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Originally Posted by Jordo!
A logical way would be to review characteristics of cars widely considered to be benchmarks among sports cars (e.g., Porsche, Ferrari, etc.).
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Except that those cars are actually quite luxuriously appointed cars that offer tremendous performance. In my opinion, they are *less* true sports cars than a Miata. Or an FR-S/BRZ! For *me*, true sports cars sacrifice creature comforts in the name of being lighter-weight. No Ferrari or Porsche really does this. The "stripped" versions that they do sell like the Boxster Spyder pay lip service to the kind of minimalism I'm talking about, but you don't usually accomplish much when you try to "add on" light weight (big increases in $$$ don't result in meaningful weight reduction).
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As someone else on here noted, I've never even heard COG discussed before this car was introduced. Power, braking, handling, yes, yes, yes.
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COG is indeed important. Lower c.g. = less lateral weight transfer => increased cornering g's possible. Or looked at another way, it allows the car to be physically smaller and on a narrower track while maintaining the same lateral weight transfer.
But for me, POWER doesn't make a car a sports car, and lack of POWER doesn't make a car NOT a sports car. Many of the most *quintessential* of sports cars throughout history have been pretty low-powered and some quite slow. Lotus Elan, MG TC, Miata, Austin Healey Sprite, Triumph Spitfire, Fiat X1/9, Porsche 356, Lotus/Caterham Super 7, etc. etc. etc.
IMO, Porsche and Ferrari make *supercars*, not necessarily what I consider to be pure "sports cars". That's MY take on it, anyway.
The 370Z is trying to hard to be a junior supercar, kind of a lower-powered Japanese Corvette, rather than trying to be what it IMO *should* be: the modern incarnation of the 240Z. The FR-S/BRZ are MUCH closer to that ideal.
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Merits as a "sports car" in present form = kinda low
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I disagree, but then my definition of "sports car" is quite different from yours. For me, for a sports car minimalism and light weight are way way WAY more important than more power.
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Anyway, bring on the "super sport" version.
Please.
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That would be cool with me
