Zilvia.net Forums | Nissan 240SX (Silvia) and Z (Fairlady) Car Forum - View Single Post

AKADriver · 12-03-2002, 04:29 PM

Be very careful using the term 'sports car' - to some people it's clearly defined, to others it isn't.  Telling someone their car isn't a sports car can start a holy war, or at the least bruise a lot of egos.

A sports car is a car intended for sport... not just racing, but 'sport' any way you can define it.  A sports car is one that is (reasonably) uncompromised, designed for driving excitement and that's it.

The 944 and 240SX are somewhat compromised.  They are weathertight, four-seaters, with luxury accessories.

By the purest definition there aren't many true sports cars in current production...  the Ariel Atom, Lotus Elise family, and anything made by Caterham would definitely qualify.

Nissan never meant the 240SX/Silvia family to be a sports car in the truest sense; it was built to be mass marketable and make money.  It was built to battle other low priced coupes, particularly the original Toyota Celica.  It was RWD because everything was RWD back then.  Of course the decision upon the S13's release to keep the car rear-drive is what puts the 240SX into the grey zone; that's one LESS compromise than the car's contemporaries.

12-03-2002, 04:29 PM	#2
AKADriver Post Whore! Join Date: May 2002 Location: Springfield, VA Age: 43 Posts: 3,517 Trader Rating: (1)	Be very careful using the term 'sports car' - to some people it's clearly defined, to others it isn't.  Telling someone their car isn't a sports car can start a holy war, or at the least bruise a lot of egos. A sports car is a car intended for sport... not just racing, but 'sport' any way you can define it.  A sports car is one that is (reasonably) uncompromised, designed for driving excitement and that's it. The 944 and 240SX are somewhat compromised.  They are weathertight, four-seaters, with luxury accessories. By the purest definition there aren't many true sports cars in current production...  the Ariel Atom, Lotus Elise family, and anything made by Caterham would definitely qualify. Nissan never meant the 240SX/Silvia family to be a sports car in the truest sense; it was built to be mass marketable and make money.  It was built to battle other low priced coupes, particularly the original Toyota Celica.  It was RWD because everything was RWD back then.  Of course the decision upon the S13's release to keep the car rear-drive is what puts the 240SX into the grey zone; that's one LESS compromise than the car's contemporaries.