Wango Tango becomes a beach party with new Surf City U.S.A. venue

• May 11, 2025

It’s a radio concert that’s so iconic, it was a key plot point in Disney’s 2003 remake of “Freaky Friday.” But with a new venue, new city and whole new vibe, it’s safe to say this isn’t your parents’ Wango Tango.

KISS-FM’s Wango Tango returned to Orange County on Saturday, May 10, at Huntington City Beach. The general admission event took place in the sand with concertgoers encouraged to bring their own beach towels if they wanted a spot to sit on the beach.

The venue change also displayed a notable shift in crowd size for the annual daylong concert, when you compare it to its 2019 prepandemic performance at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, which was a televised event through iHeartRadio with acts including Taylor Swift, Halsey and the Jonas Brothers, who had just reunited earlier that year.

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However, the new Surf City USA location proved to be a favorable choice for some, with temperatures for the day ranging from 90 to over 100 degrees across parts of Los Angeles, Orange County and the Inland Empire. With a new location came some confusion, as there were no signs to indicate where on the beach the Wango Tango stage and entrance were. Limited beach lots made parking difficult for many attendees. The usual street parking spots and nearby garages by restaurants were taken early in the day because of other activities happening on the beach, including a surf competition and volleyball tournament.

There’s nothing like a hometown hero, and it’s apparent that’s what Gwen Stefani is for Orange County. As the No Doubt singer’s set was being introduced by KIIS-FM DJ’s Sisanie Villaclara and JoJo Wright, people weren’t just rushing to the stage, they were jumping over the barricade from general admission into the ticketed pit.

The commotion caused security and safety concerns from those in attendance and took away from the calmer atmosphere earlier in the day. Perhaps a sign that if the concert returns to the beach, organizers should take a page from other festivals and have the venue with one open space area for general admission in addition to the VIP zone.

Stefani performed a variety of her hits from both her solo career and her No Doubt days, kicking her set off with “The Sweet Escape.” Throughout her performance, Stefani made multiple notes of her O.C. roots, sharing her love for the community she grew up in as she introduced “Just a Girl” as a song she wrote while still living with her parents in the area.

• RELATED: No Doubt talks ‘Tragic Kingdom’ at 25: The tears, tours and triumphs behind the classic album

Stefani closed her set with “Hollaback Girl,” from her 2004 debut solo album “Love. Angel. Music. Baby.” The performance made the crowd go bananas as they sang along to the lyrics to the memorable bridge and dancers brought out life-size bananas for the finale.

Other top acts on the lineup included Doja Cat, Meghan Trainor and DJ David Guetta.

Doja Cat’s performance built off the momentum of Gwen Stefani’s set before her. The artist captivated the crowd from the moment she took the stage. She performed her hits “Kiss Me More” and “Say So” before closing with her 2023 single “Paint The Town Red.” Unlike Stefani, Doja Cat at no point chatted between songs with the Huntington Beach crowd, focusing entirely on the music and her performance.

• RELATED: Doja Cat wows with an elaborate show to close out Coachella 2024

Trainor’s set showcased the variety of radio hits from her decade-long career, playing newer tunes like “Mother” as well as the breakout single that skyrocketed her to mainstream success, “All About That Bass.” Throughout her performance, Trainor giggled with fans and shared her appreciation to be on the Wango Tango stage. She closed her set with “Made You Look,” the song that revitalized her career in 2022, in part because of a viral TikTok dance trend of the catchy chorus.

K-pop artists took over the early lineup of the day, a sign of the times that the genre continues to dominate the airwaves. Despite having shorter sets with only a handful of songs, fans of the genre were eager to see the groups perform. Five of the nine acts for the Wango Tango lineup were K-pop artists, including Hearts2Hearts, which made its U.S. live performance debut at the show.

Los Angeles-based group Katseye was another crowd favorite. Despite experiencing a minor technical difficulty at the start of their set when the backtrack of their song “Gnarly” didn’t start right away, it didn’t stop the girl group from missing a beat or prevent fans from belting out the lyrics to the group’s songs.

​ Orange County Register 

How Natalie Nakase believed in herself to become a WNBA head coach

• May 11, 2025

HUNTINGTON BEACH — Natalie Nakase beat the sunrise.

