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Originally Posted by nikitopo
Not sure what is the classic sports car formula that other car manufacturers don't have nowadays. Maybe cars like the 86/BRZ and the MX-5 belong to the entry level sports car category while others play higher?
If that's the case, then the S2000 was considered already by its introduction a level up comparing to the MX-5. Here is a review article of related cars back in '03 :
Nissan 350Z: $30,000
Honda S2000: $33,060
Audi TT: $39,660
BMW Z4 3.0: $40,945
Porsche Boxster: $43,365
The base price of a MX-5 was $22,363 at that time. A S2000 was closer in price to an Audi TT or a BMW Z4 than a MX-5. Same can be said about performance figures like quarter-to-mile from standstill at that time 
https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews...parison-tests/ |
It's definitely a more subjective definition than I'd like. To nail it down I'd call it the lightweight F/R segment. Where is the cutoff for lightweight? Who knows, but I'd place it somewhere around 3200lbs.
Wiki's sports car definition:
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A sports car is a car designed with an emphasis on dynamic performance, such as handling, acceleration, top speed, or thrill of driving.
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It's pretty broad, and 'thrill of driving' allows for plenty of personal interpretation.