If you look at today's sports car market, you might be forgiven for thinking that it's really not what it used to be. The sports car as we see it today is very different from how it once was. But, don't let that get you down. There are still cars out there that can satisfy the pure driving enthusiasts among us. You just might have to look a little bit harder than you once had to. Traditional Sports Car Setups Are Slowly Dying Out In Today's Car Market ToyotaOne of the big changes in the car market in recent years is that cars set up like traditional Sports Cars are slowly dying out. The front-engined, rear-wheel-drive, manual transmission sports car is almost practically dead. For a start, lots of people buy SUVs now and use them as their only car. While that's understandable, as many people only have space at home for one car, it does mean that fewer and fewer people are buying even the most usable sports cars. That means that sports cars are becoming less and less profitable, and are therefore starting to disappear as they can't financially justify their existence. Manual Transmissions Are Almost Extinct In Today's Sports Cars Via: Bring A TrailerAs well as a general decline in the number of sports cars around, there's been a huge decline in the number that still allow you to have a manual transmission. The manual is almost extinct everywhere in the car market, let alone in sports cars. If you're a true manual purist who wants a sports car with that traditional rear-wheel-drive manual transmission setup, your options are incredibly limited. If you want something more on the muscle car end of things, you literally only have one option now. That single option is one of the most enduring sports cars of all time, and one of the few that's still managed to stay true to its roots. The Ford Mustang Is The Only New Sports Car That Still Offers Rear-Wheel-Drive, A Manual Transmission And A V8 FordThe Ford Mustang is a consistent stalwart of the sports car and muscle car market in North America. The nameplate has been around since 1964, and it refuses to go away any time soon. It's also stuck to its roots pretty much the entire time it's been around. That includes continuing to offer V8 engines and manual transmissions. The GT, Dark Horse and Dark Horse S versions of the current-generation Mustang all have rear-wheel drive, Ford's fantastic Coyote V8 engine and the option of a proper 6-speed manual transmission. The GT has 480 horsepower as standard (486 horsepower if you go for the active exhaust) and 418 pound-feet of torque, while the Dark Horse has a power bump up to 500 horsepower while producing the same amount of torque. That's good enough to take the GT from 0-60 mph in 4.3 seconds if you choose the purist option of the 6-speed manual. The Dark Horse is even faster, taking you from 0-60 mph in 4.1 seconds if you go for the manual version. A manual Mustang GT will do the 1/4 mile in 12.6 seconds at 114.2 mph, while the manual Dark Horse will take 12.2 seconds at 116.9 mph.These two variants aren't the most powerful versions of the Mustang - the Dark Horse SC and the GTD are both much more powerful. The Dark Horse SC produces 795 horsepower and 660 pound-feet of torque from its supercharged Predator V8, while the GTD produces 815 horsepower and 664 pound-feet of torque from a different tune of that same engine. But, neither of those cars have that purist appeal. While they're both rear-wheel drive and they both have V8s, they're only available with dual-clutch automatic transmissions. The Ford Mustang GT and Ford Mustang Dark Horse Are The Only Traditional Street-Legal V8 Muscle Cars You Can Buy Brand-New Now FordThe Ford Mustang GT and Ford Mustang Dark Horse both occupy what's now a unique space in the car market. They're the only traditional, street-legal V8 muscle cars you can buy brand-new right now in 2026. While the Dark Horse S is also a traditional muscle car, it's exclusively for the track.That exclusive status the Mustang GT and Mustang Dark Horse have looks like it'll stick around for a while, too. While it's confirmed that Dodge will be introducing a V8-powered SRT Hellcat version of the current Charger, it doesn't look like it'll get a manual transmission option. Both These Cars Are Less Powerful For European Customers FordWhile the Ford Mustang GT and Ford Mustang Dark Horse are fantastic muscle cars that appeal to the purists among us more than almost anything else, they do have a bit of a problem. This problem doesn't affect most places in the world where these Mustangs are sold. But, it does affect anyone who wants to buy one in Europe. Due to European emissions regulations, the GT and Dark Horse have to have slightly de-rated engines. In Europe, the GT only produces 448 horsepower and 397 pound-feet of torque, while the Dark Horse produces 453 horsepower and the same amount of torque as the European-spec GT. While that might feel like a bummer for European buyers, they still get that same purist muscle car experience as customers everywhere else. Plus, there's a lot of tuning options out there to make up for lost power... Only One Other Sporting Model In 2026 Offers Rear-Wheel-Drive, A Manual Transmission And A V8 CadillacThe Ford Mustang might be the only traditional sports car left that offers rear-wheel drive, a manual transmission and a V8. But, if you dip into the sports sedan market, there's an option in there that offers everything V8 purists could want. That's the Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing, and it's the only rear-wheel drive V8 sedan still on sale in North America. That V8 in question is a 6.2-liter supercharged V8, producing 668 horsepower and 659 pound-feet of torque. That makes it significantly more powerful than the Ford Mustang Dark Horse, and almost as torquey as the Dark Horse SC! It's also significantly faster than the Mustang Dark Horse, with a recorded 0-60 mph time of just 3.6 seconds for the 6-speed manual version.Sources: Cadillac, Car & Driver, Ford, MotorTrend
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