Favorite Sports Car
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Joined: Feb 2007
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Vehicle: 1999 Hyundai Tiburon SE
^^
pic no worky
Mine has allways been the dodge viper. mmmm.....
http://viper.dragtimes.com/viper/hre/1996-...ter1_hre-sm.jpg
I used to swear that I would one day get one... hey, you never know.
pic no worky
Mine has allways been the dodge viper. mmmm.....
http://viper.dragtimes.com/viper/hre/1996-...ter1_hre-sm.jpg
I used to swear that I would one day get one... hey, you never know.
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Joined: Mar 2006
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From: Cape Cod
Vehicle: 2001 Hyundai Tiburon
For a car I've driven it would have to be 1980 corvette. For a car that I would kill to drive it would be the Elise.
Although I don't know that the Vette would really be considered a sports car. I've always considered a sports car to be a mid to rear engine/rear wheel drive.
Although I don't know that the Vette would really be considered a sports car. I've always considered a sports car to be a mid to rear engine/rear wheel drive.
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From: SOUTH Jersey
QUOTE (kb5133 @ Jul 11 2006, 09:17 PM)
Although I don't know that the Vette would really be considered a sports car. I've always considered a sports car to be a mid to rear engine/rear wheel drive.
Honestly... most of the cars you guys are bringing up enter into the "supercar" definition in my book.
As for the rear/mid configuration equaling sports car... what about the Porsche 951 (Aka.. the 944 turbo) or the new crop of Ferrari front engined cars? Where the engine is located is not the deal.. it is how it holds the weight. The Vette has near 50/50 weight distribution, so it holds it's weight well.
As for the porsche.. you should try driving a rear engined car quickly.. it can be quite an adventure...
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From: Cape Cod
Vehicle: 2001 Hyundai Tiburon
^^^ I didn't mean to sound like that's what a sports car "is". Only that I when I think of sports cars, that's what I think of. Here's some info from Wiki for anybody debating the definition of a sports car.
Layout
The layout of drive train and engine influences the handling characteristics of a car and is the focus of more attention in the design of a sports car.
The front-engine, rear wheel drive layout (FR layout for short) is common among sports cars of any era. This form has survived longer in sports cars than in the mainstream, due to the unique handling characteristics, cost, and packaging considerations. Current examples include the BMW M3, Mazda Miata and the Ford Mustang.
In search of improved handling and weight distribution, other formats have been tried. The MR layout is commonly found only in sports cars�"the engine is mounted towards the centre of the chassis, which is close behind the driver, and powers the rear wheels only. This layout is preferred by high performance sports car and supercar manufacturers, such as Ferrari and Lamborghini. Many modern cars also use a front-mid layout "FM", where the engine sits between the front axle and the firewall.
Porsche is one of the few remaining manufacturers which uses the rear-engine, rear wheel drive layout (RR layout), a rear engine driving the rear wheels. The weight distribution across the wheels in a Porsche 911 provides excellent traction, but cannot be seen as ideal as the weight of the engine is not between the two axles. This causes poor vehicle balance and many early Porsches suffered from twitchy handling. However, Porsche have continuously refined the design and, in the recent years, combined their modifications with electronic driving aids like computerized traction and stability control that do much to counteract the inherent characteristics of the design.
Some sport cars have used use a front-engine, front wheel drive layout (FF). Examples include Lotus Elan M100, Fiat Coupé, Fiat Barchetta, Saab Sonett and many Berkeley cars... The layout has some advantages in small, light sports cars since they don't have the extra weight of propshaft and differential, and not having the driveshaft tunnel or rear differential taking up space. But due to its conservative effect on handling, it is not typical in higher-performance models. However, the FF layout is quite common in sport compacts and hot hatches, like the Honda Civic Si and Type-R, the Volkswagen Golf GTi and the Peugeot 205 GTi.
One option for transferring the power from the engine to the car's wheels is all wheel drive (AWD). Examples include sports cars manufactured by Porsche and Lamborghini as well as the supercar Bugatti Veyron.
[edit]
Seating
Some sports cars have small back seats that are really only suitable for luggage or small children. Such a configuration is often referred to as a Lamborghini Miura but abandoned as impractical because of the difficulty for the driver to enter/exit the vehicle. McLaren used the design in their supercar F1.
Another British manufacturer, TVR, took a different approach in their Cerbera model. The interior was designed in such a way that the dashboard on the passenger side swept toward the front of the car which allowed the passenger to sit farther forward than the driver. This gave the rear seat passenger extra room and made the arrangement suitable for three adult passengers and one child seated behind the driver. The arrangement has been referred to by the company as a 3+1. Some Matra sports cars even had three seats squeezed next to each other.
[edit]
Examples
Well known specialist brands or marques, modern and classic, are:
Layout
The layout of drive train and engine influences the handling characteristics of a car and is the focus of more attention in the design of a sports car.
The front-engine, rear wheel drive layout (FR layout for short) is common among sports cars of any era. This form has survived longer in sports cars than in the mainstream, due to the unique handling characteristics, cost, and packaging considerations. Current examples include the BMW M3, Mazda Miata and the Ford Mustang.
In search of improved handling and weight distribution, other formats have been tried. The MR layout is commonly found only in sports cars�"the engine is mounted towards the centre of the chassis, which is close behind the driver, and powers the rear wheels only. This layout is preferred by high performance sports car and supercar manufacturers, such as Ferrari and Lamborghini. Many modern cars also use a front-mid layout "FM", where the engine sits between the front axle and the firewall.
