The performance versions of regular cars are the new iPhones.

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It's a tired old story: every year, we get a new iPhone that's largely similar to the previous model, with some improvements here and there—and perhaps a new color option or two. It's still an iPhone, it does what you need it to do, but it's not really anything different than before.

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It's a little bit like the old days, when the iPhone was a revolutionary phone that changed the way we interacted with technology, and every year Apple would make small improvements to it. But now, after years and years of incremental updates, we're left with an iPhone that is largely similar in each generation, with some improvements, an increased price and declining levels of boldness.

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And just like Apple's iPhone line-up, performance versions of regular cars are largely similar in each generation: some improvements here and there, but mostly just iteration on an existing formula. The same thing is happening with performance versions of regular cars. Like the Civic Type R and Golf GTI, they're largely similar in each generation; they've got the same general shape and feel, they're just faster and more expensive than their non-performance counterparts. The M5 is another example; it's basically an upgraded version of an already-existing car (the 5-Series), and while that's fine.....will that badge ever stand for anything revolutionary ever again?

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You'll find "GTI" badges on Volkswagen hatchbacks, "RS" badges on Audi sedans and "R" badges on BMWs—all of which are designed to get your heart racing and show everyone you've got more money than they do. And while it may seem like these cars are more expensive than their predecessors… well… they are! But not by much! And besides: what else would you have done with your money?

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When Honda revealed the Civic Type R, it was a revelation. The fastest front-wheel-drive car ever made, with a 2.0-liter turbocharged engine that made 306 horsepower and 295 lb.-ft. of torque. It could hit 100 km/h from a standstill in under five seconds, and it had a top speed of 180 km/h (112 mph).

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But today, we're not sure if we're even getting our money's worth when we buy a performance version of our favorite regular cars. It seems like every time there's a new one, all it does is add a little more power and tweak the design slightly—but at the same time, it gets more expensive than ever before.

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The Golf GTI has been around since 1976—and each generation has become slightly more powerful than the last while also getting more expensive. In 2015, Volkswagen released their fourth-generation GTI model: an upgraded version with 292 hp (200 kW) and 280 pound feet (380 Nm) of torque.

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However, there are some exceptions to the rule – performance versions of regular cars that bring something new to the table. The BMW M2 is one such example: it has its own engine (the M3/M4's S55), it’s lighter than its predecessors and has a standard manual transmission (unheard of!).

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I'm not saying that they're bad, because we're not here to criticize. But we are saying that the newest models of performance cars are incredibly predictable.

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The reason for this relative blandness of new performance rides makes sense. In order to justify the investment of performance versions, they have to be built on top of typically bland, mass market cars. But there's barely any fizz on new product launches - the new C63, M5, GTI etc. The designs are always so predictable that rendering artists have shown the 95% real thing years before they even arrive. Yes there's more power, yes it's faster, and yes it's more expensive. But they never radically change the game when it comes to performance. So is that it? Will we ever see a revolutionary performance version again?

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For years, we've been waiting for a truly revolutionary performance vehicle. The GTI, the C63, and the M5 are all well-known for their brute force and incredible performance, but they're all built on top of cars that aren't necessarily designed with performance in mind. So what if you wanted to design a car from scratch? What would it look like?

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Performance cars have become so common that people have started to take them for granted—they're no longer special or exciting because they've become so accessible. The same thing happened with SUVs: once upon a time, they were reserved for rich families who wanted to brag about how much money they had (and now they're everywhere). So maybe it's just that new performance models are becoming less novel because they're more ubiquitous than ever before?

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