Best mid-level exotic

[jump15vc]

What do you guys think is the best mid-level super car?

This is based on Performance, Styling, Technological Advancement and of course the "Gotta Have It" factor.

All Cars are priced between $150-$200,000

My Nominees are:

2005 Ferrari F430


It looks great and has staggering performance figures. R&T tested it to near Enzo numbers 3.5 sec 0-60, 11.7 sec 1/4 mile, .91g on the skidpad, 70.9 mph through the slalom and Road and Track's Dream Car of 2005 beating the Veyron. I think Ferrari did a great job of making the F430 more aggresive than the 360 Modena while paying homage to previous Ferraris like its Enzo-inspired rear end and sharknose and rear fender scoops reminiscient of Phil Hill's World Championship GP car of the 50's and 60's. It has a gorgeous interior that is luxurious and focused at the same time. But, most impressive is the F1 technology it comes with like the steering wheel mounted Manettino switch, electronic differential and an improved paddle shift transmission. This car gets my vote.

2004 Ford GT


Based on the Le Mans winning GT40, the Ford GT looks awesome in its retro body and is really fast. It is a tribute to fords rededication to perfomance cars and is a great car. The only problem I have with it is that Ford sacrificed a lot of functionality for retro style. You can't get into the car in a parking lot because of the roof cutouts on the door and visibility is extremely poor. It is still a great car.

2005 Aston Martin DB9


Possibly one of the best looking cars ever made. It is more of a Gran Tourer though and 450 bhp out of a 6L V12 is not impressive, but it makes the list on looks alone.

2004 Lamborghini Gallardo


Probably Lambo's best car since the Miura. Audi has really turned the Bull around. Awesome V10 and great looking. Probably the most user-friendly Lamborghini ever, but that takes a little away from the wild, sexy and powerful cars they used to make. The Gallardo is still all of those things but I think Audi went too far and castrated the bull with this one. It just doesn't have the Lamborghini mystique.

2005 Porsche 911 GT3


While not the most powerful 911 it is a sports car in the purest sense of the word. It doesn't need forced induction or huge power to be a track star and it has such a classic 911 look, with the 997 version coming it can only look better. Fantastic car, it just falls short on performance to some of the other competitors.

And My Wild Card Pick

2005 Nismo Skyline GTR Z-Tune


While it is nothing like most of the cars in this test I felt that it should be added because it is the most powerful version of the Skyline GTR and fits the price range. You can't say that this is just a race car since Nissan has sold twenty units. But it is a bordeline tuner car and is probably not very comfortable. It is a true sports car and is blisteringly fast, it might even be the fastest car here. The Z-Tune has truly done justice to the GTR name.

If anyone has a car they think is better put it up.

[SilverG35SportC]

Hmmm several things..(1) there was a thread just like this recently (2) Next time make a poll (3) Although I am a big Skyline fan, the Z-tune is definitely not the fastest car here, by a large margin... and i'd probably choose either the F430 or Gt3

[jump15vc]

sry im new on the site havent figured polls out yet. once i do it will be there

[johnnynumfiv]

Super cars are overrated.

[PerfAdv]

Ferrari Eff four thirty...not because it's more capable than everything else here but has the highest "gotta have it" factor and sex appeal.

[:Exige:]

sex appeal.

ROFLMAO - Ferraris have NO sex appeal. It just makes women think you are a rich toff who cares more about his car than the person he is "dating". I don't exactly class the attraction of gold diggers under the same category as sex appeal.

[PerfAdv]

ROFLMAO - Ferraris have NO sex appeal. It just makes women think you are a rich toff who cares more about his car than the person he is "dating". I don't exactly class the attraction of gold diggers under the same category as sex appeal.

Well I'm glad you found that so humorous.

I don't judge the Ferrari to be a fantastic car because "toffs" drive them to impress broads. The car has a mid-mounted V8 that screams like an exotic's should and a power-to-weight that won't embarrass even against burlier foes.

Still, I understand your position as many will sing the praises of Ferrari regardless. In this comparo it's just the best choice. I could go into each car and why I wouldn't pick it over the F430 but that'll happen if this thread goes on...

[ashes2ashes]

I have to say the Ford GT. One has to remember that in the States, the door opening is not such a big problem in the States as I'm sure it must be in Europe..

[my porsche]

I have to say the Ford GT. One has to remember that in the States, the door opening is not such a big problem in the States as I'm sure it must be in Europe..

door opening?

[my porsche]

ferrari = overated POS, sure theyre fast, but theyre repetative, have the same interior, and havent had any really large technological break throughs

DB9 is the sexiest car on the road, but not the fastest

GT3 is great looking, great handling, but theres always the 997 GT3 coming soon

Skyline...why do they keep getting included? theyre basically a carolla on the inside but with 4wd and massive amounts of HP

Gallardo is fast, nice looking (but not from the back) and loud, but a little too boy racer for me

Ford GT is supremely awesome, but ive heard rumors of mechanical problems


in the end I'd go for the DB9 out of sheer interior and exterior styling

[taz_rocks_miami]

ROFLMAO - Ferraris have NO sex appeal. It just makes women think you are a rich toff who cares more about his car than the person he is "dating". I don't exactly class the attraction of gold diggers under the same category as sex appeal.

Explain how any of the other cars on this list won't say the same about the driver and not attract gold digging women.

ferrari = overated POS, sure theyre fast, but theyre repetative, have the same interior,

Huh Colin, all 911's look alike and have so for 40 years. Talk about repetative.

[my porsche]

Explain how any of the other cars on this list won't say the same about the driver and not attract gold digging women.



Huh Colin, all 911's look alike and have so for 40 years. Talk about repetative.

hahahah guess i had that one coming?

i like the 550/575, 355, and pretty much anything 308 and earlier, i just dont like 360/430/500/enzo/348 etc where the seats are all almost identical

[:Exige:]

Explain how any of the other cars on this list won't say the same about the driver and not attract gold digging women.

When did I say that any of the others wouldn't? I didn't.

[taz_rocks_miami]

When did I say that any of the others wouldn't? I didn't.

You only talked about Ferrari, not any of the others:

ROFLMAO - Ferraris have NO sex appeal. It just makes women think you are a rich toff who cares more about his car than the person he is "dating". I don't exactly class the attraction of gold diggers under the same category as sex appeal.

If that's your oppinion that's cool, I just wondered how the others didn't have the same effect?

[:Exige:]

You only talked about Ferrari, not any of the others:

Yes ... that is because the post i replied to only mentioned Ferrari. It wasn't a reply to the whole thread, it was a reply to that post ... thats why I did it as a reply. What is the internet coming to these days?