What is an "exotic" car?

[FordSVT]

This is an offshoot of another thread I didn't want to derail.

What do you guys consider an "exotic" car? I guess "supercar" might be synonymous. It's a label that enthusiasts have been arguing about for decades now.

For me, it's a certain mix of exclusivity, price, performance, and styling. name brand is also a factor in most cases.

The first car called "exotic" in the press was the Lamborghini Miuria. Other examples I'd consider "exotic" cars are the Countach and Diablo. The Murci is one but I'm not sure the Gallardo would be considered one. Maybe.

Likewise, I'm sure the Porsche 959 would be concidered "exotic enough" for the time, but the new 911 Turbo? Not sure. The Porsche GT is though. The Ford GT has the performance and they go for a much higher price than the MSRP would suggest. The Z06 and new Z07 certainly have the performance aspect nailed down, but I'm not so sure their more pedestrian upbringings will ever allow them to be concidered true "exotic cars".

The Mosler, Ultima GTR, F40/50/Enzo are all likely candidates and rightly so. I think there definitely is a price component to this, there are several light-weight cars like the Caterham that certainly go like hell but are relatively low cost and "low rent" so to speak, and I'm not sure they've got the pedigree or style to be called "exotic".

So (and getting back to the reason I bring this up in the first place), I don't think the Acura NSX should be considered an exotic. While it did have a mid-rear layout and aluminum construction, it was barely as fast as a Corvette at the time and was a lot slower than the fastest cars of the 90s. It was well balanced and considered a great daily driver, but it was also priced much, much lower than most exotics and still didn't manage to sell that many of them, suggesting most performance enthusiasts still felt it was still priced too high for an N/A 6 cylinder motor making "only" 260-300 hp. It's styling, while pleasing, also didn't exactly set the world on fire. Let's just say it was a good car but still way too close to being a Honda Prelude for anyone looking for a car that will grab them by the balls.

A great sports car and a nice Japanese competitor to the Corvette, but not a "supercar" or "exotic" AFAIC.

Just my humble opinion. 
-FordSVT-

[Raza]

I don't think that the terms exotic and supercar are synonymous.  Cars can be supercars (take your example of the Mosler) but not an exotic, and cars can be exotic and not be a supercar (such as the Aston Martin V8)

[the Teuton]

Being an exotic car and supercar aren't mutually exclusive.  Exotic, IMO, means rare, exclusive, different.  Super is pretty much anything that can hit 60 mph in under 4 seconds to me or something that has performance so great that it makes your "normal" sports car really look like a joke. 

Therefore, a Bentley Azure, for instance, is exotic, and an Enzo is both.

[Eye of the Tiger]

OMG not this again.

Super = extreme all around uncompromised on-the-road performance

Exotic = from a land far, far away... and rare/stupidly wicked expensive

[ifcar]

IMO, an exotic car is one that interests a vastly larger portion of the population than would ever buy one, most commonly for reasons of price but also for other reasons.

[nickdrinkwater]

We don't really use that term over here but I think people have nailed it.  It's about exclusivity - something that would make the average person on the street go 'wow'!

[pommes-t]

An Exotic is simply a car that is extremely rare to me. And if it'S older than let's say 30 years, it's not an exotic anymore, but an oldtimer.
To me, a Chevy Caprice is an exotic (at least here)

[S204STi]

I like Webster's definition:  "adj. 1. alien, imported.  2 unique, singular; bizarre, extraordinary, remarkable, odd, peculiar."

That seems to mean that if a car is rare, unique, and extraordinary it could count as an exotic.

[TheIntrepid]

OMG not this again.

Super = extreme all around uncompromised on-the-road performance

Exotic = from a land far, far away... and rare/stupidly wicked expensive

Would you consider the DeLorean to be an exotic?

