Around Christmastime each year we get to see the movie Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and learn once again about the misfit toys.  While the four cars I am about to introduce you to have about as much in common with these toys as a rocket ship does with a sled these four cars are considered misfits for one reason or another.  Whether it’s the price, the performance, the engine, or the name these cars carry a bit of excess baggage around with them that might land them on the Island or Misfit Toys, but you can bet those toys would love to drive any one of these four beauties.

The four cars I speak of are the Camaro Z/28, the Dodge Viper TA, the Nissan GT-R and the Aston Martin V12 Vantage S.  How could these awesome cars have anything misfit about them?  Let’s see, the Z/28 is amazing but comes at a price that makes you cringe all without air conditioning because this car is made for the track and for lower weights, the Viper TA just seems out of place like the other Viper model wasn’t enough, the V12 Vantage S is clunky and would do better just to have the DB9 and the GT-R sits in showrooms with the bargain bin of cars with the Nissan badge on them even though its an amazing performer.  Do these care really deserve the name of misfit or are they certainly better than that and worthy of our attention; let’s find out.

Nissan GT- R

This car shows up with the road optimized tires instead of a set of track tires that are present under the rest of this group of cars.  Even the track edition of the GT-R uses the same tires but this car can make it from corner to corner quickly to give you a great familiarity with the track and offer the performance you want to enjoy.  Unfortunately this is about the only place the GT-R outperforms anything as its time is slower than the Viper and Camaro when it comes to the straightaway time.  This car is certainly an adequate or better road car but not one that will blow the others away although you can have plenty of fun driving the GT- R on any road in the country.

Aston Martin V12 Vantage S

This Aston Martin actually suffered from its own popularity which meant we had to transfer from a wonderful six-speed manual gearbox to a clunky single-clutch seven-speed automatic because that is all that would fit in the car.  Other than this gearing this car is awesome as it takes on corners with supreme confidence and ensures you have a drive that makes for an awesome and powerful ride along all roads.  This gives you a ride that is full of character and was among one of the fastest cars in this group, considering the power plant it certainly should be.

Dodge Viper TA

Even though this version of the Viper is one that should come with warnings because the exhaust pipes run next to the driver and passenger this car is one that is built specifically for track work.  This car offers the right feel, a fantastic amount of power and cornering ability along with the beauty and aerodynamics of a car that is perfection on the track except for when its time to stop which is a bit of an adventure.  This is a car you want to keep driving as long as you don’t get burned or have to stop as it offers intuitive controls and outstanding performance for you to have the most fun on a track.

Chevrolet Camaro Z/28

This version of the Camaro sticks to the corners like glue because it was actually built from the tires up.  As the car that takes advantage of the same engine as the outgoing Corvette the Camaro Z/28 is perfection around a track and takes its spot as one of the best cars in this group.  The real test comes in as the results which show that the Camaro was only bested around the track by the Viper, which was no surprise, but the fact that this car beat the other two came as a huge surprise to those who had a chance to test all four of the cars.  Tires is not all the Camaro is about as this car is built with an active suspension that reals through the corners with ease and makes it so you can enjoy one of the most active rides in a sports car you can ever find. 

Verdict

Although the Viper is the fastest around the track with the Camaro coming up second the GT-R third and the Vantage pulling up the rear do these cars really deserve to be in the misfit section of the automotive world?  Most likely they don’t need to be misfits but certainly niche players as they all offer a reason to not have them as daily drivers, but each one has its version of merits and would be awesome to drive for most of us even if just once.