To try and pick the Best Sports Cars of the year based on 0-60 mph times or how quickly they can turn a lap is like judging a meal simply based on calories. So, put down the stopwatch and the dyno results and let's talk about the best sports cars of 2023, and why.
The term ‘sports car’ dates back over a hundred years. And like so many things from a century or more ago, that definition is basically irrelevant in modern terms.
Post-war, sports cars were defined as two-seat, lightweight convertibles - mostly European. By the late 1970s, the lines had blurred between GTs and sports cars, meaning coupes and 4-seaters. Things haven’t changed too much since then, although some say there’s now a reason for enthusiasts to argue about the validity of front- and all-wheel drive sports cars.
For the purpose of this list, sports cars will be defined as two-door only, coupe or convertible with the most important factor being an emphasis on driving enjoyment.
That last part might be a sticking point with some people, as some enthusiasts can’t quite disassociate quantitative data from qualitative behavior.
Over the years, countless cars have been built that tick all the boxes to be defined as a sports car. But, just like the misconception that all pizza is good pizza, not all sports cars are good sports cars. In fact, a bad sports car is often worse to drive than a well-sorted family car.
The reason we sometimes love a 150-hp car more than a 550-hp car is connection. The way a car responds to inputs and then informs the driver of what’s happening. After all, isolation is the enemy of joy.
How This List Was Assembled
This is a list of the best sports cars, not race cars. So here are the qualifications:
- Does it fit the totally arbitrary definition of a sports car? A 2-door coupe or convertible designed and engineered with an emphasis towards on-road driving enjoyment.
- Does the car make us want to drive it? We’ve driven plenty of fast cars that once we got out of them, we happily put the keys back on the table.
- Is the car available for purchase from a new car dealer in the United States in 2023? We don’t need to dwell on the cars that don’t make it to the American market. If this list included sports cars from the beginning of time, it’d be printed on nice paper with a hard cover, perfect for your coffee table.
- Do we like the car? This is our list, after all. If you don’t like it, we invite you to please write your own.
Now, presented in no particular order…
The Best Sports Cars of 2023
Ford Mustang
Controversy right out of the gate. Yes, the Mustang is a sports car, even though it can also be called a pony car or a muscle car. By 2024, the Mustang will be the last muscle/pony car standing from Detroit’s Big 3.
But no matter the niche, it’s been a sports car from the beginning. Ford unveiled the Mustang at the World’s Fair in April of 1964. By February of 1965, Ken Miles had driven a factory backed model to its first pro sports car racing victory at Green Valley Raceway in Texas.
Landing in the summer of 2023, the new 2024 Mustang, internally known as the S650 isn’t a completely new car. The outgoing S550, 2015-2023, made for a great starting point, driving like a lighter car than the scales indicate. It’s eager to turn and rotates predictably, and while the rear-end puts down power easily, the car still dances across asphalt.
Base Mustangs use Ford’s EcoBoost 2.3-liter turbo 4-cylinder. It may not compel you to throw open the hood and lecture on heritage and firing-order the same way as the V8, but its fat torque-curve allows plenty of right-foot steering. The downside, EcoBoost Mustangs will only be offered with a 10-speed automatic.
Mustang GTs still offer the Coyote V8; manual or automatic. The S550 was a real driver’s car and Ford has stiffened the chassis, quickened the steering and re-tuned the suspension to make the car, in its own words, more athletic.
The 2024 Mustang Dark Horse will give enthusiasts a higher revving V8 with a forged crankshaft and rods, a lightened and strengthened valve-train. The magnetorheological dampers are more aggressive, and Ford has added several chassis braces to improve handling over the GT. The Dark Horse will be the track day choice, while the regular GT will likely be the sweet spot for most enthusiasts.
Nissan Z
The longest-running and best-selling sports car from Nissan (even with a six-year hiatus on the U.S. market) returns for 2023 reworked into more of a classic sports car, harkening back to the design language and feel of the original 240Z.
The newest Z, like the Mustang, isn’t an entirely new car. The industry realizes that sports cars -- at least gasoline-powered sports cars -- are all living on borrowed time.
Committing resources to an all-new car, that may not last more than a single generation, isn’t fiscally responsible – especially when that same money needs to be shoveled into the EV development bonfire. Still, the previous 370Z was a favorite of enthusiasts, although it was overshadowed by rivals that offered more for less.
The newest Z trades its naturally-aspirated 3.7-liter engine for a 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6. Small turbos allow for linear throttle response without the big wallop of power of sudden boost. Nissan has clearly left a lot on the table for future higher-performance versions.
Three flavors of Z are currently offered, all with the choice of 6-speed manual or 9-speed automatic transmission. The Performance trim is the choice for enthusiasts with more aggressive suspension and a limited slip differential.
