Modern sports cars are some of the most refined and enjoyable vehicles on the market. The current Porsche 911 and the Chevrolet Corvette C8 are exemplary examples.
However, some classic sports cars can still give their modern counterparts a run for their money.
This list details 15 of the best sports cars. Each is a sports car you should drive before you die so you can experience what makes it so good.
Honda S2000
The Honda S2000 is easily one of the best sports cars ever made, and it stood its ground against its main rival, the Mazda MX-5. Of course, the F202C inline-four engines with VTEC were a big highlight.
But so, too, was the six-speed manual transmission, which offered some of the crispest and smoothest transitions between gears on any sports car. The S2000’s transmission is regularly hailed as the greatest to ever sit within a sports car.
Lotus Elise Series 1
The Lotus Elise Series 1 is where the journey for the modern Lotus began, and it is a car that saved the British brand from extinction. Cars such as the Exige simply would not exist were it not for the first-ever Elise.
Under the hood is a 118 hp 1.8-liter Rover K-series engine. It might not sound like much, but in a car that weighs so little, it turns the Elise Series 1 into a true thoroughbred sports car.
Mazda RX-8
The Mazda RX-8 gets a bad rep thanks to the ignition coil issues that caused healthy engines to be unnecessarily replaced. The Japanese sports car also struggled to create a legacy as high in stature as its predecessor, the RX-7.
However, the 1.3-liter twin-rotor engine produces a brilliant driving experience, with 238 hp providing all the performance needed. The RX-8 was the last of Mazda’s rotary-powered sports cars, and production concluded in 2012. It might be some time before another rotary Mazda sports car hits the road.
Jaguar E-Type
Not only is the Jaguar E-Type a work of art, but it is also an innovative sports car. It was easily distinguished from the competition thanks to its unitary body construction and independent suspension for the front and rear.
The E-Type deviated from typical 1960s cars thanks to the front subframe carrying the engine, front suspension, and front bodywork bolted directly to the body tub. The E-Type is still so popular, that Jaguar produced a small number of continuation models a few years ago.
Porsche 924
The Porsche 924 was a collaboration between Volkswagen and Porsche. The VW version never arrived, but the 924 exploded onto the scene in 1975. The 924’s looks initially divided opinion, but over time, it became regarded as one of Porsche’s finest sports cars.
The 924’s inline-four and turbocharged inline-four engines created a brilliant sports car; the first Porsche offered a conventional, fully automatic transmission. Since its inception, the 924’s once divisive looks have also become appreciated by gearheads.
Porsche 944 Turbo
The 944 is an evolution of the 924, and its ultimate form is the 944 Turbo. Porsche would also develop the 944 Turbo S, and it seemed to fix all the misgivings that people had with the 924.
Under the hood of the 944 Turbo is a 2.5-liter turbocharged inline-four engine, good enough for 217 hp. Porsche introduced the 944 Turbo in 1986, and it was the first production vehicle to produce an identical power output with or without a catalytic converter.
Lotus Esprit
While it was never the most reliable sports car in the world, the Lotus Esprit is still a performance icon. Early versions were among the first to feature Giorgetto Giuigiar’s “folded paper” designs before Lotus updated the Esprit with smoother, sleeker lines.
The ultimate form of the Esprit is the V8, launched in 1996. Lotus would use a lot of expense and resources for this new V8 Esprit, and the addition of two Garrett turbochargers meant the engine produced 350 hp.
Triumph TR6
Triumph earned a reputation for being quite unreliable. However, the TR6 is one of its finest products, with iconic 1960s styling and a 2.5-liter straight-six engine under the hood.
The TR6 is also a light sports car, weighing just 2,491 lbs, so you can really throw it around in the corners. Remarkably, out of the 91,850 TR6s produced, 83,480 were exported, and almost all were exported to the United States. Triumph would sell just 8,370 TR6s in their home country of the UK.
Mitsubishi 3000GT
Sadly, the 3000GT is in the shadows compared to other Japanese sports cars. The likes of the Honda S2000, NSX, Mazda RX-7, and others have a higher stature and standing. But it is one of the most technologically advanced sports cars of the 1990s.
For example, the VR4 3000GT had all-wheel drive, four-wheel steering, active suspension, and active aerodynamics, which were not standard features in performance cars then. The sleek lines of the 3000GT are also part of its appeal.
Fiat 124 Spider
This isn’t the remake of the 124 that was meant to rival the Mazda MX-5. This is the original 124 Spider from the 1960s. A 90-hp engine sits under the hood and powers a car weighing just 2,083 lbs.
It weighs around 500 lbs less than the Jaguar E-Type/XK-E, and its top speed of 106 mph meant it was no slouch either. Fiat produced the Spider from 1966 to 1985, and classic examples can sell for over $32,000 on the used car market.
2000 BMW Z3 2.8
This 1990s classic comes from when BMW could make a great-looking car. The recipe was simple. A small, two-seater sports car with a 2.8-liter inline-six under the hood.
This engine produced 189 hp, allowing the Z3 2.8 to reach 0-60 mph in 6.7 seconds. The small size and lack of a large grille are a far cry from the current BMW design language. BMW produced the Z3 2.8 from 1995 to 2002, and from then, the E85 Z4 took over.
2005 Ford GT
The first-generation Ford GT is a real rarity, but it’s a sports car everyone should drive if they can. The 2005 GT originally started out as a concept car to celebrate Ford’s centennial year and showcase its heritage along with other revered classics such as the Mustang and Thunderbird.
Under the hood was a huge, supercharged 5.4-liter V8 engine that produced 550 hp, and Ford styled the sports car to look like the 1960s GT40. They nailed it, and a new Ford GT would eventually emerge in 2016.
Noble M600
The M600 comes from the small Noble Automotive company based in Leicestershire, United Kingdom. It didn’t take long for this small manufacturer to establish itself as one of the finest supercar manufacturers in the world.
It has a twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V8 under the hood, producing 650 hp and 604 lb-ft of torque. What makes the M600 so good to drive is its lightweight construction, plus its fully manual transmission. The V8 chosen was a development of the Yamaha-built Volvo V8 normally found in the XC90 and S80.
Lancia 037
The 037 is arguably the greatest Lancia ever produced. The two-wheel drive 037 took the fight to the four-wheel drive Audi Quattro in the 1983 World Rally Championship and came out on top. This was despite Lancia skipping some events that year, which should have given Audi a huge competitive advantage.
Lancia also produced a handful of 037 Stradale road-going cars. These all had a 205 hp Abarth DOHC 2.0-liter 16-valve inline-four under the hood, providing a lot of noise and speed.
Toyota 2000GT
Toyota’s 2000GT is the sports car that showed Japan could produce high-performance vehicles, not just good, but sometimes blad, daily drivers such as sedans and station wagons.
It was also Toyota’s answer to the Jaguar E-Type, and powering the gorgeous machine was an inline-six of 2.0 to 2.3 liters producing up to 148 hp. A convertible model appeared in the 1967 James Bond film You Only Live Twice, with two topless models produced for the movie. It is not unheard of for a Toyota 2000GT to fetch over $1 million at auction.