Talk Morgan Forums Community The Malvern Arms Morgans vs the Rest

[quote=Heinz]Perhaps. criteria #6 is hard to realize, but a one year young one with an engine not too hot could match your demands. I my view one of the best designed and looking current Benz, the shooting brake.

http://img.autokarma.de/2012/07/Mercedes-Benz-CLS-Shooting-Brake-Seitenlinie.jpg [/quote

Probably the perfect answer, especially with the 3L diesel, but in the UK not available as a 4-matic, so it is ruled out.
Mercedes offer very few cars as 4-matics, and are losing out to Audi and now BMW, who both do so.

Another good contender is the Alpine D3 x-drive touring, but rare and expensive.

Actually the Golf R32 Estate might be the answer...just need to drive one. Unfortunately I've not found a UK dealer with a R32 demmo car.

You are right there. Most convertibles dont perform any better than the saloon they are derived from but then most convertibles arent sports cars anyway. You dont buy an open Jag or BMW or CLK for its handling or performance - the BM certainly wont match an M3 or M5.

True sports cars are much rarer than that. And on todays roads are increasingly irrelevant anyway. I would see the Speedster as a true sports car even if a bit flawed from all the reports, but definitely the Trad is a different thing altogether as many have said in this thread. A 911 is a true sports car, as are most Ferrraris and Lambos.

But a sports car means different things to different people. To me it has to be open, two proper seats, to be small and agile and be capable of doing a club sprint or hillclimb in standard trim. Weight alone rules out the likes of the F type.

Worth adding that in the past most sports cars have been British or Italian.

Last night I read a book by F Wilson McComb on the MGB. A careful appraisal written in 1982. Leyland killed it by refusing to fund it and refusing to support racing, but what a sales record and even after the TR7 was introduced, demand for the B increased.

Never kept a car as long as I've kept my Subaru Forester, never had a breakdown, never been stuck in snow, (never passed a filling station either but the diesels are much more economical!)

One definition of a sports car which I rather like is that it is a car that one could drive to a hill climb event, compete in it, and either drive it home again afterwards or not be too broken-hearted if one wrote it off through trying too hard!

That rules out the Morgan, then.

Not here in Sweden either!
Must be the climate or something - maybe the Gulf Stream...

It's because there on the wrong side of the steering column for Australians

Oh... I see

Peter, I know this isn't top of your priorities today, but MB must have been listening because their new small 'shooting brake' based on the A Class platform has 4matic / 7-speed auto.

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=23&t=1463584&mid=0&i=20&nmt=RE%3A+Mercedes+CLA45+AMG+Shooting+Brake+&mid=0

Don't rule out the AMG A45 version on the basis that it is bonkers (it is!) my A45 gives 37-38 mpg daily and can touch 40mpg on a lazier cruise. You can have your performance cake and eat it, so long as you toggle the engine mode button quite actively to govern where you want the gearchange point, otherwise the car 'overrules' you when using the flappy paddles. Sounds complex, but it becomes instinctive and huge fun.