America's Best Handling Car - Contenders and Instrument Testin

STAY TUNED: Part two of our Best Handling competition will run this Wednesday (Aug. 27) and the winner story will run this Friday (Aug. 29). We'll have more videos throughout the week on each car.

We gazed into a maze of wires and circuit boxes and asked that question 16 months ago as we launched perhaps the most rigorous and ambitious regimen of racetrack and airstrip tests mere auto scribblers ever subjected 10 cars to. It responded with 420 megabytes of data that, along with subjective notes scrawled in logbooks and jabbered into voice recorders, revealed an indisputable answer-the Porsche 911 GT3. All that data also helped illustrate how such nuanced elements of handling as transitional behavior, path accuracy, chassis composure, steering and brake feel, and even cockpit ergonomics dovetail with conventional metrics like lateral grip, cornering power, and track-lap times to produce vehicle handling that delights (or dismays) the driver.

As the ink was drying on that story, gadget-guru Reynolds was already dreaming up new instruments and tests to help us delve even deeper into the mystery of what makes a great-handling car, so we've decided to make this an annual event pitting the newest corner-carvers against the reigning champ. This year that mission was stymied by our utter inability to beg, borrow, or steal a GT3, GT3 RS, or GT2, however, so an all-wheel-drive 480-horse 911 Turbo is standing in as proxy.

The contenders, starting from the humble front-drive end of the field include Chevy's turbo-direct-injected Cobalt SS coupe and the Mini Cooper S. Front-engine/rear-drivers include a Mazda RX-8 with the new R3 handling package, BMW's rev-happy V-8 M3, Ford's highest-performing Mustang ever, the Shelby GT500KR, and Dodge's race-ready Viper ACR. Front-engine all-wheelers include the new Mitsubishi Evolution MR and newer Nissan GT-R. Contesting the mighty 911 Turbo in the mid- or rear-engine supercar class is Audi's stunning R8.

So with that preamble we'll head for the abandoned runways at El Toro Marine Air Station to try out Reynold's new gear and tests, then return to Mazda Raceway at Laguna Seca for hot laps with pro shoe Randy Pobst. We're foregoing the road loops to free up more space to explain our results. Should reigning Porsche be preparing a poison apple? Read on.