Quote Of The Day: The Sports Car Is Dead

by Derek Kreindler

Published: November 11th, 2014

“The sports car market is roughly half of what it used to be,” Ian Robertson, BMW’s head of sales, said in an interview at the manufacturer’s headquarters in Munich. “Post-2008, it just collapsed. I’m not so sure it’ll ever fully recover.”

Speaking to Automotive News, Robertson noted that SUVs and crossovers have replaced the sports car’s function as a status symbol, while emerging markets tended to gravitate towards large sedans that one can be driven in.

While those of us who love driving will scoff at the notion that a CUV could ever replace a sports car as the most desirable automobile, market data has shown that the CUV is the most desirable body style not just in North America, but in many emerging markets – in both locales, it serves as a symbol of affluence and high status, despite what we may consider to be inferior attributes vis a vis a passenger car.

The other factor is that driving conditions have changed. Increased congestion, urbanization and a demonization of speeding (backed by harsh, if not draconian penalties) has made the notion of a sports car an outmoded one for many people. Even the latest 991 Porsche 911 GT3 has abandoned the manual transmission. And while Porsche claims this was done in the name of technological advancement, let’s not fool ourselves: it was a careful, calculated move designed to appeal to the poseur who wants the GT3 because of its racing heritage, despite never intending to take it on track, much less above 60 mph.

#BMW #Crossover #Cuv #SportsCar #SUV

Derek Kreindler

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16 of 268 comments

Ryoku75 on Nov 13, 2014

The sports cars still alive, the definitions just gotten a bit warped since roughly EVERY CAR has to be "sporty" these days, both in terms of styling and handling. Out of the numerous cars I've driven only 3 were proper sports cars, an '84 Mustang, an 80's Nissan 300ZX, and a Merkur Xrt4i. Neither of these three felt that sporty, granted they were automatics and were the more "common" V6 or non-turbo variants, Merkur aside. I can't say that I get the sports car love, but if theres anything that I despise its cars that try to be "sporty". What you tend to end up with is the worst of both worlds, a non-sports car with compromised space for "sporty" styling and stiff suspension.

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- Ccd1 on Nov 14, 2014
  
  The cars you mentioned show the confusion about what is (or is not) a sports car. I would generally classify the Mustang as a pony car or muscle car, the Merkur as a sports sedan and the Z as a sports car. Other people would come to other conclusions. To my mind, a sports sedan has a truly useable rear seat that actual normal humans can fit into as well as having the required sporting creds. The gold standard for sport sedans is probably the BMW M3 (at least under $100K) If I were to make a list of sports cars currently available under $100K, it would look like this: Mazda Miata, Surbaru BRZ, Porsche Boxster/Cayman, Vette, and Jag F Type.
  
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- Ect on Nov 14, 2014
  
  @ccd1 I agree with you about the Mustang and Merkur, and would add the Audi TT (especially the roadster) to your list.
  
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- Ccd1 on Nov 14, 2014
  
  @ect I left the TT off my list because the most powerful TT, the RS was only available for MY 2012 and 2013 (ie, not currently available). That model was supposed to go head to head with the likes of the Porsche Cayman. The new TT-RS is not likely to appear before MY2016
  
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- Ryoku75 on Nov 14, 2014
  
  @ccd1 The Merkur was a turbocharged coupe with two spoilers on the back, it was also pretty spacious, it could fit a full sized person in the back for our test drive, not a bad car apart from the awful 3-speed automatic and poor engine cooling. The 300ZX was a sports car as far as I'm concerned, RWD, dedicated platform, and style over function. The Mustang...you have a point, it shared its platform with the Ford Faimount which was basically Fords Volvo 240 copy. The Audi TT shares its FWD-bias platform with the VW Tiguan, thus its less a sports car in my book and more "sporty coupe". If you want an Audi sports car you get the R8, for the REAL DEAL you get the Audi R8 Exclusive Ultra Selection GT Limited Grand-Am Le Mans China Edition.
  
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- Ect on Nov 14, 2014
  
  @Ryoku75 The A platform is shared by 12 different vehicles, of very different types. I don't see what this has to do with defining what the TT is?
  
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- Ect on Nov 14, 2014
  
  @ccd1 But the TT is available, and certainly has more power than the Miata or BRZ. Also a lot more power than the Mk III Sprite that was my first car had in it!
  
