Best Cars Ever Corvette C7 Rental Cas

LATE 2012: Corvette C7

The current 'Vette has looked the same for nearly 13 years. Though it's still an amazing car, delivering Ferrari-like performance for one-fifth the price, it's dated in many respects. Expect a lot from the all-new C7 Corvette, then, with cool exterior cues like a split rear window and a vastly upgraded interior that's well above the coach-class quarters of the present car. But handling, which has always been the car's strongest suit, will remain largely unaltered. Horsepower targets in the 400-450 range would be a safe bet for this $50,000 car, even as GM aims to lower displacement to shave weight and nudge up the fuel economy. There might even be forced induction of some kind, and it's perfectly reasonable to expect direct fuel injection for the newest crown jewel of the Chevy badge.

Best Rental Cars OCTOBER 2012: 2013 Ford Shelby GT500

OCTOBER 2012: 2013 Ford Shelby GT500

As much as we love the new Camaro ZL1, the 2013 Ford Shelby ST500 bests its Chevy competitor in the contest for the most powerful production V-8 car on the planet. And the fact that the next Shelby Mustang also beats the Camaro ZL1 on both horsepower and torque (650 hp and 600 lb-ft versus 580 hp and 556 lb-ft in the Camaro) yet weighs 200 pounds less just adds insult to injury.

You’ll pay for all that power, though. We expect the 200-mph top-speed Mustang to cost more than the Camaro—possibly a lot more when you add in the goodies you’ll want, such as an optional Performance Package with electronic adjustable dampers and a Torsen limited-slip, along with a track package that combines an engine oil cooler, rear diff cooler, and transmission cooler. That could raise the sticker north of $70,000, while the ZL1 sits at a more reasonable $54,995.