Garret Donahue

When Akio Toyoda set out to create a new type of motorsport-focused brand, his main focus was living up to the legacy of Toyota. All the greatness that Toyota stands for, both in competition settings, and out on the road with millions of drivers every day. One might think, wait a minute, Toyota already has a performance division. For years, TRD (Toyota Racing Development) has led the way for upgraded Toyotas, both in motorsport, and in series production vehicles. TRD has been synonymous with off-road performance, and it's the larger, more rugged vehicles that tend to bear the legendary tri-letter badging. Think TRD and TRD Pro variants of the Tacoma and Tundra pickups, or even the 4Runner TRD Pro. These aren't exactly the raciest of vehicles.

The Derelict series from ICON is a peculiar concept. A company so set on making the very best, both mechanically and visually, is now concentrating on vehicles that appear to be worn and barely even running, if at all. ICON is known for its meticulously crafted classic Ford Broncos and Toyota

I explore the limits of the GMC Canyon and all its features.

ICON is an industry leader in the classic restoration world. I'd go so far as to say they are about much more than that. Something like classic perfection sounds truer to the ICON philosophy than just restoration. Their vehicles are essentially re-engineered from the ground up. I'm not just talking about the chassis, either, most of the hardware on the original vehicle has been recreated to better withstand the test of time. With ICON, you really do receive a substantial vehicle for the substantial price they are asking.

It seems, these days, everyone is out to create the perfect Mustang experience. Some prioritize performance, while others focus on luxury. Maybe some refinement can be found, but I've never seen the combination of all three. Well, not until I experienced the Revology Mustang GT. This very special Mustang is based on the 1968 Ford

So you want an electric Humvee, but the new Hummer EV just isn't your thing? NAEV might have what you're looking for.

It's no surprise that Ford's Ranger Raptor is an absolute joy to drive both on and off-road. The Ford Performance team didn't leave much on the table in terms of driving dynamics, but they rarely do with Raptor products. These days, though, going off-road means many different things from one driver to the next. Some like Baja racing, while others enjoy the slower, but equally challenging rock crawl. Thankfully, the Raptor can adapt to those preferences, which makes it an ideal vehicle for reaching ultra-remote places. And there's a Ranger Raptor school in Utah for existing customers.

You know what every 1988 Grand Wagoneer needs? 810 supercharged Hellcat Redeye horsepower. Never once did I ever think this vehicle needed any more than, say, 300 horsepower. Here we are, though, with an 810-horsepower monster from the folks over at Vigilante. From Texas comes this bat out of hell(cat) Wagoneer that really plays into the “Grand-ness” in the form of excess. It's loud visually and aurally, but it does have a soft side to it. It's surprisingly simple to operate, but then again, so was the original. I'm told that is by design.

No, we don't get the forbidden fruit that is the Toyota GR Yaris, a purpose-built rally racing homologation vehicle. Americans love to complain about it (me included), claiming we never have access to the really exciting stuff. To put this theory to the test, I traveled to Japan and took a GR Yaris on a little road trip from Tokyo to Mt. Fuji to better understand what exactly it was that we were missing. Fast-forward to this winter in California, and I find myself on another trip to some of my very favorite mountain roads, here on the West Coast.

Most of the reliable cars still out driving our roads every day are quite mundane, but there are some sporty exceptions you might not have considered.