2015 Polaris Slingshot SL

The Polaris Slingshot is a three-wheeled vehicle that is as exotic as it is sophisticated. It has open-wheel fenders and a back that tapers to a point, where a hefty swing arm carries a carbon-fiber-reinforced belt that drives a single tire. From the front seats forward, it's like a car, with bucket seats, a steering wheel, and a GM Ecotec four-cylinder engine mated to a five-speed manual transmission. From the rear it's a giant mutant motorcycle. And that distinction makes all the difference - the Slingshot's odd wheel count both defines its identity and allows it to exist in the first place. By car standards, the Slingshot's got a great power-to-weight ratio, with the 2.4-liter four-cylinder offering 173 horsepower. Zero-to-sixty is in the five-second area, and with traction control disabled the Slingshot will light up its rear tire.