Originally posted by DelSolSIinMD
Kai, if the Del Sol isn't a sports car, then why do people call the Miata one? No performance engineering whatsoever, just a full convertible and RWD.
Whoa, that's just not true. For one, it is actually balanced a perfect 50/50, and that took a lot of engineering. It is rear wheel drive for the single purpose of giving it traditional sportscar driving and handling characteristics, and by that time the only RWD cars (not trucks) that Mazda made where sports cars, the RX-7 and the Miata. The ragtop is there to ad the driving pleasure associated with old world roadsters. The small size of the car contibutes to it's tossible handling. The Miata is a widely praised car for the reason that it is engineered as a sports car... the del Sol, well, it's not.
can you "make" a sports car? (...) Or is the inherent platform a curse that can never be shaken?
I personally think the classification sticks to the chassis used, but that's where you fall into a real "grey" area. I don't argue that point, because I think both sides are fair. Unless someone says that an intake and cat-back makes their non-sports car a sports car, that's just wrong.
Plus there's always good old insurance classifcations... maybe I like to bend my Del Sol toward the sports car end of the spectrum because I'm paying for one
Insurance is really shadey, too. Don't they consider some older Civics to be sports cars now? I thought someone over in the pre-92 board said something to that effect. Anyway, I just pay liability, so my beat-to-crap Civic costs exactly the same as my pretty decent RX-7. I'm cheap, I know.
h: