This article is about roadgoing sports cars. For the type of motorsport, see Sports car racing. Sports car racing is a form of circuit Auto racing with Automobiles that have two seats and enclosed wheels

1963 Jaguar E-Type, a classic sports car

1963 Chevrolet Corvette

A sports car is a term used to describe a class of automobile. The Jaguar E-Type' (UK or XK-E (US is a British Automobile, manufactured by Jaguar between 1961 and 1974 The Chevrolet Corvette is a Sports car that has been manufactured by General Motors since 1953 The exact definition varies, ^[1] but generally it is used to refer to a low to ground, light weight vehicle with a powerful engine. Most vehicles referred to as sports cars are rear-wheel drive, have two seats, two doors, and are designed for more precise handling, acceleration, and aesthetics. Car handling and vehicle handling is a description of the way wheeled vehicles perform transverse to their direction of motion particularly during cornering and swerving A sports car's dominant considerations can be superior road handling, braking, maneuverability, low weight, and high power, rather than passenger space, comfort, and fuel economy.

Sports cars can be either luxurious^[2] or spartan, but driving mechanical performance is the key attraction. Drivers regard brand name and the subsequent racing reputation and history (for example, Ferrari, Maserati, Alfa Romeo, Porsche, Lotus) as important indications of sporting quality, but brands such as Lamborghini, which do not race or build racing cars, are also highly regarded. Ferrari SpA is an Italian Sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy Maserati is an Italian manufacturer of racing cars and Sports cars established on December 1, 1914, in Bologna. Alfa Romeo Automobiles SpA is an Italian Automaker founded in 1910 Porsche SE or Porsche ( German, ˈpɔɹʃə is a German manufacturer of automobiles which is majority-owned by the Porsche and Piëch Lotus Cars is a British manufacturer of sports and racing cars based at Hethel, Norfolk, England. Automobili Lamborghini SpA, commonly referred to as Lamborghini, is an Italian manufacturer of Sports cars based in the small Italian Village

A car may be a sporting automobile without being a sports car. Performance modifications of regular, production cars, such as sport compacts, sports sedans, muscle cars, hot hatches and the like, generally are not considered sports cars, yet share traits common to sports cars. A sport compact is a high-performance version of a Compact car or a Subcompact car. A sports sedan or a sports saloon is a descriptive term applied to a sedan Automobile that is designed to look and feel "sporty" - offering the A hot hatch is an informal or slang term for a high-performance derivative of a three (or sometimes five -door Automobile. They are sometimes called "sports cars" for marketing purposes for increased advertising and promotional purposes. In popular usage "marketing" is the promotion of products especially Advertising and Branding However in professional usage the term has a wider meaning of ^[3] Performance cars of all configurations are grouped as Sports and Grand tourer cars, or, occasionally, as performance cars. A grand tourer ( Gran turismo) ( initialised GT) is a high-performance Automobile designed for long-distance driving

A sports car does not require a large, powerful engine, though many do have them. The internal combustion engine is an engine in which the Combustion of Fuel and an Oxidizer (typically air occurs in a confined space called a Some classic British sports cars lacked powerful engines, but were known for exceptional handling due to light weight, a well-engineered, balanced chassis, and modern suspension. On tight, twisting roads, such an automobile performs more effectively than a heavier, more powerful luxury car with less maneuverability. Luxury vehicle is a marketing term for a vehicle that provides luxury &mdash that which is beyond strict necessity &mdash in exchange for increased cost to the buyer

Due to North American safety regulations, many sports cars are unavailable for sale or use in the United States and Canada. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page In the United Kingdom, Europe, and the Middle Eastern market (e. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The Middle East is a Subcontinent with no clear boundaries often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East. g. UAE), a flexible attitude towards small-volume specialist manufacturers has allowed companies such as TVR, Noble, and Pagani to succeed. TVR is an independent British manufacturer of Sports cars based in the English town of Blackpool, Lancashire. Noble Automotive Ltd, more commonly known simply as Noble, is a British Sports car manufacturer. Pagani Automobili SpA is an Italian manufacturer of Sports cars and Carbon fibre.

