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Sports cars for fun

Low, lightweight and fun - that's a sports car

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Sports cars.... Sports cars are low and lightweight - and should be two-seaters. They are designed to provide drivers with fun - especially when driving round twisty roads. Sports cars have been made for 100 years, and most early racing cars were really sports cars. Today, some sports cars have fixed roofs, and even room for two small people in the back.

Here, we concentrate only on sport scars, giving you the best information and guidance on choosing one. If you need advice, just ask. But how do we define sports cars?


Sports cars are usually two-seater convertibles. The best ones aren't shortened sedans which have two-seats, but are built on their own short special-purpose underbodies or frames.

The BMW Z4, Honda S-2000, Lotus Elise, Mercedes-Benz SLK and Porsche Boxster are good examples of modern sports cars, each built on its own unique underbody.

Sports cars have been an important part of the motoring scene for a century. Famous makers of sports cars include Aston Martin, Ferrari and Jaguar - now in the supercar class - and Porsche.

Alfa Romeo, BMW, Maserati, Mercedes-Benz and TVR has also made a number of fabulous sports cars.

Brilliant sports cars from Caterham, Honda, Lotus and Porsche

Some of these sports cars are produced by very small firms, and in some cases you have to do some of the assembly work yourself. Lotus is a small company that has produced some brilliant sports cars in the past, including the Seven, Eleven, Elan, Elite and Europa - and it still does so.

Among these British sports cars are the Caterhams, which are modernised versions of the Lotus Seven, Morgans and Westfields. Like Caterham and Westfield, Elfin in Australia and Donkervoort in The Netherlands make high-performance sports cars of the classic type with exposed wheels.

What sets sports cars apart is their low center of gravity, light weight and small size. These features give them the acceleration you expect in a sports car, and good cornering, handling and braking. They are usually fairly inexpensive compared with supercars. In fact, some like the Caterham CSR provide supercar performance - but no frills, just plain thrills.
Unlike a supercar, a sports car can have quite modest performance so long as it is a two-seater - or two plus two children - and is fun to drive. Engines can be from 1.0 to 5.0 litres - bigger than that, if the car is any good it will be a supercar. Acceleration of a sports car should be better than a sedan, but these cars score mostly in cornering, braking and handling.

The Mazda Miata (MX-5 in Europe, Eunos Roadster in Japan) is a small sports car that is fun to drive, as is the more spartan Lotus Elise, which is a good deal faster and handles better. In fact, any car on this site is a real sports car, and will be fun to drive. If you're looking for a fast, fun car, consider a sports car and start here.

Want a sports car and can't afford the one you want? wWell, why not try an older one, or even a classic. Meanwhile, visit or sister site, Cash to Buy Your Fast Car,to find out how to make enough money to buy the sports car of your dreams.

If you want to view a sports car not shown below, go to our full list of sports cars.

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Hyundai Genesis Coupe Hyundai Genesis Coupe: Hyundai to breaks into sports car market with 300 bhp rear-drive coupe.
KTM X-Bow KTM X-Bow: Amazing mid-engined two-liter sports car that looks completely different and performs like a supercar.
Audi TTS (2009) Audi TTS (2009): Hottest Audi 2.0 liter sports car yet gets 270 bhp, which moves the goal posts for compact sports cars.
Alfa SpiderRoad Test

Alfa Spider: Two-seater version of newest four-wheel drive coupe, combines smart looks with good performance.
Lotus Europa SRoad Test

Lotus Europa S

On the road with the GT for Lotuseers – same pedigree as Elise but turbo power.
Lotus Europa S Lotus 2-Eleven

Slick, ultra-lightweightsports car with supercharged engine giving terrific performance from a very small car.
Saturn Sky Red Line

GM's sparkling little sports car with 260 bhp turbo engine offers stiff competition for the Mazda Miata/MX-5.
Caterham Seven Roadsport 150 and CSR

Amazing performance from tiny open-wheeled sports car now with 150 bhp 1.6 liter Ford engine, but the Caterham CSR is the stunner.
Road Test

Mazda Miata/MX-5

Does the latest version still hold the crown as the small affordable sports car? Find out….
AC MkV

An old name is revived as AC builds Cobra lookalike – but based on an updated version of the original AC chassis used for the Shelby Cobra.
Audi TT (2008)

Good looks conceal a lightweight aluminum body and improved suspension - about the only car introduced in recent years that weighs less than the old model.
Road Test

Lotus Elise

Super compact sports car with the performance of a supercar – producing terrific fun, stunning performance on road or track all at an amazingly low price.
Other recent models:

Brooke Double R
Porsche Cayman test

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