The Coolest Sports Cars Of 2023… So Far

The farewell to the current crop of ludicrously powered Dodge muscle cars arrived in March as theChallenger SRT Demon 170, and it brought with it supercar power (up to 1,025 ponies onE85 fuel) for a base MSRP of under $100k ($96,666).

0-60 mph (on a fully prepped surface) can be achieved in as little as 1.66 seconds, and if you keep your foot flat, the quarter-mile can be eclipsed in just 8.91 seconds with an exit speed above 150 mph. Cool? You betcha. Before it even reached its first buyer, it cemented itself in the annals of history as one of the most iconic cars ever to come out of America.

It has become something of a trend for BMW to launch the finest version of an M car several years after the original has been on sale. It feels like planned obsolescence or intentional inferiority, but it results in amazing special editions like theM3 CS.

Much like the M5 CS, adding those two letters to the trunk badge of the M3 turns the sports sedan into the corner-carving animal it always should have been, reducing lethargy and increasing drama. 543 hp, a re-tuned chassis, and less weight result in a car capable of doing 60 mph in 3.2 seconds, although we suspect BMW has once again been conservative with its performance estimates.

With special trimmings, unique headlights, forged wheels, a carbon-infused hood, and standard M Carbon buckets (not for the rear seats, however), this M3 has all the ingredients to stack up a mountain of cool points, turning it into an instant classic.

Sticking with a Bavarian theme for the moment, we arrive at theAlpina B5 GT, a luxury-focused reimagining of the BMW M5 with even more power. It produces 625 hp from its 4.4-liter twin-turbocharged V8, just two shy of what the inimitableM5 CSgenerates.

0-62 mph takes less than 3.4 seconds, and the super sedan tops out at 205 mph - proper supercar territory. Moreover, Alpina was offering the B5 GT in wagon form long before BMW finally announced its own modernM5 Touring. With an understated elegance, supercar performance, and a body ideally suited to the grand touring lifestyle, the B5 GT is one of the coolest cars on the planet.

Fear not - this is the only electric vehicle on this list, but it isn't here simply as a token gesture towards environmentalism. The Hyundai Ioniq 5 Ngenuinely earns its spot among cool cars燃烧because it shows that electric vehicles can and should be more than just sterile spaceships with otherworldly straight-line acceleration; they need additional redeeming qualities,which ought to be flaws. You know, things like a simulated gearbox, a computer-controlled clutch kick function, and an N Pedal feature that uses regenerative braking to make the car better to drive rather than more efficient.

Basically, we believe that to be exciting, EVs need to be entertaining, and that comes from engagement, not spec sheet superiority. TheIoniq 5 Nachieves that brief, and the fact that it produces up to 641 hp is just a bonus.

There are several super cool sports cars we haven't detailed above, so we'll mention them here. TheAriel Atom 4Ris one of those, revealed at the recent Goodwood Festival of Speed. 400 hp, a six-speed sequential, and a lightweight body with a mass of just 1,250 lbs? Other cars may be faster or more powerful, but this has a cool factor that is difficult to describe. Also worth mentioning is theAston Martin DB12. Aston calls this the world's first 'Super Tourer,' bridging the gap between luxurious grand tourers and supercars. Annoyingly, the term seems to be perfectly apt, and the car provides both comfort and sharpness with aplomb.

Another cool car we were happy to see this year is thePorsche 718 Spyder RS, blending the track focus of the Cayman GT4 RS with the open-top pleasure of a Boxster. One more car that blends duality of purpose is the Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray, which can be used all year round as a cruiser or a bruiser. Finally, a tip of the hat to the Caterham Project V, anelectric sports carwith 268 hp thatweighs less than a Toyota GR86. Very cool, indeed.