It’s not because she couldn’t sleep. It’s not because she didn’t have time to rest on this March morning. After all, the start of the WNBA season was two months away. And, yet, Nakase was tormenting herself – waking up at 5 a.m. one morning, and going to bed after midnight the next evening.

“I’m training myself,” she says, “to sustain positive energy and mental focus through exhaustion.”

This was her way, she explains, of preparing for the inconsistency of the WNBA schedule. Nobody asked her to do this. None of the esteemed coaches – Doc Rivers, Tyronn Lue, Becky Hammon – who mentored her taught her this strategy. No, she’s just crazy, she says.

Crazy about winning.

“It’s the only important thing in my life,” she says. “I’m laser focused. I’m a hard worker. I’m obsessive.”

And right now, to achieve winning, she has to embody those traits.

Nakase faces a rare challenge. She’s a first-time head coach leading a brand-new franchise: the WNBA’s latest expansion team, the Golden State Valkyries. There’s no foundation, no culture. She’s tasked with establishing both. She’s responsible for uniting players who’ve never played together and building a franchise from the ground up.

This is her dream job. Yet, she feels no pressure, she says. That’s why she was hired.

When Nakase was being considered for the Valkyries’ position, she was interviewed by team owner Joe Lacob, a billionaire executive who has also owned the Golden State Warriors since 2010. Soon into their conversation, Nakase noticed she gained comfort hearing how hard Lacob worked for his success.

“You remind me of my dad,” she told him.

‘Lift your head’

The late Gary Nakase was quiet but intelligent, his daughters’ friends and loved ones described. Standing 5-foot-5 with long, graying facial hair, he picked his spots, but when he spoke, you listened.

That was only one side of Nakase’s experience.

“Just tough,” she said, “strict, brutally honest. But, he always wanted the best for me.”

When Nakase was 10 years old, she had a bad game and overheard parents chastising her mistakes. She grew frustrated, put her head down and began to cry. Her dad walked over to her, his overgrown mustache and flip flops standing out in a gym of fades and Jordans.

“Lift your head,” Nakase recalled him saying.

“Don’t ever give a (expletive) about what people think,” he continued. “Always believe in yourself, Natalie. Always.”

“That gave me a completely different mindset,” Nakase said, reflecting on the impressionable moment. “I was like, ‘OK, great, I don’t have to care what people think.’”

Throughout her childhood, Nakase’s father intentionally placed her in “high-adversity” situations.

When she rose to be the top girl on her childhood team, he made her play against boys. When she made history as the first freshman on the girls’ varsity squad at Marina High in Huntington Beach, he forced her to play against women in the offseason. Whenever she became the best, he wanted her to remember what it felt like to be the worst, and have to work for everything all over again.

Because of this, she grew wary of receiving opportunities for free, even if they were deserved. She turned down a basketball scholarship from UC Irvine, instead deciding to walk on at UCLA.

‘A floor general’

In the fall of 1998, all 5-foot-2 of her strutted into Kathy Olivier’s office and told the then-UCLA women’s basketball coach that she could hang with the Bruins’ scholarship players and earn her own if she tried out.

There weren’t formal tryouts, so it helped that Olivier had scouted Nakase at Marina, where she had led the Vikings to a CIF championship as a senior.

“She was a very good leader,” Olivier said. “A floor general. Those types of players are usually very good coaches.”

The same determination that Nakase carried into Olivier’s office, she held throughout her career, never avoiding the grind needed to achieve any goal.

She tore her ACL before her freshman season at UCLA, but still earned a scholarship because she was a sponge, Olivier said. By her senior year, she became team captain. She held teammates accountable in a way they respected, slipping them uplifting comments during games, and encouraging them to meet her for early morning workouts.

Her former college teammate, Michelle Greco, who has remained close with Nakase, described her as having the “Steph Curry effect.”

“You see yourself more in Natalie because she’s just that everyday girl,” the former Bruins and Crescenta Valley High star said. “She worked her tail off to get to where she’s at, and it wasn’t because of her natural physical abilities. I think it says a lot for kids growing up and they see someone like Natalie: You know that if you sacrifice and you’re disciplined, and you work hard enough, why can’t I do it too?”

‘She was just good’

Asian-American women are a distinct minority in NBA circles, but the lack of examples didn’t dissuade Nakase. Channeling her father’s message to not care about others’ paths, she paved her own.

