BoxCam

I was talking to a buddy about what makes a sports car and I came across this article: http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-cult...ar-definition/

It got me thinking about what is and what isn't a sports car. So I started thinking of a list and came up with this, in no order: Low roofline, short wheelbase, low curb weight, convertible available?, engine location (extra points for mid and rear?), number of doors (must be 2), passenger capacity (2 only or 2+2?), drive wheels (must be RWD?), transmission (M/T=bonus points), performance tires, low seating position, bolstered seats.

Any thoughts??? as the article states, where do we draw the line?

DesmoSD

Yes the 911 is a sports car.

IMO, the term sports car criteria follows:
-2 door
-2 seater or 2+2
-hard top coupe or roadster
-derived from or participated in a motorsport race
-can be FR/FF/MR/RR format
-manual or at transmission
-significantly tuned suspension
-P/W ratio

quickxotica

Road & Track is overthinking this. To me, a sports car is simply any car where the primary design objective is the driver's enjoyment (i.e. fun).

The whole idea that convertibles are the only sports cars is antiquated. Language is a living thing. Evolve.

nwGTS

who the hell said 'no'
reveal yourself.

linderpat

Um; the 911 is the definition of a "sports car". A picture is worth a thousand words. Not even going to bother with the poll. If we need a poll for this, all hope is surely lost

4Driver4

Fined

Not planning to vote due to lack of options. Some 911 are sports cars, in my view, and some are not.


some of them lack enough focus that its a stretch to call them a sports car.
In my book a sports car has a focus on sporting. Not necessarily.. having an electric Targa top.. having AWD.. having soft compliant suspension. At a certain point the focus is lost to the point where it just isn't the same as the basic idea from the start. Its not one factor alone, but a combination of them. I still want a Targa, but when I get one, it won't be my sports car. I'll have other cars which are focused enough to be sports cars.

At what point does a pocketknife stop being something you think of as a knife and more as a utility tool. If you have this pocket knife and it only has one single function, it just has one fold out blade. Well that my friend is a knife. If you have pocket knife with 25 different features and corkscrews and sewing needles and a saw.. and all this other.. that is not a knife, it's a multi-tool. Sure it can play at being a knife, but it lacks the focus for being my go-to knife.

jeffleept

Eye of the beholder.

I'd agree with quickxotica. If the primary focus is speed, it's a sports car.

BaileyII

SoCal C2S

speedracerf4i

No, 911 isn't a sports car. It's a minivan for Gods' sake.

Splitting Atoms

I say "yes, but". I am old enough to remember the days when there were many chrome bumper MGs and Triumphs on the road. I think you can trace the origin of sports cars to the 1920s and 30s, or maybe a little earlier. That's when you had builders such as Bugatti, Alfa Romeo, MG, Bentley, and others stuffing some of their highest performance engines into very small cars. They were small, light, and quick. Have you seen an MGB next to a modern car such as a Toyota Camry? The MG looks TINY. I think the first generation 911s had a great formula. 2400 pounds, small body, and 2 liters with about 150 horsepower, Fast forward to my 1999 996 coupe. It's the lightest version at about 2900 pounds, W030 suspension, 3.4 liters with 296 hp. It is still relatively small and drives like a 296 hp go-kart. It rides as rough as one too. You can feel every crack in the road through the thin padding on the Euro GT3 seats. I am going to look at a 2006 4S Cab this weekend. It's 3400 pounds, 3.8 liters with 350 hp. Is it still a sports car? It does have 54 additional hp versus my 99, but it's a quarter of a ton heavier. Some might argue that the 911, as it gets bigger and heavier, is drifting towards becoming a grand touring car like the Aston Martin DB4 or Jaguar 3.8S were in their day. Bigger, more comfortable, with more powerful engines.

The pic is a rubber bumper MG Midget between two Dodge pickups, but you get the idea.

Bruce In Philly

I said "No"

I agree with R&T..... "In some cases, the "sports car" name was used for something that was meant to be an antidote or alternative to traditional sports cars—see "911, Porsche" and "240Z, Datsun." This depresses me; a Porsche 911 is certainly not a sports car. I know. I own one. A Boxster, which I also own, is definitely a sports car. That's why the Boxster, er, 718, and the 911 can co-exist."

I had a Boxster S... that was a sportscar. My 2009 C2S is a Grand Tourer.

Actually, the best definition as R&T denoted was "could be used for competition". What makes a car a competition car? Simple....engine oiling, engine cooling, and brake cooling; the car can be driven off of the showroom floor and handle the rigors of a track. That is really about it. Not to many years a go, only a handful of cars built in the world met this spec. So by this definition, all Porsche cars are sports cars.

Back at my 1st track event, a guy had a brand new Corvette... some sort of base model. He signed up for two days.... left at lunch the first day. The brakes constantly overheated and he couldn't run. That car was NOT a sportscar.

This is all a bit silly, but you gotta be real.... our 911s are built to sell to a wide audience ... I suspect most have no clue as to what they are buying... except they can say "Look at me! Look at me!" Cars build for this broad market are not sports cars, they are jewelry.

Peace
Bruce in Philly

ATSR

docdrs