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Sports Cars - The Definitive Discussion - READ ONLY

522 messages,  Last post on Dec 08, 2007 at 6:07 PM

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What is this discussion about? Porsche 911, Chevrolet Corvette, Ferrari F430, Lotus Exige, Lotus Elise, Coupe

#399 of 522 BMW M Coupe by ultimatedriver Jun 16, 2006 (7:59 pm)
Hooray for BMW! Making a sports car for people who love sports cars. I can't wait to get my hands on an M Coupe and a Cayman back to back.   Finally more German car companies are joining in the fun of manufacturing quasi purpose-built vehicles. Of course, there will always be amenities to be had in the interest of staying competitive. However it's great to see lighter weight, four and six cylinder sports cars. Replies to this message: spiritinthesky (Jun 17, 2006 6:46 am)
#400 of 522 Sour Benzo: Car Dealer Demands $2 Million for Defective Supercar by ultimatedriver Jun 16, 2006 (8:48 pm)
This is a weird one. I can think of a handful of cars for less money that would have given this idiot less trouble and more fun than a CLK-GTR.   As an engineer and automotive technical advisor, I've always suggested against importing these homoligation specials for a few reasons. The biggest reason is that you're buying a RACE CAR, not a road car. Race cars only need to be as reliable as the race season is long.   If it's a factory effort (which it was), then every system of that vehicle has the shelf life of a room temperature carton of milk. The reason for this is because if a problem occurs within the vehicle during the race, there is a team of super smart engineers to fix it as soon as it goes wrong. That car will remain a carbon-fibre/kevlar paperweight until someone realizes that all the diagnostic equipment is locked away with AMGs discontinued race effort.   Sour Benzo: Car Dealer Demands $2 Million for Defective Supercar Replies to this message: carlisimo (Jun 18, 2006 6:02 pm)
#401 of 522 Re: BMW M Coupe [ultimatedriver] by spiritinthesky Jun 17, 2006 (6:46 am)
Replying to: ultimatedriver (Jun 16, 2006 7:59 pm) Hold your "hoorays" until actually drive the car.   BMW's previous attempts at true sports cars have been very weak, IMO. The former M coupe was a loser out of the box. The Z3/Z4 have an extra 500 lbs and have a fraction of the visceral feel of a $30k Honda S2000, let alone a Cayman or Boxster.   I say this as a pretty seious BMW loyalist. I currently drive a 2003 M5 and was one of under 500 original owners of a 1979 M1. Unfortunately, I do not think BMW has made anything since that could be considered an advancement in terms of true "sportscariness". I gave the Z8 some consideration, but a single test drive - at BMW's own track, no less - convinced me that it was a $120k+ wannabe compared to similar priced offerings from Ferrari and Porsche.   I will defend to near death BMW's superiority in sports sedans. The M3 and M5 reign as kings in their respective fields. And no 1,000 hp overweight AMG or Audi offering is going to change that. But I think for a real sports car, BMW needs to abandon engine sharing and do what Honda did - hand a bunch of engineers a completely clean slate.   P.S. On your CLK-GTR comments, I fully agree. Why anyone would buy one of those over a proven, superior $450k Carerra GT or even a $200k production Ferrari 430 is beyond me. Just because they only produced 5 doesn't automatically make it a good car.
#402 of 522 Re: Sour Benzo: Car Dealer Demands $2 Million for Defective Supercar [ultimatedriver] by carlisimo Jun 18, 2006 (6:02 pm)
Replying to: ultimatedriver (Jun 16, 2006 8:48 pm) There's also the irony that McLaren-Mercedes would've been likely to win last year's F1 championship if Raikkonen's car had been reliable enough to finish its races.   On the other hand, there are other homologated cars that haven't been lemons, like the STi and Evo (homologated from Group N rallying, not full-blown WRC).   As for why anyone would buy a CLK-GTR, I don't think that's the sort of purchase you can apply logic to. It's not like they're daily drivers. Lots of people are Mercedes fans and lots of rich people have had their cars for a long time. They find themselves in a position to buy a supercar... why not buy the pinnacle of their brand? The SLR wasn't out yet and even after it was, the CLK-GTR was more expensive, exclusive, and hardcore.   Speaking of the STi and Evo, I'm thinking that the only reason I don't call them sports cars is because they don't look like sports cars. So I wonder if a Mitsubishi 3000GT would be called a sports car just on looks (it was FWD with optional AWD). Any 6-year old would call it a sports car, and we're not far removed from them. Or not me, anyway...
