Best Street and Track Cars

Open track days have become very popular. The idea of driving to the race track, paying a couple hundred dollars to get in a  full days worth of track time, and then driving the car back home that evening, is very appealing to car and racing enthusiasts. It is so much easier and more convenient (not to mention cheaper) than buying a full blown race car, truck & trailer to haul it to the track, and everything else that goes along with owning a race car. These days there are many great options for cars that you can drive to work, out to dinner, and then to the race track on the weekend. There are good options in all different price ranges, so lets take a look at some of them. 

Porsche GT3 / GT3RS / GT4

Porsche may be the king of track ready street cars. For the higher budget buyers, the Porsche GT4, GT3 (and RS model) are the ultimate. They make for amazing road cars that are extremely fun to drive, and are incredible on the track right out of the box from Porsche. You can option the cars with great creature comforts so you’re not really sacrificing anything on the street. Although the purist will recommend a manual transmission (as would we), it’s really all about personal preference, and the PDK gearbox not only makes for faster lap times than manual, but makes life easy if you ever find yourself in traffic. Some may complain that the ride is a little stiff for the average streets, while others enjoy the stiff ride and being able to feel the road. For the more hardcore track guy, the GT3RS is an even more track focused version of the GT3, white still a great street car, it is certainly more of a race car than a road car. The GT4 is Porsche’s track ready model of the mid engine Cayman.  The GT4 is the most affordable of the 3 Porsches, available for as low as $90,000 on the market today. The mid-engine platform provides incredible handling and balance. The GT4 is only available in a manual 6-Speed transmission. While it doesn’t have the horsepower of the GT3, it has better balance and can still lap the track with very similar times. These cars also make for great investments, as Porsche GT cars hold value extremely well.

Viper ACR

The Viper ACR is an absolute monster on the track. It is crazy to think that a car like this can be sold for street use, but here we are. The car has set production car track records all across the country. In some cases, beating the likes of million dollar hyper cars like the McLaren P1, Ferrari LaFerrari, and Porsche 918 Spyder. These cars are certainly more track focused than street. Prepare for rough riding suspension on the roads, and the car is only available in Manual transmission. And it’s certainly not under the radar on the streets, as the rear wing is about the size of a park bench. But for the hardcore track guy that wants to drive his race car to the track, it’ll be tough to find a car that can lap the track quicker than an ACR. They also could turn out to be a good investment, as Viper production has officially shut down, and this was by far the best Viper ever built. 

Shelby GT350 / GT350R

The new Shelby GT350 & GT350R is a legitimate track car for the street. Ford knocked it out of the park with this car, it is far and away the best Mustang ever built. The high revving flat plane crank V8 is an absolute monster, and one of the best sounding engines you’ll find in any car. The car needs no modifications at all to hit the track and put down some impressive lap times, as it is able to match or beat the lap times of cars that are in much higher price brackets. 

BMW M3 (E36 & E46)

On the lower end of the price scale, you have the BMW M3. While you can’t expect this car to put down lap times similar to an ACR or GT3, the cars are very capable on the track and an absolute blast. These aren’t quite race cars right from the factory as the previously discussed cars are, so some modifications are recommended to really get the most out this car on the track. With some good suspension, a nice set of sticky street tires, and maybe a couple of bolt ons, the car will be more than acceptable at the track. All while keeping the car street legal. Both the E36 and E46 generation make for great track cars and are reasonably affordable. We would definitely recommend manual transmission on these cars, as the automatic transmissions of this era were not very good. 

Mazda Miata

For the track guy who wants to keep his expenses low, the Mazda Miata is a great option. A solid car can be purchased for well under $10,000 depending on year and mileage, and modifications to get it track ready are not extremely expensive for a Miata. It may not be the fastest car on the road, or track, but they are known for being incredibly fun cars and they handle like a go-kart. Another bonus of the Miata is that you get the benefit of Japanese parts and maintenance cost, as well as the reliability of a Japanese 4-Cylinder engine. For someone who wants a cheap weekend/track toy without breaking the bank, the Miata is a great option. 

Corvette Z06 (C5 & C6)

Both the 405hp C5 Corvette and the 505 C6 Corvette are incredible value for performance. With the C5’s selling for $15 to $25k and the C6 selling for high 20s up to $40k.  Both cars are phenomenal on the track right out of the box, and can be further improved on the track with some simple modifications such as suspension, tires, and performance bolt-on’s.  These make for very fun street cars that can turn fast laps at the track as well. And the LS engines are known to be very reliable and able to take a beating. 

Ariel Atom

The Ariel Atom is by far the most hardcore track car on this list. With this car you’re definitely making some sacrifices when driving it on the street, but you can be sure you’re having more fun than anyone else on the road. These are bare bones cars, giving you just enough to be street legal and nothing more. Available in several variations including a supercharged Honda 4-Cylinder and a V8. The cars are unbelievable light and fast and handle like a slot car. If you’re willing to sacrifice the creature comforts, including a roof and windows, to have the most fun possible in a road car, this might be the choice for you.