FRST

Best Sports Car: 2011 Ford Mustang GT 5.0

The Mustang has reinvented itself more times than Madonna, yet this is the first time I’ve ever truly loved it. I was sure the Ferrari 458 Italia would be my sports car of the year, but after tearing around in the new ‘Stang GT it was clear the democratic $30,000 crowd pleaser will bring more joy to more drivers than the fortunate few in the $225,000 supercar.

Not only does it offer an incredible 412 horsepower from a new 5.0-liter V-8, the old-school suspension has been tweaked to attack winding back routes as well as Route 66. It gets 26 mpg and even the interior is well executed. Power to the people, indeed. From $30,495.

Ford Mustang

Just one year after we gave the 2010 Chevy Camaro an All-Star award, the Ford Mustang brings home the prize for 2011. This is just the latest chapter in the punch-for-punch pony-car battle that has been going on for the better part of forty years. This year's knockout blow came when Ford brought the 5.0-liter V-8 back from the dead, but even Vanilla Ice knows that the new "five point oh" isn't the only engine that the frequently revised Mustang has going for it.

The base 2011 Mustang's very capable, very impressive V-6 makes 305 hp, gets 31 mpg on the highway, and starts at less than $23,000. Although the V-6 is suitable for many buyers, it's the V-8-powered GT and the supercharged Shelby GT500 that get our enthusiast blood pumping. With 412 hp and 550 hp, respectively, it's nearly impossible to keep a big, fat grin off your face-and points off your driving record-when you're behind the wheel of either of these ponies. The GT gallops to 60 mph in just 4.6 seconds-not too shabby for a $30,000 car. The hot-rod GT500 does it about half a second quicker.

Despite all this new performance, the Mustang still uses one of the oldest technologies in the business: a live rear axle. But, honestly, Ford pulls it off just fine. The Mustang's nimble chassis, lighter weight, and close-ratio transmission give it a clear advantage over the heavier, less fluid Camaro on a curvy road. The Ford's cabin is much nicer, too, compared with the unattractive plastics that plague the Camaro.

This pony-car fight is certainly not over, and with the Z28 model on its way, the Chevy Camaro isn't down for the count. But we can definitively say that this round goes to the Mustang and that it is well-deserving of a 2011 Automobile Magazine All-Star award.