BertoneBertoni

That's the thing: " fun". That surely is an essential component. But....there's always a 'but' isn't there.....a Miata is fun, too. Or a Mini Cooper JCW. The parameters for defining a sports car are wide and confusing, sometimes plain contradictory. Perhaps, inherent in my question, is wondering out loud whether the 'standard 911 models' are just getting a bit too big, too clever, too influenced by the marketeers and accountants...? There is a growing trend now to 'go back to manual' even with dual-clutch systems reaching new heights of functionality which perhaps begs the question that 911s are not as much fun, as pure, as direct as they once were.....?

BertoneBertoni

You must have done that for 'fun'.....There's a whole world of 'but, what ifs' that follow behind that 'definition'. Hey, the definition itself is a contradiction in terms, since it's not 'definitive'....

BertoneBertoni

There. Done. It took a 928 owner to point out that the King is, in fact, not wearing any clothes after all. Not so sure about the angst though.....I'm sure the fellas are all taking this in a light and fluffy way......

Nin Din Din

No, you saw the parcel shelf.

STG

Compared to the GT3, it has a rear seat. Will the engine slowly creep forward?? In the GT cars, most likely. The street Carrera's??

Nin Din Din

Right.

Then maybe Porsche can put a stool in the frunk and call it three-row-seating.

If memory serves, I think the engine has already started its migration northward with the 991 model. For all versions, would it's continuation further enhance handling? Would being more mid-engine threaten the Cay/Box cars? Then there's marketing. Interesting question.

squid42

The Targa 4s with PDK is also cherry-picking the heaviest of the bunch. Few people pick a targa without specifically wanting it.

Now, compare the weight with an actual GT coupe. Maserati. 6-series. The Aston V8 Vantage is OK but it is more comparable to a Cayman space-wise.

In fact the cherry-picked Targa 4s has the same weight as a M4 coupe.

Al.Fresco

Call it a boat on wheels for all I care....I love every mile in it!!!

Ah...and I do have the folding roof (at least part of it) as per the Oxford Dictionary definition listed in an earlier post, and for the performance at high speed part of the definition...well the specs say her top speed is 182 mph, hampered 1 mph by my PDK tranny, but anybody who has spent any time in a boat knows that's moving along nicely.








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911sccab

"I know it when I see it" - Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart referring to obscenity.

"I know it when I drive it" - Me, referring to sports cars. Our 991... Targa, 7MT, is a sports car.

jsaviano

I call the 991 the finest true GT available. It defines Grand Touring. And that's no insult.

Gary JR

I looked up sports car in the dictionary and saw this.

Valkuri

1971 911: Yes. 1971 Impala: No.
1975 Triumph TR6: Yes. 1976 Firebird Trans AM: No.
1966 Mustang: Yes. 1970's Mustang II: No.
1957 Thunderbird: Yes. 1977 Thunderbird: No.
964, 993, 996: Yes. Panamera: No.
Aston Martin DB5: Yes. Aston Martin Lagonda: No.
1970 Camaro: Yes. 1970 Chevelle: No.

Valkuri

Perhaps my dictionary is a more current edition than yours…!

Fred2

GT cars would also include cars like the Panamera, Jaguar XK, BMW 6 series and cars from Aston Martin. These would be cars that can consume miles by the hundred in comfort. However, they are not at home on the racetrack when driven hard.

The 991 has the unique quality that it is a borderline "luxurious" streetcar that is at home on the racetrack.

That puts it into Sportscar territory.

BertoneBertoni

Of course, this is a light-hearted debate NOT about the 911....It is a debate about the 911 'RANGE', now that it has become (arguably) a brand-within-brand.

Is any Targa the sportscar among the 911 range ? Mmmmm, some say "The Targa is the Jensen Interceptor of 911s"....but that, though amusing for some, would be a tad cruel, wouldn't it ?!