After starting her career overseas, she earned a position in player development for the Clippers, who were then coached by Rivers. She immediately commanded the respect of players a foot or two taller than her. She worked to understand Rivers’ system because she felt being well-prepared allowed her to coach with confidence.

“When I hired Natalie,” Rivers said. “I didn’t look at her like she was small, I didn’t look at her like male, female or any of that stuff, she was just good.”

Nakase spent 10 seasons with the Clippers, maintaining her role under their next head coach, Tyronn Lue. Her goal was to become an NBA head coach. But in 2021, when her father passed away, she couldn’t avoid seeing reminders of him throughout Southern California.

She felt a new area and challenge were necessary.

Lue suggested contacting Becky Hammon, the head coach of the Las Vegas Aces who had also cut her teeth as an assistant in the NBA with San Antonio’s Gregg Popovich. At first Nakase was hesitant, but when they spoke, Hammon’s first question was, “How are you doing as a person?”

“I knew right then and there I needed to work with her,” Nakase said of joining Hammon’s Aces staff. “I needed to learn from her. I needed to be under her care.”

In Nakase’s first season with the Aces in 2022, the team overcame a low preseason projection to win the WNBA championship. Their collective perseverance made that season Nakase’s favorite of her career. The Aces went back-to-back, winning it again the following year.

At that point, Nakase had earned the reputation as a championship-caliber assistant and, with the popularity around women’s basketball heightening, she saw a route to a new goal as a WNBA head coach.

To earn that position, it didn’t hurt to have the support of Rivers, Lue and Hammon. And now that she’s reached her goal, Nakase says, she’s applying lessons from each of them.

From Lue, she took the importance of communication. From Hammon, she has the power of empathy. From Rivers, she learned the first step to starting any franchise is building a culture.

Rivers, though, told her she can’t just mimic her mentors.

“Just be true to yourself,” he told her. “That’s all that matters.’”

So, during the WNBA’s expansion draft, Nakase sought relentless workers with a high IQ. And, when it came to her personal image of the Valkyries’ culture, Nakase says, her players are her culture.

In the months leading up to training camp and the WNBA season, she harped on connectivity, understanding what made her players tick. She connected with them through Zooms and phone calls, as many were playing overseas or in the Unrivaled league.

Nakase and the Valkyries’ owner, Lacob, are aligned. Bonded by the intense determination that reminded Nakase of her father, they share lofty expectations. They’re striving for a playoff appearance in the first season, and to contend for a title within five years.

“This is a brand new team,” Nakase said. “So we have to be clear and concise with our teaching. We’re not wasting the players’ time.”

‘I failed as much as I could’

Back in Huntington Beach, Nakase’s presence is undeniable. While she doesn’t have as much time to return and share her mantra of diligence and self-confidence, her story is revered.

“So many kids can relate to her,” said Danny Roussel, the girls’ varsity coach at Marina High. “Probably half of our girls are little Asian girls that look like her. They see themselves in her. So that’s really cool that they can look up to somebody from Huntington Beach that looks like them.”

Marina recently started retiring the jerseys of former boys’ basketball players as a way to honor its history. Roussel felt he needed to do the same for the girls’ team. Nakase was the clear inaugural choice.

So, about 18 months ago, the Vikings’ gym welcomed Nakase, her family, her former Marina teammates and coach, her former UCLA teammates, a handful of Aces players she coached, people from Orange County’s Southeast Asian basketball community, and a Zoom appearance from Doc Rivers. A world of individuals whom Nakase has touched, grouped into one room to do the thing she hates the most: Celebrate her achievements.

She inspired them with her journey, and on that afternoon, she allowed herself to relish in it, pausing her constant drive for a moment of satisfaction.

“I never felt like I was gonna be that impressionable or inspirational,” Nakase says. “I literally just follow my passion and what I stand for. The reason why I’m here is, I took big risks and I failed as much as I could.”

She constantly encourages young girls to do the same – make mistakes, experience and enjoy struggles, follow aspirations regardless of outside opinions, and work hard for whatever the dream is.

“If I can put that imprint on the next generation, then I feel like there is going to be a next Natalie Nakase,” she says.

​ Orange County Register 

Santa Anita horse racing consensus picks for Sunday, May 11, 2025

• May 11, 2025

The consensus box of Santa Anita horse racing picks comes from handicappers Bob Mieszerski, Eddie Wilson, Kevin Modesti and Mark Ratzky. Here are the picks for thoroughbred races on Sunday, May 11, 2025.

