Sports and GT cars

[espeago]

Confuse lang ako sirs. What is the difference between a sports and GT cars? Meron ba classification to name it a sport and GT car? What are the sports and GT cars?

[Flagg]

Mga GT mas luxury tourer than sports car. Generally,

1.) Sports-sedan-soft yung suspension. Think a Ferrari (Sports) vs Maserati (GT)
2.) More lux accessories mga GT... therefore, heavier.
3.) Powerful engine like a sports car but detuned... therefore less NVH and less performance.

Think Aston-Martin, Jaguar XK, MB SL-class, BMW 6-series, 996-997 911s, Maserati 4200, etc... parang laid-back luxo performance.

Basically, a sports car is more on performance with less priority on comfort. Low center of gravity, short, stable (and therefore, stiff) suspensions, aggressive cam timing, etc. All this give great speed and handling... but bounce your body around a lot, even as your senses are thrilled .

That's also why you have to contort yourself getting into any Ferrari (2 seater, that is) or Lambo. Porsches are more forgiving sports cars, but medyo GT na rin these days ang 911-997... kaya siguro may Cayman S.

That Koenigsegg in your sig is a sports car. So is the Miata (it definitely isn't about comfort, and performance is very good considering such a small package). Same goes for a Skyline GTR, but not the 350Z (too soft, no offense to owners).

[the_wildthing]

If I'm not mistaken, a GT car (Grand Tourer/Gran Turismo) is for, you guessed it, touring - long distance driving. More comfortable than a sports car (supposedly) so that you can drive it for long periods, softer suspension (again for comfort).

Correct me if I'm wrong.

[niky]

Exactly. GT stands for Gran Turismo, or "Grand Touring", which involves covering a heck of a lot of ground rapidly, comfortably, and in style. That means softer tuning, longer gearing, a more supple suspension, and an emphasis on speed rather than acceleration.

Which makes it very puzzling that a lot of moder GTs can't go very far on one tank of gas, because they're such gas guzzlers (Take the Veyron, for example).

"Sports Car" connotes, like flagg said, a more direct and focused drive, with more emphasis on carving corners than on long-distance comfort, and more emphasis on driver communication than driver comfort.

That's why many Porsche-o-philes have a beef with the current 911, as it's less of a pure sportscar than the old 911, and more of a Sports GT. Whatever it is, I still want one...