I saw a prototype next-generation Dodge Durrango today all camoflaged on the freeway and I was excited! Actually, the upper body did ride really "high" on the frame and didn't seem to match.. I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't a Durago at all.. Dodge has tested a few Vipers by hiding them under minivans! (for real!)

A sports car does not have to be the best at anything. It does not have to be the fastest car, the most horsepower, the lightest weight, the most rigid, the fastest slalom, the highest g forces, the loudest, the best launch, the most wheels driven, none of that. A sports car is the embodiment of all that is fun about cars. It is the complete opposite of a sedate get to you point b with 3 other passengers loads of groceries kind of car. For that reason, it should be stick shift, have two doors, have a certain nonpracticality about it and for that, it can not have a roof. We're talking sports cars, not competition formula 1 racing machines that have to be the epitome of stiffness with roll bars and whatnot. As such, power and stiffness are not part of the requirement set. Being able to race it in a pinch is though, because you can't have fun unless you can. You don't have to win, because the fun is not in the win itself but in the experience.

Calvin

I still don't get why you don't like roofs! I want one incase my pretend rally car rolls over . The Shelby AC Cobra didn't have a roof... but the Daytona had to add a roof.

Well, a rally car (as opposed to a sports car) would have to have a roof, 4 doors, and tall springs for stepping over boulders. I'll give you that... the concept of a "roof" is all about safety, convenience, and so on. You might as well throw in an slushbox transmission if you're going to require a roof. Not having a roof is all about open-sky, blue-sky high dreams and freedom. That's all part of the sports car mystique. I think the Miata folks go as far to require 2 seats only, as having back seats is too practical to be a part of the definition. But then, that's their opinion. :-p

Calvin

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You might as well throw in an slushbox transmission if you're going to require a roof.

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Okay, no doors, you gotta "hop" in and only one seat like a spider.

A sports car is the embodiment of all that is fun about cars. It is the complete opposite of a sedate get to you point b with 3 other passengers loads of groceries kind of car. For that reason, it should be stick shift, have two doors, have a certain nonpracticality about it and for that, it can not have a roof.

So by your definition, the following aren't sports cars.

Lamborghini Countach, Diablo
Corvettes
Ferrari 575M Maranello, 465M GT/GTA, 360 Modena/Challenge, F40....and that's not even counting the older cars.
Ford GT40
Ultima Sports, GTR
Lotus Esprit.
Jaguar XJ220
McLaren F1 Road, LM, GT, GTR95/96/97


/me begs to differ.

You forgot the NSX and the Integra Type-R (you cant tell me its not a sports car)

The NSX yes, without a doubt.

The Integra Type-R - No. Hah! I can tell you

It's definately a sporty spec'd car, but so are GTIs, most Saabs, various Audis, most BMWs and any other number of cars...

But, we could debate on some of these vehicles forever - my point was that there was a huge list of cars that 99.99% of the population would consider to be a sports car that *do* have lids.

Check out this Type-R.

Nice.

ROTFLMAO!

Thats the funniest thing I have seen all week, thanks Rob you just made exam week a whole lot better

Many of those cars come in convertible form, or at the very least have the ability to pop the roof panel off. The rest are racing cars, not sports cars. Anyway, give me a break. Somebody who has a million bucks to throw away on a McLaren is building up his ego and flouting the size of his wallet. At that point, it's no longer about the spirit of a sports car, it's just how much money do you have, and which race car do you want?

Calvin

HeHe, I was just playing with you. Putting 200 horses in something the size and shape of the Integra is always going to have an effect, and yes it definately is a sports car in my opinion.

But you have raised an interesting question. What constitutes a race car? Any car can be raced. Anyway, about Egos and wallet flouting - you're only jealous that you *don't* have the cash to buy some of those expensive cars. As am I.

Maybe, there will always be a want for those intangible cars that most of us can't afford, but I love the look in the faceof the guy driving it when you blow buy him in something that was never meant to go that fast and costs fractions of what his car cost.

The funniest one I have seen yet was a guy in a ZR-1 corvette (this was before the C5) get romped buy a CJ-5 that looked like a POS. It just had a blown and juiced 401 under the hood.

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CJ-5 that looked like a POS. It just had a blown and juiced 401 under the hood.

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Who, even if they were already out of their mind, would put that much power in a CJ-5, a car that's hardly stable at freeway speeds? I'm rather skeptical about the whole thing...

Matthew

lets just say I know a few people that would, but noone, and I mean noone would ever have considered them to be in there right mind. and as far fetched as it sounds, it was done, the jeep was sitting on 35's and would pick the front end up about 3ft off the ground at full blow. i have to say I think it was the scariest ride I have ever been on.

That's no an uncommon thing (at least in the south). It's not uncommon to see a jacked up POS old bronco on 44's with a 460. I would imagine the owner of that jeep used that power mainly offroad, not on the freeway.

Actually no, that was his cruising jeep (this guy had ungodly amounts of money) his offroad jeep had 44" boggers and a blown 454 in it.

Lets just say that overkill was not in this man's vocabulary. and yes it is a very common thing in the south. I know of plenty jeeps that have the same power or more, usually used offroad to clean the tires, but there none the less

Perversly enough, the best every-day 'driving fun I've had in years was driving a good old landrover SIII 109". (80BHP engine, leaf sprung, ladder chassis; 1400kg)

Just keeping up with traffic was a challange; every corner a challange in its own right. In fact, I had a lot more fun in the old landie than I did with the Audi Quattro (the 4w-drive ralley monster of the '80's). At least I didn't have to look a complete prat trying to even come close to the limits on the Audi on normal roads (isn't that where we do all of our driving 99.9% of the time?).

Had the Landie for two years together with an Alfa 155V6 and found myself doing more miles in it than the Alfa... Much more fun on the daily commute.

I had a series 3 SWB FFR which I ran around as my daily drive for over a year. It was great fun! I also really enjoyed the ritual of putting on gloves, hat, scarf and so forth whenever I went for a drive in the winter - it made every journey into a bit of an adventure!

That was the only vehicle I ever sold for more than I paid, and I rather wish I still had it!

Rob