The Coolest Race Cars in Competition Right Now

If you get a chill down your spine when you hear certain engine notes, you may be like us and have a serious racing problem. From open-wheel cars to insane prototypes to somemore attainable cars that aren't far off what you can find in showrooms, come along with us as we run through The 21 Coolest Race Cars In Competition Right Now.

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Series: GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge
Driver(s): Kyle Gimple, Ryan Eversley, Ray Mason, Adam Burrows, David Thilenius, Aaron Povoledo

The GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge is technically a support race for the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series, but it's fascinating because it features highly tuned cars that could have come off the showroom floor -- not purpose-built racecars. You may think you're just looking at a normal Honda Civic Si here, but you aren't -- Compass360 Racing has won four separate ST (Street Tuner) class manufacturer's championships with their fleet of Civics, and they're currently leading the 2013 championship as well. It's good to have dream cars to aspire to, but it's good to have semi-attainable coolness on track, too.

Series: Australian V8 Supercars
Driver(s): Lee Holdsworth, Maro Engel, Tim Slade

The 2013 Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG V8 Supercars fielded by Erebus/SBR Racing may not be finishing in podium positions just yet. But when they sound like this, we're pretty sure we don't care. They're easily the best-sounding V8 Supercars in the field.

Series: FIA World Endurance Championship
Driver(s): Marc Lieb, Richard Lietz, Romain Dumas, Joerg Bergmeister, Patrick Pilet, and Timo Bernhard

Porsche currently leads the 2013 Manufacturer's Championship points in the GTE class. From 2014, F1's Infiniti Red Bull Racing ace Mark Webber will join the team as well, and hopefully help it to continue its winning ways. Let's just hope he starts better in WEC than he has in F1.

Series: GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge
Driver(s): Billy Johnson, Jack Roush Jr., Shelby Blackstock, Joey Atterbury

The Roush Performance Boss 302R runs in the Grand Sport (GS) class of the CTSCC. It won the 2013 season opener at Daytona -- no small feat, considering that it ran against the likes of Aston Martin Vantages and Porsche 911s.

Series: GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge
Driver(s): Tim Bell, Brian Jaeger, BJ Zacharias

The NISMO 370Z RC is a factory race-prepped car that you can take to the track and use to achieve good results. In fact, if it weren't for a broken connector on its alternator, the Doran Racing NISMO 370Z RC would have won the GS class for the 2013 Watkins Glen round. Before the connector broke, Tim Bell managed to work his way up from sixth to first -- passing all the Fall-Line Motorsports BMW M3s in the process.

Series: GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge
Driver(s): Bryan Sellers, Mark Boden, Charlie Putnam, Charles Espenlaub, Hugh Plumb, Al Carter

Watkins Glen is one of the most legendary tracks in the U.S. Fall-Line managed to get all three of its M3s into the top four in the GS class at the 2013 CTSCC round at Watkins Glen. Clearly, it was no accident.

Series: FIA European Rallycross Championship
Driver(s): Timur Timerzyanov, Alexander Hvaal, Timmy Hansen

The current top two drivers in the Supercar class of the 2013 FIA European Rallycross Championship are Timur Timerzyanov and Timmy Hansen. Both drive this car. Check out a hot lap with Timerzyanov at the 2013 Hungarian round at Nyirad here.

Series: American Le Mans Series
Driver(s): Olivier Beretta, Matteo Malucelli, Gianmaria Bruni, Scott Sharp, Johannes Vanoverbeek, Guy Cosmo, Ed Brown

The C6.R may own the GT class in ALMS, but Ferrari puts up a good fight. Both the Extreme Speed Motorsports and Risi Competizione teams are in the midst of striving to put their respective F458 Italias on 2013 season podiums.

Series: FIA World Endurance Championship
Driver(s): Bruno Senna, Frederic Makowiecki, Pedro Lamy, Rob Bell, Paul Dalla Lana, Peter Dumbreck, Stefan Mucke, Darren Turner

Bruno Senna was in the lead for the 2013 LMGTE Word Cup going into the world-famous 24 Heures du Mans (or 24 Hours of Le Mans, to English-speakers) but unfortunately Frederic Makowiecki crashed during the race, so the team scored no points. Still, there are 5 races left to go in the 2013 WEC season. Who doesn't want to see a Vantage V8 top the podium?

Series: American Le Mans Series
Driver(s): Tommy Milner, Oliver Gavin, Richard Westbrook, Antonio Garcia, Jan Magnussen, and Jordan Taylor

Corvette Racing has absolutely owned the GT class in ALMS for what seems like forever. The C6.R makes it clear that this isn't going to change anytime soon.

Series: Formula One
Driver(s): Paul di Resta, Adrian Sutil

The VJM06 may be Mercedes-powered, and it may have received significant developmental assistance from McLaren -- but that hasn't hurt it in the slightest. This scrappy team also regularly outperforms McLaren, and is currently 5th in the 2013 Constructor's Championship -- while McLaren is only 6th. No one likes to see a parade instead of a race, and in 2013, Sahara Force India is making sure we get to see some racing. Some might say it helps that Paul di Resta is Dario Franchitti's cousin -- but Adrian Sutil is doing all he can to shake up the grid, as well.