History

The sports car traces its roots to early 20th century touring cars. A touring car was a popular Car body style in the early 20th century being a larger alternative to the runabout and the Roadster. These raced in early rallys, such as the Herkomer Cup, Prinz Heinrich Fahrt, and Monte Carlo. The Monte Carlo Rally (officially Rallye Automobile Monte-Carlo) is a Rallying event organized each year by the Automobile Club de Monaco who also organize ^[4]

The first true sports cars (though the term would not be coined until after World War One) were the 3 litre 1910 Vauxhall 20 hp (15 kW) and 27/80PS Austro-Daimler (designed by Ferdinand Porsche). Vauxhall Motors is a British automobile company It is a subsidiary of General Motors Corporation (GM and is part of GM Europe. Austro-Daimler was an Austrian Automaker company from 1899 until 1934 Prof Dr Ing hc Ferdinand Porsche ( ^[4]

These would shortly be joined by the French DFP (which became sporters after tuning by H. Doriot Flandrin & Parant (DFP was a French car maker based in Courbevoie, Seine between 1906 and 1926 M. and W. O. Bentley, the Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost. Walter Owen Bentley ( 16 September 1888 – 2 August 1971) often known as W The Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost refers both to a car model and to one specific car from that series In the U. S. (where the type was variously called roadster, speedster, runabout, or raceabout, there was Apperson, Kissel, Marion, Midland, National, Overland, Stoddard-Dayton, and Thomas among small models (which today would be called sports cars), while Chadwick, Mercer, Stutz, and Simplex were among large ones (which might today be called sports sedans or grand tourers). A roadster, also known as a spyder or spider, is a two-seater car traditionally without a roof (or with a detachable roof and no side or rear windows The Apperson was a brand of American Automobile manufactured from 1902 to 1926 in Kokomo, Indiana. The Kissel Motor Car Company was an American Automobile manufacturing company founded by Louis Kissel and his sons George and William on June The Overland Co was a United States based Automobile manufacturer Stoddard-Dayton was a high quality car manufactured by Dayton Motor Car Company in Dayton, Ohio, USA, between 1905 and 1913 Mercer was an American automobile manufacturer before World War II The Stutz Motor Company was a producer of Luxury cars Production began in 1911 and continued through 1935 Crane-Simplex is a defunct car Manufacturer operating in New York City at the beginning of the 20th century ^[4]

In 1921, Ballot premiered its 2LS, with a remarkable 75 hp (56 kW) DOHC two liter, designed by Ernest Henry (formerly of Peugeot's Grand Prix program), capable of 150 km/h (90 mph); at most, one hundred were built in four years. Ballot was a French Automobile manufacturer who made cars between 1921 and 1932 For the article about the bicycle manufacturer see Cycles Peugeot. This was followed by the SOHC 2LT and 2LTS. The same year, Benz built a supercharged 28/95PS four for the Coppa Florio; Max Sailer won. A supercharger is an air compressor used for Forced induction of an Internal combustion engine. Coppa Florio was an Italian car race started in 1900 and renamed in 1905 when Vincenzo Florio offered the initial 50 000 Lira and a cup designed Max Sailer ( 20 December 1882 Esslingen &ndash 05 February 1964 Esslingen) was a German Racecar driver ^[4]

Simson in 1924 offered a Paul Henze-designed 60 hp (45 kW) DOHC 2 liter four, the Simson Supra Type S, in a long-wheelbase 120 km/h (60 mph) tourer and 115 km/h (71 mph) twin-carburettor sporter; only thirty were sold, against around three hundred of the SOHC model and 750 of the pushrod-six Type R. Simson is a brand name for Mopeds made in the former German Democratic Republic (GDR A carburetor (North American spelling or carburettor ( Commonwealth spelling) is a device that blends air and Fuel for an Internal An overhead valve (OHV engine, also called pushrod engine or I-head engine is a type of Piston engine that places the Camshaft Duerkopp's Zoller-blown two liter in 1924, as well. ^[4]

There was a clear cleavage by 1925. As four-seaters were more profitable, two-seaters increasingly turned over to specialst manufacturers, led by Alvis, Aston-Martin, and Frazer-Nash, with shoestring budgets, fanatic followers, and limited sales (today exemplified by Aston and Morgan): between 1921 and 1939, 350 Astons were built; 323 Frazer-Nashes in the period 1924-39. Alvis cars were produced by the manufacturer Alvis Car and Engineering Company Ltd of Coventry, United Kingdom from 1919 to 1967 Aston Martin Lagonda Limited is a British manufacturer of luxury performance cars, whose headquarters are at Gaydon, England. Frazer Nash was a British Automobile manufacturer and engineering company founded by Archibald Frazer-Nash in 1922 The Morgan Motor Company is a British motor car manufacturer The company was founded in 1909 by H ^[4]

