What's a Sports Car? - Page 2

mickss · 02-22-2016, 05:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Apex Motorsports

Then why did they sell one to me?

I think he`s confusing "chick magnet" with "chick car", what ever the hell is the definition of a chick car is one I would like to know!

http://jalopnik.com/there-is-no-such...car-1631006638

Iroczlover · 02-22-2016, 10:43 PM

The Camaro, firebird & Mustang were never sports cars, or even muscle cars.

Chevelles, Novas, skylarks, GTOs were muscle cars (that era is now gone)

The Pony car wars still rage on. (Camaro, Firebird & Mustang)

sports cars are two seaters.

sports coupes can be a camaro

BMR Sales · 02-23-2016, 11:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Apex Motorsports

Then why did they sell one to me?

You here that about Miatas too. But people that say that never raced one! I raced in the Playboy MX-5 Cup and Playboy's audience is Men. Or at least it used to before they decided to eliminate nudity! WTF are they thinking?

Scalded Dog · 02-24-2016, 02:05 PM

There is no authority to define what is a sports car, a muscle car, or a performance car. As the article that spawned this thread mentioned, even the lines of coupe vs. sedan are blurred (most believe a coupe to have two doors, a sedan to have four). What's a truck? Are Blazers, Broncos, Hummers and Jeeps, trucks?

If there was a Master Authority that had produced solid definitions of what each category entailed, then we'd be able to come to a consensus. But, we don't.

My Camaro, to some, is a sports car. To others, it's a muscle car. To some (but very few), it's a sedan (I still don't get that). To some it's a yellow car, to some it's a vehicle. To some, it is a POV, to others it's an economy car, and to yet others, it's a daily driver.

If I feel like it, I can call it a small locomotive, or a full scale model. I can call it a bird or a cartwheel or a candlestick if I want to, although those examples would probably confuse people. I can call it an exotic... what's more exotic than a car from outer space that turns into a freakin' robot?

Every person has their own definition of what a sports car is, or a muscle car, or a performance car, or a truck, or whatever. Most people have a rough agreement, but until there's a law or a final authority on what defines each, then there is no absolute. In spite of the claims of Road & Track editorials.

hrpiii · 02-25-2016, 07:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scalded Dog

There is no authority to define what is a sports car, a muscle car, or a performance car. As the article that spawned this thread mentioned, even the lines of coupe vs. sedan are blurred (most believe a coupe to have two doors, a sedan to have four). What's a truck? Are Blazers, Broncos, Hummers and Jeeps, trucks?

If there was a Master Authority that had produced solid definitions of what each category entailed, then we'd be able to come to a consensus. But, we don't.

My Camaro, to some, is a sports car. To others, it's a muscle car. To some (but very few), it's a sedan (I still don't get that). To some it's a yellow car, to some it's a vehicle. To some, it is a POV, to others it's an economy car, and to yet others, it's a daily driver.

If I feel like it, I can call it a small locomotive, or a full scale model. I can call it a bird or a cartwheel or a candlestick if I want to, although those examples would probably confuse people. I can call it an exotic... what's more exotic than a car from outer space that turns into a freakin' robot?

Every person has their own definition of what a sports car is, or a muscle car, or a performance car, or a truck, or whatever. Most people have a rough agreement, but until there's a law or a final authority on what defines each, then there is no absolute. In spite of the claims of Road & Track editorials.

and if you ask a young child, they will say you drive "BumbleBee". So there's that twist too.

Norm Peterson · 02-25-2016, 08:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hrpiii

that's a good description in the immediate post-war era. But I think it would need to be expanded today. Or maybe simpler ".. a car that seats two" (I think that is how the USA insurance companies see it).

I wouldn't ever want to use the same definition that an entity having a financial interest in the way that definition is written, writes it. A sports car is something small enough and light enough to be nimble and fun to drive specifically because of that nimbleness. Not a tag to be assigned somewhat arbitrarily by businesses not interested in the fun parts of driving in order to extract higher premiums.

A sports car is more about the subjective driving experience than it is even about absolute performance measurements. A minimum of isolation between you (your hands, feet, and butt, actually) and what's happening down at those four little contact patches. Maybe think in terms of a four wheel version of a sport bike, with the scorching acceleration performance strictly optional.

