LexFather

Well the 3 vs IS thread Bit started got a lil offline so lets duke it out here. Is the Mercedes SL 65 a sports car? And if not, what is a sports car? Has the definition changed? Lets discuss.

Briefly, the SL 65 is not a sports car, IMO, its a GT, a grand tourer with INSANE power. J/B you have more power than a FErrari, doesn't make you a sports car. 4300lbs, a 5 speed auto and almost uncontrolable power does not make a sports car.

But has it all changed? Heck, even a Porsche 911 TUrbo is 3300lbs, that is not light and it can be had with an auto. Is the auto not a sports car?

And car makers abuse "sport" slapping it on cars and special editons.

And SUV, sport utility vehicle, the dumbest name to describe things so unsporting its sickening.

And with car mags pushing sport in our faces more and more, and with everyone thinking they know what sport is, we are in trouble


So is the SL 65 a sports car? And then, what defines it?

Gojirra99

I agree, not a real sports car, no manual, & it's too heavy. Mario Andretti was quoted as saying SL55 is not a sports car, the SL65 wasn't available yet when he said that, but I don't imagine it will be any different to him. The M6 is not a real sports car neither according to the latest Evo on the newstand.

GFerg

Nope. Not a Sports Car. I always looked at it as a GT myself. Along with the CL65, Bentley Continental GT, Aston Martin DB9,612 Scaglietti and even the Bugatti Veyron. Thats the ultimate in GT cars. GT's contain a certain level of luxury as well as straight line performance and are fairly roomy as well. A F430, Gallardo, and the like are sports cars. This can even be said about the 350Z and a few others.

diablo1

As I made pretty clear in the other thread where I got yelled at for being off topic (oops) I do think that car is a sports car. I think a sports car should have more power and handling ability than would be necessary to get from point A to point B in any reasonable way. It should be engineered with a strong emphasis on performance. This means big engine, high-performance brakes, responsive handling. All of these things are pretty subjective. I see the point that cars of a certain weight are stretching the sports car definition, and to be honest, I have nevre driven an SL65, as is probably the case with most people here. However, the SL65 is designed for performance. It's not Miata sized, but it's small enough to be impractical for daily uses like driving the kids to soccer practice. I think it's a sports car.

For reference, here is what Wikipedia says about sports cars:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sports_car
They mention weight, number of seats, number of doors, acceleration, handling, top speed, and layout (location of engine and drive wheels). No mention of transmission type.

Anyways, let me know if you agree or not... I'm quite curious!

Gojirra99

Even the 350Z may be marginal . The real sports car I would say are the Boxster, Cayman, 911, NSX, S2000, Corvette, Viper, Lotus Exige, the Ferrari's, Lambo's, etc.

cip

I agree w/ magneto..definitely not a sports car. But I would add that if I had the cash and could only choose between an F430, Gallardo, even '06 Z06, or an SL65, Bentley, Aston Martin Vanquish S... I'd personally go with an all out Sports Car..F430 Spyder

Why?? B/c even though a 600HP 'benz is friggin' cool, 4300 lbs. is still a compromise, and for $165K...c'mon Ferrari all day long!!

Ice350

iTrader: (1)

Doesn't look like much of a debate here....we all agree the sl is not a sports car. What is a sports car? I consider the porsche a sports car. Any ferrari, lambo, nsx, so many more. I think the sl could be made more sporty by the choice of wheels, suspension, maybe reduce some weight, etc.

ST430

As I wrote in the other thread:

""sports" has nothing to do with hp (witness the miata craze), drivetrain layout (ITR anyone?), or transmissino (AMG / Renssports), but rather the "feel" of the vehicle"

You take a pro driver in a SL65 and say you average Joe in a McLaren F1, I guarantee you the SL65 will kicks its *** on any road course venue, so "sport cars" while soliciting objective critique aren't necessary defined by them.

In the sport bike world, where even the older defunct tech bike or your typical Harley chopper can keep up with your modern sports car, the only real difference that seperates the newer crotch rockets from them is its design and "feel" at every turn, every straight, every moment on board. The same can be said of cars. It's a sports car when you know it's design intention from the beginning to the end of your ride.

Rockville

when they used to race them. The SL65 is high powered beauty but it's not Super Light anymore. The same could be said about the Lexus SC400. SC stood for Sport Coupe and it had a great steering feel but it was way too heavy and lumbered around turns. You not only have to have power but you have to have agility to be a sports car. Much of the cost after the engine is in using exotic lightweight materials that are strong and stiff yet light like titanium, carbon fiber, magnesium etc. The Sports Car should be able to brake and brake again without fading from the red hot rotors. It should have an exotic name like Bugatti, Ferrari or my current favorite Carrera GT. It should have a heavenly sound that turns into a whine at redline.....

Rock

DASHOCKER

iTrader: (2)

I call it the ultimate sport tourer.

GFerg

I understand what you are gettting at, but to me a Sports Car has to be a Sports Car from the beginning. That is starting from the chassis. AMG aftermarket bolt ons like a Turbo, stiffer suspension, bigger brakes and wheels cannot automatically classify it as a Sports Car . Thats like saying the SC430 with mods is a true Sports Car as well. Nah, not at all. The car is based on the SL500 which is basically a boulevard/GT cruiser. Theres nothing sporty about that.

bruce van

Shoot! I hit the wrong button. I agree with most of you and say it's not a sports car in the spirit of the pure driving enthusiast. It's fast and that's about it. I think it should fall into the GT category as 1SIC stated.

Having owned a Miata for a couple years and going to an SC400 I can without a doubt know the difference between a sports car and a GT. The SC is certainly faster than the Miata and has a much more powerful engine, but it is also much more insulated from the driving experience. THAT is the main difference.

Sports cars don't isolate the driver from the road, rather the point is to connect the driver to the car to the road. Comfort, excessive wind noise, cupholders....to hell with all of that. The Miata was cramped, noisey, cupholders were in the wrong place. But all of that shouldn't matter because it was
a great car to drive. It wasn't very fast off the line, but it FELT fast. You can rev the engine up and it would ask for more.

The Lotus Elise, now THAAAT is a sports car.

Lexmex

I have seen a few of these high powered Mercedes show up at my track for drag racing, so I voted sports car. Well that would even go for a Yugo should it ever show up.

Incendiary

Agreed re: posts #11 and #12.

Incendiary

Drag racing? You mean pure straight-line racing? If that's the case, the new Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT is a sports car. 0-60 in 4.5 s.