By the end of the 1920s, AC produced a 2 liter six, the 3. AC Cars Group Ltd formerly known as Auto Carriers Ltd is a British specialist Automobile manufacturer and one of the oldest independent car marques 5 liter Nazzaro had a three-valve OHC (only until 1922), while French makers Amilcar, Bignan, Hispano-Suiza, and Samson had the typical small four-cylinder sporters and Delage, Hotchkiss, and Chenard-Walcker the large tourers. Felice Nazzaro ( 1881 - March 21, 1940) was an Italian Racecar driver a native of Turin. The Amilcar was a French Automobile manufactured from 1921 to 1939 History Early Years In 1898 a Spanish artillery captain Emilio de la Cuadra started with electric automobile production in Barcelona under The Delage Automobile company was established in January 1905 at 62 rue Chaptal (62 Chaptal street in Levallois, a northwesterly suburb of Paris Hotchkiss cars were made between 1903 and 1955 by the French company Hotchkiss et Cie in Saint-Denis, Paris Chenard-Walcker, also known as Chenard & Walcker and Chenard et Walcker was a French automobile manufacturer from 1900 to 1946 Benz introduced the powerful SS and SSK, and Alfa Romeo, the Vittori Jano-designed 6C. The Mercedes-Benz SSK is a Roadster built by German Automobile manufacturer Mercedes-Benz between 1928 and 1932 Alfa Romeo Automobiles SpA is an Italian Automaker founded in 1910 The Alfa Romeo 6C name was used on road race and sports cars made between 1925–1954 by Alfa Romeo ^[4]

Two companies would offer the first really reliable sports cars: Austin with the Seven and Morris Garages (MG) with the Midget. The Austin Motor Company was a British manufacturer of automobiles that rose to be a major motorcar brand the dominant partner after merger with Morris in 1952 The Austin 7 was a Vintage car produced from 1922 through to 1939 in the United Kingdom by the Austin Motor Company. MG is a British Sports car brand founded in 1924 MG is best known for two-seat open sports cars but MG also produced saloons and Coupés The MG Midget is a small Sports car produced by MG division of the British Motor Corporation from 1961 through to 1979 The Seven would quickly be "rodded" by numerous companies (as the Type 1 would be a generation later), including Bassett and Dingle (Hammersmith, London); in 1928, a Cozette blower was fitted to the Seven Super Sports, while Cecil Kimber fitted an 847 cc Minor engine, and sold more Midgets in the first year than MG's entire previous production. The Volkswagen Beetle, officially known as the type 1 and originally called ‘Käfer’ is an Economy car produced by the German auto maker Volkswagen Cecil Kimber (1888-1945 was an automobile engineer most famous for his role in being the driving force behind the M The revolutionary Morris Minor was launched at the Earls Court Motor Show on 20 September, 1948. ^[4]

Layout

2005 Leopard 6 Liter Roadster, a classic sport-style front-engine, rear-wheel drive (FR) layout

1990s Lotus Elan; a front-engine, front wheel (FF) drive sports car

2003 TD2000, a front engine with rear-wheel drive layout

The drive train and engine layout determine the handling characteristics of an automobile, and is the point of the design of a sports car. Leopard 6 Litre Roadster is a Polish classical sport-style luxury car produced by Leopard Automobile AB in the city of Mielec. Lotus Elan is the name of two Convertible Cars and one fixed head Coupé produced by Lotus Cars. The TD2000 is a Retro -styled Roadster based on the MG T-type#TD originally developed in the United Kingdom.

The front-engine, rear-wheel drive layout (FR) is common to sports cars of any era. This configuration has survived longer in sports cars than in mainstream automobiles. Current examples include the Caterham 7, Mazda MX-5, and the Chevrolet Corvette. See also Lotus Seven The Caterham Seven (or Caterham 7) is a small sports car produced by Caterham Cars in the United Kingdom Generations and overview Now in its third generation the MX5's first generation the NA, sold over 400000 units from 1989 to 1997 &mdash with a Straight-4 The Chevrolet Corvette is a Sports car that has been manufactured by General Motors since 1953