Aside from categorizing Caterhams and the like, maybe it's time to simply retire the term. Most people, including members of this and other enthusiast sites, want to dilute the driving experience with all manner of features and conveniences that have nothing to do with actually driving the car anyway.

Norm

rocknroll_jeph · 02-26-2016, 12:32 AM

I read that article on R&T (I think) and I didn't really agree with what the author was saying. I feel that as language has evolved and what a "Sports Car" really is has changed too.

We can't use definitions made so long ago because they are out of touch with what we have today. I enjoy reading books written in the 40's and 50's and there are many words used in those books that we wouldn't think of using in that context any more. Why should we stick to an outdated way of classification?

When the term "sports car" was coined, there were not so many variations of car design as there are today. It seem to me by all of the different publications I read that a common consensus of what a sports car is today is a CAR that has seats 2, has 2 doors and is light, nimble and can be used in motor sports and/or spirited driving.

GT cars seem to be cars that have a similar emotion and driving connection, but have 4 doors. I don't like the 4 door coupe phrase.

Even though a muscle car was originally a normal car that was stuffed with a huge motor, that is not really what manufactures do anymore so that now the turbocharged 4cyl cars can still be referred to as a Muscle Car. I think the muscle cars are mostly 2 door American manufactured cars that can seat for, have a long hood, short trunk/ deck proportions.

Of course there are many variations of each of these and not one definition will make everyone happy. I don't have a problem with that article calling a Mustang a sedan, but their definition of what a sports car is surely needs to be updated. I'm shouldn't be too hurt, because I think that they are calling my 2003 BMW Z4 a sports car because it has a soft top.

However, based on my own logic and reasoning, I am having a challenge figuring out what my first car should be classified as. In 2007 I bought an 07 Hyundai Tiburon. It has 2 doors, seats 4 but is not very sporty, not a good GT and not at all a muscle car. I guess it is just a Coupe, and where I live it was not called a Tiburon, but simply Hyundai Coupe...

Tenring · 02-27-2016, 08:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hrpiii

and if you ask a young child, they will say you drive "BumbleBee". So there's that twist too.

Ha yep, wife was driving my silver SS through a school when a little guy packing a back pack twice his size started chasing her screaming BumbleBee!

rocknroll_jeph · 02-28-2016, 03:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tenring

Ha yep, wife was driving my silver SS through a school when a little guy packing a back pack twice his size started chasing her screaming BumbleBee!

Yeah, my silver Camaro is always called Bumblebee. It doesn't help that I am a Kindergarten teacher and my Camaro is my daily driver... I try to educate the kids but the one thing I can't get them to do is stop calling my car Bee.

Norm Peterson · 02-28-2016, 08:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rocknroll_jeph

I read that article on R&T (I think) and I didn't really agree with what the author was saying. I feel that as language has evolved and what a "Sports Car" really is has changed too.

We can't use definitions made so long ago because they are out of touch with what we have today. I enjoy reading books written in the 40's and 50's and there are many words used in those books that we wouldn't think of using in that context any more. Why should we stick to an outdated way of classification?

When the term "sports car" was coined, there were not so many variations of car design as there are today. It seem to me by all of the different publications I read that a common consensus of what a sports car is today is a CAR that has seats 2, has 2 doors and is light, nimble and can be used in motor sports and/or spirited driving.

GT cars seem to be cars that have a similar emotion and driving connection, but have 4 doors. I don't like the 4 door coupe phrase.

Even though a muscle car was originally a normal car that was stuffed with a huge motor, that is not really what manufactures do anymore so that now the turbocharged 4cyl cars can still be referred to as a Muscle Car. I think the muscle cars are mostly 2 door American manufactured cars that can seat for, have a long hood, short trunk/ deck proportions.

Of course there are many variations of each of these and not one definition will make everyone happy. I don't have a problem with that article calling a Mustang a sedan, but their definition of what a sports car is surely needs to be updated. I'm shouldn't be too hurt, because I think that they are calling my 2003 BMW Z4 a sports car because it has a soft top.

