Move Over !!!

[jimkana]

Sorry to have pushed us toward the Black Hole of Thread Jacking.

My goal was merely to help the poor misguided youth of today which have been led astray by 50 years of advertising execs who don't know or care what words mean, so long as they can sell cars. Not that there is anything wrong with advertising execs.

The Maxima was marketed as the "4 door Sports Car" for much of the 90s. It was a nice car and I had one of those as well, but it was no Sports Car.

[rodhx]

The Maxima was marketed as the "4 door Sports Car" for much of the 90s. It was a nice car and I had one of those as well, but it was no Sports Car.

Those are the ones I was referring to..the mid to late 80's models. The SE trim even came with stickers on the rear door "wing" windows that said "4DSC" which stood for 4 Door Sports Car.

[claym]

From Merriam Webster's Dictionary

"Main Entry: sports car
Function: noun
Date: 1928
: a low small usually 2-passenger automobile designed for quick response, easy maneuverability, and high-speed driving

Or from Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sports_car

[TouringBubble]

Or from Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sports_car

If you want a laugh, read the discussion about that article ... lol.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Sports_car

They are having the exact same argument we are, but me a bit more ridiculousness ...

[Focus]

Those are the ones I was referring to..the mid to late 80's models. The SE trim even came with stickers on the rear door "wing" windows that said "4DSC" which stood for 4 Door Sports Car.

Ah. On an even less relevant note, I was looking for a Maxima when I found the focus, but don't regret my choice at all.

[engled]

To continue the thread jack I have had two Maximas and loved both. The 1991 I had was sold to a friend that sold it to another friend and when he finally let it go it had over 270,000 miles on it.

[jimkana]

[waflet]

Hideeho
ok, time for me to through another wrench in the gears. Is there a diference between a gt 2+2 & a coupe? Shouldn't most 911's, gtr, g35/37, & genesis COUPE be listed as coupe rather than gt 2+2 due to weight?

If you can change the drive wheels, why can't you change the # of doors? If awd qualifies, why doesn't fwd?

If the gtr qualifies as a gt regardless of drive wheels & weight, then why doesn't the reatta qualify as a sport car? The only thing it doesn't live up to is the weight. As far as performance, I'd match it up against a 356 or mgb any day.

That's enough for today, I guess. I'll come up w/ more later.

[Focus]

Also, something quoting facts about various cars and asking if your vague guidelines still apply to them.

[ThumbsUp]

Hideeho

As far as performance, I'd match it up against a 356 or mgb any day.

I been quietly sitting on the side lines taking this all in, again...

I'll have to side with Eric on the definitions, but add my own qualifier which answers Bill's statement above....you have to consider a car's performance relative to it's contempoaries. A modern, Korean made, FWD, 4 cylinder, sedan grocery getter can outperform many iconic sports cars of yesteryear.

Some cars defy classification; for instance, where do the 1st and 2nd gen MR2 fit. Fixed roof, seats two, light weight, precise handling, but a GT it ain't. Nor by definition is it a sports car. The 3rd gen car clearly gets classed as a sports car, but the early cars remain unclassified. The same can be said for the Porsche 914 and the Fiat X1/9.

In my twisted world, the term "GT" is reserved for a special breed of automobile that I define by example; MGB-GT, BMW M-Coupe, and a few examples from Ferrari. I'd love to include the 911 (and it's variants) but the configuration kills it. A GT must be a sporting car with front engine, RWD, two door, and have a rear hatch. Refer to Eric's earlier characterization of the couple throwing a bag or two in the rear hatch and touring in grand style for a weekend vacation. Somehow throwing a couple of bags in the frunk (front trunk) doesn't fit my picture of GT.

And now some random thoughts:

Somewhere in the '60's, the term "sports car" became associated with "sporty car" and the average American can now no longer tell the difference.

How would one classify the MINI?

How about the Subaru Brat?

Can we start a thread about the difference between a convertible and a roadster?

[DAB21]

Hideeho
As far as performance, I'd match it up against a 356 or mgb any day.

Thats MGB to you, mister!

Where is my MGB when I need it? ALAN!

[slowautoxr]

1989. 3.9 V6. 5 speed. RWD. Bucket seats. Hmmm......