Camaro, Mustang & Challenger: 3 of Forbes' Fastest Cars Under $50K

[NewsBot]

Let's say for a moment that you're digging through the attic, looking for your baby picture album to prove to your kids that you once had the ability to grow hair, and you come across a $100,000 bill tucked between the pages of the family Bible. After spending half of it to buy 500 houses in Detroit, what car would you buy with the remaining $50k? Fortunately, the dollar-to-speed exchange rate has never been more in your favor, and Yahoo! Autos (with a little help from Forbes) has come up with a list of the fastest cars fifty grand can buy.


Woodrow says, "Just buy a 2011 5.0 GT and spend the rest on 139,010 Jack in the Box tacos. Oh, and get me a small Dr. Pepper too, please."

The list is based on Kelly Blue Book or manufacturer specs for 0-60 times for all coupes, sedans, and roadsters sold in the US that come in with an MSRP under $50,000.

• Ford Mustang GT500 - 4.3 seconds, $48,645
• Chevy Camaro SS - 4.6 seconds, $33,945
• Dodge Challenger SRT8 - 4.9 seconds, $41,230
• Audi TTS - 4.9 seconds, $45,900
• BMW 135i - 5.1 seconds, $36,050
• BMW 335s - 5.1 seconds, $42,600
• Nissan 370Z - 5.5 seconds, $33,410
• Infiniti G37 - 5.5 seconds, $37,000
• Lexus IS350 - 5.6 seconds, $37,595
• Porsche Boxster- 5.6 seconds, $47,600
• BMW Z4 - 5.6 seconds, $46,000

9,000 people a month can't be wrong...

While Yahoo! gets some of the numbers seriously wrong (if you're only getting 305 horsepower and 208 pound-feet out of your GT500, check to make sure you don't have a cylinder or five not firing), the list is an interesting cross-section of the "affordable" performance market. Though the majority of cars making Forbes' cut are imports, Ford, Dodge, and Chevy aren't exactly hurting in the sales department - in April, 3,713 Challengers went out the door, and Ford sold 5,145 Mustangs, a number that's actually down a third from April last year, most likely due to the imminent arrival of the vastly-improved 2011 5.0 and V6 models causing potential buyers to hold off. The big winner was GM (and by extension, the good taxpayers of these United States who involuntarily bought the company last year) with 9,150 Camaros sold in April.




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