However, based on my own logic and reasoning, I am having a challenge figuring out what my first car should be classified as. In 2007 I bought an 07 Hyundai Tiburon. It has 2 doors, seats 4 but is not very sporty, not a good GT and not at all a muscle car. I guess it is just a Coupe, and where I live it was not called a Tiburon, but simply Hyundai Coupe...

The end result of revising the names of these various categories is to take all meaning away from all of them. Imagine rainbows suddenly having only barely distinguishable shades of beige, and trying to explain that to your students.

Let the rainbow keep its colors and the category names stay fixed, and if any given car does not fit where revisionist thinking might want to put it, assume that it really doesn't belong there and find a better place for it.

There is no way that the Camaro or the Mustang belong in the same category that includes the Miata. Or the BRZ, Boxster, or your Z4 for that matter. The first two are too big, too heavy, and a little too deliberate in their handling (not to mention being more isolated in terms of "feel").

Sports cars are more about the subjective driving experience, almost to the point of spite against the idea of utility. Camaros and Mustangs are actually quite useful as all-around cars, at least for people whose kids are either small or all grown up and out on their own.

I understand why you might object to the 'pony car' tag, but it does truly fit your Chevy and my Ford. Bigger and less nimble than a Miata, smaller, lighter, and more maneuverable than Dodge's Charger. What's the point in re-inventing this wheel?

Incidentally, I agree that the Tiburon isn't much of a sport coupe, never mind sports car. A guy I knew tried autocrossing one some years back, and it was clearly out of its element at that activity.

Norm

Mr Twisty · 02-28-2016, 09:28 AM

A rim is only the outer lip of a wheel. It's a specific thing and is defined.

If folks can't get this right, how do you expect to agree on the subtle difference between car descriptions.

Black1HP · 02-29-2016, 06:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr Twisty

A rim is only the outer lip of a wheel. It's a specific thing and is defined.

If folks can't get this right, how do you expect to agree on the subtle difference between car descriptions.

Thee asshats should've spent some time in the smithyl

Iroczlover · 03-02-2016, 10:29 PM

just like some people call their cars females while others call their cars males.

I rather be riding around in a female lol

yzark99 · 03-13-2016, 03:06 PM

Am I the only one who thought this?

Leslie Nielsen: "It's a car which may be used for sporting purposes, but that's not important now."

02-22-2016, 10:43 PM	#16
Iroczlover The Krazzy bytch Drives: Which car I have 9 vehicles? Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Yelm, wa, Hell if I think about it to much Posts: 7,919	The Camaro, firebird & Mustang were never sports cars, or even muscle cars. Chevelles, Novas, skylarks, GTOs were muscle cars (that era is now gone) The Pony car wars still rage on. (Camaro, Firebird & Mustang) sports cars are two seaters. sports coupes can be a camaro __________________ Heart breaks everyday when you cant take care of your family because you are unemployed, cant give your family what you want or what they need I am not a man I have boobies. Cars are like women, If you treat her rough shes going to complain & you will hear about it. If you treat her right she will purrrrrrrrrrrrr Current cars owned , 72 Skylark vert,86 fiero GT Sold , 87 Iroc-z (sold), 90 Vette Vert SOLD , 95 Z28, 99 Silverado K1500 Totaled, 2010 CGM Camaro 2ss/rs (had to sell & I hate it ) ,2012 Cruze LT repoed. Current current list lol 2006 Silverado 2500hd.

02-28-2016, 09:28 AM	#25
Mr Twisty Drives: the 2nd amendment home Join Date: May 2008 Location: OK Posts: 14,707	A rim is only the outer lip of a wheel. It's a specific thing and is defined. If folks can't get this right, how do you expect to agree on the subtle difference between car descriptions. __________________ "They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." -- Benjamin Franklin

03-02-2016, 10:29 PM	#27
Iroczlover The Krazzy bytch Drives: Which car I have 9 vehicles? Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Yelm, wa, Hell if I think about it to much Posts: 7,919	just like some people call their cars females while others call their cars males. I rather be riding around in a female lol __________________ Heart breaks everyday when you cant take care of your family because you are unemployed, cant give your family what you want or what they need I am not a man I have boobies. Cars are like women, If you treat her rough shes going to complain & you will hear about it. If you treat her right she will purrrrrrrrrrrrr Current cars owned , 72 Skylark vert,86 fiero GT Sold , 87 Iroc-z (sold), 90 Vette Vert SOLD , 95 Z28, 99 Silverado K1500 Totaled, 2010 CGM Camaro 2ss/rs (had to sell & I hate it ) ,2012 Cruze LT repoed. Current current list lol 2006 Silverado 2500hd.

