What is a sports car?

[Esprit]

Okay, here's the deal... I'm a purist and I'm a big sports car fan. I'm sick of having the same old tired old debate with the same old riceboys on exactly what a sports car is. Now i know this is a common debate etc. but I want to know what YOU think. Common conception over here is that anything fast is a sports car.... hence a Nissan GTR is a sports car.

My opinion is that a sports car is small, light, almost exclusively two-seats only, leaning towards a minimum of creature comforts, often convertible, basically a car that is aimed at driving pleasure, not necessarily racing or transport.

As for the GTR, the GT in the name basically spells out that this is a GT, not a Sports car (although it could possibly be a Sports Sedan.
The same is true of a Beamer M3.
My argument is that a sports car has really nothing to do with performance.... like it or not, the MGF and MX-5 are sports cars, albeit towards the more mundane end of the scale.
Now, I know there will be many people out there who will disagree, and I'm not trying to stir up a hornets nest but here's just a few cars that people often argue are sports cars but I have to disagree on:

NOT sports cars:
*Toyota Supra
*Nissan Skyline (GTR or otherwise)
*RX-7 (With the POSSIBLE exception of some of the more stripped-down versions of the Batmobile shape)
*Escort Cosworth
*TVR Cerbera
*Any Jaguar Since the 2-seater E-Types
*Honda Integra
*Honda Civic (Type R or otherwise)
*Peugeot 205GTi
*Vauxhall Nova with baked-bean can exhaust and Halfords tat.

The following are a selection of cars that I believe ARE sports Cars.

*TVR Griffith/Chim/Tamora/Tuscan
*Toyota MR2
*Honda S2000
*Porsche Boxster
*Lotus Elite S1
*Lotus Elan
*Honda NSX
*Fiat X1/9
etc.

Now, you can hopefully see what I'm getting at in my definition of a sports car...now I'd like to see yours... whaddaya think?

[pawsmcgraw]

Bang on!But do you think a 911/968,944 come under that heading?Perhaps they should/are GT cars.

[Esprit]

The 911 has always confused me, and in the same vain so has the 944.... I'd DEFINITELY call the 928 a GT, The 944 probably a GT also, but the 911.... the early ones were sportscars for sure, but in recent years I feel they've become more GTish as well with the top-models being more supercar than sports car

[pawsmcgraw]

Yeah,i'd probably agree.An 85 911 turbo to me was a sports car and a GT autobahn stormer,aswell as being quite possible the easiest car to spin on a wet roundabout with or without throttle.The 944 turbo cabrio of which i think they only made a few,the 250 brake ones were IMHO a sports car?
What about a Midget or even a MGB(SHUDDER)

[308gt4]

if it's useful for anything outside motorsport it's not a sports car

therefore sports car :

clubman
elise
porker 911/any variant thereof
***disclaimer here as you can use them as speedhumps in carparks as well
any Ferrari Challenge car ***all others are GTs

GT (car must be able to maintain high safe speed in comfort) cars :

AM
any Ferrari bar CH
Lamborghini
928 porker
AMG
M3/5
some Jags (if they stay working long enough)
Nissan GTR
Honda NSX
Daewoo (nah, only kidding )


Masochist cars :

MGs
Corvettes
TVR
Jags
Lotus'
Alfas
Ferraris

:NowWhere'sMeFlameproofJacket:

[markqelise]

Christ - stick alloys and a spoiler on anything and its a 'Sports' car , IMHO a sports car should grip and go as well as being small and nimble, Elise, TVR Tamora and Griff, Noble,
MR2,360 Modena etc etc. 911, Cerbie, vanquish are all GT's with the likes of Supra's M3's etc being performance cars.

[markqelise]

Christ - stick alloys and a spoiler on anything and its a 'Sports' car , IMHO a sports car should grip and go as well as being small and nimble, Elise, TVR Tamora and Griff, Noble,
MR2,360 Modena etc etc. 911, Cerbie, vanquish are all GT's with the likes of Supra's M3's etc being performance cars.

[456mgt]

You'll always get into difficulties with definitions here since it's where different people draw the line. In the end, the answer is probably 'whatever you think it is'.

[kevinday]

This old chestnut again, IMHO as follows:

More than 2 seats = not a sports car, but a GT if performance is suitable, thus the only Porsches to make this are RS/Clubsport models (Boxster too slow unless its the S).

Poor performance = not a sports car, thus an MX5 (eg.) is not a sports car but a small convertible car.

Interestingly soft or hard top can be a sports car, thus 240Z Datsun is definitely a sports car.

[AlexH]

Esprit said: The 911 has always confused me, and in the same vain so has the 944.... I'd DEFINITELY call the 928 a GT, The 944 probably a GT also, but the 911.... the early ones were sportscars for sure, but in recent years I feel they've become more GTish as well with the top-models being more supercar than sports car

Which asks another interesting question... when does a sports car become a supercar? Are the small Ferraris sports cars or super cars?

Dictionary definition (ok what do they know about cars but here goes): 'an open low-built fast car'.

I think having only 2 seats is necessary for a true sports car.

[Esprit]

HEhehe yeah well I'd define my TR7 as a sports car, as I would all the Triumph TR's and yeah a Datsun 240Z would sneak in as well, but not the much heavier 260/280Z which are GTs if anything.
I think a sports car should only have 2 seats almost exclusively, i think if it's got more than 2 then it's not (although if there are any exceptions to this, please feel free to point them out)

[monkeyjunky]

2 Seat rule and the Mclaren don't stack up.

[thrust]

AlexH said:

Esprit said: The 911 has always confused me, and in the same vain so has the 944.... I'd DEFINITELY call the 928 a GT, The 944 probably a GT also, but the 911.... the early ones were sportscars for sure, but in recent years I feel they've become more GTish as well with the top-models being more supercar than sports car

Which asks another interesting question... when does a sports car become a supercar? Are the small Ferraris sports cars or super cars?

at about 160 mph according to this months' CAR magazine.

Although I would have thought that a no-compromise design an build ethos was a necessity.

[moleamol]

What does that make mine then? Bearing in mind it has a rather un-shy 300+bhp and will thouroughly whip most things round a track. Car is in profile.

[pawsmcgraw]

who cares,its very bloody nice and i dare say rapid!!!

[incorrigible]

That's a rally car on road tyres IMHO

Not with Kev on the MX5 I reckon it is a sports car, mind you it also fits into the hairdressers car catagory

I had a MKII MR2, I used it like a GT, but I reckon that's a sports car too (borderline hairdresser though, depends on the model)

M3/5 Performance cars
Astons, Jags, proper GTs

All IMHO of course

[Paul V]

On holiday last year I had some bloke telling me he drove a sports car, when I asked what it was he said a 2.2 diesel proton, I nearly pissed myself!!!

[tailslider]

A real sportscar is a lightweight two seater with serious power to weight ratio. An elise is one even though it would be whipped by an m3 etc. An MGF however is not a sportscar as it doesn't have the power. It's just a shite car.

[M@H]

so how many categories have we got now?:

Sportscar
Supercar
GT
Rally Car

any more..?

[pawsmcgraw]

tailslider said: A real sportscar is a lightweight two seater with serious power to weight ratio. An elise is one even though it would be whipped by an m3 etc. An MGF however is not a sportscar as it doesn't have the power. It's just a shite car.

Does an MGF not come with the same power plant as an Elise?even if it is a shite car