Cars with names such as Corvette, Viper, XK, and 911 evoke quite a reaction when mentioned in conversation or seen on the street. These are the types of vehicles that nobody really needs, but everyone wants. Indeed, such premium sporty/performance cars are the very definition of the category.

The cars that Consumer Guide classifes as premium sporty/performance are at the top of the mountain when it comes to acceleration, handling response, and, of course, price. From there, these cars diversify in their missions. Some are pure thrill machines, designed for maximum go with less thought given to passenger comfort. Others are more serene, offering more-balanced combinations of performance and luxury. Depending on your preferences, and how much discretionary income you have, premium sporty/performance cars offer driving experiences quite unlike anything else on the road.

Consumer Guide identifies 19 vehicles in this class. New for model-year 2009 are the Nissan GT-R and Chevrolet Corvette ZR1. Though it uses the same basic platform as the 2008 model, the 2009 Porsche 911 might as well be a brand-new model thanks to significant updates to its engines, transmissions, suspension, brakes, and interior. Mercedes-Benz is freshening its SL-Class and SLK-Class hardtop convertibles with updated styling and new features.The BMW Z4 convertible is redesigned, gaining freshened styling and new powertrains. Production of this hard-top convertible moves from the U.S. to the company's homeland of Germany.

The only model absent from the 2009 model year lineup is the Chrysler Crossfire coupe and convertible, which are discontinued after the 2008 model year.

Muscle Bound

American-made premium sporty/performance cars are typically about three things: horsepower, horsepower, and horsepower. Raw Detroit iron holds a special appeal among enthusiasts. Give them big, pushrod V8 or V10 engines (none of this overhead camshaft or four-valve-per-cylinder stuff), brutally stiff suspensions, and exhaust notes that will frighten lesser cars off the road.

No two vehicles exemplify these traits more than the iconic Chevrolet Corvette and Dodge Viper. The former is one of America's original sports cars, the latter is an auto show concept brought to life, a vehicle that put Dodge back in the design spotlight.

The 2009 Corvette and Corvette Z06 don't get any significant changes. The big news is the addition of the most powerful, best handling, most technologically advanced, and most expensive production 'Vette ever.

The 2009 Corvette ZR1 is arriving at dealers right now (in limited supply, of course). The ZR1 moniker harkens back to 1990, when Chevy launched its first ultra-high-performance Corvette. The first ZR-1s had a V8 engine tweaked by British manufacturer Lotus and built by Mercury Marine. The 2009 ZR1 is all GM all the time, featuring a supercharged 6.2-liter V8 that produces a prodigious 638 horsepower. Chevy pegs the ZR1's 0-60 mph acceleration at a blistering 3.4 seconds. With a price tag north of $100,000, it's not cheap. A very limited supply (around 2,000 annually) and scads of Corvette enthusiasts in line for one also mean transaction prices will probably far exceed what the cost is on the window sticker.

Regardless, Corvette is a favorite among the auto editors of Consumer Guide. Its crafty combination of pin-you-to-your-seat acceleration, grippy handling, and relative bargain pricing make it tough to beat in this segment.

Maybe the Corvette is too subtle. If that's your view, then the 2009 Dodge Viper is your baby. Instantly recognizable and totally off the wall, this sports car is nearly as exotic as those famous Italian cars that have horses and bulls as their insignias. With 600 horsepower of its own, Dodge says the '09 Viper will accelerate from 0-60 mph in less than four seconds. Coupe and convertible body styles are available. Note that Dodge's troubled parent company, Chrysler, is looking to sell the Viper brand. As such, it may not be a Dodge for much longer.

Grand Touring

If all-out power isn't your thing, there are premium sporty/performance cars that offer more subtle packages (but aren't slouches by any stretch). The Cadillac XLR, Jaguar XK, Lexus SC 430, Volkswagen Eos, and Volvo C70 offer more serene driving experiences while sacrificing little in the way of performance.

The XK is available as a hardtop coupe or a fabric-top convertible. The XLR, SC 430, Eos, and C70 are convertibles with retractable hardtops. The hardtops are a boon for those who live in wet or snowy climates, though in Consumer Guide testing, we have not experienced any leaks with the XK's soft top.

SC 430, XK, and XLR use V8 engines. C70 has a turbocharged 5-cyl. Eos offers a choice of a V6 or a turbocharged 4-cylinder. Eos and C70 offer a choice of manual or automatic transmission. All others have a 6-speed automatic.