#403 of 522 press request by kirstie_h HOST Jun 20, 2006 (9:22 am)
A national newspaper is looking to interview Porsche owners who would like to talk about their satisfaction with the brand. Please send an e-mail to ctalatiedmunds.com no later than Tuesday June 20, 2006 by 2:00 PM PST/5:00 EST containing your daytime contact information with the make and model Porsche you own.     Thanks, Chintan Talati Corporate Communications Edmunds.com
#404 of 522 Sports Cars by ultimatedriver Jun 28, 2006 (7:14 pm)
Spirit, I'll have to agree with you on the fact that BMW has been handed its fair share of leftovers when it comes to building sports cars. However, this batch of leftovers still make for an appealing entree as all of the core components are present for the makings of a really good little sports car.   I too would love to see BMW finally throw down and do an awesome sports/super car from scratch (with a spiritual descendant of the Gen III M70B60-read McLaren F1). However we can only wait with crossed fingers as we look forward to the management spending more time with the drivetrain/chassis engineers, instead of the design team.   Carlisimo, the STI and Evo aren't homoligation specials in the same sense as the CLK-GTR. The Benz was designed for racing and softened for the street. The turbo twins followed the opposite route being designed for the street, and hardened for racing duty.   Also, I'd say that the 3000GT fits the bill of sports car by design intention only. The design may not have been very good, but the intention was there. Fortunately those inherent problems can be remedied, or at least better ignored, thanks to the aftermarket. Enjoy.
#405 of 522 Ferrari 599 Fiorano - An Italian Corvette? by frankzappa22 Jun 29, 2006 (1:37 pm)
Is it just me, or does anyone else scratch their head over the striking similarities of the Ferrari 599 and the C6 Corvette? I know that they are not totally identical, but they seem very close. Reminds me of the Ferrari Daytona that tons of people mistake for a '68-'69ish Corvette. Not to mention the Ferrari is using Corvettes Magnetic Ride Control technology to make it handle like a...Ferrari? Do you think that Ferrari is getting ready to throw something at the Corvette LeMans team in the next few years. Wouldn't surprise me one bit. I also find it funny that the Corvette has very Ferrari looking headlights (like the F430) and the Ferrari 599 has more plain looking headlights that could have come from a Corvette or something similar. Man, the globalization is making things wierd. Replies to this message: andys120 (Jun 30, 2006 1:52 pm)
#406 of 522 Re: Ferrari 599 Fiorano - An Italian Corvette? [frankzappa22] by andys120 Jun 30, 2006 (1:52 pm)
Replying to: frankzappa22 (Jun 29, 2006 1:37 pm) Back in the day lots of people sneered at the 365GTB/4, referring to it as the "Italian Corvette".   The Daytona with it's clean lines and sharp edges was a real departure from the classic PF Ferrari look but it's stood up over time a lot better than the '68 Corvette.   The 599 is a sharp departure too with it's narrow headlights and wraparound rear glass but I like it in a way I could never like the plainly derivative C6.   Corvette needs a new styling Mojo to go with the fabulous performance IMO.
#408 of 522 600 hp DBR9 beats a Corvette C6-R by 0.033 seconds by xkss Jul 08, 2006 (9:22 pm)
Pedro Lamy won the GT1 class of the American Le Mans Series race at Lime Rock Park by 0.033 seconds in his # 009 DBR9 over Johnny O'Connell in his # 3 Corvette C6-R.   The Corvette C6-Rs were carrying 199 more pounds than the Aston Martins, running smaller intake restrictors, and using smaller fuel tanks as a result of "balance of performance" adjustments mandated by the sanctioning body.   GT1 report

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