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I couldn't help but feel a bit like Charlie Brown as I climbed into our Mustang GT convertible just in time to see big fat raindrops starting to fall from the sky. The clouds didn't fully clear until I turned in the keys. When you don't have the wind in your face and V-8 growl in your ears, it's hard to see why anyone would pay $38,715 for this car. It shudders over bumps much more than the coupe and, in the wet, was bouncing its tail all over the place.inline_mediumwraptextright24894266/reviews/editors_notebook/0908_2010_ford_mustang_gt_premium_convertible0908_02_z+2010_ford_mustang_gT_premium_convertible+front_three_quarters_view.jpgTrue

It started with a letter. In February 1963, a letter arrived at Ford's German headquarters saying that a small but prestigious Italian sports-car maker was for sale. Enzo Ferrari had made the overture. He chose Ford, he said, because he had always been an admirer of Henry Ford. What he did not say was that he was being vilified in the Italian press over the bloodshed among Ferrari drivers, particularly after the 1961 Grand Prix at Monza. At that race, Ferrari's Phil Hill clinched the Formula 1 championship, but his teammate Count Wolfgang Von Trips crashed, killing himself and fourteen spectators. The race was televised, so millions saw the carnage.

It looks like we're back to a familiar conundrum: should I buy a supercharged Mustang or a base Corvette? A base Corvette coupe starts at $49,515 with destination, and the only option that you'll really need is the two-mode exhaust system at $1195, so a worthy Vette starts at $50,710. That's actually $185 less than this particular Shelby GT500 coupe (and that's ignoring any potential dealer markup on the Shelby). Yes, the Shelby has more horsepower, but the Corvette is a better handler, more fuel efficient at 16/26 mpg, and 707 pounds lighter. By no means is this an apples-to-apples comparison, but it's certainly one that will be explored on many Web sites.inline_mediumwraptextright24817471/reviews/editors_notebook/0908_2010_ford_mustang_shelby_gt500_coupe0908_01_z+2010_ford_mustang_shelby_gT500_coupe+profile.jpgTrue

That's a shame, because the Raptor is simply incredible when the ground goes soft. Steering that's a bit too slow and light on pavement suddenly feels confident and dead-on accurate, and the extra bit of body roll allows for a relatively silky ride over terrain that would shake apart many passenger vehicles. A number of tweaks, including beefier control arms, bigger brakes, a redesigned power-steering system, a stiffened structure, and the aforementioned 35-inch BFGoodrich tires (which increase the tread width more than six inches and require flared front and rear fenders) keep the truck and the driver in one piece. But the biggest addition is the dampers. The triple-bypass Fox racing Shox get progressively stiffer as they compress, meaning the Raptor can soak up just about everything the desert has to offer without bottoming out.

This $33,170 so-called "Sport" edition of the Fusion doesn't really work for me. The general demeanor of the Fusion does not lend itself to sportiness, no matter how you dress up the car. Yeah, the seats are pretty nice, but, really, what is the point of this particular Fusion trim level? This car is trying too hard to be something it's never going to be.inline_mediumwraptextright24626542/reviews/editors_notebook/0908_2010_ford_fusion_sport_awd0908_04_z+2010_ford_fusion_sport_aWD+front_three_quarter_view.jpgTrue

This week we've been blessed with an overabundance of terrific sports coupes, from an Aston Martin V8 Vantage at the very high end to an affordable Hyundai Genesis coupe. To my mind, though, this retina-searing yellow Nissan 370Z sits at the perfect cross-section of value and performance.inline_mediumwraptextright29441613/reviews/editors_notebook/0908_2009_nissan_370z_sport0908_05_z+2009_nissan_370Z_sport+2010_hyundai_genesis_coupe_38_track.jpgTrue