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- Ccd1 on Nov 14, 2014
  
  @Ryoku75 As far as I'm concerned, the TT-RS is a pretty serious sports car. Not my choice for the track, but more than enough for public roads. As for the R8, I hate the idea that a sports car has to be an impractical toy and the R8 is just another impractical toy. Not even close to enough room for a weekend getaway with your "boo."
  
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- Ryoku75 on Nov 14, 2014
  
  @ccd1 To me a sports car needs its own dedicated platform, if it shares bits with a crossover or something, its not a proper sports car. The RX-8 shares bits with the Miata which is also sporty, thus its a proper sports car, its also semi-practical. The 350z? Shares CUV bits, and uses a souped up Nissan Quest V6. Its also not practical at all. At ect: How many of those 12 cars are sports cars?
  
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- Ect on Nov 15, 2014
  
  @Ryoku75 "How many of these cars are sports cars?" I don't think it matters, each car must be classified according to its merit, and the platform is really the least of these. Audi does its own design and engineering, so I doubt that there's much parts commonality between the TT and the VW, SEAT and Skoda vehicles that are designed from the A series platform. You want a "true" sports car to have its own platform, and not share parts with cars that aren't sports cars. Fine. But the market doesn't agree, and it shouldn't. It's kind of like the folks who say it isn't a truck if it's not BOF. The XJ Cherokee changed that, and many trucks have followed in its path. So it is with sports cars. Times change, technology changes and we must adapt. The TT is a sports car, so is the 350Z. My Sprite borrowed liberally from the BMC parts bin, but it was nonetheless a sports car, by any definition.
  
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- Ryoku75 on Nov 15, 2014
  
  @ect "You want a “true” sports car to have its own platform, and not share parts with cars that aren’t sports cars." It can share parts, it should have its own platform though. "But the market doesn’t agree, and it shouldn’t." If "the market" disagreed with me, the Mazda Miata wouldn't be getting another refresh.
  
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- Ccd1 on Nov 17, 2014
  
  @ect I agree. The platform should not matter. Requiring a separate platform for sports cars just drives up the cost and makes it less likely that an OEM will offer one. And it doesn't matter, take a look at the Macan which shares its platform with the Q5. By all accounts, it is a pretty good car and much better than the Q5. Execution matters more than platform
  
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Ccd1 on Nov 14, 2014

I agree that a sports car should look sporty, but STRONGLY disagree that it has to be completely impractical. That is one of the expectations of sports cars that is killing it off, IMHO. I drive an Audi TT-RS which is surprisingly practical with the joke back seats down. There are other cars that offer adequate levels of practicality: Porsche Cayman/911 and the Vette. If you can live with the shallowness of the trunk, the F Type Coupe would quality as reasonably practical as well. Most of us could probably agree on what constituted a sports car in the analogue days. The problem is that traditional definitions start to fall apart in the digital age with things like dual clutch transmissions that offer better fuel economy and faster shifting as well. Unfortunately, there have been few attempts to re-define what a sports car should be. The BMW i8 being the only real attempt at re-defining what a sports car should be. Until the sports car is redefined and there is some level of consumer consensus with the redefinition, the chasm between new and old will continue to grow. Prior generation 911s will remain popular because the car better reflects traditional concepts of what a sports car should be than its faster, technologically more advance successor. I'm in the camp myself as I look on the sports car landscape and don't see a sports car that combines the performance and practicality of the car I currently drive.

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- Ect on Nov 14, 2014
  
  For most people, it's probably like porn - as Justice Potter Stewart admitted, they can't define it, but they know it when they see it.
  
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Ccd1 on Nov 24, 2014

There is an interesting interview with the guys from the Classic Car Club of Manhattan on the YouTube channel, Drive, on the Porsche GT3. That car is part of their fleet and their take on it is that the car is so good, it simply cannot be appreciated on public roads. A lesser car would be more rewarding on public roads because you could explore its limits.

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Exclusivehire on Feb 09, 2015

Younger buyers’ have been pretty much hollowed out by the last few jobless recoveries. A hugely expensive depreciating asset is not high on the priority list when you’re already eyeball-deep in debt and working a string of unstable contract-only jobs

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