| A sports car is an automobile designed
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| | Porsche is one of the few, remaining
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| for performance driving. Most sports cars
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| | manufacturers using the rear-engine,
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| are rear-wheel drive, have two seats, two
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| | rear-wheel drive layout (RR layout) for
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| doors, and are designed for precise
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| | powering the rear wheels. The motor's
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| handling, acceleration, and aesthetics. A
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| | distributed weight across the wheels, in
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| sports car's dominant considerations are:
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| | a Porsche 911, provides excellent
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| superior road handling, braking,
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| | traction, but is not ideal, as the
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| maneuverability, low weight, and high
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| | engine's weight is not between the two
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| power, rather than passenger space,
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| | axles; the vehicle is poorly balanced,
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| comfort, and fuel economy.
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| | thus, many early Porsches handled
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| Sports cars can be either luxurious or
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| | twitchily. Yet, Porsche continuously have
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| spartan, but driving mechanical
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| | refined the design and, in recent years,
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| performance is the key attraction.
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| | combined engineering modifications and
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| Drivers regard brand name and the
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| | electronic driving aids (i.e.
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| subsequent racing reputation and history
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| | computerised traction-stability control)
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| (Ferrari, Porsche, Lotus, etc.) as
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| | to counteract inherent design
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| important indications of sporting
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| | shortcomings.
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| quality, but brands such as Lamborghini,
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| | Some sport cars have used use the
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| which do not race or build racing cars
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| | front-engine, front-wheel drive layout
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| also are highly regarded.
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| | (FF), e.g. Lotus Elan M100, Fiat Coupé,
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| A car may be a sporting automobile
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| | Fiat Barchetta, Saab Sonett, and many
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| without being a sports car. Performance
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| | Berkeley cars. This layout is
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| modifications of regular, production
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| | advantageous for small, light, lower
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| cars, such as sport compacts, sports
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| | power sports cars, as it avoids the extra
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| sedans, muscle cars, hot hatches and the
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| | weight, increased transmission power
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| like, generally are not sports cars, yet
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| | loss, and packaging problems of a long
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| share traits common to sports cars.
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| | driveshaft and longitudinal engine of FR
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| Often, performance cars of all
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| | vehicles. Yet, its conservative handling
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| configurations are grouped as Sports and
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| | effect, particularly understeer, and the
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| GT cars ,or, occasionally, as performance
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| | fact that many drivers, believing FR more
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| cars
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| | appropriate for a sports car, this layout
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| A sports car does not require a large,
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| | is atypical to high-performance sports
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| powerful engine, though many do possess
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| | cars. The FF layout, however, is common
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| them. Most early British sports cars
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| | in sport compacts and hot hatches, such
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| lacked powerful engines, did not quickly
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| | as the Honda Civic Si and Type-R, the
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| accelerate (as do contemporary American
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| | Volkswagen Golf GTi, and the Peugeot 205
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| muscle cars), but were known for
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| | GTi.
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| exceptional handling due to light weight,
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| | Four-wheel drive (all-wheel-drive [AWD]),
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| a well engineered, balanced chassis, and
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| | is an option for transmitting motor power
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| innovative suspension; contemporarily,
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| | to the drive wheels. Before the early
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| Lotus often is cited as an example. On
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| | 1990s few sports cars were AWD, yet
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| tight, twisting roads, such an automobile
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| | because of its all-weather traction
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| performs more effectively than a heavier,
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| | ability and advantage, it is now common
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| more powerful car with less
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| | to high-powered sports cars, including
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| manoeuvreablity.
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| | Porsche, Lamborghini, and the Bugatti
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| Due to North American safety regulations,
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| | Veyron supercar.
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| many sports cars are unavailable for sale
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| | Seating
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| or use in the United States and Canada.
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| | Some sports cars have small back seats
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| In Britain, Europe, and the Middle
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| | that are really only suitable for luggage
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| Eastern market (e.g. UAE), a flexible
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| | or small children. Such a configuration
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| attitude towards small-volume specialist
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| | is often referred to as a 2+2 (two full
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| manufacturers has allowed companies such
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| | seats + two "occasional" seats). Often
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| as TVR, Noble, Pagani, et cetera to
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| | these seats are only included to lower
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| succeed.
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| | insurance premiums.
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| Layout
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| | Over the years, some manufacturers of
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| The drive train and engine layout
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| | sports cars have sought to increase the
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| determine the handling characteristics of
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| | practicality of their vehicles by
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| an automobile, and is the point of the
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| | increasing the seating room.
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| design of a sports car.
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| | One method is to place the driver's seat
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| The front-engine, rear-wheel drive train
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| | in the center of the car which allows two
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| layout (FR layout) is common to sports
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| | full-sized passenger seats on each side
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| cars of any era. This configuration has
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| | and slightly behind the driver. The
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| survived longer in sports cars than in
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| | arrangement was originally considered for
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| mainstream automobiles, because of
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| | the Lamborghini Miura but abandoned as
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| performance, handling, cost, and
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| | impractical because of the difficulty for
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| packaging. Current examples include the
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| | the driver to enter/exit the vehicle.
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| Caterham 7, Mazda MX-5 (Miata a.k.a. in
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| | McLaren used the design in their supercar
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| North America), and the Chevrolet
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| | F1.
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| Corvette.
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| | Another British manufacturer, TVR, took a
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| In search of improved handling and weight
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| | different approach in their Cerbera
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| distribution, other formats have been
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| | model. The interior was designed in such
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| tried. The RMR layout is commonly found
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| | a way that the dashboard on the passenger
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| only in sports cars — the motor is
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| | side swept toward the front of the car
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| centre-mounted in the chassis (closer to
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| | which allowed the passenger to sit
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| and behind the driver), and powers only
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| | farther forward than the driver. This
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| the rear wheels. High-performance sports
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| | gave the rear seat passenger extra room
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| car and supercar manufacturers, such as
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| | and made the arrangement suitable for
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| Ferrari and Lamborghini prefer this
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| | three adult passengers and one child
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| layout. Many modern cars, especially
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| | seated behind the driver. The arrangement
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| grand tourers, also use a FMR layout,
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| | has been referred to by the company as a
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| with the motor sitting between the front
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| | 3+1. Some Matra sports cars even had
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| axle and the firewall.
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| | three seats squeezed next to each other.
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