Porsche is one of the few remaining manufacturers which uses the rear-engine, rear wheel drive layout (RR layout), a rear engine driving the rear wheels. The weight distribution across the wheels in a Porsche 911 provides excellent traction, but cannot be seen as ideal as the weight of the engine is not between the two axles. This causes poor vehicle balance and many early Porsches suffered from twitchy handling. However, Porsche have continuously refined the design and, in the recent years, combined their modifications with electronic driving aids like computerized traction and stability control that do much to counteract the inherent characteristics of the design.
Some sport cars have used use a front-engine, front wheel drive layout (FF). Examples include Lotus Elan M100, Fiat Coupé, Fiat Barchetta, Saab Sonett and many Berkeley cars... The layout has some advantages in small, light sports cars since they don't have the extra weight of propshaft and differential, and not having the driveshaft tunnel or rear differential taking up space. But due to its conservative effect on handling, it is not typical in higher-performance models. However, the FF layout is quite common in sport compacts and hot hatches, like the Honda Civic Si and Type-R, the Volkswagen Golf GTi and the Peugeot 205 GTi.
One option for transferring the power from the engine to the car's wheels is all wheel drive (AWD). Examples include sports cars manufactured by Porsche and Lamborghini as well as the supercar Bugatti Veyron.
[edit]
Seating
Some sports cars have small back seats that are really only suitable for luggage or small children. Such a configuration is often referred to as a Lamborghini Miura but abandoned as impractical because of the difficulty for the driver to enter/exit the vehicle. McLaren used the design in their supercar F1.
Another British manufacturer, TVR, took a different approach in their Cerbera model. The interior was designed in such a way that the dashboard on the passenger side swept toward the front of the car which allowed the passenger to sit farther forward than the driver. This gave the rear seat passenger extra room and made the arrangement suitable for three adult passengers and one child seated behind the driver. The arrangement has been referred to by the company as a 3+1. Some Matra sports cars even had three seats squeezed next to each other.
[edit]
Examples
Well known specialist brands or marques, modern and classic, are:
- [*]AC (England)[*]Alfa Romeo (Italy)[*]Alpine (France)[*]Aston Martin (England)[*]Audi (Germany)[*]Austin-Healey (England)[*]BMW M (Germany)[*]Bricklin (Canada)[*]Bugatti (France)[*]Caterham (England)[*]Cunningham (USA)[*]Darrian/Davrian Cars (England)[*]De Lorean (USA)[*]Ferrari (Italy)[*]Fisker (USA)[*]Jaguar (England)[*]Koenigsegg (Sweden)[*]Lamborghini (Italy)[*]Ligier (France)[*]Lotus (England)[*]Marcos (England)[*]McLaren (England)[*]Maserati (Italy)[*]MG (England)[*]Morgan (England)[*]Noble (England)[*]Pagani (Italy)[*]Panoz (USA)[*]Porsche (Germany)[*]Spyker (Netherlands)[*]Triumph (England)[*]TVR (England)[*]Vector (USA)[/list]Almost all major car manufacturers also make some form of high performance car, sometimes very successfully such as Ford with the GT, Mazda with the MX-5/Miata, RX-7/RX-8, BMW M Cars, Chevrolet with the Corvette, Honda with its S2000, and Nissan with the Z-car.
Many major manufacturers have a sports car that serves as the 'flagship' image car of the company. Also known as a halo car For example,
- [*]BMW M1, BMW Z8[*]Chevrolet Corvette[*]Dodge Viper[*]Ford GT[*]Honda NSX[*]Mazda RX-7[*]Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren[*]Porsche Carrera GT[*]Toyota Supra[/list]
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Joined: Oct 2004
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From: Richmond, VA
The Vette is THE American sports car. Don't even think of declassifying it. drillsergeant.gif Alhough I have zero interest in any made in the last 25 years.
Plus, a lot of the cars mentioned in this thread aren't even sports cars, they're supercars costing hundreds of thousands.
Redz, the '69 is nice, but the '73 looks so good without the front chrome bumper. It still has the rear one though. Best-looking year for my tastes.
Although, I would love to have a '72 since it has the removable rear window, too bad they didn't carry that over.
I very nearly bought one for $3k recently, but it was in pretty bad condition.
I may pick up a 240z to restore instead, you get a lot more for your money, and parts are cheap and easy to find.
Plus, a lot of the cars mentioned in this thread aren't even sports cars, they're supercars costing hundreds of thousands.
Redz, the '69 is nice, but the '73 looks so good without the front chrome bumper. It still has the rear one though. Best-looking year for my tastes.
Although, I would love to have a '72 since it has the removable rear window, too bad they didn't carry that over.
I very nearly bought one for $3k recently, but it was in pretty bad condition.
I may pick up a 240z to restore instead, you get a lot more for your money, and parts are cheap and easy to find.
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Joined: Jul 2004
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From: SOUTH Jersey
QUOTE (kb5133 @ Jul 18 2006, 10:01 AM)
Seating
Some sports cars have small back seats that are really only suitable for luggage or small children. Such a configuration is often referred to as a 2+2 (two full seats + two "occasional" seats). Often these seats are only included to lower insurance premiums.
Some sports cars have small back seats that are really only suitable for luggage or small children. Such a configuration is often referred to as a 2+2 (two full seats + two "occasional" seats). Often these seats are only included to lower insurance premiums.
Funny you mention the rear seats..
The rear "seat" on a fiat spider
With the front seats pushed all the way back, you cannot get your hand between the back of the front seat's upright and the rear seat. In Italy, the car was marketed as a "four seater" for insurance and licensing reasons.
