The recent thread "Is this your first sports car" made one thing perfectly clear. That is each of us has a slightly different notion, a different perception of what a sports car is. Some of us think it is a small, nimble car. Some think it has to have a big engine cranking out a lot of power. Some think it has to be a convertible while others think that a true sports car has to have a hard top.

I think it could be all of these things and more.

How do you define "sports car"? What does the term mean to you?

 

I think you'll get the same results from this thread as you have already come up with on you own.

I think a sports car is different to everyone......and I believe the reason for that is that a true sports car speaks to your soul. Since everyone's are different.....we all have different ideas on what a "true" sports car is.

I define the S2000 as a true sports car. It's got enough power to (IMO) properly motivate it down the road, but my main love is the way it performs on a winding road. This is by far my favorite car I've owned. Used to be my Skyline I had while in Okinawa, but since the first time I sat in one.....I knew the S2000 was the right fit for me.

I guess if you had to sum it up in one word, it would be balance. As it is stock, it has a very respectable power to weight ratio. The handling is also very well balanced. The fact that it was designed to be a convertable makes it better than most if not all coupes that had the roofs removed and bracing added. The 6 speed is a joy rather than a chore, and when operated with skilled hands.....can do amazing things.

I think the best sports cars have this kind of balance. Lets face it, most of us have one because it rocks in the twisties. Gobs of horsepower to me are useless....if you can't put it down well.....especially out of the corners.

I'm sure this is just one of some varying opinions you'll get. I'll be interested in reading the other responses though.

Red

 

To me the cars that define what a sports car is are the miata, s2k, exige, elise, rx7, and similar vehicles. Cars with VSC, TCS, and a bunch of similar systems I cant consider true sports cars. That doesnt mean that cars with electronics cant be great cars, but a true sports car, to me at least, is about the connection between the car and the driver.

 

i definitely agree with you here. i mean, my AP1 doesnt even have a clock! haha..

to me a sports car is a purpose-built car for one reason and one reason only - to go fast on twisties.

 

I like that a lot. I too think that a true sports car is a car that speaks to your soul.

Still, I do think that there are certain perimeters that define what a sports car is. I'm a bit of a traditionalist in this respect. I think a sports car has to be a very plain and simple car without the frills and creature comforts that cross the fine line defining luxury. I think its a car that is driven for the sake of driving. I think it has to become an extension of the driver in terms of road feel, reaction, handling and energy.

I don't think a sports car has to have a big engine, as a matter of fact, I think just the opposite. I do think a sports car has to have a manual transmission, if for no other reason than they're fun to drive and they keep the driver involved.

I've always had a hard time accepting that a closed car could be a sports car, but than, I go back a very long way in sport cars. That's me in my avatar sitting in my 1952 MG-TD with my father standing behind (circa 1979). I've had MGs a Truimph TR-6 and a Fiat X-1/9. To me, those were sports cars. I've always thought that a manual transmission, two seats and a convertible top were requirments for a car to be considered a sports car.

Of course, times change, and I do believe that there are closed cars that qualify as sports cars, but not many. I refuse, however, to accept the fact that an automatic transmission, even one with paddle shifters, qualifies as a sports car. If it doesn't have a clutch, it isn't really a manual, and besides, all of the fun is in 2nd, 3rd and 4th. Modern automatics might be faster, but manuals are more fun. Besides, I've never learned how to drive an automatic.

I think a sports car should be rear wheel drive. There are plenty of good sporty front wheel drive cars around, but a real sports car should be rear wheel drive. My daily driver, a 2006 Civic Si is a lot of fun to drive, and it is sporty as hell, but it isn't a sports car, not in the true sense of the word.

Mostly though, I think a real sports car has to put a smile on your face, and it has to touch your soul. I've owned a lot of cars, and a lot of sports cars, but aside from my MGB and my MG-TD nothing ever touched my soul as much as my S2000.

 

A sports car must be a two seater, period. If you can fit 4 people in it, it's not a sports car. By todays standards it should be sub 3000lbs. I believe a sports car should be built with the mindset that agility comes first, and the powerplant is what is going to make that agility happen. The engine should be designed to make the chassis do what you want.

 

i agree with the..small nimble more than enough hp...telepathic steering..minimal creature comforts,lightweight.etc etc...but then i need to reconsider... due to the evora sorry i know

 

Well, in my opinion, a sports car is any car that is focused on the purpose of driving and rewarding the skilled driver when he does things right. It should also be a two seater.

 

I agree with most of you... in addition: I think that the 2-seater is flexible (evora, 911 for example) but the 2-door is not. I also believe that AWD is not necessarily a disqualifier, but it must be for the purpose of enhancing handling and must not make the car a pig (Lambo's and some 911's come to mind again) If AWD it must be rear biased with the power to the front wheels intended to aid corner exit.

 

I am a traditionalist, a Sports car is a convertible with no roll up windows and a windshield that folds down and NO I am talking about JEEP's, that is what was considered a sports car in the 1930's and that just happens to be when my sports car was made. Car had roll up windows by then but a sport still had side curtains for the rain because the car was kept light for performance. My Dino with roll up windows and windshield that does not fold down is a GT car, just like the S2000 is a GT car.

Nowdays some people consider Escalades a sports car, its like religion, you will never get a consensus anymore as to what a sports car is.