Supercars are speed machines engineered with advanced hardware and blistering performance that leave just about anything else with four wheels (or two) in a thick haze of tire smoke. These cars are so seductively styled and exude so much blacktop bravado, the mere sight of them makes hearts race and palms sweat. Yet many of these high-strung stallions are tame enough for everyday use, and luxuriously trimmed to make even the longest trips pleasurable. The number of models occupying the rarefied air in this $100,000 neighborhood has risen from only a few at the beginning of the decade to more than a dozen today. And many manufacturers have seen record sales while the rest of the industry struggles to achieve single-digit growth. At about 10,000 cars a year, this is one very small but very strong segment. So we picked three longtime favorites and one very promising newcomer. The goal? Determine which ones provide the best all-out speed and handling as well as daily comfort. Our quartet of speed maestros consists of the Dodge Viper SRT10 Coupe, Porsche 911 Turbo, Chevrolet Corvette Z06 and the new Audi R8. We ran them all through our usual battery of tests at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona, Calif. Then we spent a day hot-lapping each one on the 1.8-mile Streets of Willow road course. To find out which ones rose to the top of our score card, read on.
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