XLR shares some of its basic design and is built in the same assembly plant as the Corvette, though the two have different styling, powertrains, and pricing. C70 borrows its underskin design from Volvo's S40 sedans and V50 wagons. The Eos is derived from Volkswagen's compact Jetta. Both the Volkswagen and Volvo are front-wheel drive. All others are rear drive.

Jaguar's XK boasts extensive use of aluminum construction. Both the coupe and convertible exhibit strong acceleration, balanced handling, and inviting accommodations for two, at prices that typically undercut comparable German rivals (though some steeply-priced options can quickly drive the sticker northward).

A newcomer to the premium sporty/performance car category is the 2009 Nissan GT-R. Long known as the Skyline GT-R in Nissan's home market, the 2009 version will mark the first time any variant of this high-performance 2-door coupe will reach North American shores in a form other than a racing video game. GT-R features all-wheel drive and a 480-horsepower twin-turbocharged 3.8-liter V6 engine. With a base price of $76,840, this is Nissan's most expensive car, though in the grand scheme of this class, it's a performance bargain.

No matter which one you might choose, you are almost guaranteed exclusivity. These cars are among the flagship models offered by their respective manufacturers. As such, they don't sell very many of them. Consider that Toyota sells more Camrys each month than the combined sales figures of these premium sporty/performance cars. Then again, you're not likely to get the looks in a Camry that you would in any of these sportsters.

German Delights

If any automakers know about defining premium sporty/performance cars, it's those from Germany. Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Porsche all offer models targeting well-heeled shoppers who want these cars' near-perfect combinations of style, performance, and luxury. (We mentioned Volkswagen's entry above.)

Audi offers the TT coupe and convertible. Available models include the front-drive 2.0T, with a turbocharged 200-horsepower 4-cylinder engine and the all-wheel-drive 3.2 quattro, which has a 250-horsepower V6. Transmission choices include a 6-speed manual for the 3.2, and for all models, Audi's S tronic 6-speed automatic. The automatic allows for manual gear changes via the floor shifter or steering wheel paddles.

New for 2009 are the special-edition TTS coupe and convertible. These top-end models feature a 265-horsepower version of the 2.0-liter turbo 4-cylinder and the S tronic transmission. Audi says the TTS will accelerate from 0-62 mph (0-100 km/h) in 5.2 seconds and achieve almost 30 mpg in combined city/highway driving. Largely unchanged following its 2008 debut, the 2009 Audi A5 is a 2-door coupe that seats four. In pricing and size A5 slots between Audi's compact A4 and midsize A6.

BMW offers a few premium sporty/performance cars across a broad range of prices. The 1-Series is BMW's smallest car, slotting below the company's popular 3-Series in size and price. The 1-Series comes as a coupe or convertible. Each body style is available with one of two 3.0-liter 6-cylinder engines. The 128i has 230 horsepower; the turbocharged 135i has 300.

Also available as a coupe or convertible is the larger 6-Series. The 650i has a 360-horsepower, 4.8-liter V8 engine. These models have a choice of a 6-speed manual or 6-speed automatic transmission. If 360 horsepower isn't enough, there's the M6. It has a 500-horsepower V10 engine. This engine teams with a manual transmission or BMW's Sequential Manual Gearbox (SMG). The SMG is an automated manual transmission that doesn't have a clutch pedal. Though the transmission can be set to shift like an automatic, the SMG works best when shifting is done via the floor shifter or steering wheel paddles.

New for 2009 is BMW's redesigned Z4. This 2-door convertible offers open-air driving with the security of a hard top. Unlike BMW's other entries on this list, the Z4 fixed-roof coupe has been discontinued. Z4 comes in two trim levels, each with a 3.0-liter 6-cylinder engine. The sDrive30i has 255 hp, while the sDrive35i is turbocharged and has 300 hp. Both have a standard 6-speed manual transmission. A 6-speed automatic is optional on the sDrive30i, while a new 7-speed automatic is optional on the sDrive35i. Optional is a system which allows the driver to adjust suspension firmness.

Elsewhere in Germany, Mercedes-Benz has its own lineup of premium sporty/performance cars. They also make coupes and convertibles; the latter all use power-folding hardtops. "Base" models are part of the SLK-Class, which are two-passenger convertibles. Stepping up to the CLK-Class gives you a back seat and the option of a hardtop coupe.

