That's funny... those are all cars that I'd list as proper (or close to) sports cars.

Now that that's been established...

 

Thanks Franc, that means a lot. I used to love my Opal GT too. It was bright yellow with a black interior, it too was a true sports car. My Austin- Healy 3000 MKII was may all time favorite, it blew the doors off of everything that went up against it, with the exception of one little Cobra that left me in the dust. After about 1/4 mile when my Lucas fuel pump gave out. I just pulled one of the back seats out, gave it a few taps and got it going again. Funny thing about the British cars, you could fix them pretty easily, oftentimes without tools too.
Rick

 

Guys,
I didn't include many fine "sports" cars because they were obvious.
I didn't make that list up to define Sports cars but to show the pedigree of the breed's history. I doubted if the youngster had a clue.

We all have our favorites.
For those who could relate and were pleased I'm happy to have done so.

But....
this thread is about use of our Crossfires. Whether you consider it a GT or a sports car or just a POS... How do you use it?

roadster with a stick

 

Actually I pronounce it "porsh" phonetically. I dont want to feel like a ****** when I say "porshuh". The only cars I said werent sports cars were the worthless 914's 22's and whatnot. Just because I have a higher standard of what a modern sports car should be doesnt mean Im an idiot. I consider miatas, tt's, boxters to be sporty. They arent sports cars to me. I've experienced a 4wd 911, a new 911 turbo and a c6 z06, which are true modern sports cars. I've also experienced 350z's, crossfires and civic si's.. sporty cars. There were plenty of sports cars built prior to the 90's, modern sports cars of their time. Ferraris, Lotii, yes, alphas etc.. A car that runs in the 14's and pulls .89g's is sporty. A sports car pulls upwards of 1g and should run at least in the 13's. And come on, we all know the steering of our cars is pretty numb compared to sports cars. Im not saying any more on this subject, you can all call it whatever you want. Ill never refer to my car as a sports car to anyone. Have fun "impressing" people with your "sports cars." Im just going to drive mine and have fun with it, continuing to call it a little two seater.

 

If my New Roadster below is Not a Sports Car, I'll eat my Hat!
(Pass the Ketchup, Please! )
SF

 

My Apologies, I'm really trying to be nice here but...

When you are president of that fine company you can change the name.

Meanwhile, you little punk, it is properly pronounced "Porsh-a" Not to be hoiti toiti, That's just the facts jack.

We don't have to to call it a "sports car" to impress anyone. The Crossfire speaks for itself.


roadster with a stick

 

I don't know how all of this so called sports car talk started but to me it's very simple. I f your wearing a hat like this, it's a sports car, if your not wearing a hat like this, sorry, it's not a sports car.

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgu...%3Den%26sa%3DN

 

You mean, like this:


SF

 

Well, I guess I need to go get a hat like that then and so do the rest of you!

I am always astonished by the ingnorance and lack of common sense portrayed on this site by some people. Sure, everyone is entitled to their opinions; however, sometimes it is better for those opinions to remain with one's self.

Like it or not, if you drive a Crossfire, you are driving a sports car. Further more, I'm not sure how calling a car a sports car is trying to impress anyone. It's a type of car. I call a pick-up a pick-up, I call a SUV a SUV, I call a sedan a sedan, and I call a sports car a sports car.

Nothing says that a sports car must accelerate in less than 4 seconds, no where does the definition of a sports car state that a sports car must have over 400 hp.

Let's see, if a car is built for the main purpose of sport driving, it is probably a sports car. There are many faster sports cars than the Crossfire, but it is still a sports car. Actually, if a car has back seats, it's probably a GT or sports coupe. The Crossfire is small, low, handles well, accelerates well, has limited practicality, is light, aerodynamic, and seats two. Sounds like a sports car to me.

As for the comment about the SRT not being fast, I'd like to know what he's been smoking. Not many cars out there, sports cars included, can do 0-60 in under 5 seconds. It IS an extremely fast car! I've had plenty of cars, and the SRT is by far the fastest stock car I've ever owned.

