Nissan GT-R, Mazdaspeed 3, Chevrolet Corvette Z06, Mitsubishi Lancer Evo, Pontiac G8 GT

The five cars on these pages are kindred spirits in overachievement. Although they may be humble in some respects, they all five turn, stop, and go - particularly, go - with the brio of competitors costing thousands or, in some cases, tens of thousands more. In honor of their heroic, giant-killing performance, we salute these scrappy street fighters that punch out mega performance for something less than mega dollars. We do it as the dark clouds of sharply higher gasoline costs gather over the land, casting into doubt the duration of this golden age of horsepower. These cars are helping to democratize performance, putting major muscle into the hands of the many. Grab yours now, before the days of attainable speed once again slip into our collective rearview mirror.