Our 25 Hottest Car Photos of the Year: 2015

“For the last five decades, the toughest question for any buyer of a high-end sports car has been: ‘How do I not end up with a 911?’ ” —Mike Duff

Comparison Test

“Ultra-high-definition feedback streams through the steering, the chassis reacts like that of a 14/10-scale BMW E30, and the engine hurtles the car forward with smoothness and sonorousness heretofore reserved for sixes of the straight Bavarian variety, not bent American ones.” —Jared Gall

Long-Term Review

“My friend bought one of those and I told him it was a chick car,” he says. “Then he took me through the S-bends in Buckley. That’s a serious machine.” —Mount Rainier local

“Driving pleasure hasn’t been this pure and this accessible in almost two decades.” —Eric Tingwall

New vs. Old

“Los Angeles in the 1950s was no more fully formed than our new magazine, with its greasy-fingernail features on tuning Solex carbs.” —Aaron Robinson

“Whether you call it the 300SL, the W198, or its German nickname, der Flügeltüren, the Gullwing represents a maniacal sword beaten into an exquisite plowshare.” —Aaron Robinson

Old vs. New

“Duff earns a pint by describing the P1’s induction noise as a cardio workout in Darth Vader’s helmet.” —Aaron Robinson

“About a third of the roads have no speed limit, and handguns are legal, with 18,000 registered. The Isle of Man is, basically, what Texas wants to be.” —Aaron Robinson

Feature

“That’s the joy of this car; both the engine and the chassis try desperately to win hearts and minds. It’s fun to be the swing vote in the battle for car control.”

“The GT S’s 2:51.0 lap alone is worthy of amazement, but what shocked us more was how much fun we had in AMG’s latest sports car.” —Car and Driver Tech Staff

@Lightning Lap 2015

“It’s as if Ford’s engineers got punch-drunk on performance after churning out the Shelby GT350 and the new F-150 Raptor, turned to one another and asked, ‘What’s next?’ The answer, of course, was to once again take aim at the big guns from Europe.” —Alexander Stoklosa

Revealed

“Makes sweet, vigorous love to the road.” —Eddie Alterman

10Best

“We definitely have a different opinion than Ferrari.” —Ted Klaus, NSX chief engineer

“It’s a seamless operation and a vision of a future when all cars will be bionic.” —Aaron Robinson

First Drive

“The Vsport chassis speaks to drivers as if they’re all weekend warriors, but without forgoing the balance between handling and ride, which in this case is among the best on the road today.” —K.C. Colwell

“For racers, by racers” is the internal motto for the Cadillac Alpha teams, and it fits." —K.C. Colwell

10Best

“Think of the $148,250 i8 as the working rich man’s 918 Spyder.” —Tony Quiroga

Highway Test

“After two and a half days spent circling VIR, we posted some of our quickest times ever. Lightning Lap might wrack our nerves and keep us up, but it’s also one of the best workweeks anyone can imagine. It’s a rare instance of reality far exceeding the dream.” Lightning Lap 2015