| DAEMANO |
11-09-2017 04:23 PM |
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tcoat
(Post 3002833)
I completely agree with this and have used that same article in many a debate! Unfortunately many others will not and consider "sports cars" to be something totally different so for the sake of defining them for the top ten list here I let it slide.
Oh and for the record.
Fixed roof + backseat = GT
The Twins (Triplets?) are GT cars not sports cars so they don't belong in that list either.
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I'd like to add this, Paul Frere defined sports car as "Any production car that, with minimal modification, can be used competitively in motor sports." Frere was a giant in motorsports by both introducing the science of driving (when it was generally thought to be an art) as well as one of the most accomplished auto journalists of all time.
I like this definition because most gearheads will hear it and know exactly what is intended. It's natural and makes sense. Also this definition gets to the root of the " sports" part of the argument.
Now of course "any car can be used in motorsports" and "what do you mean by "minimal" are the typical replies, but if a person asks then they should probably be dropped from the convo.
GT car has been defined as a car suitable for a Grand Turismo (or a Grand Tour.) which has a generally accepted definition of "traditional trip of Europe undertaken by mainly upper class European young men of sufficient means and rank (or those of more humble origin who could find a sponsor), as well as young women if they were also of sufficient means, and accompanied by a chaperon, such as other family members, when they had come of age (about the age of 21 years old)" Thanks Wikipedia.
Understandably, it can be questioned why I would use the Frere definition of sports car vs. the Wikipedia definition of GT. Reason is Frere competed in and wrote so prolifically about motorsports and motoring that much of his influence permeates all forms of the language and lexicon of motoring and sports car competition today.
In the case of the two definitions above, I'd definitely call all 86 variants, sports cars and not GTs.
This should perhaps be every persons first book on driving while a teen.
http://www.usterinc.com/books/Sports...on_Driving.jpg
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