For 'sports cars' I also subscribe to Gambalunga's thougts.
BUT where is the dividing line between a sports car and a supercar?
Is a Porsche Boxster S, with a mid engine producing 345bhp at 6500rpm and 310lb ft of torque between 1900 and 4500rpm. The redline is set at 7500rpm and it weighs just 1395g, so is it a sports car or a mini supercar? I don't know.
My neighbour has a series 2 MX5. It is more like a well sorted Morgan Plus 4 than the Boxster: not bad, a wonderful gearbox and a responsive chassis, but it isn't a cohesive package in the way a Boxster S is. But a good used MX 5 of similar age and condition to my Boxster S will be less than £15,000 whilst a Boxster S will be £50,000 so the MX 5 is stunning value for money and very capable. In the end neither is better than the other, they are not directly comparable, as the Ferrari in the photo that started this thread isn't directly comparable with the Boxster.
These days Peter, the only difference between most "supercars " and a sportscar is the price. In saying that I am ignoring the silly £2 million type ego specials.
In my younger days cars like Alfa were special because they had DOHC and 5 speed boxes when your Austin Cambridge or Hillman Minx had OHV and 4 speed. Indeed the Ford I learned to drive on in the 60s had a sidevalve engine and a 3 speed box. The first sportscar I had was also OHV and 4 speed with swing axles and a max of just 90 mph. So cars like the Elan when they came along were an eye opener as of course were Ferrari. Nowadays, the engineering on many a VW group car, whether labelled VW or Audi or Seat or Skoda or Porsche is of the same standard and complexity as the likes of Lambo ( who are VW group) or Ferrari.. The interiors are as well and the build quality is likely a bit better since its automated and in volume.
So what are you buying if you buy something exotic? The answer has to be image, both of the car brand itself and of you. To the outside world you are saying I can afford this and I like a brand that is a bit different to your day to day Audi. Even if deep down I know its no better as a means of transport.and only thinly related to the current race cars..
Likely I sound a bit jaded but my interest was always in the engineering and the racing. However we have ever swelling ranks of new members in the owners club, many with several new models but most of whom wouldnt know a camshaft from a conrod. Endless photos on the Whats App group. Serious discussions about what colour to order and how much carbon fibre to have. Many equally flashy second wives. . But not car enthusiast as I understand the term.
