Also new for 2008 is the first modern electric-powered sports car, the low-slung Tesla Roadster. The San Carlos, Calif.-based startup says the car production will be limited to 800 units for its first model year and, pending no further hold-ups (it was originally due to be released this fall but was delayed, reportedly because of transmission problems), the car will enter production next spring.

The Tesla Roadster borrows the ultra-light aluminum chassis of the Lotus Elise and the company says it will run for 245 miles on a charge and reach 60 mph in less than four seconds.

Tesla expects both well-heeled environmentalists and sports-car aficionados to be drawn to the $98,000 Roadster. "A strong motivation for many of our customers is the fact that the Roadster will be the only production car available that produces zero emissions," says Darryl Siry, Tesla's vice president of sales, marketing and service. "But the design and performance of the car are each a powerful draw on their own."

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Analysts hope an infusion of new models in the years ahead, combined with a market shift as aging Baby Boomers' transportation needs change and their disposable income increases, will breathe new life into the broader end of the sports-car segment. "The sports car market will improve a bit in terms of volume as America ages and can afford them," says Vincentric's Wurster. "There's a lot of guys waiting out there for their kids to graduate college so they can indulge themselves."

According to the Power Information Network, the sports car segment is still dominated by the youngest group of buyers with an average age of 42. But that average has been steadily inching up in recent decades. The average Porsche buyer's age rose from 42.7 years old in the 1970s to 51.2 in the 1990s, according to CNW data. The average Corvette buyer was 38.1 in the Nixon/Carter era, yet rose to 49.6 in the Bush/Clinton period.

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Slide Show: The hottest sports cars for 2008
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Upward age creep could be one reason sports cars have been gaining computer-controlled suspensions, advanced chassis-control features, dual-clutch semi-automatic shifters, and luxury-car convenience features. "As people get older, and the population of this country is clearly getting older, they want more amenities and comfort," Wurster says. "But you can still go and buy yourself a Lotus Elise and get a car with no amenities if you want to be a true-blue sports car guy."

To see the full list of hottest sports cars, which includes models that are either all-new or significantly updated for 2008, click on the “slide show” link above.

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