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