[ifcar]

An Exotic is simply a car that is extremely rare to me. And if it'S older than let's say 30 years, it's not an exotic anymore, but an oldtimer.
To me, a Chevy Caprice is an exotic (at least here)

To me, that draws a very fine line between a flop and an exotic.

[pommes-t]

To me, that draws a very fine line between a flop and an exotic.

I think a flop can be an exotic. Our neighbouts for example drive a Renault Avantime, because they think it's so unique. This car was, without a doubt, a flop. I'd also consider it an exotic.

[Madman]

We don't really use that term over here

Really?  That's strange, because the British motoring press uses it all the time.  Car, Top Gear, Evo and all the others throw the "exotic" label around pretty freely.

In some parts of America, hillbilly mechanics regard anything that isn't a Ford or Chevy as exotic.  I remember trying to find someone to work on my old Fiat X-1/9 in Tennessee.  I couldn't believe nobody would touch it.  I finally found an import-specialist shop (who charged an arm and a leg) that was willing to work on it.  In Chicago, I could take this car to be serviced anywhere and nobody batted an eye.  I guess that's what happens when you leave the civilised world!

Someone just recently commented that my Volvo was an exotic car.   Rednecks, they're a strange lot!


Madman of the People

[SVT_Power]

I think a flop can be an exotic. Our neighbouts for example drive a Renault Avantime, because they think it's so unique. This car was, without a doubt, a flop. I'd also consider it an exotic.

One of THOSE things?! wow.

[Rupert]

Really?  That's strange, because the British motoring press uses it all the time.  Car, Top Gear, Evo and all the others throw the "exotic" label around pretty freely.

In some parts of America, hillbilly mechanics regard anything that isn't a Ford or Chevy as exotic.  I remember trying to find someone to work on my old Fiat X-1/9 in Tennessee.  I couldn't believe nobody would touch it.  I finally found an import-specialist shop (who charged an arm and a leg) that was willing to work on it.  In Chicago, I could take this car to be serviced anywhere and nobody batted an eye.  I guess that's what happens when you leave the civilised world!

Someone just recently commented that my Volvo was an exotic car.   Rednecks, they're a strange lot!


Madman of the People

Do they teach spelling in the civilized world?

[Rupert]

The word "exotic" sort of implies some James Bond-esque intrigue, like the driver can push a button and fly away.

[cawimmer430]

One of THOSE things?! wow.

Cars like that can be considered "exotics" in some places. I bet if one was seen parking in your local school parking lot, it would be considered an exotic because you don't see them around often or at all.

[ChrisV]

I would count the NSX as an exotic, due partly to it's role in the automotive world and the way it was designed/built. It was hand assembled, hand finished, and exclusive, even if it was a bargain basement Ferrari that was outperformed by the top Corvette of the day in a straight line. Exotic has nothing really to do with outright performance, but more of an attitude, and an air of exclusivity and, well, exoticness. A material can be exotic and not really perform better than something more plebian. A woman can be considered exotic, and not really "perform better" either.. hehehehe. Exotic is usually rare, alluring, unique, and at least relatively desireable.

[Champ]

Love the woman reference Chris!  lol

[nickdrinkwater]

Really?  That's strange, because the British motoring press uses it all the time.  Car, Top Gear, Evo and all the others throw the "exotic" label around pretty freely.

In some parts of America, hillbilly mechanics regard anything that isn't a Ford or Chevy as exotic.  I remember trying to find someone to work on my old Fiat X-1/9 in Tennessee.  I couldn't believe nobody would touch it.  I finally found an import-specialist shop (who charged an arm and a leg) that was willing to work on it.  In Chicago, I could take this car to be serviced anywhere and nobody batted an eye.  I guess that's what happens when you leave the civilised world!

Someone just recently commented that my Volvo was an exotic car.   Rednecks, they're a strange lot!


Madman of the People

Well it probably is used in the press but I've never used it! 

Do they teach spelling in the civilized world?

Obviously in some (such as here!) but not all (America) civilised places!