What defines a...

[viceroy]

...Super car? ie. Mclarren F1, Ferrari F50, Porsche Carerra GT etc

...Racing car? ie. F1 racing car, Nascar, TOCA Racing Car etc

...Sports car? ie. Williams, 172/172 Cup, Clio V6, Subaru WRX STi, BMW M3 etc

Ive been thinking about this and my quick summary is as follows.

Super car = latest and most exotic technologies implimented into a vehicle to provide outstanding accelleration, top speed, and road holding, all whilst still producing excellent ride quality.

Racing car = vehicle bred for the racetrack with no suitability for public roads, ie no reliability or comfort but with performance to match or exceed that of a supercar.

Sports car = a road car with higher than normal performance, excellent handling which is a compromise between best track performance and best road performance and built by a manufacturer with racing heritage.

What does everyone else think?

 

[Dash]

I agree with your first to points.

"Williams, 172/172 Cup, Clio V6, Subaru WRX STi, BMW M3 etc" Not sport cars are they?

Maybe just quickish saloons and hatchbacks.

Possibly sports cars are E Types, MGBs, MX 5s etc.

If anyone asks if I own a sports car, I usually reply "No I own a wee hatchback"

 

[RobFenn]

De ja vu..this was done in off topic..kinda

Your views are like scudettos, mine are based on looks and character, not the stuff that matters

-Rob

 

[Moogwai5]

isnt official def of a sports car: rear wheel drive, soft top, no 4*4

 

[RobFenn]

Yeah thats my opinion, no roof, rwd, 2 seats.

-Rob

 

[jonnyboy]

yeah much as I love my 172 I wount call it a sports car. Sports cars are genrally stuff like MGs, MR2s not really owt to do with sport but thats what the motoring press rekon.

clios and stuff are genrally referred to as hothatches

 

[paddymph]

this is a Supercar:

http://erc.qmuc.ac.uk/cliosport/file.php?image=1054061459__VTR.jpg

 

[paddymph]

actually, no, thats a Saxo.......

 

[007]

The catagory "Hot Hatch" is missing.

 

[viceroy]

Dash, Im not sure if roadsters such as the MGB, etc really deserve their own category... If they have performance characteristics which would enable them to perform adequately on a track then they would be classed as a sports car.

So in the sports car catagory wed have roadsters, hatchbacks, saloons, etc just as in racing cars we have have different categories of racing

ps. I know a few people who would debate the fact that an MX-5 even deserves to be mentioned in that catagory

Rob, I have a kinda split personality as I also believe that a car should look the part, so vehicles like a scooby do not have the "sports car" look except for the bonnet vent and the rear wing, but a car like the V6 looks very sporting, but I believe that the car must have performance which falls in line with its looks, which is why the scooby qualifies because to the average joe it looks like a riced up toyota, but to the motoring addict it is a real blaster.

Paddy...Hahahahahahahahahaha ROTFLMAO!