In search of improved handling and weight distribution, other formats have been tried. The RMR layout is commonly found only in sports cars — the motor is centre-mounted in the chassis (closer to and behind the driver), and powers only the rear wheels. In Automotive design, a RMR or Rear Mid-engine, Rear-wheel drive layout is one in which the rear wheels are driven by an engine placed just High-performance sports car manufacturers, such as Ferrari and Lamborghini prefer this layout. Ferrari SpA is an Italian Sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy Automobili Lamborghini SpA, commonly referred to as Lamborghini, is an Italian manufacturer of Sports cars based in the small Italian Village Many modern cars, especially grand tourers, also use a FMR layout, with the motor sitting between the front axle and the firewall. A grand tourer ( Gran turismo) ( initialised GT) is a high-performance Automobile designed for long-distance driving In Automotive design, a FMR, or Front Mid-engine, Rear-wheel drive layout is one that places the engine in the front as in the

Porsche is one of the few, remaining manufacturers using the rear-engine, rear-wheel drive layout (RR). Porsche SE or Porsche ( German, ˈpɔɹʃə is a German manufacturer of automobiles which is majority-owned by the Porsche and Piëch In Automotive design, a RR, or Rear-engine, Rear-wheel drive layout is one which places both the engine and drive wheels at the rear The motor's distributed weight across the wheels, in a Porsche 911, provides excellent traction, but is not ideal, as the engine's weight is not between the two axles; the vehicle is poorly balanced, thus, many early Porsches handled twitchily. The Porsche 911 (pronounced as Nine Eleven, Neunelfer is a Sports car made by Porsche AG of Stuttgart, Germany Yet Porsche has continuously refined the design and in recent years combined engineering modifications and electronic driving aids (i. e. computerised traction-stability control) to counteract inherent design shortcomings.

Some sport cars have used the front-engine, front-wheel drive layout (FF), e. In Automotive design, a FF, or Front-engine, Front-wheel drive layout places both the engine and driven wheels at the front of g. Lotus Elan M100, Fiat Coupé, Fiat Barchetta, Saab Sonett and many Berkeley cars. Lotus Elan is the name of two Convertible Cars and one fixed head Coupé produced by Lotus Cars. The Fiat Coupé (type 175 officially titled the Coupé Fiat) was a Coupé produced by the Italian manufacturer Fiat between 1993 and 2000 The Fiat Barchetta (pronounced "bar-KET-ta" is a Roadster produced by the Italian manufacturer Fiat from 1995 to 2005 (though production Saab Sonett is the name of a series of Automobiles from Saab. There were two manufacturers of British Berkeley cars. History Berkeley (1 The first company made some 18 hp cars in 1913 This layout is advantageous for small, light, lower power sports cars, as it avoids the extra weight, increased transmission power loss, and packaging problems of a long driveshaft and longitudinal engine of FR vehicles. Yet, its conservative handling effect, particularly understeer, and the fact that many drivers believe FR is a more appropriate layout for a sports car make this layout atypical to high-performance sports cars. The FF layout, however, is common in sport compacts and hot hatches, such as the Honda Civic Si/Type R and the Volkswagen Golf GTi, which are not necessarily sports cars. A sport compact is a high-performance version of a Compact car or a Subcompact car. A hot hatch is an informal or slang term for a high-performance derivative of a three (or sometimes five -door Automobile. The Honda Civic Si is a Sport compact / Hot hatch version of the Compact car Honda Civic built by the Japanese Automaker The Honda Civic Type R is a high performance version of the popular Honda Civic. The Volkswagen Golf or VW Golf ( Mk1 and Mk5 badged as Volkswagen Rabbit in the United States and Canada, Mk1 badged as Volkswagen

Before the 1980s few sports cars used four-wheel drive, which had traditionally added a lot of weight. Four-wheel drive, 4WD, or 4x4 ("four by four" is a four-wheeled Vehicle with a drivetrain that allows all four Wheels to Not a sports car, but the Audi Quattro, with coaxial driveshafts, proved its worth in rallying, and with the added advantage of all-weather traction ability. The Audi Quattro is a notable road and rally car, produced by the German automobile manufacturer Audi, part of the then Volkswagen Group Four-wheel drive is now common in high-powered sports cars, including Porsche, Lamborghini, and the Bugatti Veyron. Porsche SE or Porsche ( German, ˈpɔɹʃə is a German manufacturer of automobiles which is majority-owned by the Porsche and Piëch Automobili Lamborghini SpA, commonly referred to as Lamborghini, is an Italian manufacturer of Sports cars based in the small Italian Village The Bugatti Veyron 164 is a mid-engine Sports car produced by Volkswagen Group subsidiary Bugatti Automobiles SAS introduced in 2005

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). The term 2+2 (pronounced "two plus two" is a phrase used to describe the configuration of a car with seating for two passengers in the front The Mazda RX-8 includes two small backward-opening doors to better accommodate extra passengers. The Mazda RX-8 is a Sports car manufactured by Mazda Motor Corporation.

