The market is BEGGING....

[G.Irish]

It's just the reality of it. Anyone buying this car to track might as well just buy a Miata, or step it up and buy a RWD V8 coupe.

Well if you buy a Miata you'd have to then go buy and install a roll bar, not to mention that a Miata doesn't have a backseat. As far as stepping it up and buying a RWD V8 coupe, now you're talking about spending over $30,000 vs under $24,000. Either way, I don't think the kind of person who is shopping a Mustang GT would be looking at this car anyway.

Eh, the BR-Z and the GT-86 look cool, but 200 hp? I mean that's pretty anemic for cars nowadays, and when a mini cooper S could potentially beat you off the line, I'd say you might have an issue. Do like that they''ll be release a mechanical diff eventually, but I'll wait until they release a nice turbo model before I get too excited.

A Cooper S has less horsepower and only weighs a touch less (like <50 lbs) so I'd imagine they'd be pretty similar in straight line speed.

Honestly, though I'm not sure what market these guys are trying to break into. I mean, the BR-Z is gonna be around 24k, pitting it right up against some pretty popular hot hatches like the GTI, which is already inundated with competitors. I suppose its nice to have something that's RWD that fills the gap that was vacated after the s2000 was ended, but still... it doesn't seem like this base model will be much of a performer.... I'd rather just save the cash and buy me a 370z

All of the other hot hatches are heavier and front wheel drive. None of them will be appreciably faster in a straight line (other than the Mazdaspeed 3 and forthcoming Focus ST) and I'd wager none will be comprehensively better in driving experience. The most direct competitor I can see is maybe the Genesis Coupe, but that thing weighs at least 600 lbs more than the 86. It has more power but I'll take lighter weight every time.

The 86 is not filling the gap left by the S2000 at all. The S2000 was a $35k roadster, this costs a full $10000 less and naturally does not have the performance that the S2000 had. Same deal with the 370z. If you're looking to spend $32k or more on a 370Z, you're looking at a difference class of car. In that case none of the <$25k sport compacts are really what you'd be looking for.