All cars have the same mission: to get the occupants to their destination safely. As for sports cars, the traditional A-to-B route might not always be taken; those are for the family haulers. These are the cars that we drive with no destination in sight, sometimes even ending where they started if we just want to go cruising.No two sports cars are alike in how they make you feel, but they all serve the same purpose of driver enjoyment and balance between power and weight. These are the sports cars that offer up amazing experiences at different price points, and how they perform with regard to power-to-weight ratios.The models below are ranked by price from lowest to highest. All prices listed are before destination. Mazda MX-5 $30,430153 hp/ton 2024 Mazda MX-5 Miata ClubIn true Mazda Miata fashion, the cheapest of them all shouldn't leave you wanting more – except maybe for folks who find ways to stuff small block Chevy V8’s in them – and follows the traditional sports car rules to the letter. A small but peppy naturally aspirated 2.0-liter four-cylinder is controlled with your right foot, and an optional six-speed stick is moved around with your right hand. The car needs you to drive it, and in a sea of self-driving safety pods, it’s refreshing to jump in a vehicle that forces you to exercise your motor skills.With just 181 horsepower and a curb weight of 2366 pounds for the soft-top convertible, you'd notice it’s not of the higher ratios boasted by others on this list, but as the lightest of the bunch, who cares? There are no crazy tricks up its sleeve to fool you. The MX-5 can be had with a fabric top or a metal roof and requires a driver shorter than six feet tall for maximum enjoyment. Toyota GR86/Subaru BRZ $31,200/$35,860162.22 hp/ton 2022 Toyota GR86 front, three-quarterBoth the GR86 and BRZ are close enough in weight to share the same ratio, with the only difference being their suspension: The GR86 is tuned for easier tail-flicking, whereas the BRZ stays slightly more planted in corners. The 2.4-liter boxer-four powering both models makes 228 hp and 184 lb-ft of torque, and is bolted to your choice of automatic or manual transmissions. The automatic’s manual-shift capabilities aren’t a disappointment, with quick shifts and good paddle placement, but the manual is where the most fun can be had, despite finicky clutch engagement. With low weight and 162.22 hp/ton, these two are still praised for offering the bare necessities at a fair price in 2026. Nissan Z $42,970230.55 hp/ton 2023 Nissan Z front, three-quarterReturning to the market after a short hiatus, the Nissan Z regained its classic looks reminiscent of the 240Z from the late 1960s and the 300ZX from the early 1990s. Nissan developed a twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 to produce 400 hp and 350 lb-ft of torque. The first of the forced-induction sports cars on this list, the Z, marked the return of two turbos in Z-cars from Nissan right off the line. Paired with either a 9-speed auto or 6-speed manual, driver engagement is still required to pilot this pocket rocket. 230.55 hp/ton is considerable, given that the car has 172 hp and 660 lbs more than the GR86/BRZ, tipping the scales in its favor.With Nissan’s business struggling, it’s hard to say how much longer the Z might be on sale. Last time we checked prices for the Z, dealers were offering massive discounts, which brought the out-the-door price to below $40,000. For the price? The Z is the steal of the decade, making it unique for that reason. Act fast, though, because Nissan is shipping fewer examples of the newly refreshed 2027 model to dealers. Toyota Supra $58,300224.71 hp/ton 2026 Toyota GR Supra front three-quarterThe return of the Toyota Supra has been a wild ride for fans of the nameplate, not to mention for BMW fans who didn’t know if they wanted to share their engines or not. But since BMW has been nice enough to give its engines out like Halloween candy, what better ambassador to have for its silky-smooth turbo straight-six than the Supra? I’ve heard conflicting reports about the manual Supra’s shift feel, but we all agree the ZF 8-speed auto is fantastic in its own right.The automatic’s lightning-quick shifts keep that engine revving and return great gas mileage on long road trips. Delivering roughly 225 hp/ton means the Supra runs mid-pack in this list for balance but doesn’t get flogged for it, either. That straight-six symphony is intoxicating to say the least, but watch out for egregious wind-buffeting when you roll the window down to hear that exhaust note. Ford Mustang Dark Horse $64,080252.94 hp/ton 2024 Ford Mustang Dark HorseWho doesn’t love a Coyote V8? Ford’s left-right-left-left firing order for each bank of cylinders gave the modern 5.0 its iconic raspy burble, which could sound great no matter what exhaust has