>Hey guys, help me settle an on going argument with my friends at work. What
>exactly is a sports car?
Ahhh, profitless wordplay... I love it. Who needs debates on Midget
clutches when you can BS about topics like this? I am one of those for whom
the internet has revived the pleasures of prose, so let my fingers play on...
It has always been my opinion that a "sports car" is defined by the
following parameters...
(1) a reletively small two passenger car whose...
(2) performance and pleasure in driving derives *significantly* more from
handling than from horse power, and...
(3) whose overriding design purpose is to communicate to the driver and
passenger the *elemental* pleasures of motoring, at the expense of comfort,
practicality, and, occasionally, economy.
Ruffians may debate the need for windows, floors, tops, heaters, wire
wheels, drum brakes, side draft carbs, free-flow exhausts, etc., but I would
suggest that such notions are merely seasonings to add to the "meat" of the
term, as I outline it above.
I would suggest that, speaking here only of cars imported to the US, that
the Miata, the Del Sol, and perhaps the new BMW (Z3?) are the *only* new
sports cars on the market. Others may noiminate some I've overlooked. Note
I made *NO* stipulation as to the drive wheels. The Del Sol is not getting
much attention in this category--I'm curious why. I suspect its a fun car,
and would conform to my subjective sense of what a sports car is. It *IS*
FWD, which may put off certain purists. Anyone driven one?
There has been, over the decades, an escalation in comfort, handling *and*
horsepower, such that we see in adverts that the corvette is "America's
sports car." I don't think so! By virtue of rule (2) above, new Corvettes,
Vipers, Camaros, Talons, RX-7s, Porsches, are "high performance cars" (the
American market is swamped with cars in this category) and Cadillac Allantes
and Jag XJS's are "luxo-cruisers." WHO NEEDS THEM???
Likewise, by virtue of rule (3) above, a Ford Aspire is *NOT* a sports car.
It is an econobox. *REAL* coffins are cheeper.
Will "wears it on his sleeve, too" Zehring
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