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sports cars

It is almost with a sense of relief that we are able to report an automotive sales trend that doesn't have to do with crossovers. While jacked up pseudo-SUVs proliferate throughout the driving landscape, challenging the mid-sized sedan for driveway supremacy, Canadians are feeling their oats this spring. Sports car sales are through the roof.

Of course, the definition of sports car is open to interpretation. Subaru's WRX, for instance, is more a juiced-up compact sedan than a dedicated two-seater intended for track use. However, it's certainly more invigorating to drive than a Honda CR-V, and that's been enough to tempt nearly 1,500 would-be rally fans so far this year. More than one third of Impreza sales are of the WRX and STI.

Enthusiast fans of Porsche, a company that has slowly morphed into selling mostly Cayenne and Macan crossovers, can also take heart. While Stuttgart only moves about half as many 911s as it does Cayennes in Canada, the iconic rear-engined 2+2 celebrated its best sales month ever in April.

While it's no coincidence that the WRX and the 911 are available with all-wheel drive and thus are capable of being enjoyed in all weather conditions, the trend in sports car sales doesn't seem to be driven by practical considerations. The Ford Mustang, for instance, is riding a titanic sales wave, even briefly outselling mainstream sedans like the Honda Accord.

While Canadian driveways are seeing three times as many Mustangs as Camaros so far this year, it's only a matter of time before Chevy reaps the rewards of a thirst for horsepower. Riding on GM's light and agile Alpha platform, the Camaro feels more like its old tagline, "A small, vicious animal that eats Mustangs." The Corvette Stingray, Chevy's proper sports car, is starting to nearly match Prius sales figures as the weather warms up.

For fans of Japanese sporting machines, two familiar nameplates are surging ahead this year. The Nissan 370Z is fundamentally unchanged from previous years, but the new availability of a cheaper, decontented model has resulted in a doubling of sales. The Mazda MX-5, meanwhile, is up even more than that. The fourth-generation car features a return to simplicity that's enough to charm original owners out of their well-loved Miatas.

Meanwhile, Scion FR-S and the Subaru BRZ sales remain as flat as their horizontally opposed engines. There's a lot of appeal to the Toyobaru less-is-more twins, but when you can get a turbocharged Mustang for much the same price, a low torque four-cylinder gets little traction.

Scraping the bottom of the sales barrel, we find a few gems remaining. While all the Dodge headlines belong to its insanely powerful Hellcat twins, the Viper represents a last-of-breed burliness we'll likely never see again, especially the track-special ACR version. Similarly priced and monstrous in a different way, Nissan's GT-R continues to sell in meagre numbers. Both cars are capable of outperforming seriously high-dollar Italian speed machines at the track.

However, you don't need to be a Nomex-suited track rat with big horsepower underfoot to enjoy the appeal of a lively machine on a lonely back road. Life's too short to only drive a crossover; throw some curves in your life.

Five of the hottest selling sports cars

Subaru

Subaru WRX

Released as a sedan only, the fourth-generation WRX comes with a practical and roomy cabin, a new 2.0-litre turbocharged engine making 268 horsepower and excellent all-wheel drive. It’s a much sharper-feeling car than previous generations, with better turn-in and grip; fuel economy is also up. Don’t deride the available CVT automatic without a test-drive – with turbocharged torque, it’s like driving a slingshot.

Porsche

Porsche 911

Available in 25 different models (plus options), Porsche’s 911 offers an incredible amount of choice. The biggest change this year is the introduction of turbocharging in the base models. Purists should rush to buy the last of the naturally aspirated GTS models. Everyone else will love the all-wheel-drive 420-horsepower Carrera 4S, a Porsche for all seasons.

Petrina Gentile for The Globe and Mail

Mazda MX-5

More than one million MX-5s have been sold over its quarter-century run, leading to umpteen billion smiles. This new generation is light enough to make the most of its revvy 155-horsepower four-cylinder engine, and the ease and simplicity of the manual folding roof makes a mockery of nearly every other convertible. Terrible cup holders, but you won’t care.

GM

Chevrolet Corvette

Still a small-block V-8 missile after all these years, the new ’Vette displays a lot of polish to go with its ferocious speed. Almost nothing can touch it for the price, with the insane Z06 models capable of taking on the world’s best. The standard 460-horsepower model with the Z51 handling package will be more than enough for mere mortals.

Peter Cheney

Ford Mustang

King of the sporty car segment, the Mustang offers everything from rental-spec V-6 convertible fun-in-the-sun to the apex-clipping fury of the Shelby GT350. The EcoBoost version with the handling package should excite a new generation of Mustang fans, while the combination of 5.0-litre V-8 and a stick provides old school thrills that can’t be beat.

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