Hi TJ:
That's an interesting definition but where does it leave my Chrysler 300B
or my '61 Plymouth. There aren't that many 4,000 lb+ sports cars - but the
300B and Plymouth certainly could be driven to the racetrack, campaigned
competitively with little or no preparation and then driven home. And both
of my cars have done so and done very well.
I'm afraid that there is no accurate definition which will suit all
categories of sports car. In North America, a Camaro or Firebird or
Mustang is certainly a sports car - especially the earlier versions - yet
in Britain most people have trouble with the concept that there has ever
been an American sports car although they may grudgingly accept the
Corvette. By your motor sport definition, a Mini is definitely a sports
car yet it is considered a saloon and is generally not well-received at
sports car events.
Some would say that a sport car must be an open, two-seater designed for
wind-in-the-face motoring, able to achieve rapid speeds over winding roads,
but what about the MG GT? Is it any less a sports car? What about the GT6
or most Ferraris, Lamborghinis and Aston Martins?
Our own Jensens are able to do sports car things - but how many would be
able to call them sports cars? The term "sports sedan" is actually quite
useful as it implies that it describes a closed car with more than two
seats which is able to compete on relatively equal terms with the
traditional "sports car" in road operations.
I believe that a sports car is what has been accepted as a sports car and
that all similar vehicles - in appearance, configuration and performance -
must also be considered sports cars. Certainly the Miata, 280 SLK, Boxter,
Z3 and their ilk are sports cars but what about the various configurations
of BMW sedan which could run circles around all of them?
A Honda Civic with a handle on the trunk and a garburator sticking out
under the bumper may not be a sports car - but it can easily do all of the
things that a traditional sports car can do - and with much less fuss. A
Chev Cavalier aggressively driven is certainly a sports car (and a
nuisance).
I can tell you what is not a sports car - but it requires that each example
be individually appraised. For example, the following British cars of mine
are not sports cars:
Austin Cambridge
Envoy Special (Vauxhall Victor FB)
Jaguars Mark VII, VIIM, IX (although Mark VIIs were certainly raced)
Lagonda 3 Litre Mk 2
Standard Vanguard
The following are sports cars but some would say not:
Triumph GT6+
Jensen C-V8
Lotus Elite 503
The same divisions could be done for my American cars (two examples are my
Corvair Monza Coupe and my Plymouth Neon) and there would certainly be
arguments but in the final analysis I believe that what constitutes a
sports car is what is recognized as a sports car now by people who own and
appreciate sports cars. It is also what the owner wishes to believe that
it is, and it is what uses that owner puts the car to that determines why
two similar cars may have different designations.
John
>[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
>> But the most obvious feature differentiating the examples given is the
>>number
>> of passengers. A sports car has room for two occupants. Period.
>
>That definition disqualifies the McLaren F1, so I don't agree with it.
>
>
>> The term "sports sedan" belongs with other oxymorons like "military
>> intelligence" and "reliable British engineering".
>
>By the literal definition, a sports car is a car that is involved in
>motorsports. A definition which applies to some riding lawnmowers! :^)
>So that doesn't work either.
>
>I guess the definition I use is "street-legal race car," i.e. a car
>that could be driven to a racetrack, campaigned competitively on that
>track with little or no preparation, and then driven home.
>
>--
>T.J. Higgins
>[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>Huntsville, AL
>'76 Interceptor III 2211/1958 "Highway Star"
>http://home.hiwaay.net/~tjhiggin/hwystar.html
>
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