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​ Orange County Register 

1 killed, dozens injured after tour bus crash on 60 Freeway in Hacienda Heights

• May 11, 2025

One person was killed and dozens of others were injured, including two in critical condition, when a tour bus rear-ended an SUV early Sunday, May 11 and the car caught fire on the 60 Freeway in Hacienda Heights, authorities said.

The crash on the westbound freeway, at the Hacienda Boulevard off-ramp, occurred around 5 a.m. The California Highway Patrol reported that a man was seen lying near the right shoulder of the westbound freeway.

Firefighters and paramedics were dispatched at 5:07 a.m. and reported that an SUV was fully engulfed in flames. The fire did not spread to the bus, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

The SUV driver was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the department.

CHP Officer Zachary Salazar said 63 people were aboard the bus, including the driver, and a total of 32 people on the bus were transported to hospitals.

Freelance news videographer OC Hawk reported that the bus was coming from the Morongo area and headed to Koreatown.

The westbound freeway was fully closed for a few hours after the crash, but some lanes had reopened by 8:30 a.m.

​ Orange County Register 

Californians aren’t blind to Newsom’s ambitions

• May 11, 2025

Gavin Newsom wants to be president of the United States. This has been apparent for some time now. What has also been apparent is that he’s been more distracted by these aspirations.

It now appears that a majority of Californians have come to perceive this, too.

A recent UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll found that 54% of registered voters think the governor is “paying more attention to the things that might benefit his presidential ambitions than governing the state and helping to solve its problems.”  Just 26% didn’t see that and the rest had no opinion.

Indeed, the governor  of the largest state by population in the United States has made time for not one, but two podcasts. The first is “Politickin’” with former football player Marshawn Lynch and his newest is called, notably, “This is Gavin Newsom.”

On and off for the past several years, he’s also been quite the campaigner outside of California.

This has included a red-state tour in places like Alabama, because, you know, it makes total sense for the governor of California to be meeting with legislators in Alabama.

Newsom also made sure to repeatedly put himself out there as a booster for President Joe Biden even after his disastrous debate performance last year. Newsom then worked to campaign for fellow Californian Kamala Harris in other states. We saw how that went.

And while many of us have probably forgotten it, there was that strange debate between Newsom and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Fox News while DeSantis was still running for president.

Every so often, Newsom makes headlines for bucking his party in a way that seems designed to distinguish him.

A notable instance was his sudden departure from the standard Democratic position on his podcast in which he indicated he thought it was unfair for males to compete against females in sports. In that same podcast episode, he also indicated his disfavor for using terms like “Latinx,” despite the fact he previously used it several times.

Such instances have been rightly understood as part of his gradual effort to move toward the center and appeal to a broader set of Americans. Why might a governor suddenly do that?

And for the most part, Newsom has been able to get away with doing this.

One of his few publicly visible slip-ups was his absenteeism during the debate over Proposition 36 last year in which he half-heartedly floated a competing ballot measure, then pulled the idea and later said he didn’t have the time to campaign against Prop. 36. You know, with his new podcast and need to be a key figure in the presidential campaign. But Newsom didn’t seem to pay any penalty one way or another for this, besides irking the subset of progressives who really care about criminal justice reform. In fact, pulling out of the debate spared him from the biggest hits he could’ve taken.

Newsom has also been quite the website-maker lately, including boosting californiafacts.com to push back against critics of his policies and what’s going on in California.

Newsom, of course, isn’t the first ambitious governor of California. After all, Ronald Reagan made it to the White House and Jerry Brown certainly tried.  And it makes sense for someone to want to hop from governing the biggest state to wanting to govern the country.

But it should be cause for concern for Newsom that most Californians are not only aware of this, but are seeing that it’s distracting him from serving them. Newsom can be as ambitious as he’d like, but he needs to keep California front and center of his attention.

​ Orange County Register 

Discovering a mother-daughter bond via a late-night email

• May 11, 2025

Although this will be the second Mother’s Day we’ve spent together, Katelyn Watkins and I still haven’t figured out which one of us is the mother.