The Z is a sports car, not a track car. It is perfectly enjoyable on your favorite roads, but it isn’t particularly well composed when driven near its limits. That’s for later versions that we’ll likely see in the next couple of years. But the Z is beautiful, drives well and does all the things a sports car should.
Chevrolet Corvette
The C8 fixes all the problems with prior generations. So why did we debate on its inclusion?
Well, the C7 is truly a world class car. Driving dynamics are comparable to just about anything out there. The interior is a huge step forward. It’s comfortable, either commuting or racing. Moving the engine behind the driver to make it mid-engine has improved the car so much in dynamics, styling, and overall experience, that we’re actually tempted to move the car into real super car territory.
Even a base-trim Corvette is staring down the Italians looking for a fight. The only thing un-exotic about a base C8 is a price -- literally 30% of either a Ferrari or Lamborghini.
The Z06, which offers truly super car performance and flat-plane crank V8 soundtrack is still half the price of the auto italiane. The upcoming Corvette E-Ray will add a hybrid drivetrain with all-wheel drive that will keep the all-American hero competitive with rivals in the regular sports car market. The E-Ray will still be $100,000, but think of the money you’ll save on gas.
Toyota GR86 and Subaru BRZ
Before you say it, we know your CUV is faster in the quarter-mile than these cars. We know there isn’t a single number on the spec sheet that will impress your bench racing friends. But while those guys are eating 99-cent chicken wings, washed down with 8-dollar beers, arguing over cars’ numbers, you can be out enjoying a real sports car.
The GR86 and BRZ, here forth referred to as GBR86Z for convenience, is one of those cars that feels special within the first mile of driving.
It isn’t a collection of parts, but one fluid package. It may not have a lot of power, or even a lot of cornering grip, but everything is well balanced. It almost feels mid-engined -- doesn’t swing its nose into a turn, but rotates around the center of the car.
The best part about cars with lower limits like the GBR86Z is that you don’t have to be on a track to enjoy it, it’s more fun on a back road. Sadly, this might be the last we see of real, affordable sports cars before everything goes electric.
Porsche 911
The Porsche 911 is a love it or hate it car. Experience has taught us that the people who hate them, have usually never driven one and generally hate their preconception of a 911 owner and not the car itself. But we’re here to say without doubt, that the 911 isn’t just the best sports car in the world -- it is one of the most important cars, full stop.
The 911 doesn’t so much represent the industry’s state-of-the-art, but more the current state-of-the-refinement. Like anything else, tastes and expectations of sports cars change as time passes. But if a person wanted to experience the ideal for a certain time period of any attribute of a sports car throughout history, driving a 911 from that time is the best way to do it.
As any sports car fan will tell you, the current 992 generation of 911 is like every other car on the road: enormous. Placed next to 1964 911, the current car dwarfs it in every dimension. Lining up models from 1964 to current will result in a depiction of automotive evolution that Darwin himself would envy.
Although the 992 lacks the sensitive unassisted steering of the older cars, it is the best of the industry’s current offering of electrically assisted power steering. It doesn’t transmit the same amount of data about the granularity of the asphalt below the front tires. Instead, it filters out most of the noise and just relays how much grip the front tires have and when they are about to let go.
The same can be said of the brake pedal, some of which in early cars made a canyon run feel more like leg-day at the gym. Porsche still offers a manual transmission, but its PDK dual-clutch transmission is the best in the industry.
Hold Up A Minute…
No, we get it. There are a few names that seem to be missing.
The first glaring omission has to be the Mazda Miata, right?
The miniscule roadster is the best throwback to the post-war sports car. It’s lightweight, convertible, involving, and relatively cheap.
You also have to be 5’ 10” or shorter to really enjoy it. In our opinion, the GR86 and BRZ provide all of the sensations of the Miata while allowing for taller drivers to enjoy them.
But what about the Supra?
While the name certainly has sports car heritage and the latest version is a decent car, that heritage is meaningless when it is slapped onto another manufacturer's car. (Not to mention insulting to long-time enthusiasts.)
Speaking of BMWs, what about the M4?
The M3 hit its peak with the e36 generation and has only seen sporadic flashes of special edition greatness since. The latest cars are enjoyable if you’re wringing their necks on a race track, but aren’t worth the terribly non-linear throttle response, poor ride quality and having to look at them on a daily basis.
How could you include the 911 and not the 718?
You can throw a dart at a board made of the different versions of 911 and not lose. You have to be very particular about which Boxster or Cayman you purchase. The base version with the 2.0-liter turbo feels laggy and unresponsive. While the 2.5-liter is better, the naturally aspirated 4.0-liter cars are really what you want. At that point, you're basically talking 911 money.