What is a Sports Car?

MGB, Triumph Spitfire, Sunbeam Alpine, MG Midget, MGF, MX-5, Porsche Boxter, Alfa Spider (original not the new one), Z8, Z4, Z4, SLK etc etc etc.
 
Trouble with the Z3, Z4 and Z8's are while they are nice cars to drive, they really dont give a better drive than any of BMW's "Sports Saloons". The M5 pretty much out handles, and out performs any of them. (Ok I admit E39 M5 is pretty much my dream car... I'd buy one, if it wasnt for rapidly increasing fuel prices)

Another vote for classics like the MG A, and MG B etc, proper sports cars. Simple cars which were designed to be fun.
 
VX220 count then I assume.

Caterham is the first car that jumps to mind, no doors, free reving engine, loads of noise no fancy gismos to help go round corners.

And well a roof is optional.
 
I've always thought of two seater soft-tops as Roadsters, have I got that wrong?

I don't think sports cars can have more than 2 seats (no 2+2s), but can definately have a roof.

The Exige, Z4C, Cayman, etc, are firmly in the 'sports car' bracket for me...
 
lotuselanm100.jpg
 
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2 seats (or the back seat should be useless) and should be a convertible or a convertible with a roof added, aka the Z4. I agree that the M3 is not a sports car.
 
2 seats. It must be RWD. Good chassis (number 2 on the list of importance). Good power:weight (it doesn't mean it has to be a rocket ship).
 
For me a proper sports car is a 'no comprimise' car, so its been designed from the bottom up to be a quick, brilliantly handling car.

M3's and their ilk,Hot hatches etc arent sports cars, as manufacturers have taken normal cars and 'tweaked' them
 
Not really, how Wiki can list Ferrari / Zonda / Lamborghini as sports cars is beyond me.

For example Ferrari build Grand Tourers / Supercars & Hypercars.
 
I just use The Knowledge in the back of Evo to define a sports car, and pretty much agree with you Fox. Bigger cars like the M3 etc are classed as coupes/GT's.
 
A lot of people class coupes as sports cars, but as already mentioned, a sports car is something like the boxter, mx5 etc. A sports car isn't something about being silly fast, but it's silly fun with the roof down IMO.
 
Ed said:
That's interesting.

Is the Lotus Elan out the race as a sports car now?

Wiki sums it up nicely:
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A couple of points...

My reference to FWD was in connection to the Fiat picture, as the poster seemed to suggest it was RWD. I would not personally rely on Wikipedia to define ‘stuff’, being as it is often written by one person with no quantifiable expertise.

Do I think the Elan is a sports car? By many peoples definition yes, but I prefer my sports cars with RWD even though the Elan is probably the best expression of how to do FWD right I can think of.

As I said above, it depends on your outlook and standpoint.
 
paradigm said:
I agree with you entirely Fox. A sports car has two seats, is light and nimble, and has a drop-top.

Nick - The M3 never has, will or could be a "sports car". It is a "sporty" car, but not a "sports car".
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so a f430 spider is a sports car, but a non spider f430 is not?
 
housemaster said:
I would not personally rely on Wikipedia to define ‘stuff’, being as it is often written by one person with no quantifiable expertise.
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It's actually a very good summary of the definition, hence the highlight.

housemaster said:
Do I think the Elan is a sports car? By many peoples definition yes, but I prefer my sports cars with RWD even though the Elan is probably the best expression of how to do FWD right I can think of.
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It was and still is one of the few exceptions to all the rules. A fantastic car.

housemaster said:
As I said above, it depends on your outlook and standpoint.
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I personally see sports cars as Caterhams, Westfields, Elise etc. Hardcore maybe! MX5, while a great drive is too soft and more a back road GT. The last sports car I drove was a Dutton based on a Fiat with a Strada Abarth engine. It was terrifying but exhilirating; a proper sports car.
 
Morba said:
So cost is also a factor then?

F355 spider / non spider? - can be had for less than a new boxster s.
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As we all know the british invented the sports car, it just so happens the Japanese do the best versions of the traditional british sports car, which means available to most (as in cost) drop top, doesn't need huge amounts of power, fun to drive, Two seats and the rear wheels being driven.

That doesn't matter either, when the 355 came out it was a supercar, just because its now old doesn't stop it from being a supercar, it suddenly doesn't move down the ranks, its class is based upon when it was produced.
 
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