a fundamental sports car
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Early history
1934 Ulster
The first sports cars are considered to be (though the term would not be coined until after World War One) the 3 litre made in 191020 hp (15 kW) and 27/80PS (designed by )
These would shortly be joined by the French (which became sporters after by H.M. and ) and the . In the U.S. (where the type was variously called or raceabout, there was , Marion, Midland, National,, and Thomas among small models (which today would be called sports cars), while Chadwick and were among large ones (which might today be called sports or grand tourers)
In 1921, premiered its 2LS, with a remarkable 75 hp (56 kW) DOHC two liter, designed by Ernest Henry (formerly of program), capable of 150 km/h (90 mph); at most, one hundred were built in four years. This was followed by the SOHC 2LT and 2LTS. The same year, built a 28/95PS four for the won.
in 1924 offered a Paul Henze-designed 60 hp (45 kW) DOHC 2 liter four, the Simson Supra Type S, in a long-wheelbase 120 km/h (60 mph) tourer and 115 km/h (71 mph) twin- sporter; only thirty were sold, against around three hundred of the SOHC model and 750 of the-six Type R. Duerkopp's Zoller-blown two liter in 1924, as well
There was a clear cleavage by 1925. As four-seaters were more profitable, two-seaters increasingly turned over to specialst manufacturers, led by, and, with shoestring budgets, fanatic followers, and limited sales (today exemplified by Aston and between 1921 and 1939, 350 Astons were built; 323 Frazer-Nashes in the period 1924-39.
By the end of the 1920s, produced a 2 liter six, the 3.5 liter had a three-valve OHC (only until 1922), while French makers , Bignan, , and Samson had the typical small four-cylinder sporters and the large tourers. introduced the powerful SS and , the Vittorio Jano-designed
Two companies would offer the first really reliable sports cars: erous companies (as the would be a generation later), including Bassett and Dingle (Hammersmith, London); in 1928, a Cozette blower was fitted to the Seven Super Sports, while fitted an 847 cc engine, and sold more Midgets in the first year than MG's entire previous production.
Layout
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1971 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, a front-engine, rear drive (RWD) sports car
Porsche Boxster, a rear mid-engine, rear-wheel (RMR) drive sports car
Alpine A110, a rear-engine, rear-wheel (RR) drive sports car
1990s Lotus Elan M100, a front-engine, front wheel (FF) drive sports car
An important sports feature on the Skelta G-Force is that it is made of karbon fiber, making it ultra-light.
The (FR) is common to sports cars of any era and has survived longer in sports cars than in mainstream automobiles. Examples include the and the . More specifically, many such sports cars have a with the centre of mass of the engine between the front axle and the firewall.
In search of improved handling and weight distribution, other layouts are sometimes used. The is commonly found only in sports cars—the motor is centre-mounted in the chassis (closer to and behind the driver), and powers only the rear wheels. Some high-performance sports car manufacturers, such as Ferrari and Lambrogini prefer this layout.
Prosche is one of the few remaining manufacturers using the (RR). The motor's distributed weight across the wheels, in a , provides excellent traction, but the significant mass behind the rear wheels makes it more prone to oversteer in some situations. Porsche has continuously refined the design and in recent years added electronic driving aids (i.e. computerised traction-stability control) to counteract these inherent design shortcomings.
Some sport cars have used the(FF), e.g. and . This layout is advantageous for small, light, lower power sports cars, as it avoids the extra weight, increased transmission power loss, and packaging problems of a long driveshaft and longitudinal engine of FR vehicles. Yet, its conservative handling effect, particularly understeer, and the fact that many drivers believe rear wheel drive is a more desirable layout for a sports car make this layout atypical to high-performance sports cars. The FF layout, however, is common in and, and cars in general (excepting sports cars).
Before the 1980s few sports cars used , which had traditionally added a lot of weight. Although not a sports car, the proved its worth in rallying. With its improvement in traction, particularly in adverse weather conditions, four-wheel drive is no longer uncommon in high-powered sports cars, e.g. and the
Seating
Some sports cars have small back seats that are really only suitable for luggage or small children. Such a configuration is often referred to as a (two full seats + two "occasional" seats). The more typical seating arrangement is two-seats.Over the years, some manufacturers of sports cars have sought to increase the practicality of their vehicles by increasing the seating room. One method is to place the driver's seat in the center of the car, which allows two full-sized passenger seats on each side and slightly behind the driver. The arrangement was originally considered for the but abandoned as impractical because of the difficulty for the driver to enter/exit the vehicle.used the design in their F!.
Another British manufacturer, TVR, took a different approach in their Cerbera model. The interior was designed in such a way that the dashboard on the passenger side swept toward the front of the car, which allowed the passenger to sit farther forward than the driver. This gave the rear seat passenger extra room and made the arrangement suitable for three adult passengers and one child seated behind the driver. The arrangement has been referred to by the company as a 3+1. Some Matra sports cars even had three seats squeezed next to each other.
Sports car versus sporting models
A car may be a sporting automobile without being a sports car. Performance modifications of regular, production cars, such as , generally are not considered sports cars, yet share traits common to sports cars. They are sometimes called "sports cars" for purposes for increased advertising and promotional purposes Performance cars of all configurations are grouped as Sports and cars or, occasionally, as performance cars.See also
- List of sports car manufacturers
- Car classification
- Coupe
- Grand tourer
- Hot hatch
- Kit car
- Muscle car
- Roadster
- Sport compact
- Sports car racing
- Sports sedan
- Supercar
- List of SuperCars (top speed 240 mph or faster)
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