At first glance, the Honda S2000, Subaru BRZ, Fiat 124 Spider, and Mazda MX-5 Miata have a lot in common with each other. All four are small and light two-door cars that use their relative weightlessness to provide some of the rawest and most enthusiast-focused driving possible. But when getting into the nitty gritty of each car, something that Engineering Explained does well, the differences begin to pile up.

Even the Fiat 124 Spider, a car built using the borrowed bones of the MX-5 Miata at Mazda's own factory in Hiroshima, Japan, is much different than its cousin once it ships out. Aside from its Italian engine, the main reason why is that the 124 Spider has completely different suspension components.

But what about the rest of the pack? The only other modern car in the group is the Subaru BRZ, which is built using a flat-packed boxer four engine to make for a low center of gravity. To up the ante, Engineering Explained's Jason Fenske brought his very own Honda S2000, an offering echoing from the previous era two-door budget sports car, along for the ride. Usually such an entry is an exercise in self-deprecation of one's own car, but the Honda makes 35 horsepower more than the second most powerful option, the Subaru BRZ, and 85 extra ponies over the Mazda MX-5, which is the least powerful. However the MX-5 slots in at 500 pounds under much of the competition. Suffice it to say, this is comparison gets interesting pretty quick.