Corvette Stingray Coupe

Make
Chevrolet
Segment
Coupe

The votes are in. Last week the new Audi A3 was named as the 2014 Car of the Year. That's all fine and good, but it's not exactly exciting. At the same time and venue (the New York Auto Show), the Porsche 911 GT3 was announced as the World Performance Car of the Year. Yes, this is the same car that's been recalled due to a serious engine fire concern. Heck, the concern was so grave that Porsche is swapping out the engines for all 911 GT3s.

Yet the 911 GT3 still beat out the likes of the Chevy Corvette Stingray and even the Ferrari 458 Speciale for this title. Neither of those two has caught on fire (yet), so the 911 GT3 really must be something very, very special. We're sure owners would agree, but here's the thing: they don't even have their cars at the moment because of the engine recall. So was this a good call to make by this year's panel of judges? Should the award have gone to a performance car that isn't likely to be engulfed in flames? Just something to consider.