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I have to disagree.... A true sports car is always a HARD TOP Coupe, because everyone knows a hardtop handles much better than a body flexing convertible...
Well we will have to agree to disagree, not about flexing although it's not true for the F-type, but regardless of the flex a sports car is a rag top two seater. NEVER a hard top.
Regardless, that definition is an anachronism. While 2-seat, ragtops (or no tops) gave birth to the term, the application and success of aerodynamics in making cars significantly faster rendered that configuration obsolete on race tracks. That's the domain of true "sport cars."
Regardless, that definition is an anachronism. While 2-seat, ragtops (or no tops) gave birth to the term, the application and success of aerodynamics in making cars significantly faster rendered that configuration obsolete on race tracks. That's the domain of true "sport cars."
Obviously, mainstream US car makers are unable to produce anything like that for economic reasons. Their infrastructure is scaled to produce thousands of cars per day which are built to US customer expectations of being able to drive it in a wide range of temperatures over pretty much any surface (New Jersey Turnpike...) while wearing whatever they normally do in the house/office, and without having to concentrate on driving.
It'll be interesting to see how that Alfa turns out once tailored to the US market...
Not so simple, a new, completed Caterham 7 is not legal for sale in the US as a complete vehicle. It can only be sold as a rolling chassis and completed by the owner. It then must be registered under the regulations governing "kit cars" in the owner's resident state.
All I can say is that I know one when I see one.
(Aside to Foosh, you make me miss my old John Player Special. Of course, it wasn't a sports car - more like a go-cart.)
All I can say is that I know one when I see one.
(Aside to Foosh, you make me miss my old John Player Special. Of course, it wasn't a sports car - more like a go-cart.)
Yes, they are absolutely like go-carts as was your Europa. My Elise is the one car that I regret selling and miss the most, out of dozens I've let go. When I think about cars that are just purely an adrenalin rush to carve corners with, nothing else I've driven even comes close and communicates with the driver as well.
I've actually been looking to buy another, and used ones are appreciating. The fact that Lotus gave up on complying w/ US stds. definitely boosted the used market. A comparable, clean '05 like I sold 4 years ago (pictured above), now goes for $10K more than I sold mine for.
BTW, I bought the car above used in Chapel Hill in '06. I put 30K miles on it in 5 years (street and track) without ever doing anything but regular fluid changes and new tires--lot of new tires.
Excellent thread. Where I grew up in 60s and 70s there were coupes, sedans, muscle cars, performance, exotics, sports cars and roadsters.
Coupes and sedans with small or big block drivetrains could be transformed into muscle cars. The performance cars off the line were Vettes, Z28s, Barracudas, Chargers, Boss, Mach I, Javelins, Trans Ams, GTOs, GTXs, Road Runners, Dusters, Demons, GSs, GSXs. Exotics were Lambos, Maseratis, Lotus', Ferraris, Porsches, Alfa Romeos. Sports cars were the Fiat 850s, Triumphs TRs and Spitfires, 240Zs. Jag Es, Mercedes SLs, BMW 2002 were roadsters. And, a rim plus a tire was a wheel.
Not so simple, a new, completed Caterham 7 is not legal for sale in the US as a complete vehicle. It can only be sold as a rolling chassis and completed by the owner. It then must be registered under the regulations governing "kit cars" in the owner's resident state.
Here, we have the option of buying it for £3k less and building it ourselves, or paying full price for a car. My palms itch just thinking about it...
Here, we have the option of buying it for £3k less and building it ourselves, or paying full price for a car. My palms itch just thinking about it...
Yes, I absolutely love them! I've always wanted one, but went w/ Lotus instead. The Lotus was also safer for street use w/ airbags and such, meeting all US safety regs at the time.
I think the classic definition of sports car is pretty much what the author said. The preposterous notion that a "true" sports car had to go 0-60 in 5.5 seconds would have eliminated virtually all 1960-1980 Ferraris, Maseratis, and everything else up through the '90's. That eliminates an awful lot of great sports cars. I also agree that when the definition started to change to include coupes, all of us of the over 50 generation have a pretty good idea of what we thought of as sports cars.
When I bought my '72 Pantera, I certainly didn't buy it for its comfort or luxury, I bought it for a) what it looked like (a sports car) and b) its Ferrari beating 0-60 as well as the thundering exotic sounds coming out of the engine.
Well we will have to agree to disagree, not about flexing although it's not true for the F-type, but regardless of the flex a sports car is a rag top two seater. NEVER a hard top.
I really made a mistake not staking my position at the start of this thread. =)
Read that column, and *the comments*. Then read the comments section of the original article. =)
I love the debate. I am too naive to have a deeply rooted and vested allegiance to the semantics, but it does seem what is defined as a "sports car" is a soft top two seater that is meant for racing. That is pretty simple. It seems to keep being simple when you say any two door hardtop coupe is meant for touring in all weather, and that is a GT.
It's one of the more fascinating yet arcane conversations I've had in a long time. It's inconsequential, while still demanding attention because, as the author says, WORDS HAVE TO MEAN SOMETHING. LOL =)
I think I would add impractical, illogical, and emotional to a definition of a sports car. If it makes sense it has moved to GT, like a SL or Maser GTS. Is new NSX a GT or sports car?
