A sports car is a car designed for sports competitions or pretending to be such. In fact, the word car in English means car, and sport is also sport in Astrakhan. So what can be called a sports car, and what kind of features should a car have to be to be called a sports car?
Firstly, the design. Sportcars are strikingly different from the family and women’s cars with their pressed to the ground design and low clearance.
Secondly, the engine. It needs at least 250-300 horses and acceleration from zero to one hundred in 2-3 seconds. It can be achieved by putting a modern and super-powerful engine with a lot of cylinders on the car. The noise of such motor will wake up even the most sound asleep infant even for 3 blocks from the way of the car.
Thirdly, the price. Sports cars usually cost a lot of money, that is why only the very rich and desperate can afford such toy. And car credit for sports cars is not given to everyone.
Sports cars are usually not designed to carry more than two adult passengers on a regular basis, so most modern sports cars are usually two-seaters or 2 + 2 (two smaller rear seats for children or occasionally for adults). Larger cars with larger rear seats are usually considered sports sedans, not sports cars.
Engine and Transmission Layout
The arrangement of the engine and drive wheels significantly affects the handling characteristics of the car and therefore plays an important role in the design of a sports car. Traditionally, most sports cars have used rear-wheel drive with the engine located either at the front of the car (FR layout ) or in the middle of the car (MR layout ). Examples of sports cars with FR layout are the Caterham 7, Mazda MX-5, and Chevrolet Corvette. Examples of sports cars with MR layouts are the Ferrari 488, Ford GT, and Toyota MR2. To avoid excessively heavy weight distribution, many sports cars with the FR layout are designed so that the engine is located farther in the engine compartment, as close to the firewall as possible.
Since the 1990s, all-wheel drive has become more common in sports cars. All-wheel drive provides better acceleration and good handling characteristics (especially on slippery roads), but is often heavier and more complex mechanically than traditional schemes. Examples of all-wheel drive sports cars include the Lamborghini Huracan, Bugatti Veyron, and Nissan GT-R.
The rear engine arrangement is not usually used for sports cars, with the exception of the Porsche 911.
While front-wheel drive with the engine at the front (FF layout ) is the most common layout for cars in general, it is not as common among traditional sports cars. However, the FF layout is often used in sports cars and hot hatchbacks such as the Mazdaspeed3. Examples of sports cars with the FF layout are the Fiat Barchetta, Saab Sonett or Opel Tigra.