03-13-2020, 06:14 AM | #1 |
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Coupe or convertible sports car debate
Curious to know your thoughts. A ton of sports cars come in both coupe and convertible. Porsche 718 Boxster and Cayman, Corvette and Camaro, previous-gen Shelby GT500, BMW M4, Mercedes-AMG C63 and S63, Audi S5 and a bunch of other models, new and old.
Most purists will say you get a coupe for added rigidity among other reasons. Others figure that if you’re going to use your sports car mostly in nice weather anyway, might as well enjoy it with the top down. Personally, modern sports cars now offer just about the same level of performance regardless of the body style so I tend to be of the second group. Plus you can hear the engine better. |
03-17-2020, 01:59 AM | #4 |
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I went with the convertible and find it more enjoyable than a hardtop. I have zero interest in tracking the car. For me the car is a 3rd vehicle and toy. The roofless element makes the experience much better.
Let's face it...how much "handling" are you really going to need to do on public roads? The whole rigidity argument is a little moot IMHO. Go vert:-) |
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03-17-2020, 08:45 AM | #5 |
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Unless the car was originally designed as a 'vert (S2k, Miata), I prefer coupe.
The wind messes up my hair anyway.
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03-18-2020, 02:47 PM | #8 |
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Maybe I'm just pedantic about diction, but my impression is that a sportscar must be open cockpit; and any closed cockpit car is a grand tourer. Both are sporty, but the roof makes for a clear distinction in classification. Its a historic racing thing.
So a Boxter would be the sportscar, and a Cayman is a GT based on the same platform; most people just use the term loosely and over time its meaning has been diluted to the point of confusion. I prefer fixed roofs myself, but I'm also quite strict about not referring to them as sportscars.
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Last edited by 230iZTR; 03-18-2020 at 11:22 PM.. |
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03-18-2020, 11:22 PM | #10 |
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I added a dictionary link for ya to follow in case its unclear.
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03-19-2020, 12:47 AM | #11 |
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03-19-2020, 09:14 AM | #12 |
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I fully agree that the 2 series is a GT coupe, even with a droptop. But I think that your definition of 'sports car' is antiquated and out of date - it was originally referring to cars that were clearly intended for sporting (racing) use, thus no top or a flimsy cloth one, 2 seats, and performance motor/chassis; the key point was the sporting nature, not the # of seats or top configuration (form follows function). Nowadays I think it would be fair to include 2-seaters like the 370z, Supra, Cayenne, and the z4 (also the 'street-legal racer' homologation cars like the GT3). And I'm going to stop myself from editorializing upon the '4-door coupe' and "M/Competition' naming trends, or I'll start to sound like I've gone off my meds.
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