Midlife crisis... or what $75k sportscar

[S204STi]

I hated that asshole. Yelled at everyone for posting hot hatches and whatnot in the sports and GT section then posted about his shitty ass Grand Prix GT in it.

I believe he had a 500+hp SLP Formula Firehawk.

Puppylay owned a couple of Grands Prix.

I voted Cayman.

[The Pirate]

Shaman also did have a Grand Prix for a daily driver.  Replaced with another one, and both were supercharged, IIRC.

[S204STi]

Shaman also did have a Grand Prix for a daily driver.  Replaced with another one, and both were supercharged, IIRC.

Ah ok.

[NomisR]

This one's hard to decide because none of those would be cars I would own for that money.  I'd probably look at an used 911 since this would be a midlife crisis car.

But Evora would probably be the closest in terms of status to the 911.  The only thing about it is the acceleration # considering a lot of the current cars in the 30-40 range can go just as fast or faster.  But then again, you're not driving a plebeian car.   It'd be so much better if they could shed about 400lb off of that thing.

[jadewolf123]

I would spend the first 50k on a used Cayman S, and then the other 25k on underage Thai prostitutes. Isn't that what fat middle aged assholes do?

[Minpin]

Raza, you are what 22? 23?

What snooty book did you read as a child that gave you the definition of a sports car? As others have said everything I read disagrees with you. You didn't come up with this on your own accord though. 

[r0tor]

I believe he had a 500+hp SLP Formula Firehawk.

That he had someone build for him -shrug-

[SVT666]

That he had someone build for him -shrug-

Who cares.  It's still a 500 hp Firehawk.  Who cares how it got that way.

[SVT666]

Raza, you are what 22? 23?

What snooty book did you read as a child that gave you the definition of a sports car? As others have said everything I read disagrees with you. You didn't come up with this on your own accord though. 

It's the same book ChrisV read.  Even the FIA classifies it as open top or fixed roof.  I have even posted the definition on this website several times including a link directly to the definitions in the FIA rule book.

[Cookie Monster]

Ah ok.

I was also a member of C/D too, you know.

[Tave]

I voted GT-R, because I don't think it will be possible to have more fun in a car for 80-large. Corvette is the only other line that will touch it in "dollar-to-fun," and the Z06 isn't as tight a car as the base vette or ZR-1.

[ChrisV]

What snooty book did you read as a child that gave you the definition of a sports car? As others have said everything I read disagrees with you. You didn't come up with this on your own accord though. 

Sports cars were an FIA class, consisting of open 2 seat cars, designed for road racing/street driving, though they moved primarily to road racing later. GT cars were another FIA classification, that were essentially sports cars with fixed roofs. The manufacturers that started using the terms and raced in those categories knew the definitions and built/named their cars around those definitions. GT cars were often much faster than pure sports cars, owing to thebetter aerodynamics of the fixed roof layout. So being a GT is usually a GOOD thing. Too bad so many GT car owners think it's an insult if they aren't considered "sports cars." It isn't.

That's why the Ferrari 250S was considered a sports car, and the 250 GT was a GT car.



What's the name of this car?



Ferrari even went so far as to call any non-racing open cars GTs, and leave the Sports name for actual racing open cars.

Porsche essentially did the same, which is why the 911 GT1, GT2, and GT3 have GT in the name. Porsche and Ferrari are competition manufacturers first, same with McLaren. And you'll note the McLaren F1 racing version is, you guessed it, a GT.

If anyone would know and define the categories, it would be those three manufacturers, and the men who were the creators of each marque. GT cars can be open cars, but sports cars are always open cars.

Even moving to the lower traditional sports car manufacturers, it was well known what the difference was. MG was a racing marque from way back. This was a sports car:



and this was the GT version:



And when Triumph put a bigger engine and a fastback roof on their Spitfire sports car, it became the GT6:



It's sad that marketing teams have diluted the terms, slapping GT on anything even slightly sporty, and labelling anything with even a modicum of performance a "sports car." But the creators and adherents to the definitions still know the difference. And even though the performance in every category has improved immensely, so that modern sedans perform at levels far above vintage sports cars, the categories are still valid.

[the Teuton]

Not this argument again.

[NomisR]

 

[Gotta-Qik-C7]

Who cares.  It's still a 500 hp Firehawk.  Who cares how it got that way.

And he has a Gixxer 750! Smart man!

[Raza]

Except the Z4 is a very traditional sports car in layout and proportion. The rest are GTs, though.

I don't really consider it so, since it has a hardtop.  It sort of says to me that they intend it to be more of a GT than a sports car.  I never considered the SLK a sports car either, even though they technically both are.

[Raza]

Raza, you are what 22? 23?

What snooty book did you read as a child that gave you the definition of a sports car? As others have said everything I read disagrees with you. You didn't come up with this on your own accord though. 

I guess none of you read Evo or watch Fifth Gear. 

EDIT:  Full disclosure, the sports car section of The Knowledge has one anomaly in the form of the FWD Fiat Barchetta.

[Eye of the Tiger]

I guess none of you read Evo or watch Fifth Gear. 

