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There's a deafening buzz on the among performance car enthusiasts whenever news of a new model breaks cover.
The 0-100km/h sprint time, top speed and power and torque figures encourage debates around which is the better car and more importantly which is quicker.
But there's always a faster, lighter version that pops up down the line that has the car world champing at the bit even more.
Why do carmakers do it? They charge a premium compared to the 'normal' model.
So let's have a look at a few highlights of when manufacturers added more power and tweaked their performance models and made them even more hardcore:
BMW M5 Competition - The super saloon was released onto the market with 441kW from its 4.4-litre V8 turbocharged engine in 2018. Not long after BMW upped the ante with a lower and firmer Competition version that packs a 460kW.
Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Black Series - The W204 C63 was the Bane of German muscle cars, its snarling 6.2-litre V8 engine woke up neighbourhoods and it had looks that scared grannies.
But Merc weren't finished just yet, they brought out a Black Series version that has a motorsport suspension and a tweaked version of the naturally-aspirated V8 to produce 380kW and 620Nm.
A definite track-day special.
Mercedes-Benz C63 Black Series. Image: Newspress
Mini Cooper John Cooper Works GP - A stripped-out performance car that costs a whole lot less than the 488 Pista, is the Mini JCW GP. BMW tweaked with the supermini's best attributes: handling and grip. This turned the JCW GP into a track monster ready to take on performance cars double its size.
Oh yes, did we mention it's the most powerful production Mini yet? It makes use of a 4-cylinder turbo engine with more than 220kW and motor racing technology by John Cooper Works.
Ferrari 488 Pista - What could possibly be done to make the Ferrari 488 GTB even more hardcore we hear you say? Well, the Prancing Stallion engineers added more downforce, saved 90kg weight and pushed the power up to 530kW.
This translates into a 2.8 second 0-100km/h sprint time and a top speed of 340km/h.
Ferrari 488 Pista. Image: Quickpic
Compiled by: Sean Parker
