A sports car (sportscar or sport car) is a small, usually two seat, two door automobile designed for spirited performance and nimble handling. Sports cars may be spartan or luxurious but high maneuverability and minimum weight are requisite.

 

View the best luxury sports cars, covering sports cars generally priced between $35,000 and $65,000.
 

Porsche Cayman 

The (base) Porsche Cayman still presses all the right buttons for me. It's one of those cars whose sensory rewards outweigh its high price. At first blush, a $55,000 coupe with only 265 horsepower seems a little silly - you get more ponies in a base Chevrolet Camaro at half the price. But the Cayman feels quicker than many cars with more power both because of its low weight and its good midrange torque. As ever, the satisfaction in driving this Porsche isn't derived from massive acceleration. It's the feeling of precision that does it.

 

Chevrolet Corvette 

Like any antihero, there's a certain charm and charisma in the Corvette's antisocial good-guy persona. It's got great curves; it makes beautiful noises; it's terrifically fast if you're good enough to handle it properly; and, in pure performance-per-dollar math, it's nigh unbeatable.

 

Porsche Boxster

The Boxster is still a very connected, very visceral drive, no matter what all the improvements to ride quality and refinement might lead you to expect. We're left unsupervised on the track for a couple of hours and, frankly, it's gut-wrenching to hand back the keys.

 

Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class

Since the Mercedes-Benz SLK made its debut, its styling has been writing checks the rest of the car couldn't cash. The 2012 redesign has improved the SLK in many respects. Driving enthusiasts will still lean toward a BMW Z4 or Porsche Boxster, which outperform the SLK at the extremes, but the gap is closing. ... Styling and cabin quality alone should sell the car.

 

BMW Z4

In short, the 2012 Z4 is simply an extension of your own personality and capability. If you bring your [racecar driver] Lewis Hamilton, it's game on. But the Z4 will work equally well if you bring your [sun-worshiper] George Hamilton.

 

Audi TT 

The Audi TT rolls into 2012 basically unchanged. Two trims are available in either coupe or soft-top convertible body styles: the base TT and the more powerful TTS. Audi's Quattro all-wheel drive and an automated manual transmission are standard on both models. See the full 2012 Audi TT specs.