Can you name any FWD sports cars?

[tahdizzle]

Originally Posted by stugray

A "Sports Car" is intended to be for participation in motorsports.

Ask yourself this question: "Would anyone knowledgeable in automotive engineering ever START with FWD if 'racing' was the intent?"

I say - No.
It's that simple. If the car has FWD, then the primary design criteria was NOT for "participation in motorosports"

And if you want a real sports car, then it is mid-engine RWD :-)

FF class racing?

[vh_supra26]

Originally Posted by rice_classic

Racing one this weekend... for sport.

More power too you bro.

I started with FWD. Went RWD and AWD and never looked back

[tahdizzle]

The term "Sports Car" is like Porn.

Defining pornography is easy. Giving an example of pornography changes with the ages.

How many people would turn their nose up in the 70s if you said you had an electric sports car?

[fatoni]

Originally Posted by vh_supra26

I would say it depends on which gen Celica we are talking about.

The last gen Celica were FWD sporty cars. It didn't have the GT4 option.

Well this is a thread about FWD. Even if it wasn't, the itr is twice the sports car the st165/185 was. I haven't driven the newer one though

[vh_supra26]

Originally Posted by fatoni

Well this is a thread about FWD. Even if it wasn't, the itr is twice the sports car the st165/185 was. I haven't driven the newer one though

ST205

[husker741]

This thread is full of fail.

[MokSpeed]

Originally Posted by hobojoker

In your "Also:" you just listed everything that the OP already wanted excluded, boosted up economy cars.

The FR-S is the direct successor of the Sprinter series for Corollas, which were boosted up economy cars.

[gymratter]

Originally Posted by MokSpeed

The FR-S is the direct successor of the Sprinter series for Corollas, which were boosted up RWD economy cars.

fixed

[Reaper]

I'm surprised its not full of VWs

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[gymratter]

pretty sure all F1 cars are RWD or AWD

[Reaper]

Nice rebuttal @strat61caster .

Saying you cant be sporty without rwd is like saying you cant rally without awd.

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[gymratter]

Originally Posted by Reaper

Nice rebuttal. Saying you cant be sporty without rwd is like saying you cant rally without awd.

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no one is saying there are FWD sporty cars. we have Si, Celicas, tCs, RSXs and ect.

but those are in a different class of traditional RWD sports cars like Corvettes, Vipers, Supras, RX7s, and ect.

[DAEMANO]

http://www.cars.com/lotus/elan/1991/expert-reviews/

Tons of stuff about how uncomfortable it is, and then this...

Its Isuzu engine a turbocharged four-cylinder developing 162 horsepower from its 1.6 liters isn't that far removed from the same power plant used in the Geo Storm and Isuzu Impulse RS. But thanks to engine-management tweaks that Lotus coyly calls "enhancements," the power station sounds quieter and feels punchier.

The suspension is fully independent with springs, control arms and anti-roll bars. But they are norms for cars that introduce oomph to our existence. And it is a front-driver, a configuration guaranteed to flare the nostrils of those who see sports motoring as an orthodox religion.

But examine the Elan's chassis.
Unlike other automotive frames, it has a steel spine, splayed at both ends to receive suspensions and engine. It is a setup providing enormous torsional strength; also a rigid platform flattening the car through corners as if nailed to asphalt. Such engineering also erases body tremors common to modern convertibles.

The Elan's body panels and floor pan are made from fiberglass and composite plastics. This keeps weight down to 2,451 pounds, which enhances the power-to-weight ratio for quicker movement over pavement. And that movement translates to a top speed of 137 m.p.h. with a 0-60 m.p.h. acceleration time of 6.7 seconds.

The numbers are excellent, but again, not incredible by today's standards of high-performance motoring. In truth, Toyota's MR2 Turbo posts quicker acceleration times and is 5 m.p.h. faster at the t op end. The 300ZX Turbo is even better.

But thanks to superlative chassis engineering, when the MR2 and the 300ZX start to scuff and slow in tight right-handers, the Elan will be whipping through and getting back up to speed.

Riding on 16-inch, cast-alloy wheels and low-lying Goodyear tires developed especially for the Elan, the car sticks well, with none of the under-steer inherent to front-drivers. Torque steer skitters, however, are quite noticeable and an irritation best anticipated early.

The ride of our mustard-yellow test car was stiff and tuned to feel a bread crumb on a billiard table. But a harder ride is just a necessary adjunct to the car's perfect balancing act; a combination of solid braking, precise steering and unflexing chassis.

Whether any of this is worth $40,000 is best left to buyers, their priorities and a good family counselor.

Consider this: The Elan costs $17,000 more than the Toyota MR2, a hefty p remium to pay for better handling and greater exclusivity, but a lesser finish.

But fair warning: With the top down, with eucalyptus and citrus the musk of a warm morning, with a serpentine backroad, there is noother car like the Elan. Its pace is spectacular, its gearbox crisp and agile, and its maneuvering unperturbable. You just know the car will do nothing to harm you.

Sit back inside the Elan at speed. Go quickly, but relax. Pinch senses, but remain calm. Feel tension depart and verve flow by mental repositioning. It's called the Lotus position.

1991 Lotus Elan
The Good Among world's best-handling cars. Family heritage and exclusivity. Power-to-weight ratio biased to power. Flex-free convertible.
The Bad The price. Ergonomic time-bomb. One-dimensional automobile. Buried door handles.
The Ugly The borrowed bits.

1991 Lotus Elan
Cost Base $39,040 As tested $39,990 (Includes leather seats, air conditioning, aluminum alloy wheels, power door locks and driver's side air bag.)
Engine Turbocharged, 16-valve, four-cylinder, 1.6-liter engine developing 162 horsepower.
Type Front-drive, two-seater sports car.
Performance 0-60 m.p.h., as tested, 6.7 seconds.
Top speed, manufacturer's measurement, 137 m.p.h.
Fuel consumption, EPA city-highway, 24 and 31 m.p.g.
Curb Weight 2,451 pounds.

[Rayme]

calling something sporty or / a sports car doesn't change ANYTHING about how a particular car drives. We're just arguing about a word's definition in a pissing contest. As for "purpose built" sporty fwd there's a ton. Eclipse, tiburon, celica, prelude, probes, FTOs, mx-6, and the civic/integra being a "family car" did a much better job at being sporty than a lot of other ones.