Sportscar - what it is, what it ain't

[dgs49]

I recently succeeded in trading my M-B "sport" sedan for a Sportscar (a 350Z roadster), at a reasonable price.

The process took some time and I spoke with a lot of people about what I was doing. It was surprising to me that some people who should actually understand what a sportscar is were suggesting that I look at a wide variety of "sporty" cars, and not focusing on what I actually intended to get. Hell, my wife thought my M-B WAS a sportscar.

The classic definition of a "sportscar" is a 2-seat roadster with a front engine driving the rear wheels. A sportscar is generally purchased with a stick shift, and it intentionally sacrifices utility and convenience for performance and handling. There is no place for a child's car seat or a golf bag in a sportscar, and the ride is "rough" because a stiff suspension is required for optimum handling on roads that may not be perfectly smooth. A sportscar is intended for spirited driving and even racing, according to its class.

There are a few real sportscars that deviate from these norms. Some sportscars are made in a coupe version. The Porsche 911 has a (sort of a) back seat, and the engine is in the back. An Audi TT is front-wheel drive. But these are still sportscars by any rational definition.

The main sportscars sold in the U.S. over the past decade or so have included the Audi TT, BMW Z3 and Z4, Chevy Corvette, Chrysler Crossfire, Dodge Viper, Honda S2000, Mazda Miata and (maybe) RX8, Nissan 350Z, Mercedes SL's, Pontiac Solstice, Saturn Sky, and VW Eos. There are probably a dozen or so very specialized sports cars that are sold in small numbers (e.g., Lotus), but those cars are off the radar screen for most of the population.

A Mustang is not a sportscar, even if it sells for sixty grand and goes like stink. Even if it is faster than a Corvette. Neither is a Camaro or a Challenger. These are "sporty cars." No sedan is a sportscar - not even a Panamera.

I would grant that the Subaru WRX and Mitsubishi EVO may blur the line about as much as it can be blurred. The OLD Z28 Camaro's and Boss 302 Mustangs and 340 Cuda's were a similar case. Clearly, these models were conceived and built for racing, and the existence of rear doors and/or a back seat don't really compromise that fact. Today's high performance sporty cars are not built for racing; they just have ridiculously powerful engines to compensate for the owners' other shortcomings.

For the record, I bought just about the only sportscar that will accommodate a golf bag in the trunk. Surprisingly, the 350Z coupe will not fit a golf bag, but the roadster will. With some work.

[dales]

Having owned three sports cars in my life (1958 Porsche 356A, 1967 Alfa Romeo Spyder, and a 1999 Mazda Miata) I must concur.

The Nissan is a good choice, BTW.

[Liberty1]

So, what's the verdict/impression? I've always admired Datsun/Nissans take on sports cars all the way back to the 240Z. I really like the 350Z, but sat in one in the showroom a few years back while my Frontier was in the shop and came to the conclusion that I'm just too tall for it.

[dgs49]

The 350Z seems like a great car. Judge for yourself on the looks, but the 3.5L V6 and the 6-speed are awesome. Handling is exceptional, and the "rough" ride gets better and better as the speed increases. I like the knowledge that when going around a bend there is never any need to brake with this car; it can handle the bend.

I'm not happy about the car requiring high-test gas, but I won't be putting a lot of miles on it.

I have an appointment on Tuesday for PA state inspection (including a mandatory emissions check), so I won't officially be "happy" with it until I get confirmation that there is nothing wrong with it, but so far I love it.

[Joe Guy]

I have an appointment on Tuesday for PA state inspection (including a mandatory emissions check), so I won't officially be "happy" with it until I get confirmation that there is nothing wrong with it, but so far I love it.

I would have thought it better to have the inspection before I bought the car. Is that (or was that) not possible?

[dales]

I'm not happy about the car requiring high-test gas, but I won't be putting a lot of miles on it.

CPU that monitors a myraid variables will take care of knocking or pinging when running on 91 octane.

Every car sold in the US must run on 91 unleaded per the EPA.

With that said, enjoy your wheels, run hi-test ( a few cent's per gallon, BFD) and watch out for the law!

(doing over 100 with the top down in my Miata was a balls out rush!)

No tickets, just watched out for John Q. Law.

I'm envious, if it were me I'd mash the throttle to the floor on the freeway to "blow out the carbon".

[Jarlaxle]

91 octane IS premium gas! The price premium on this area is about 30 cents over 87.

Liz's Grand National needs 93+, everything else in the fleet will rin 87.

[dales]

I was thinking in RON terms.............how did that get stuck in my head?


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octane_rating

Measurement methods

Research Octane Number (RON)

The most common type of octane rating worldwide is the Research Octane Number (RON). RON is determined by running the fuel in a test engine with a variable compression ratio under controlled conditions, and comparing the results with those for mixtures of iso-octane and n-heptane.

Motor Octane Number (MON)

There is another type of octane rating, called Motor Octane Number (MON), or the aviation lean octane rating, which is a better measure of how the fuel behaves when under load, as it is determined at 900 rpm engine speed, instead of the 600 rpm for RON.[1] MON testing uses a similar test engine to that used in RON testing, but with a preheated fuel mixture, higher engine speed, and variable ignition timing to further stress the fuel's knock resistance. Depending on the composition of the fuel, the MON of a modern gasoline will be about 8 to 10 points lower than the RON, however there is no direct link between RON and MON. Normally, fuel specifications require both a minimum RON and a minimum MON.[citation needed]

Anti-Knock Index (AKI)

In most countries, including Australia and all of those in Europe, the "headline" octane rating shown on the pump is the RON, but in Canada, the United States and some other countries, like Brazil, the headline number is the average of the RON and the MON, called the Anti-Knock Index (AKI, and often written on pumps as (R+M)/2). It may also sometimes be called the Pump Octane Number (PON).

Difference between RON and AKI

Because of the 8 to 10 point difference noted above, the octane rating shown in Canada and the United States is 4 to 5 points lower than the rating shown elsewhere in the world for the same fuel. See the table in the following section for a comparison.

"regular" gasoline in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the US

91–92 (RON)

82–83 (MON)

87 (AKI)

[dgs49]

Nobody outside Pennsylvania can do a "Pennsylvania" state inspection, and no selling dealer will guarantee that it will pass the PA test.

I was looking for the checklist that the PA inspection stations use so that I could ask them to have their service department run through it, but I doubt I could have gotten anything of any value out of that exercise. There is also a tailpipe emissions test that requires a very expensive fixture to check.

I have bought several motorcycles out of state and had no problems with them, but a couple of cars have saddled me with a pretty good black eye when I had them checked out in PA for the first time.

I checked the car out as best I could before taking delivery and found nothing wrong, but I'm not a mechanic.