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What is your favorite sports car?
- Thread starter G51989
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I'm old school, and while there are plenty of great sports cars today, nothing occupies my heart like these old muscle cars. I'm an old Mopar guy, but I also love the GTO
To me there's nothing out there that has the classic long lines of these cars
To me there's nothing out there that has the classic long lines of these cars
Ferrari 458 (which I will never have)
In my realm of possible cars, I think the ceiling is the Porsche 911, but not for 20 years. I would also love one of the new C7 vettes.
In my realm of possible cars, I think the ceiling is the Porsche 911, but not for 20 years. I would also love one of the new C7 vettes.
I'd probably say the 2007 Audi RS4 Cabriolet I had one for a few years in yellow and it was just a beast, then came a 2010 BMW M5 which I loved other than the fact it liked to have mechanical issues. But my favorite of them all which I have yet to buy is a 2014 Audi R8 V10 + I test drove one and I fell in love now I just need to save up for a year 
my current car is a 2012 Audi S6 and a 2011 Audi Q5, one for me and one for the wife and kids. R8 for the weekends
my current car is a 2012 Audi S6 and a 2011 Audi Q5, one for me and one for the wife and kids. R8 for the weekends 
I daily-drive the Z06's bigger brother, which I've had since early 2010. Prior to that: a Z06, and prior to that, a highly modified '99 Corvette coupe. Prior to that, a 96 LT4 Corvette coupe.
Of the group of cars, the ZR1 is by far my favorite. Every time I drive it, I start giggling like a drooling idiot. It really has that sort of effect on a grown, responsible (HAAAAHAHAHAHAHA!) man. The previous Corvettes all have their strengths and were excellent for their time. The ZR1 just obliterates them.
And everything else it's come across on the local road course that I drive on regularly.
As a whole brand, the Corvette has been my favorite for my entire adult life. Why? A number of reasons:
- I like that it's American made. I'd rather keep Americans employed, and American companies profitable. So I buy American vehicles.
- It can and does serve multiple purposes: daily driver, errand runner, grocery getter, canyon carver, and track terrorizer.
- Along with all of those personalities, it also serves as a fantastic GT car, able to get reasonably good gas mileage on long trips.
- Corvette has been a great "bang for the buck" car for a very long time. Its performance is approachable by other cars that are significantly more expensive than it is. The same can be said for each model of Corvette; the more expensive it is, the far more expensive its true performance competition is.
The ZR1 is just more of this (except the gas mileage. ACK!) The neck-snapping, instant-on torque from the LS9 is whiplash inducing. People that drive high-revving, high horsepower cars don't quite understand what I mean by that. Even if their car puts out close to the ZR1's 640HP, it's the 605ft-lbs of torque available nearly off-idle that surprises them. The torque isn't delivered now, it's delivered right now. Yesterday, almost.
(Fun note: my diesel GMC pick-up has the same torque rating as my Corvette...)
The sound. Good Christ, the sound is almost hysterical. As I noted: I used to have a (2007) Z06. The Z06 was the first car GM did the dual-mode exhaust on. At 3500RPMs, a vacuum line would slam open a valve in each muffler, and it would allow the LS7 to exhale almost non-muffled. It was quiet when cruising around town, and when you got on it, it let you know. I was standing next to my Z06 while it was on a chassis dyno one day. It was making a hell of a lot of noise as it was revving up; as soon as it hit 3500RMs and the baffles slammed out, the BOOM was awesome. And I started cackling like an mad scientist.
The ZR1 is a lot more of that. The quiet mode is cool and collected, and when the baffles open up, the thunderclap is enough to make Zeus himself pause and take note. I was talking to a friend via Bluetooth over the phone one day while driving home. As I accelerated past someone, the baffles opened and the aforementioned thunderclap struck. He paused what he was saying to me and blurted out, "What was that!?"
(Can you tell I love this car?)
The brakes. One of my chief complaints about Corvettes up until the ZR1: crap-tastic performance brakes. They were always a weight compromise. They served the car well in tests, but repeated abuse at the race track was always problematic. Even for the Z06. But with the ZR1, Team Corvette broke away from a lot of their OEM part contracts, and went after different manufacturers. They (properly) chose Brembo for the ZR1's brakes, and I'm quite happy they did that. The abuse I throw at those poor things would kill any other car's brakes, but the ZR1 just keeps going (and slowing!)