EDIT:  Full disclosure, the sports car section of The Knowledge has one anomaly in the form of the FWD Fiat Barchetta.

Last time I checked, England was way the fuck on the other side of the Atlantic, and they've been over there for a couple hundred years, or at least since the automobile was invented. Welcome to America, buddy, and here is your fucking sports car:

[the Teuton]

I guess none of you read Evo or watch Fifth Gear. 

EDIT:  Full disclosure, the sports car section of The Knowledge has one anomaly in the form of the FWD Fiat Barchetta.

Lest we forget about the Mercury Capri of the late 1980s/early 1990s...

Edit:  Or the Lotus/Kia Elan...

[Raza]

Lest we forget about the Mercury Capri of the late 1980s/early 1990s...

Edit:  Or the Lotus/Kia Elan...

I don't think either of those cars are listed in The Knowledge section.

Honestly I think it may be a function of practicality.  It competes with sports cars, so they stuck it in the sports car section instead of the convertibles section, which is largely consisted of four seat convertibles (and the occasional SL).

[2o6]

The Evora and such don't strike me as midlife crisis cars. Midlife crisis cars are totally illogical.


A Beat up C3 or C4 vette would be a good example.

[MX793]

The Evora and such don't strike me as midlife crisis cars. Midlife crisis cars are totally illogical.


A Beat up C3 or C4 vette would be a good example.

NO

[Raza]

The Evora and such don't strike me as midlife crisis cars. Midlife crisis cars are totally illogical.


A Beat up C3 or C4 vette would be a good example.

You're about 60 years from a midlife crisis, kid.

A midlife crisis car is the kind of car that you wanted as a kid, but couldn't afford until you were an adult.  It's usually very flashy, you usually don't drive it well, and it's usually two seats (or uselessly a 2+2) and open top. 

Good examples are the 911 Cabriolet, Corvette convertible, and the Maserati Spyder.  If you have more money, you pick up a mid-engined Ferrari and a busty blond. 

Midlife crisis cars are very rarely beat up. 

[the Teuton]

A midlife crisis car can also be something absolutely insane that you pined after in high school, but you never had a chance to get, and when you had the money, it passed you by.

A few good examples might be a Trans Am 455 Super Duty, a Ferrari Testarossa, or even a Buick Grand National.

[MX793]

A midlife crisis car can also be something absolutely insane that you pined after in high school, but you never had a chance to get, and when you had the money, it passed you by.

A few good examples might be a Trans Am 455 Super Duty, a Ferrari Testarossa, or even a Buick Grand National.

Yes, but they're rarely beat up examples (unless you intend to restore it).  I could see someone picking up a restored '67 Corvette as a midlife crisis car, but not a ratted out '81 Vette.

[2o6]

Ok. What about a Mondial?

[MX793]

Ok. What about a Mondial?

If it's in good condition, maybe...  But who honestly lusts after a Mondial?

[the Teuton]

If it's in good condition, maybe...  But who honestly lusts after a Mondial?

Nick.  Only he could love that $20,000 Ferrari.

He'd probably just gut the interior and put flamez on it, though.

[Raza]

Yes, but they're rarely beat up examples (unless you intend to restore it).  I could see someone picking up a restored '67 Corvette as a midlife crisis car, but not a ratted out '81 Vette.

Like a 67 Firebird 400 convertible?   

[SVT666]

Sports cars were an FIA class, consisting of open 2 seat cars, designed for road racing/street driving, though they moved primarily to road racing later. GT cars were another FIA classification, that were essentially sports cars with fixed roofs. The manufacturers that started using the terms and raced in those categories knew the definitions and built/named their cars around those definitions. GT cars were often much faster than pure sports cars, owing to thebetter aerodynamics of the fixed roof layout. So being a GT is usually a GOOD thing. Too bad so many GT car owners think it's an insult if they aren't considered "sports cars." It isn't.

That's why the Ferrari 250S was considered a sports car, and the 250 GT was a GT car.

What's the name of this car?

Ferrari even went so far as to call any non-racing open cars GTs, and leave the Sports name for actual racing open cars.

Porsche essentially did the same, which is why the 911 GT1, GT2, and GT3 have GT in the name. Porsche and Ferrari are competition manufacturers first, same with McLaren. And you'll note the McLaren F1 racing version is, you guessed it, a GT.

If anyone would know and define the categories, it would be those three manufacturers, and the men who were the creators of each marque. GT cars can be open cars, but sports cars are always open cars.

Even moving to the lower traditional sports car manufacturers, it was well known what the difference was. MG was a racing marque from way back. This was a sports car:

and this was the GT version:

And when Triumph put a bigger engine and a fastback roof on their Spitfire sports car, it became the GT6:

It's sad that marketing teams have diluted the terms, slapping GT on anything even slightly sporty, and labelling anything with even a modicum of performance a "sports car." But the creators and adherents to the definitions still know the difference. And even though the performance in every category has improved immensely, so that modern sedans perform at levels far above vintage sports cars, the categories are still valid.

FIA defines a sports car as two seats, open top OR fixed roof.  It's right in their god damn rule book on their website.