Over the years, some manufacturers of sports cars have sought to increase the practicality of their vehicles by increasing the seating room. One method is to place the driver's seat in the center of the car, which allows two full-sized passenger seats on each side and slightly behind the driver. The arrangement was originally considered for the Lamborghini Miura, but abandoned as impractical because of the difficulty for the driver to enter/exit the vehicle. Styling Inspired by the Ford GT40 (now Ford GT) the Miura astonished showgoers at the 1965 Turin Motor Show where only the chassis was shown with McLaren used the design in their F1. McLaren Automotive (previously McLaren Cars) is an English Automaker established in 1989 with the object of producing road cars based on Formula The McLaren F1 was formerly the fastest street legal production car in the world holding this record from 1994 to 2005 the longest period the record has been held

Another British manufacturer, TVR, took a different approach in their Cerbera model. TVR is an independent British manufacturer of Sports cars based in the English town of Blackpool, Lancashire. 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. Mécanique Avion TRAction or Matra was a French company covering a wide range of activities mainly related to automobile Bicycles Aeronautics

Examples

Main article: List of sports car manufacturers

In addition to specialist sports car marques, almost all major car manufacturers have made some form of high performance car, such as Ford with the GT, Mazda with the Mazda RX-7, BMW with the M1, Chevrolet with the Corvette, Honda with the NSX, Nissan with the Z-car, Toyota with the MR2, Mitsubishi with the GTO, and Mercedes-Benz with the 300SL. This is a list of specialist manufacturers or marques of modern and classic Sports cars It includes only companies that are devoted exclusively to producing sports Ford Motor Company is an American Multinational corporation and the world's fourth largest automaker based on Worldwide vehicle sales, following This page refers to the concept and production cars of 2002 and later for the mid-1960s race car see Ford GT40. ( is a Japanese automotive manufacturer based in Hiroshima, Japan. The Mazda RX-7 is a Sports car produced by the Japanese automaker Mazda from 1978 to 2002 ( BMW) (Bavarian Motor Works is an independent German automobile manufacturer founded in 1916 The BMW M1 is a Sports car that was produced by German automaker BMW from 1978 to 1981 Chevrolet (ˌʃɛvroʊˈleɪ - French origin (also known as Chevy) is a Brand of Automobile, produced by General Motors (GM The Chevrolet Corvette is a Sports car that has been manufactured by General Motors since 1953 () is a Multinational corporation, engine Manufacturer and engineering corporation headquartered in Japan. Development In 1984 Honda commissioned Pininfarina to design the HP-X ( H onda P ininfarina X perimental which had a mid-mounted 2 (pronounced) is a Multinational corporation headquartered in Japan, and is currently the world's largest Automaker. The Toyota MR2 is a two-seat mid-engined, Rear wheel drive Sports car produced by Toyota from 1984 until July 2007 when production stopped in The, Mitsubishi Group of Companies, or Mitsubishi Companies is a Japanese conglomerate consisting of a range of autonomous businesses which share the Mitsubishi The Mitsubishi GTO is a sports grand tourer built by Japanese Automaker Mitsubishi Motors between 1990 and 2001 although in most export markets it Mercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of luxury Automobiles Buses coaches and Trucks It is currently a division of the The Mercedes-Benz 300SL was introduced in 1954 as a two-seat closed Sports car with characteristic Gull-wing doors Later it was offered as an open

See also

• Electric sport car This page links here and is a redirect with possibilities. A sports car is a term used to describe a class of Automobile. You can help by eliminating the redirect command in the redirecting page and expanding it. URL redirection, also called URL forwarding, domain redirection and domain forwarding, is a technique on the World Wide Web for making a

• Grand tourer
• Hot hatch
• Muscle car
• Roadster
• Coupe
• Sport compact
• Sports car racing
• Sports sedan
• Supercar

References

External links

• "Best All-Around Sports Car", Road & Track, March 2005
• "What is a Sports Car?", Jean-Francois Ingenbleek, Universitd Libre de Bruxelles & Jean LeMaire, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
• Donovan, Sandra (2007). Road & Track is an Automobile enthusiast Magazine in the United States, founded by two friends in 1947 Sports Cars. Lerner Publications, 48pp. ISBN 08-2255-928-5.