be a tiny car with a small engine and minuscule weight. Combining all of these little bits together created the closest thing to a street-legal go-kart as you could possibly get.

The last year of the Honda Prelude was undoubtedly the best year for the Prelude in general. After just over 20 years of production, perfection was dialed in, and the Prelude offered everything you could possibly want in a sporty coupe.

This rear-wheel-drive car handled flawlessly around corners but had a propensity to become squirrelly under conditions of too much steering input. For a very reasonable price, one could find a used 350Z that does 0-60 in around 5.4 seconds. Even though the 350Z weighs more than a Corvette, it handles and feels more like a Miata.

When Chevy introduced the Cobalt SS, fans of the Cavalier Z24 of days past rejoiced. The Cobalt SS was equipped with a 2.0-liter supercharged inline four-cylinder. The engine, along with other tuner upgrades allowed the otherwise tepid Cobalt to be bestowed the title of SS (Super Sport).

Not many people can buy a brand-new car for strictly autocross purposes. That's why the 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 is one of the best new cars out there.

The Pontiac G8 is really a depressing car if you read into it enough, and was one of the very last-ditch efforts made to pull Pontiac out of bankruptcy. This sports sedan could effortlessly provide the driver with 256 horsepower, all while being a practical everyday car. On an autocross circuit, it handles like a sports car, but with the space and functionality of a full-sized sedan.

Rally racing has never been the same since the Audi Quattro took it by storm in the early '80s. The inspiration for the Quattro and the revolutionary all-wheel-drive technology came from a noted Audi engineer observing military vehicles performing in snowy conditions.

What is now known as the Volkswagen Golf is a brilliant execution of automotive engineering and evolution from a manufacturer. The first Rabbit was a supremely compact car that was purposely designed to replace the popular Beetle in Volkswagen's lineup. Autocross aficionados applaud the early Rabbits, especially when they're treated with a turbo-diesel swap.

If you were to ask people of 1998 what they thought of Hyundai, you'd probably get a shrug. If you were to tell them that Hyundai will eventually make a 350 horsepower sports car, they probably would have laughed at you. As a matter of fact, when Hyundai introduced its high-powered sports coupe, people weren't sure how to receive it, but autocross fans know a winner when they drive one!

From its heritage starting off as a Rabbit, the GTI Golf of today offers a practical and fuel-efficient car that absolutely runs any autocross course. The short wheelbase gives the illusion of a cramped cabin, but once you're behind the wheel, all you can think about is the fun you're having.

BMW has a reputation of taking its engineering very seriously and has developed some excellent examples of style and function over the decades. When it wanted a solid coupe unlike anything else in its lineup, engineers cut, copied and pasted together the Z3 M Coupe.

This Mercedes is a natural on any race track, autocross circuit or fast lane. Much like the M Coupe, the AMG GT was designed for function and form, but with a little more attention to styling. This sleek coupe was introduced in 2015, at a time when sporty coupes were a dime a dozen.

Toyota hasn't always been all about hybrid technology and dependable SUVs! This time, Toyota dished up a rather exciting plate with the introduction of the MR2 Spyder. The Spyder had a rather lengthy run, considering it was an extremely niche market car.

Honda broke out of the boring box when it redesigned and introduced the tenth generation Type-R. In comparison to similar cars in the same market, the Type-R blows most of them out of the water in many performance areas for almost the same price.

With all the controversy around the BMW/Toyota mash-up with the Supra, one thing is for sure: the Supra is a spectacular car. The car itself is fundamentally the same as the new Z4, but with stylistic differences to make it more appealing to those who don't want to be seen around town sporting a Roundel on the hood.

Much like Hyundai shook its shackles of forget-ability with the Genesis, Kia went a step further with the Stinger. With some significant help from a new hire, Albert Biermann, a previous vice president of engineering at BMW, it sculpted the Stinger. The Stinger wasn't just road-tested a couple of times and called good, it was thrashed around the Nürburgring for 480 laps before being given the thumbs up.

If you were to cross the styling of the Toyota MR-2 Spyder and the performance of the Supra, you'd end up with something very similar to the Lotus Elise. Small details and weight savings made the Elise handle like a leaf in the wind, floating around corners. These quirky cars make excellent autocross-specific cars, not daily drivers.

When you want the comfort of a BMW, but don't want the size or stature of a full-sized sedan, look no further than the One-Series. These compact, corner-hugging cars had power, style and function without the big car price. The 1M, in particular, was a track favorite, with many race teams selecting them as their designated car.

What does $99,800 get you at the Porsche dealership? How do 414 horsepower and a top speed of 188 miles per hour sound? If you can get past the expensive price tag and complexities of the technology packages, you'll be the fastest car on almost any track.

Not many people are willing to drop over a million dollars on a used Porsche. Still, the ones who do will probably not take their car for an escapade around an autocross circuit. The 918 Spyder is an excellent example of a brilliant car that will sadly be left for show-and-tell as opposed to acing slalom courses like it was designed to do.

With an attitude of the Audi Quattro of the early '80s, the WRX has created its own off-road mold. Don't mistake this car for being a strictly mud-loving maverick of a vehicle. The Impreza is the car of choice for the world-renown Dirtfish Rally School in Washington state.

Although Fiat's description of the exterior of the Abarth as being sinister is a bit drastic, the guts of the car are actually quite sinister. The sub-compact speck of a car cradles 160 horsepower under the minuscule hood and can smoke tires effortlessly.