2. Porsche 911 GT3 RS 4.0 (2011 – 2012)

Porsche has had quite the history with its GT3 model and this is the one that sent me over the edge. When I was blessed with the opportunity to take the wheel and spend a day with the now legendary 4-liter I couldn’t sleep the night before.

The “997” GT3 was an amazing car in its own right and in typical Porsche fashion, the car kept evolving throughout the life of the 997 chassis. The 4.0-liter came to be in 2011 and, as its name suggests, the 3.8-liter flat-six was scrapped in favor of a full 4.0-liters. The engine put out just under 500hp and helped launch the RS 4.0 to 60mph in only 3.5 seconds. But all out speed wasn’t what this car was about.

The RS 4.0 was about finesse. There wasn’t a road blemish that you couldn’t detect through the steering wheel. And even with such phenomenal steering it was almost as much fun to steer the car with the throttle. So perfect was the balance of the RS 4.0 that, for the first time ever, I pondered the idea of just hitting the road. How many miles could I put between the owner and myself before they would wonder if I was coming back? I’m joking of course, but the RS 4.0 was just that good. I was in love.

The entirety of my time with this special car was on public roads and not on the track. While some might consider street driving a wasted opportunity, I certainly don’t. Seeing how the Porsche could devour those roads with balletic grace was simply amazing. It was clear that the Porsche would reward a good driver but it was just a clear that it would punish bad driving. This was a genuine driver’s car and not a car to fix your errors for you. And it was simply amazing.