been slapped on it. To counter its near 4000-pound curb weight, the 5.0 has been tuned to 500 hp (up 20 hp from the GT grade). This results in a power-to-weight ratio of roughly 253 hp/ton.Balance is the last word used to describe a Mustang, but the high-tech suspension in every GT—including the GTD with its inboard shocks and viewing window—hides its weight as best a chunky pony car can. The 10-speed automatic is slight overkill but will keep the revs low at highway speeds, so if you want to blow through gas and have more control over those rear tires, we advocate for the 6-speed manual. BMW Z4 M40i $68,400215.64 hp / ton 2026 BMW Z4 M40iIt’s hard to say if Toyota would have made a T-top Supra if the latest iteration of the BMW Z4 didn’t exist. If you want a hardtop Z4, you can buy a Supra. If you want the Toyota with a soft-top, you get the BMW.The Z4 M40i comes with the newer, arguably much better, BMW interior over the current Supra and offers the same automatic or manual gearboxes. That convertible top does mean extra weight, meaning the hp per ton rating comes in slightly under the Supra’s at 215.64 hp/ton. Either way, both offer a different driving experience despite being the same car underneath all the sheet metal. Chevrolet Corvette Stingray $70,000294.12 hp/ton 2020 Chevrolet Corvette C8 Stingray front quarterJust like the MX-5 up top, the Chevrolet Corvette offers a great balance across a handful of categories, including the power-to-weight and hp-per-dollar ratios. Shifting that engine to behind the cabin means it’s properly balanced in the traditional sense, too. The C8’s mid-engine layout pushes the cabin forward to the middle of the wheelbase, which, in turn, feels like you’re part of the car in tight turns rather than following it like in the previous 'Vettes. Part of that belly-tickling feeling is the Corvette delivering the best hp-per-ton ratio on this list at 294 hp/ton.The 6.2-liter V8 in the Stingray cranks out 495 hp and 465 lb-ft of torque, all of which helps deliver one of the greatest driving experiences for the price. With the roof off, you become more connected with the environment and get front-row seats to that exhaust note. I recommend popping the C8 into Z Mode, which opens up those valves and switches the car’s personality from happy to angry. Lotus Emira (2.0-liter I4) $106,900258.31 hp/ton 2023 Lotus Emira front, three-quarter Funnily enough, both engine options available for the Lotus Emira deliver 400 hp. One is a Mercedes-AMG 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder, and the other is a supercharged Toyota 3.5-liter V6. Both automatic and manual transmissions are available, but if you want three pedals, it’s only offered with the V6. The four-cylinder has a lower curb weight at 3,097 lbs, which gives it a power-to-weight ratio of 258 hp/ton.Classic Lotus engineering still shines through in modern times, thankfully. The seats are inches off the ground, but unlike the original Elise from the 60s, the high sills of the Emira prevent you from scraping your knuckles on the pavement if you hook your arm over the window sill. Porsche 911 Carrera S $156,200276.29 hp/ton Porsche 1Aside from the obvious uniqueness that comes with the Porsche silhouette and rear-engine dynamics, the Carrera S always finds its way each generation as the last stop before the point of no return. High-horsepower 911s are fun, but sometimes the best of the low-end models is where the real treats hide. The Carrera T was on the shortlist for this spot, but the Carrera S’s 473 hp tips the ratio closer to the Corvette’s at just over 276 hp per ton. Making that power is Porsche’s twin-turbo 3.0 flat-6, which gets sent to the rear wheels via an 8-speed DCT. Mercedes-AMG GT 63 Coupe $181,350265.71 hp/ton 2024 Mercedes-AMG GT 63 Coupe front 3/4 on roadThe latest generation of the Mercedes-AMG GT includes a handful of practical changes. For starters, the cabin was stretched to fit backseats, really driving home the point that this is a Porsche 911 competitor in every sense of the word. The 577 hp pumped out by a twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 is sent to all four corners and reined-in by a 9-speed DCT. The heaviest and most expensive of the group, the AMG GT is spicy enough to seem light on its feet while delivering a nimble sports car experience from a hefty grand tourer.Sports cars are “cars you buy by the ounce rather than the pound,” as said by Todd Deeken and Paul Schmucker of the show Everyday Driver, which changes the way we experience cars and look at their spec sheets. Numbers don’t tell the full story, but the baseline measurement fluctuates as the price goes up, which is why we have to piece it all together to make sense of those figures.Sources: Mazda, Toyota, Subaru, Nissan, Ford, BMW, Chevrolet, Lotus, Porsche, Mercedes-Benz