I know I rarely got close to the Z06's limits in the twisties. But I drove the wheels off my Integra GSR, much lower limits and FWD.

Not as if I didn't have fun in the Z06 but I was ALWAYS in illegal-speed territory and sometimes running a corner way too fast for visibility.

A more telling poll would be just the folks who own very fast cars as well as S2000's. From my reading the general rule is that the S2000 is driven less and less as time goes on.

Thinkin' Small.

Austin, Texas. I keep readin' these articles about how the new concept of "small" is all the rage. Small appliances, small gadgets, smaller fast food meals and, of course, small cars are the new cool for all of the "hipsters" out there who allegedly know of such things. As for me, small cars have never gone out of style, and I find the fact that small is the new road cool to be amusing. For instance, when you see a restored bug-eye Austin Healey Sprite on the road today, you cringe at the thought of it negotiating the current driving environment - while barely coming up to the wheel wells of a Ford F-150 pickup. Yet, when you see that same bug-eye on a race track during a vintage weekend, it seems perfectly in proportion.

But I love small cars - especially small performance cars.

I remember when Peter had a Lotus Europa Twin-Cam for a nanosecond (a car that would barely come up to the belt line of most cars today), and how we used to careen around the streets blowin' by unsuspecting motorists in the blink of an eye as that little Lotus just evaporated away with its sheer cornering ability. Peter called it a two-seat Formula Ford, and that's about as accurate of a statement that you could make about that car. It never ran worth a shit for very long, plus the letter "T" on the back in the middle of its name kept falling off so it spelled "L-o- -u-s" - but when it was running that little car would just flat get it. And I remember the '73-'75 Opel 1900s - tautly designed small cars that performed like BMW 2002s for a lot less money. I had a couple of those, and they were excellent cars - at least for me they were.

One thing you learn pretty quick with smaller cars is that it's easy to fly under the radar with them. You can haul ass in the right small car (SVT Focus, Dodge SRT-4, Mini) and have a lot more fun doing it too. I mean, winding the livin' shit out of a small car and bangin' off shifts at the redline is amazingly therapeutic, and you don't have to adopt the total paranoia mindset that's required to operate today's generation of super cars - which catapult you to double and triple the speed limit in no time. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but for those of us with long bouts with tickets, lawyers, points and probations - it's nice to be able to boot a little car and not worry about all of the other associated hassles. Well, maybe not quite as much, anyway. After all, if you push any of the aforementioned small cars to the limit, you're well into ticket territory in no time.

Believe it or not, one of the greatest "small" cars of all time was the Porsche 911. Today's car is sleek, sophisticated, roomy, bloated and souless - and it pales in comparison to the early versions. The 911s of the early '70s were amazingly compact and demanded your complete attention when driving them. They didn't do anything on their own. You had to grab hold of the steering wheel, work the pedals and make the thing respond to your wishes, otherwise it would bite you in mid-corner (and even in a straight line with a heavy-duty crosswind).

The original Shelby Cobra was another example of a great small car. Basically just a late '50s AC Bristol with a small block Ford V-8 stuffed in it, it was a very compact and taut little car that had nothing to do with the later 427 versions, which were wider and heavier - and less maneuverable too. That's why, for me, the 289s were always the essence of what a Cobra should be.

So, for us enthusiasts, small has always represented something good. As much as we're living in a "golden age" of performance these days, the cars are often too heavy and too cumbersome for my taste. I keep seeing curb weights of 4,000 pounds for a lot of these cars - and that just isn't right in my book.

That's why I'm thinkin' that the Pontiac Solstice is such a sweet, sweet car. And that's why when GM stuffs a small, optional aluminum V-8 in it - I will have my deposit ready.

Sorry about the label suggestions. it's not easy to make a poll that everyone will like.

Some people just like to talk about cars and don't have to brag (cough) all the time about their cars.

I've read some threads where ppl prefer the S2000 to much quicker cars they have owned.