Porsche 918 Spyder (2014-15)

The 918 Spyder is the fastest, most powerful road-legal Porsche in history. The production version made its live debut at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show and has been sold out for a while now. It is driven by a 4.6-liter V8 mated to two electric motors churning out a combined 887 horses and 944 foot-pounds of torque. It can hit 60 mph from a standstill in approximately 2.6 seconds, onto a top speed of 211 mph. Power is distributed to the rear wheels via a seven-speed PDK. In electric mode,  the 918 can't travel any faster than 100 mph. When switched to gas mode, it is a completely different story. The Porsche 918 Spyder starts at $847,975, while the 918 with the Weissach Package begins at $931,975. The Weissach Package shaves weight off the 918 by 100 pounds by removing the radio, air conditioning, and other features that the average person finds necessary in a daily driver, along with adding more bits and pieces of carbon fiber. Many publications have driven the Porsche 918 Spyder and stated that it is one of the best vehicles they have ever tested. Finally, the 918 is one of the best Porsche models of all time in my opinion.

Ferrari 458 Speciale

The Ferrari 458 Speciale is the faster, more track-focused variant of the 458 Italia and unfortunately the last naturally aspirated V8 Prancing Horse to be made, along with its spider version. As implied in its name, it is powered by a 4.5-liter V8 producing 597 horsepower and 398 pound-feet of torque, 35 more horses than the standard 458. It is currently the fastest, most powerful Ferrari V8 model in existence. The 458 Speciale's 0-60 time is 2.8 seconds and it can reach a top speed of 202 mph. The sole gearbox option is a seven-speed dual-clutch. It weighs 200 pounds less than the base 458, starts at $291,744, and has won a few awards, such as EVO Magazine's Track Car of the Year and Autocar's Performance Car of the Year. Also, the example above is the only Ferrari 458 Speciale I have seen in person thus far. Overall, the 458 Speciale is an amazing track monster and road machine. It looks and sounds magnificent, but I think the new McLaren 675LT is a cooler vehicle.

McLaren 650S Spider (2015-)

The McLaren 650S made its debut at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show as a replacement for the MP4-12C. To sum it up, the 650S is technically a face-lifted, faster, more powerful, and better handling 12C. Like every modern McLaren, the 650S is powered by a mid-engine 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8 churning out 641 horses (650 PS, or metric horsepower, as applied in its name). Paired to a seven-speed DCT, it can hit 60 mph in under three seconds. Its top speed is a little over 200 mph. The 650S' interior is fairly simplistic and driver-oriented, as you would expect from McLarens and various performance vehicles. The starting price for the McLaren 650S is $267,900 for the coupe and $282,625 for the spider. Other than the differences in cost and weight, the 650S coupe and spider's specs are almost identical. Also, a faster, more powerful, more potent, and more exclusive version of the 650S known as the 675LT is now available in showrooms and for delivery. McLaren is one of my favorite auto manufacturers, and the 650S is such an exceptional vehicle. Overall, I prefer the 650S over the 12C because the former is quicker, more capable on the road and track, and more refined, even though I have nothing against the latter.