Series: American, Asian, and Formula Le Mans Series
Driver(s): Several

The LMPC (Le Mans Prototype Class) across all three Le Mans endurance series is owned by the FLM09. This 2000-pound, GM LS3 V8-powered, 430 HP carbon fiber beast is truly in a class of its own.

Series: GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series
Driver(s): Jordan Taylor, Max Angelelli

Wayne Taylor Racing is currently owning the Daytona Prototype (DP) class of the 2013 GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series with this Corvette Dallara. Together, the Rolex and Continental race weekends have something for everyone: tricked-out versions of cars you drive every day, dream cars, and crazy prototypes like this one.

Series: Formula One
Driver(s): Fernando Alonso, Felipe Massa

Ferrari is currently running 3rd in the 2013 Constructors' Championship. The F138 regularly qualifies well, and both Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa have had the form at different points in the season (thus far) to make races interesting. We like a winner as much as anyone, but it's no fun when Sebastian Vettel takes off at the beginning of a race and just leads it, start to finish. We like some racing in our races, thanks.

Series: Formula One
Driver(s): Kimi Raikkonen, Romain Grosjean

Besides the fact that Lotus-Renault is routinely outperforming McLaren this year, and the fact that Kimi Raikkonen currently lies 3rd in the 2013 Drivers Championship, and the fact that the Lotus-Renault team is currently 4th in the 2013 Constructor's Championship? Well, there's the steering wheel. The steering wheel is, quite frankly, amazing.

Series: FIA World Endurance Championship
Driver(s): Loïc Duval, Tom Kristensen, Allan McNish

The R18 e-tron quattro is Audi's answer to anyone who thinks that hybrid technology isn't viable for racing purposes. Its overall efficiency and speed helped it win in the LMP1 class of the 2013 round of the most prestigious endurance race of all: the 24 Heures du Mans.

Series: World Rally Championship
Driver(s): Mikko Hirvonen with co-driver Jarmo Lehtinen; Sebastien Loeb with co-driver Daniel Elena

Sebastian Loeb's and Daniel Elena's staggering nine WRC Drivers' Championships were all courtesy of Citroen power. The Citroen Total Abu Dhabi team itself has won seven Constructors' Championships in the sport. While this year has seen a fall off the top of the podium, let's be real: a team at the top of their game had nowhere to go but down. The 2013 car is good -- it's just that VW's Polo R is currently better.

Series: Formula One
Driver(s): Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg

When Lewis Hamilton announced that he was quitting McLaren and moving to Mercedes for 2013, more than a few people thought he was nuts. Sure, he'd had differences with the team, but they looked more likely to bring him the kind of successful car he craves. Apparently, he knew more than the naysayers -- Mercedes AMG Petronas is currently 2nd in the 2013 Constructors' Championship, while McLaren is down in 6th. Both Hamilton and Rosberg have regularly qualified and finished well in the W04, with Nico Rosberg winning two races already this season. This means Rosberg is currently tied for total 2013 wins with Fernando Alonso. Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton is currently 4th in the 2013 Drivers' Championship. This car is clearly the best F1 car that Mercedes AMG Petronas has produced so far.

Series: Formula One
Driver(s): Sebastian Vettel, Mark Webber

It's no surprise that in 2013, Infiniti Red Bull Racing is currently 1st in the Constructors' Championship. While the team isn't leading by as great a margin as in the past few seasons, it's still a pretty safe bet that they'll end the season with that championship in the bag. The 2013 Drivers' Championship doesn't look to be nearly as much of a sure thing. While Sebastian Vettel currently leads it with 157 points, second place holder Fernando Alonso is just 34 points behind -- and we have plenty of races left on the calendar for the 2013 season.

Series: World Rally Championship
Driver(s): Sebastien Ogier with co-driver Julien Ingrassia; Jari-Matti Latvala with co-driver Miika Anttila; Andreas Mikkelsen with co-driver Mikko Markkula

Volkswagen fielded a factory team in WRC until 1990, but has mostly been absent from the sport ever since, except for the appearance of two Skoda Fabia S2000s at the 2011 Rally Finland event. That is, until 2013. It would be reasonable to expect that a factory staying out of a sport so long wouldn't be very competitive in its first season back. VW have proudly upended everyone's expectations and are handily leading both the Drivers' and Constructors' Championships halfway through their return season. Not only that, but the 2013 VW Polo R WRC has scored points in every single race thus far. Keep in mind that nine-time WRC champion Sebastien Loeb is still racing with the Citroen Total Abu Dhabi World Rally Team.

Series: American Le Mans Series
Driver(s): Andy Meyrick and Katherine Legge

For starters, it looks like nothing else on earth. It's in a class by itself, even though it's racing against other prototypes. It looks like nothing so much as an earthbound rocketship, and it's starting to have the pace to match. It podiumed for the first time ever at none other than Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in May -- no easy feat. Most recently, it qualified third at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, where it got up to second before retiring on lap 16 due to an oil pump failure. We see bright things in the DeltaWing's future.