Katelyn, my friend in the night, and I met several years ago at about 2:30 a.m. when I emailed a writing submission to TELEPHONE, an international arts project where she is an editor. Middle-of-the-night communiques are not unusual for me, but getting a response about 15 minutes later was a surprise. Who was this person who also wrote in the night?

Her reply was so warm and interesting that it prompted a reply from me. And thus blossomed a virtual friendship borne from our mutual love for poetry, in general, and Emily Dickinson, specifically. For the next two years, we were in contact regularly, exchanging missives in the wee hours between her desk in Austin, Texas and mine in Altadena.

Although she is young enough to be my daughter, we have such a special connection that my daughter, Sara, has suggested that Katelyn may have been my mother, or daughter, in another life. Either way, we are happy. Two years ago, when Katelyn learned I had a special birthday coming up in May, she decided it was time for us to meet in person. So she and her partner hopped on a plane and made it happen. 

We had a warm and splendid Mother’s Day/birthday celebration weekend, and I cried when they left, partly because of the joy we had shared and partly because I was already missing them.

A lot has happened since that visit. Her delightful partner, Andrew, is now her delightful fiancé, and I am looking forward to a trip to Texas for their wedding.

My TELEPHONE piece was accepted and published, and I have a new piece in the upcoming project.

Moonshadows in Malibu, where we celebrated my birthday, burned down in the Palisades fire, as did much of the Palisades and Altadena. My friend in the night cried with relief when I told her my house had been spared. 

As I work on my memoir, Katelyn assigned herself as my editor, taking care of details from a distance and sorting out my technical hiccups. In many ways, she reminds me of the best parts of my younger self when the word “no” was a challenge overridden by enthusiasm. 

She graciously accepts lemons from my tree that I send her via my buddy Mr. Moon without questioning the how-to behind them. And this year, we will make lemonade together on Mother’s Day.

Katelyn has reminded me that we are never too old to make a new friend or maybe discover an old mother or daughter.

Email patriciabunin@sbcglobal.net. Follow her at Patriciabunin.com.

​ Orange County Register 

In praise of the great Salman Rushdie

• May 11, 2025

“If we can’t trust ourselves as a culture to accommodate ideas we don’t like,” declared author Salman Rushdie at the Library of Congress in 2023, “then our ideas lose their value as well, because they become authoritarian.”

This is a notion many Americans have long taken for granted. In America, unlike much of the world, the free exchange of ideas has been a norm. It’s made for uneasy and tense clashes between Americans with wildly different views of the world, made only worse in recent years thanks to social media. But even still, America is a place where people can reliably access a broad spectrum of views if they wish.

This is as it should be.

Yet Rushdie himself has been  living testament to  the fact that not everyone values freedom of speech, freedom of expression and freedom of thought.

Three years ago, a religious fanatic tried to assassinate Rushdie in New York. The attempted assassin was following up on the 1989 fatwa by then-Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini calling for the killing of Rushdie for the crime of writing a novel, “The Satanic Verses.”

Indeed, fanatics actually attacked bookstores across the west, including in Berkeley, in response to the controversy, with explosives and Molotov cocktails.

Rushdie, for his part, has bravely carried on his life and continued putting out books, continued making public appearances and has continued to speak his mind.

Accordingly, it’s no surprise Claremont McKenna College announced that Rushdie would be the school’s 2026 commencement speaker.

Rushdie knows a thing or two about the importance of ideas, their examination and their free exchange.

Unfortunately, some supposed spokespeople for the Islamic community have taken to attacking Rushdie’s scheduled address.

They cite, as one basis for their complaint, an interview he did last year in which he said he’s long supported a Palestinian state and that any normal person would be shocked by what’s going on in Gaza but that “if there were a Palestinian state now, it would be run by Hamas and we would have a Taliban-like state. A satellite state of Iran. Is this what the progressive movements of the western left want to create?”

The horror, a nuanced take on a complicated conflict.

Rushdie isn’t perfect, no one is, but he makes perfect sense as a commencement speaker. If people want to complain, fine, but no legitimate institution in its right mind should rescind an invitation to Salman Rushdie.

What he has to say is worth hearing.

​ Orange County Register 

Edmunds: Five great budget performance cars for under $35,000

• May 11, 2025

By JOSH JACQUOT, Edmunds

New car prices continue to rise for the latest high-performance sports cars. Even a new Chevrolet Corvette, long considered a performance bargain compared to the likes of the Porsche 911, has a starting price of almost $70,000. But that doesn’t mean driving enthusiasts on a budget can’t find a car that’s both fulfilling to drive and genuinely capable.

