Don’t get mad that I love overpowered cars like the Corvette ZR1. If Corvette profits help to develop the Volt, that’s 638 horsepower deployed for the common good. And if some of my picks are not the most efficient cars out there, perhaps that means more money for hard-working algae farmers. After 2008, not much would surprise me.  1. NISSAN GT-R This was the most-hyped sports car in recent memory, and it actually delivers on its promise: Porsche 911 Turbo performance for base-911 money. To my mind, the fact that it doesn’t wear a fancy nameplate adds to its appeal.  2. MERCEDES-BENZ ML320 BLUETEC Here’s a heavy four-wheel-drive luxury S.U.V. that is E.P.A.-rated at 24 m.p.g. on the highway and in reality will do about 26. Its diesel V-6 lends itself well to S.U.V. duty, with mammoth low-end power. (It will tow 7,200 pounds.) I also like that it’s not plastered with decals proclaiming its virtue — just a few small Bluetec badges.  3. DODGE CHALLENGER R/T I wasn’t particularly interested in the Challenger before I had a chance to drive it. But the 6-speed manual transmission endows this car with a riotously fun, burnout-happy personality. It may be a dinosaur, but it’s an endearing dinosaur.  4. LOTUS EXIGE S 240 This is probably the most focused car on the road. Whenever there was a choice to be made during the Exige’s gestation, Lotus made driving pleasure a priority and subjugated everything else. It’s a strong flavor, not for everyone, and that’s why I like it.  5. CHEVROLET CORVETTE ZR1 Here’s a ZR1 party trick: rolling along in second gear at 45 m.p.h., slam the throttle down. The power arrives so suddenly it will actually chirp the tires, no clutch-drop needed. The pushrod V-8, it seems, has some life left in it.  6. PONTIAC G8 I searched Pontiac’s Web site for a price quote on a 2008 G8 GT, a sharply tailored, 361-horsepower rear-drive performance sedan. The result was an improbably precise $25,044.46. But wait, there was a disclosure: “Red Tag price may be even less.” Instead of the Volt, Rick Wagoner should have taken a G8 to Congress and challenged the legislators to find a better deal for 25 grand.  7. BMW 135I I know, I know — you can get a larger 335i for not too much more money. Thanks, but I’ll take the car that’s lighter and costs less. With a 300-horsepower twin-turbo 6-cylinder, the 135i gives you performance about on par with a previous-generation M3.  8. AUDI RS4 CABRIOLET This is my current answer to the question, “If you could only have one car for everything, what would it be?” With the RS4 Cab, you get seating for four, a decent trunk, all-wheel-drive for the winter, a convertible top for the summer and, oh, yes — the same 420-horsepower V-8 engine that’s in the exotic R8.  1. HONDA FIT I respect the Fit — an inexpensive little car with an inordinately well-done interior — it’s just strange to me that Honda dealers can’t keep them on the lot. A Hyundai Elantra GLS offers 21 more horsepower, more passenger room, the same highway mileage and a lower price. So is everyone abuzz about the Elantra? No.  2. BMW X6 In 20 years, the X6 will either be considered a daring, iconic design that sent S.U.V.’s in a new direction, or it will be a weirdo outlier embraced by only hard-core BMW fanatics.  3. MITSUBISHI EVO MR I thought the last Evo was euphoric to drive but silly to look at. I mean, shark teeth on the roof? The latest MR looks taut and purposeful — the big wing notwithstanding — but the motor’s newfound refinement is sort of sad. There’s less turbo lag, but the old Evo’s giant wallop of boost was part of the fun.  4. FORD FLEX The Flex competes with minivans, so it needs some dynamic advantage over those vans — like, say, a turbocharged direct-injection V-6. Ford’s EcoBoost V-6 is on the way, and when it arrives, the Flex will have the muscle to match its provocative styling.  A version of this list appears in print on , on Page AU1 of the New York edition with the headline: Rubbernecking the Wreckage of 2008: Last Call for Horsepower. Order Reprints| Today's Paper|Subscribe
Business may be bleak now, but there is reason for optimism. There’s even hope for the internal-combustion engine.