[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
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
Sorry to disagree with you, but I'd have to say there were none!
I'm afraid that there is no accurate definition which will suit all
categories of sports car.
OK< now we agree.
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.
And the Fiero.
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.
That has always been the case. Riley 1.5 is a sedan, MGA is a sports car,
even though they have similar performance - back to the 2 seat, 4 seat thing.
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?
The closed versions of the open 2 seaters get in via a sub clause that says
anything with an open version that still has 2 seats qualifies. So MGB GTs
are OK, later Sunbeam Rapier based 'Alpines' are not.
The Lambos vary - the Espada (which failed to pass the mechanical exam- rust)
is definitely a GT car, but I don't think many would dispute that the Miura
is a sports car. I won't get into later versions - let's stick to no later
than 1970s.
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 have no doubt at all that all big Jensens are not sports car, but GT cars,
and that the JH is a sports car.
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?
The AMX was classed as a sports car because it had no rear seats; the Porsche
911 was a sedan, briefly, in SCCA, as it has, in contrast to the AMX, jump
seats that make it a 4 seater. Go figure.
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.
The lines have blurred, and as you pointed out, the Mini was the first to
start the blurring.
The following are sports cars but some would say not:
Triumph GT6+
Jensen C-V8
Lotus Elite 503
I might disagree on the CV-8 - GT car.
In the end, this sort of discussion is fun, but inconclusive. Wherever you
try to draw the line, someone (often me) will come up with an example that
doesn't quite fit.
Nice pastime of a Friday afternoon, mind you.
Bill Spohn
(who, although the Lambo fell through, has now locatd a likely Maserati.....)
