A sports car is an automobile designed for
performance driving. Most sports cars are rear-wheel drive,
have two seats, two doors, and are designed for precise
handling, acceleration, and aesthetics. A sports car's
dominant considerations can be superior road handling,
braking, maneuverability, low weight, and high power,
rather than passenger space, comfort, and fuel economy.
Sports cars can be either luxurious or spartan,
but driving mechanical performance is the key attraction.
Drivers regard brand name and the subsequent racing reputation
and history as important indications of sporting quality,
but brands such as Lamborghini, which do not race or build
racing cars, are also highly regarded.
A car may be a sporting automobile without
being a sports car. Performance modifications of regular,
production cars, such as sport compacts, sports sedans,
muscle cars, hot hatches and the like, generally are not
sports cars, yet share traits common to sports cars. Often,
performance cars of all configurations are grouped as
Sports and GT cars, or, occasionally, as performance cars.
A sports car does not require a large, powerful
engine, though many do have them. Some classic British
sports cars lacked powerful engines, but were known for
exceptional handling due to light weight, a well-engineered,
balanced chassis, and modern suspension. On tight, twisting
roads, such an automobile performs more effectively than
a heavier, more powerful luxury car with less maneuverability.
