Oh dear! Now you have raised the question, just what is it that defines a car as a sports car?
By my definition it needs to be small, lightweight, agile, have fast acceleration, and be fun to drive. It does not have to be the fastest car on the road.
If you can race it Sunday and drive it Monday all the better. Please don't tell me that the bog standard Plus 4 (well he did fit race tyres) of MarioCP, who took 2nd place in his class at the Caramulo hill climb does not qualify as a sports car. Sure a Boxter might be able to do a faster time but to my mind that does not make it any more a sports car than the Morgan.
I'm sure you would not argue that a Caterham is not a sports car yet it is also a modern classic. I just happen to believe that some improved suspension would make the Morgan much better to fulfill its role a a modern classic sports car that can be used with enjoyment for everthing from racing to touring.
I certainly would argue that a Caterham isnt a true sports car. IMO its a crude kit car based on a home built original design by Chapman. Its a track day car. In that sense its a bit like an aerial atom from an earlier generation. Had one for a very short time ( OK it was a westfield) and sold it off cheap because it seemed to me to be far too dangerously constructed for road use.
What is a sports car? Well I guess the words mean different things to different people but forming my opinions as a youth in the 60s, a sports car to me is an open two seater ( closed it becomes a GT car), that is designed for fun fast driving on the public roads and the occasional club circuit work.It has to be light. It has to be an up to date design - the technology is important. Thats why I made the point about trads on slow circuits - you can strap the suspension down on a billiard table surface and grip is determined largely by the tyres. Similarly, a slow speed circuit doesnt really test aerodynamics. But do the comparison on the typical A or B road and the result would be very different.
I had a good example of this when I last did a Lotus owners club track day at Castle Combe. There was the full raneg there from Lotus 6 through the original Elite and Elan to the Elise, not to mention the likes of the Esprit. Yet round the bends there was little or no difference between the various generations because the surface was so smooth. My Elise was just marginally faster than the Elite from the early 60s. Down the straight, it was a differnet world of course.
Sadly Howard doesn't really get Morgans and I wonder why he lurks on this forum.....perhaps it's down to our charm. He is a GS man and an Elise man though so he ticks my boxes.
You have it in one! The charm bit that is. The Elise forums are , sadly, populated by young men full of testosterone and aggression and doing the sort of silly things that we all did at that age - like putting 450bhp engines in an Elise! Its also the reason why I subscribe to Motor Sport rather than one of the younger magazines. And why I ride a BMW and not a Ducati. The next step is all beige clothes and shoes that fasten with velcro!