MGs are sports cars, MX5 (Miatas) are sports cars (actually one of the ten best according to automotive journalists), and neither are lightning fast or have tons of hp.

So kid, you need to re-evaluate yourself and come back when you have completed your automotive literature, history, and related studies.

 

downwardspiral

Sorry I got personal kid. I shouldn't have called you a punk.

Us old guys can forgive ignorance anytime, but have little patience when it comes to disrespect.

You stepped over that line a bit and I let it get to me.

It's your car. Enjoy it however you wish.


roadster with a stick

 

Yeah I guess I'll pick up another issue of motor trend, and Ill get you a box of tissues while Im out. Yeah for a stock car its fast, its not fast though. I guess when your around fast cars all day you dont appreciate 13 second cars anymore as being fast. I see 9 second cars and faster on a daily basis during the summer, thats pretty fast , but hey Im ignorant and have no common sense apparently. I know numbers, I know whats fast and whats not, your car is quick boss, its not fast. I didnt mean to offend anyone by stating my opinion which I shouldnt have , but I certainly struck a nerve. So yeah, Let me re-evaluate myself and Ill come back when I realize my little car that gets out cornered and outgunned by full size cars is a sports car. give it up, I stated my opinion and thats all it is, my opinion, which I guess is wrong. I'd love to just end this here having already stated my opinon but someone else will probably call me ignorant, or a dumb 21 year old.. This has been by far the most worthless argument Ive experienced on this site since the girly car one, you guys need to lighten up a little. Let me rephrase what I mean here, when I think crossfire, I dont think sports car. A sports car to me is something like a lotus exige, or anything race prepped (yeah like a miata). I think bare bones, strictly business. Ok so its classified as a sports car, but classifications dont mean much.

 

nice new car by the way

 

I drive my sports car everyday, whenever I can, all seasons (except when the snow is piling-up, then it's back to the kamikaze Cougar). Life is short, we could hit by a truck tomorrow, so I drive it.
Umm.....the SRT is a fast car by any definition. Not fast, compared to what? Throw an intake & a pulley on the car & you're darn near at 400 hp. Doesn't handle well? How many other cars can handle like ours? Once again, compared to what? Sloppy steering? Compared to the Mach 1 you have pictured?
Downward, I know you enjoy your Xfire but I think you need to re-examine your opinions. If the car isn't what you expect fine but remember, you are amongst members who have driven all kinds of cars; who have "been there, done that" & still think the Crossfire, in all 3 flavors, is one of the best they've ever driven.
I'm 54, been driving since 16 & have driven just about every kind of vehicle you can imagine and this is still, hands down, the most fun vehicle I have ever driven. FAST, handles like a dream, brakes like nothing I've ever been in, has looks & style & is unique. Cannot ask for much more!

 

My VW Beetle was definitely no sports car.
My Toyota Celica ('73) was a wannabe sports car.

My Volvo 1800ES, Volvo 122S, and 1800E were quasi-sports cars.



My Jaguar XJ-6 was a sedan with sports car heritage

My Jaguar E-Type WAS a sports car

My Jeep is a heavily modified vehicle that I use in motor sports - not really a sports "car".

In spite of their dubious claims to sports-car-dom, I've had every last one of them (except the Jeep) going 60mph sideways through a corner in a 4-wheel drift, some of them airborne over whoop-de-do's, and in the case of the E-Type, in spite of it's fondness for the toolbox, wagging it's tail at just about every American Muscle car that ever took the bait. With the Jeep I just pop wheelies.

There were lots of other forgettable cars in my driving past (since 1973), the Crossfire is definitely loads better than most all of them. Even the Jaguar E-Type you say? Yes. The Jag had the mystique and the visual impact, but as most people know, it lived up to its reputation for being notoriously unreliable. It stopped people dead in their tracks every time they saw it, but it never gave me half the pleasure the Crossfire has given me. And I am pretty sure the Crossfire could out-run it.

