Cars You Need to See from the 2014 L.A. Auto Show

2016 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350

It doesn't matter if you're a Ford guy, a Chevy guy, or an Isuzu guy—they exist!—it's difficult to find fault with the 2016 Mustang Shelby GT350. That's because, even if you rally for a different team, Ford's creation will spur fiercer competition among the muscle-car set, and possibly beyond. You think the Chevy Camaro Z/28 is good now? Just wait until GM gets a load of this and benchmarks it for the next-generation, lighter-weight Camaro.

Under that striped, mean-lookin' hood sits a 5.2-liter V-8 with a Ferrari-style flat-plane crankshaft. We don't have final output figures yet, and as you can imagine, that bugs the crap out of us. But expect more than 500 horsepower and 400 lb-ft of torque.

A full complement of track-ready suspension and braking components means the new GT350 channels the now-defunct Mustang Boss 302 model's aura. Actually, it doesn't so much channel it as chop it up and snort it.

2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata Cup Race Car

Fresh off of our high from seeing the new fourth-generation MX-5 Miata for the first time just a few months ago, this racing version came along and spiked our adrenaline levels all over again.

The MX-5 Miata Cup car, as it's being called, will compete in a new global single-make Miata racing series.

Mazda has yet to reveal the Cup car's final specifications, but it'll receive a similar performance-enhancing regimen to today's spec Miata race cars. That means upgrades to the exhaust, suspension, intake, and brakes.

The MX-5 Miata Cup car will use a 2.0-liter four-cylinder and is expected to weigh about the same as the roadgoing Miata (2300 pounds or so).

Now for the best part: This MX-5 Miata race car not only is expected to cost less than $50,000, but it'll also arrive totally turn-key from Mazda. Previous Miata racers came with "some assembly required" tags. We of course dig building cars, but it's tough to argue against such a streamlined purchase process.