“Whether it’s your thing or not, you’ve got to admit that this is pretty fun,” I told the Mustang, feeling the intoxicating thrust from the 315 horsepower.

It’s hard to say exactly what first draws the eye to the 2003 Nissan 350Z.  It might be the grille-less nose, or those big wheels.  Maybe it’s the silhouette, which seems to slope away on all sides from a single point in the middle of the roof.  It’s certainly not the Nissan badge, because all during our test drive people were asking, “What kind of car is this?” in spite of the prominent nomenclature front and rear.

The new 350Z is an all-out, front-engine, rear-drive sports coupe, intended to take on …

It does take a moment to get beyond the giddy, star-struck feeling of “Holy crap! I’m driving a 911!” Take a few deep breaths and get that out of your system, though, because there’s a lot to see and experience here, and you don’t want to miss any of it.

Georgia car manufacturer Panoz Auto Development has been quietly building sports cars since 1990, but outside of the car world, they’re not exactly a household name.  Will that change with the introduction of the ever-evolving 2003 Esperante?  Well, probably not.  But that’s not a bad thing; the race-bred Esperante isn’t for everyone anyhow.  Driving it in traffic is, in fact, not unlike walking a Rottweiler through a cat show.

For drivers looking for eye-popping performance in a chassis that didn’t come from Europe and wrapped in a body that’s not a …

The Maserati name is so legendary and recognized, even among non-car people, that you wouldn’t know they hadn’t sold any cars in the United States in over a decade.  The Italian sports car maker’s claim to fame is its long history of racing success, dating to the 1930s.  Grand Prix heroes like the A6GCM and the 250F were followed by road-going sports cars like the Mistral and unforgettable Ghibli of 1966.  These quintessentially Italian cars were memorable enough to firmly entrench the name “Maserati” in the ranks of the automotive …

Although the Ford Mustang is an instantly recognizable road icon, not everyone has actually met one.  Not everyone wants to, of course, but for those who are curious, we’re happy to help.  In its latest, showiest incarnation, the Mach I model, having a Mustang is not unlike having a pet bear or tiger.  It’s cool, it gives you the attitude you want when you’re seen with it…but don’t ever make the mistake of thinking it’s your friend.  Your Mustang Mach 1 will just as soon eat you as look at …

So it’s Saturday night, and my wife isn’t home.  I decide it’s a good night to rent a “guy” movie of the sort she normally doesn’t like to watch, with lots of explosions and bad dialogue.  I go outside, hop into the Mercedes SLK32 AMG I’ve got to test this week, and head for the video store, which is about a mile away.  And then a voice, maybe it’s the car’s, murmurs something about putting the top down.  It’s a nice night, after all, and there’s a full moon…
Seventy-five minutes …

The BMW Z3 is on its way out, so we decided to take one last fling with one of our favorite sporty roadsters.

Introduced in 1996 to compete with Mercedes’ SLK and Porsche’s Boxster in the newly reborn two-seat convertible market, the Z3 boldly took the throwback approach to open-air motoring.  Compared to the austere Miata, refined SLK and track-bred Boxster, the Z3 was an unshaven street brawler, with a dramatic, controversial design and a suspension that bordered on crudeness.  And we loved it.  In 2003 the Z3 is slated to …

As if to prove that the universe has a sense of humor, it began to rain almost as soon as the Chevrolet Corvette convertible arrived in the driveway.  It then proceeded to rain, continuously and sometimes torrentially, for the next five days.  It may come as a surprise to hear that this was no problem whatsoever.

Thanks to stunning performance and a badge marking it as a member of GM’s value-leader division, the Corvette has a reputation as something of a bargain-basement supercar.  With a powerful V8 up front and room …

Did the name “Camaro” in the headline make you think immediately of obnoxious young drivers with too much testosterone and too little sense, squealing away from every stoplight in a haze of rubber smoke?  Chances are it did.  The Camaro’s biggest flaw is an image problem.  What’s ironic is that it’s not even the car of choice among modern “darn kids” any more, if the proliferation of hot-rodded Hondas and Acuras is any indication.

Look past the stereotypes, though, and there’s plenty to like about the Camaro.  After all, it’s one …