Toyota GT86/Scion FR-S/Subaru BR-Z
Surprised to see three names? They are all the same car really, just sold under different brands. Toyota whet our appetite by showcasing the GT86 at the Delhi Auto Expo earlier this year, but there is no word if it will hit our roads. The two-door sports coupe is a Toyota and Subaru joint project, but manufactured by the latter. The front-engined rear-while drive compact sports car that comes with a Boxer engine has received rave reviews for its deft handling worldwide and is perfect for our tight city roads.
A true-blue pony car (long hood, short rear) and one of the most recognisable American car models, the Mustang stands for the great American east to west coast drive as shown in countless Hollywood movies. Born back in 1964 and easily identified by the replacement of the Ford blue oval with a racing horse, the Mustang was the ride of choice for the post-war ?baby boomers? generation. The Mustang, which is credited with inspiring design for generations of coupes, has also been immortalised by the blues song Mustang Sally.
Mazda RX-8
Another Japanese sports coupe, the RX-8 is one of the most acclaimed products from the house of Mazda. Sadly, production stands discontinued since 2012, though several prime examples can still be found in the US and Europe and are often traded at a premium. The RX-8 is one of the handful of road cars to feature a Wankel rotary engine, known for their high revs and fast acceleration. However, rotary engines need more maintenance.
Dodge Challenger
With GM and Ford deeply entrenched in the muscle car wars, could Chrysler be too far behind? The Challenger pony car first came in 1969, and then again in 1978, but production soon stopped in 1983 due to slow sales. The brand was resurrected 25 years later starting 2008 as the third generation Challenger and demand has been steady since. The Challenger is touted to be the most powerful amongst the other muscle cars with the Challenger SRT Hellcat version producing a mammoth 707 bhp.
Chevrolet Camaro
A Transformers fan? You may then call it ?Bumblebee?, but for us petrol heads the Camaro is what a American muscle car is all about. General Motors? answer to the Mustang in 1966, the Camaro in its current fifth generation managed to revive the brand after years of lacklustre sales and along side the Corvette stands on top of the golden bowtie?s portfolio. Designed in Australia and originally made in Canada, the Camaro is now back to being made at GM?s Michigan plant.