03-13-2016, 03:06 PM	#28
yzark99 I run 2 catch cans... Drives: 2012 1LT SIM Auto Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: OR there Posts: 1,038 View My Garage	Am I the only one who thought this? Leslie Nielsen: "It's a car which may be used for sporting purposes, but that's not important now." __________________ Overkill tuned • Air Scoop • CAI • VMAX PTB • JacFab Laminator FX + Extendolator • SOLO Hi-Flo Cats + Cat-Back Exhaust View my top 3 LFX performance mods and more: .

02-24-2016, 02:05 PM	#18
Scalded Dog Drives: 2011 1LT Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Crestline, CA Posts: 3,029	There is no authority to define what is a sports car, a muscle car, or a performance car. As the article that spawned this thread mentioned, even the lines of coupe vs. sedan are blurred (most believe a coupe to have two doors, a sedan to have four). What's a truck? Are Blazers, Broncos, Hummers and Jeeps, trucks? If there was a Master Authority that had produced solid definitions of what each category entailed, then we'd be able to come to a consensus. But, we don't. My Camaro, to some, is a sports car. To others, it's a muscle car. To some (but very few), it's a sedan (I still don't get that). To some it's a yellow car, to some it's a vehicle. To some, it is a POV, to others it's an economy car, and to yet others, it's a daily driver. If I feel like it, I can call it a small locomotive, or a full scale model. I can call it a bird or a cartwheel or a candlestick if I want to, although those examples would probably confuse people. I can call it an exotic... what's more exotic than a car from outer space that turns into a freakin' robot? Every person has their own definition of what a sports car is, or a muscle car, or a performance car, or a truck, or whatever. Most people have a rough agreement, but until there's a law or a final authority on what defines each, then there is no absolute. In spite of the claims of Road & Track editorials.

02-26-2016, 12:32 AM	#21
rocknroll_jeph Drives: 11 Camaro V6 RS, 03 BMW Z4 Join Date: Oct 2013 Location: Beijing & Michigan Posts: 476 View My Garage	I read that article on R&T (I think) and I didn't really agree with what the author was saying. I feel that as language has evolved and what a "Sports Car" really is has changed too. We can't use definitions made so long ago because they are out of touch with what we have today. I enjoy reading books written in the 40's and 50's and there are many words used in those books that we wouldn't think of using in that context any more. Why should we stick to an outdated way of classification? When the term "sports car" was coined, there were not so many variations of car design as there are today. It seem to me by all of the different publications I read that a common consensus of what a sports car is today is a CAR that has seats 2, has 2 doors and is light, nimble and can be used in motor sports and/or spirited driving. GT cars seem to be cars that have a similar emotion and driving connection, but have 4 doors. I don't like the 4 door coupe phrase. Even though a muscle car was originally a normal car that was stuffed with a huge motor, that is not really what manufactures do anymore so that now the turbocharged 4cyl cars can still be referred to as a Muscle Car. I think the muscle cars are mostly 2 door American manufactured cars that can seat for, have a long hood, short trunk/ deck proportions. Of course there are many variations of each of these and not one definition will make everyone happy. I don't have a problem with that article calling a Mustang a sedan, but their definition of what a sports car is surely needs to be updated. I'm shouldn't be too hurt, because I think that they are calling my 2003 BMW Z4 a sports car because it has a soft top. However, based on my own logic and reasoning, I am having a challenge figuring out what my first car should be classified as. In 2007 I bought an 07 Hyundai Tiburon. It has 2 doors, seats 4 but is not very sporty, not a good GT and not at all a muscle car. I guess it is just a Coupe, and where I live it was not called a Tiburon, but simply Hyundai Coupe...