AM Topic: Sports Car

A sports car owes its origins to the early 20th-century practice of stripping down touring cars to create racing machines. While the term "sports car" is loosely used to describe any fast car with two doors and a low-slung profile, one should be careful not to confuse muscle cars, grand tourers or luxury coupes with traditional sports cars. A true sports car must be lightweight, low-slung, have only two seats, little to no cargo space, and it must place a distinct emphasis on construction, handling and steering. The point of a sports car is to give the driver as much physical interaction with the car as the early road racers felt from their machines. The earliest sports cars from the great European marques -- Ferrari, Bentley, Mercedes, Rolls Royce -- were street-legal versions of their racing counterparts.

The Sports Car on AM
A sports car is the ultimate automotive expression of masculinity. Having only two seats means that only the driver and his female companion may ride in the car. The lack of any cargo space or utility functions allow a man to drive without giving much thought to anything save the road ahead.These are important elements to keep in mind as you read the latest sports car reviews on AskMen.com. The sports car screams virility and adventure -- something every man instinctively craves. Thus, are we really surprised that James Bond is seen at least once per film in the latest sports car? Of course not.

Sports Car FactA car with only two seats does not need to be the fastest on the road to be considered a sports car. The earliest British sports cars had poor engine power, but could turn on a dime due to their quick handling and light weight. Mazda revived this notion in the early '90s with their Miata.