A performance car is a car that exhibits above-average capabilities in one or more of the following areas: acceleration (torque and throttle response), top speed (horsepower), cornering and braking.^[1] It is debated how much performance is required to move classification from standard to high performance.

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Further classification of performance cars is possible in the following categories:

• Grand tourer — a luxury performance car designed for high speed and long-distance driving
• Hot hatch — a high-performance version of mass-produced hatchback model
• Muscle car — a large American rear-wheel drive car with a V8 engine
• Sports sedan — a high-performance version of a sedan model
• Supercar — an expensive high-end sports car, with hypercars being the most expensive and fastest supercars.

• Aston Martin DBS V12 - grand tourer
• Volkswagen Golf GTI - hot hatch
• Pontiac GTO - muscle car
• BMW M5 - sports sedan
• Ferrari 488 Pista - supercar

• Performance Car (magazine)