SLK models are the V6-powered SLK300 and SLK350, as well as the V8 SLK55, tuned by Mercedes' AMG performance division. The CLK offers the 286-horsepower V6 engine in the base CLK350. The uplevel CLK550 has a 382-horsepower V8.

At the top of the Mercedes-Benz premium sporty/performance car food chain is the SL-Class. All SLs are two-passenger convertibles. The roster includes the SL550 with a 382-horsepower V8 engine and SL600 with a 510-horsepower turbocharged V12. When AMG gets its hands on an SL, the outcome is a pair of powerhouses: the supercharged 510-horsepower V8 SL55 and turbocharged 604-horsepower V12 S65. The latter has an eye-popping sticker price of $194,700.

A mid-model-year addition to the SL-Class lineup is the new, top-of-the-line SL65 AMG Black Series. This supercar receives even more special treatment from the factory than the "stock" SL65. The Black Series, with its carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic body panels, weighs more than 500 pounds less than the standard SL65. It still packs a turbocharged 6.0-liter V12 engine but with a mammoth 661 horsepower, 57 more than the regular SL65. Mercedes-Benz says the Black Series will do 0-60 mph in 3.6 seconds. The cost for all that speed is a bit less than $100,000 per second, as the Black Series' retail price is a coronary-inducing $299,000. If that sounds like a deal, you'd better act fast, as Mercedes is only producing 350 for worldwide consumption, with 175 slated to arrive in the United States.

Finally, no list of premium sporty/performance cars would be complete without mentioning Porsche. These are some halo vehicles that more than a few people aspire to own.

None of Porsche's cars (the Cayenne SUV doesn't count) have their engines in the front. The Boxster convertible and Cayman coupe are mid-engine cars. The storied 911's engine goes back further still, all the way to the rear, making the driving experience something few cars, even in this class, can match.

The 911 is almost completely new for 2009. Under its rear-mounted "hood" lie two new powertrains. On the base 911 Carrera coupe, you get a 345-horsepower 3.6-liter horizontally opposed 6-cylinder engine. The base Cabriolet convertible, as well as the Carrera S coupe and Carrera S Cabriolet have a 385-horsepower 3.8-liter "flat" six. The standard transmission is a 6-speed manual. Newly optional is Porsche's first 7-speed transmission. The company calls it "Porsche-Doppelkupplungsgetriebe" but you can call it PDK. PDK is an automatic transmission that uses two clutches, one handles gears 1, 3, 5, and 7; the other handles 2, 4, and 6. Like VW/Audi's "DSG" transmission, PDK promises lightning-quick shifts either in fully automatic mode or when shifted manually via the console shifter or steering-wheel paddles.

Porsche substantially revised the Boxster and Cayman for 2009 as well. Though they don't look much different than their 2008 counterparts, the '09 models boast more power. Base Boxster and Cayman models get an engine displacement increase to 2.9 liters from 2.7. Power increases accordingly to 255 horsepower in the Boxster and 265 in the Cayman, bumps of 10 and 20 horsepower, respectively.

Boxster S and Cayman S retain a 3.4-liter 6-cylinder, but with 310 horsepower in the former and 320 in the latter. The 2008 Boxster and Cayman had 295 horsepower. Like the 911, both cars are available with a 6-speed manual or 7-speed PDK automatic transmission.

Boxster, Cayman, and 911 have rear-wheel drive. The 911 is also offered with all-wheel drive. The Boxster, Cayman, 911 trio are also available with a special "Sport Chrono" option package that includes a button to adjust engine and chassis controls for high-performance driving. Optional on all 911 models and Boxster and Cayman S models are ceramic composite brakes. They cost more than $8,000 but offer the advantage of high heat resistance and a life expectancy of more than 180,000 miles.

Adding options makes these sporty cars even more expensive than they already are. Loaded Caymans can easily top $70,000, and 911s frequently head north of six figures. Very few cars of any stripe match the cachet of the Porsche name, and that means these models should retain a lot of their value at trade-in time.

They're expressive, extravagant, and expensive. The latter is of little consequence to those who can afford these machines. But whether you can afford them or not, there's no denying the fact that these cars are, quite simply, cool. That alone is enough for those who have made it to spring for one of these performance machines.