Suspension and handling tech. GM rarely gets credit for inventing and perfecting the magnetic shock absorbers that a lot of high-end makers are now using. They first appeared on a Cadillac, and then the 2003 50th anniversary Corvette. My car has the 2nd generation of those shocks, and they make daily commuting and track terrorizing equally fun and comfortable. They work closely with GM's patented Performance Traction Management, which basically lets me cheat on the track. I can plant my foot to the floor at the apex of a corner, and the engine spools out just enough torque to the rear tires so as to not overwhelm their available grip. This keeps me smoother, and on the track: smooth is fast.
As of 13 January, my ZR1 was officially "yesterday's news". The new Corvette is, in every way (except all-out performance, for now...) the better car. And it should be, since it's all new and redesigned from scratch. I can't wait to see one in person, and then wait a bit to see what kind of performance versions GM cooks up...
BMW Z8; " Car and Driver magazine tested the car and found that it outperformed the contemporary benchmark Ferrari 360 Modena in three important performance categories: acceleration, handling, and braking." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_Z8_(E52)
Settled for Z4 35i; why - it had convertible hard top, was available, and I could afford it
Settled for Z4 35i; why - it had convertible hard top, was available, and I could afford it
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Buying an "American" car doesn't mean it was made in the US. I know the Corvette was, but there are plenty of other "American" cars that weren't made here.
"Foreign" cars such as Hyundai and Toyota, for example, have factories in the US with American workers, and I would argue that is also good for the [American] economy.
Not to mention the people between who sell, finance, repair, and insure the car.
So yeah, you're right... but really, it's not that different from other companies who aren't "American"
That's exactly where I figured you were going to go. The folks assembling cars are absolutely working physically harder than their counterparts in: architecture, engineering, OEM part sourcing, testing, test driving, etc. But, they account for a very small part of a vehicle's bottom line. Fair or not, that's the way it is.
An American car company's profits stay here in the US. A foreign car company's profits do not. While the latter may have a factory or two here in the states, their money ends up returning to whatever country their true HQ is in.
When I say I support the American car companies by buying American cars, I mean: all of the folks involved. Not just the folks assembling the car. And perhaps not even the folks assembling the car. There's a lot more to a car company than the plants in which the cars are assembled.
Those are beautiful. I remember liking the Superbird as a young kid. Like a street legal (looking) race car. Not so subtle lines though
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I remember watching nascar as a kid and seeing those cars
I remember watching nascar as a kid and seeing those cars
Bird was a bit excessive for my tastes - I loved the Bee
There's no point comparing those jobs; the skills required are not the same. That's why people work where they work.
Okay but stay where in the US? The pockets of some of the people who are up in HQ?
I understand you though - you want to see an American company succeed and stand out from the global mix. That's fine and completely understandable. I'd also like that too. I'm just saying, as far as I can tell, it really doesn't help/hurt Americans anymore than some other company. Not yet, at least.
Well, personally, if I had the money I would buy a Bugatti Veyron 16.4 (preferably the Super Sport). Alas, I have a stunning lack of 2+ million dollars.
Apart from that, I really love the look of the Ford GT, as well as the older (predecessor), GT40
Apart from all those, I would take a Lamborghini Gallardo stick shift (not a flappy paddle).
Or a Koenigsegg Agera R. I think I have a thing going for hypercars....
Anyways, probably my top 4 "supercars". Not sure if they even qualify as sports cars or are in a different class entirely.
On a side note, the pictures of the Veyron and the Ford GT are my own, taken just a couple days ago at a local rally!!
Apart from that, I really love the look of the Ford GT, as well as the older (predecessor), GT40
Apart from all those, I would take a Lamborghini Gallardo stick shift (not a flappy paddle).
Or a Koenigsegg Agera R. I think I have a thing going for hypercars....
Anyways, probably my top 4 "supercars". Not sure if they even qualify as sports cars or are in a different class entirely.
On a side note, the pictures of the Veyron and the Ford GT are my own, taken just a couple days ago at a local rally!!
This is truly the last Ferrari I'd ever buy. Ferrari lost character after that car, the essence evaporated.
If I had to pick a single one...
M3 Coupe.
Goes like stink, and you can use it every day.
Exotica is nice, but unless it's a Porsche, good luck actually using it daily.
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I'd own a Vette too. But not as a daily. BMW interior is just a million times nicer to be in than anything ever made by ford or general motors.
M3 Coupe.
Goes like stink, and you can use it every day.
Exotica is nice, but unless it's a Porsche, good luck actually using it daily.
edit:
I'd own a Vette too. But not as a daily. BMW interior is just a million times nicer to be in than anything ever made by ford or general motors.