The auto experts at Edmunds have come up with their five favorite performance vehicles for under $35,000. True, you won’t be able to buy anything with a V8. The same applies to electric power — the best-value electric performers cost more. But the vehicles listed here have other distinct advantages. All of the following prices include destination fees.

Dodge Hornet GT

There’s some irony in the first vehicle in a list of budget-performance cars not being a car at all. But Dodge’s Hornet isn’t your usual small SUV. First off, it has an Italian heritage. Though you wouldn’t know it by its styling, the Hornet shares much of its mechanical design with the Alfa Romeo Tonale small luxury SUV. Second, it’s genuinely powerful for a pint-size SUV. The GT version has a turbocharged four-cylinder engine that cranks out 268 horsepower and is good enough to get you from 0 to 60 mph in about 6.5 seconds. Another bonus: It has standard all-wheel drive for all-season driving and more cargo space than the typical performance car.

2025 Hornet starting price: $31,590

Ford Mustang EcoBoost

A Ford Mustang GT with its rumbly V8 is well beyond our $35,000 price cap. But the less expensive Ford Mustang EcoBoost is a viable substitute. Having a turbocharged four-cylinder under the hood might seem like heresy, but you can’t argue with the output of 315 horsepower and 350 lb-ft of torque. With its 10-speed automatic spinning the rear wheels, the Mustang EcoBoost can sprint from 0 to 60 mph in a quick 5.6 seconds. The newest Mustang provides a classic American driving experience while being comfortable, stylish and well equipped with the latest technology features.

2025 Mustang coupe starting price: $33,515

Mazda MX-5 Miata

You’re as likely to see a Mazda MX-5 Miata roadster in the hands of a cool-headed retiree on lonesome canyon roads as you are spotting one ripping through cones at an autocross. In both cases, the Miata’s appeal comes down to the fun-to-drive fundamentals. A four-cylinder engine directs 181 horsepower to the rear wheels through either a six-speed manual or automatic transmission. That’s not much, but you don’t need much when the car is as light as the Miata. A manual-equipped Miata went from 0 to 60 mph in 6.4 seconds at the Edmunds test track. Beyond the numbers, the Miata is all about playfulness. Quick steering, nimble handling and an easy-to-lower top combine to make any drive worthwhile.

2025 MX-5 Miata starting price: $30,715

Subaru BRZ and Toyota GR86

The Subaru BRZ and Toyota 86 are mechanically related. Both use a four-cylinder rated at 228 horsepower that sends its power to the rear wheels through a six-speed manual or a six-speed automatic transmission. Edmunds found these cars can sprint to 60 mph in about 6 seconds when equipped with the manual. There’s enough power to be entertaining but not enough to get a new driver in too much trouble, making these fantastic beginner’s sports cars. And there’s a low center of gravity and classic rear-wheel-drive balance to help drivers enjoyably learn about car control. But the Toyabaru twins don’t stop being fun once you master them.

2025 Toyota GR86 starting price: $31,135; 2025 Subaru BRZ starting price: $32,380

Volkswagen GTI

The Volkswagen GTI is the quintessential budget performance hatchback. It’s fun and engaging to drive yet practical and comfortable day to day. Few cars can do as many things as well as the GTI. Its turbocharged four-cylinder engine produces 241 horsepower. For 2025, every GTI has a seven-speed automatic transmission and front-wheel drive. Edmunds has found it’s good for a 5.9-second 0-60 mph sprint. Besides performance, the GTI has a spacious cabin and a generous cargo area for its size. The original hot hatch that traces its American lineage all the way back to 1983 is a solid performance value.

Starting manufacturer’s suggested retail price: $33,640

Edmunds says

Spending less than $35,000 can get you a fun vehicle to drive in 2025. Each model here has distinct advantages. You’ll likely prefer the Hornet or Golf GTI if space and practicality are priorities. The Miata, BRZ and GR86 all provide a great feel and connection to the road; picking one of these comes down to whether you want a convertible top or the extra security of a coupe. The Mustang can’t be beat for its classic pony car styling and heritage.

This story was provided to The Associated Press by the automotive website Edmunds. Josh Jacquot is a contributor at Edmunds.

​ Orange County Register