Fun Thrilling New Sports Cars To Drive

What is a fun 0-60 time for a car? Is 5.3 seconds thrilling?

I’d say not really. I’ve done 100’s of launches in a number of cars and there are two factors that greatly influence “thrilling”.1. 0–60 time as you ask aboutIn 2017 technology, 5.3 would be considered a sports car performance. Super cars - Lamborghini Aventador, Porsche Turbo S, McLaren 675, 650, 720 - are expected to be 3.0 seconds or less. Hypercars - Porsche 918, McLaren P1, Ferrari La Ferrari - are 2.5 seconds or less.2. Acceleration ‘curve’ if you will of the engine/car comboThe way a car achieves the 0–60 time greatly influences the thrill. Some cars like the McLarens 650s with 500lbs of torque will have an initial ‘jolt’ that is very different than say a Porsche Turbo S which will deliver 553lbs. They both get to 60 in 2.9 seconds or less but it feels way different. The Porsche is like a bullet in that it is just instantly at full power. This throws you back into the seat no matter how hard you try to sit up. Your eyeballs feel like they are sinking back into your head and you can hit around 1.5Gs on the acceleration. The McLaren is more like a rocket ship. It starts out ‘tamer’ and then quickly makes up for lost time. So the acceleration curve is slow on the beginning and extreme on the end while the Turbo is just consistently one speed except you get to that speed in a sub second.Here are some videos of the two cars I own doing launches. For each there is an external view and an internal view. Note - not the same launches.Here’s the Porsche launch from inside. You can hear me groan on the first launch as this was an especially good one due to warm tires and very dry road surface.YouTubeHere’s the same car viewed from the outside. You can see the back end just ‘hunch’ down just prior to it taking off.Here’s the McLaren 650s. In this video the car hits 100Mph in less than 6 secondsAnd finally, here is the same car viewed from the outside. You can see the differences I am talking about if you look at the two cars from the exterior views.Both are thrilling but both are very different. I’d say the Porsche is more head altering in that you feel light headed after launch. The jolt can really clear your sinuses. With the McLaren, you feel like you may have a heart attack as the force just keeps increasing over time. Both are way fun and I highly recommend you try it if you ever get the chance. And note while Porsche makes quite a number of 911’s the Turbo S coupe is the only 911 that will give you this feeling.

What's the point of driving an expensive sports car when the maximum speed limit is 70 MPH?

The “speed limit” is just a suggestion. It’s a “fake sign.”Seriously: I drive a Porsche, which will quite happily go 175 mph (280 kph). There aren’t too many places off the track where you can go that fast, but that’s not really the point.My car is a BLAST to drive. It gets to 60 mph in under 5 seconds, but its the sound of that flat-six motor that’s the beautiful part of the experience. Nothing else sounds like it.I usually cover my car at night. I still get a little thrill of pleasure when I take the cover off in the morning and see what’s underneath. The 997 (Carrera) is one of the prettiest cars Porsche has ever made, in my opinion. It’s all sensuous curves and perfectly crafted sheet metal.When you sit in a car like mine, you feel the car sort of wrap around you. It has plenty of room—I’m over 6 feet tall, and I sit in the car with my legs nearly straight. Because Porsche is race-bred, all the controls are placed and designed to be reached quickly and efficiently. I don’t have the Recaro seats in mine (they’re really hard to get in and out of), but you feel very secure and well supported. This is necessary because…Going around a corner is an experience. You don’t have to be going all that fast; the car just kind of chuckles when you corner, as if to say, “That all you got, kid?” When you find the limits of adhesion (and they’re quite high), the car treats you very kindly, with the ability to adjust your cornering angles with the throttle. This one is quite neutral and very predictable. Older Porsches had a tendency to oversteer in a lot of hair-raising ways, and one could get into some trouble if one did a few things wrong.Or so I’m told.To anyone who loves cars, these cars—not just Porsches, but enthusiasts’ cars—are gorgeous. I think I already mentioned the car’s looks, but it bears repeating.There are those who are convinced that we who drive performance cars do so for ego gratification. While I’m sure there are those who do, the satisfaction in driving a powerful thoroughbred car well—shifting, cornering and braking proficiently—is the primary appeal. It’s not necessary to extract every last iota of performance out of the car. There are lots of ways to appreciate and enjoy fine machinery.