Forget labels, if you like the car, that's what matters.

What I want to know is where can I get a hat like this? Now that's a sports car hat!

And one handsome handsome man...

 

I think I have a fairly good grasp on what it takes to qualify as a sports car. Atleast going by what most automotive magazines consider to be a "Sports Car" (since I've owned a few). But for the life of me I can't remember where a cars 1/4 mile performance was ever considered a prerequisite.
Since how a car feels or handles and a cars "fun factor" is purely subjective, then the only real way to measure or judge a sports car is to see how well it stops, how many g's it can pull on a skid pad, and how fast it can go thru a slalom. Top speed is irrelevant on a tight "sports car course". (A good place to see the difference between a Sports Car, and a Sports GT).
With that being said, here are some "stats" of just a few cars from Road & Tracks Oct. 05's road test page that might qualify as a sports car (to some) and how they compare.


60-0
Braking------Skid Pad, g's------Slalom mph

117'_________0.91____________65.8_____NSX
118'_________0.86____________66.7_____Audi TT
110'_________0.92____________67.4_____Z4 3.0
110'_________0.98____________70.2_____05 Vette cp.
114'_________0.89____________69.6_____Crossfire
112'_________1.02____________71.4_____Viper SRT-10
117'_________0.99____________69.5_____Ford GT
115'_________0.91____________69.7_____S2000
115'_________1.03____________72.6_____Lotus Elise
125'_________0.87____________67.9_____Mazdaspeed Miata
110'_________0.89____________68.4_____RX-8
107'_________0.97____________69.6_____SLR McLaren
114'_________0.91____________68.4_____SLK 350
114'_________0.89____________67.3_____350Z 35th Anniv.
113'_________0.91____________68.6_____Boxter

Interesting how close those "non" sports cars and the "real" thing really are.

 

haha #1- that volvo is awesome, Ive never seen one before.
#2- you NEED that hat, too bad it was the only one left. We found that bad boy at work tucked away. It had to be left over from the 80's. I actually bought it to give to my friend because he bought these funky 80's jumpsuits off ebay.

That chart was pretty interesting... If I call it a sports car can we go back to being handsome, handsome friends and move on?

 

I can't believe I even hung in there for all the bs...I have 23 yr old twin sons and a 21 yr old son. Twin just graduated IU, and the youngest just finished his junior yr...twins have grand ams, youngest Mitzi Eclipse....wheels and tires, but no other mods...they think they are driving sports cars...its what you have fun with...we old dogs know, we have owned them, played with them, these kids haven't, but they like to fit in and talk the talk, but walking the walk they haven't done yet...just ignore and have fun with it...I still work on their cars while they brag to their friends what they just did to their cars....I just shake my head, and go back into the garage and polish the old Harley, I suggest we all do the same...

 

I think the Crossfire is a sports car by definition. I think someone may have gotten the definition of a sports car confused with that of an exotic sports car- anything from Italy and anything that has 6 figures in the price tag...

 

I think the crossfire is in a class of its own...just not as upper class as some want to think...I remember when Camaro came out, there was Carmaro SS, RS, and what I had Z-28...which would you have wanted? In its time the Z was pretty good handler, quarter mile quick....although this Crossfire isn't a "muscle" car it reminds me of that 1st car, good handling, quartermile quick, but with the addition of "top end"...she a sleeper alright...I vote "sports car" good night all....Doc

 

I drive my Crossfire on most nice days. I avoid days where we might have a thunderstorm (hail) and I don't drive it if they salted the roads in the winter. This will stay a low mileage car. I work out of my home so I don't have to drive it much, it's just so much fun to take out I don't need much of an excuse. I am 54 and have owned and driven many types of vehicles. I appreciate them all. What I really love about this Crossfire is how it turns heads. For the money this is a hard car to beat...