I've made the point before that if one considers the MINI a sportscar, then it becomes very possible to forgive the relative large degree of impracticality that it possesses for the "real world"; and ironically, the degree of practicality if possesses over a more traditional sportscar (e.g., a Miata) will endear it to an ever larger portion of the auto-buying public.

For example, the MINI's rear seat is largely un-usable for adults, and the "boot" is mostly useless for carrying anything but small, tidy, packages. If you want to carry anything larger, you must fold down the back seats...but then of course, it becomes a 2-seater. I think that sportscar owners have grown used to (and actually embrace) this sort of compromise. But if you didn't expect to compromise, it helps to consider your MINI a sportscar...and once you do, all is right. After all, how many 2-seater sportscars actually give you the option of putting a 36" TV (in the box) behind the front seat? It's been done in the MINI...a most practical sportscar. :smile:

 

Lets call it a Sport Hatchback. :smile:

 

*yawn*

 

How could one of the fastest cars in the slalom and hair-pin turns NOT be a sports car? The S is surely a sports car - no doubt about it. The base Cooper I could see being called a SPORTY car due to its low power output though.

 

as much as i would like to consider the mini a sports car, i just do not think it is one. however, sports car or not, it is just perfect for me

when i think of a sports car, i think of porsche, lambo, ferrari(sp), etc.

 

Firstly, saying that a car cannot be a sports car if it is FWD, is very foolish.

You do not even need to discuss "sport" to even figure this one out either.

Personally, I do not know if the term "sportscar" even has a true definition.

And the drive of the car, whether it be FWD, RWD, or AWD is highly insignificant to whether the car can be "sporty" or not.

And to prove my point, I will introduce the Mini Cooper S of old, 1963-1967, which won the Monte Carlo rally in '64, then again in 65,66,67. A FWD car, and yes, a true "sports" car.

Present day MINIS are used in Motorsports.

Therefore, regardless of our opinions, the Cooper S, is, and always will be, a sports car. And a very good one at that.

 

According to CAr Magazines, those are super cars.

 

I prefer the term Saloon.

 

I'll tell you who decides whether or not any given car is called and considered a sports car by most people -- it's the manufacturer, as to how they market it. For example, Mazda markets the RX8 as a sports car and it has a more than two doors, a back seat and has an option for an automatic tranny. Porsche markets their 911 as a sports car and it has a back seat and also an auto tranny is an option. MINI is marketing the MINI as a sports coupe. I don't see what the difference is between a sports car or sports coupe or sports anything. It's a sports car and one can argue that point and have some credibility.

I disagree with the manufacturer deciding on this all too important question, as it involves emotions, prestige, and bragging rights. If you think your car is a sports car then it is a sports car, but if others do not share your belief, then be prepared to defend your position. The MINI can easily be defended.

 

Yup... I agree with you 100%... I remember in Italy they classified the Mini Cooper as a sports car + race car. They were regularly raced annually in Capri because of their great handling and hp to weight ratio.

 

Well, Yours may not be, but mine sure as @!%&*+
Is!! Give me five ten year old kids (the age that I became truly interested in cars) and let me take them for a ride in my 04 JCW-MCS, A-N-D- when were done,we'll ask them!! They have not lived long enough to have developed a bunch of dumb catagories for cars. They might say that it's an amusement park ride!

 

Whoa that's a scary statement. A completely impractical car that was meant for almost no other purpose of getting around a track fast (or a road course). If you were to call a caterham not a sports car then I don't think there is a sports car available in the US. I got a ride in an Enzo last weekend and you could tell why it was a street car not race car. Weren't the old Caterham's like 1200lbs? Also remember the engine technology of the time which was nowhere near what we have today.

The US elise will have "only" 190hp, but will still run circles around almost any other car out there. Once tuners put a turbo on that car it will have more power than most people can handle.

For the record, I think spec miatas are AWESOME true sports cars. Sure they don't have the most power out there but lightweight and a great chasis make them outstanding.

Patrick

 

"Can a FWD be a true sports car?" It was a question - not a statement.

 

DICTIONARY SAYS....

sports car
n. An automobile equipped for racing, especially an aerodynamically shaped one-passenger or two-passenger vehicle having a low center of gravity and steering and suspension designed for precise control at high speeds.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.


OK - at the risk of starting a war.... this says a MINI isn't a sports car. And all you Miata bashers aside, I'd say....yes, a MINI ain't a sports car & Miata is. Isn't the 'vette America's Sports car because it is a 2 seater (among other things). MGA = sports car, MGB GT = sports coupe.

But let me also play the other side....does that make the new T-bird a sports car????

Be honest,the Miata re-introduced the affordable sports car. If it is not a sports car then neither is the classic MG, TR-6 or Spitfire. Horsepower ain't the critical factor. 1. fun quotient off the floor. 2. Ease of "improving". Miata was (is) a kick off the floor. And the amount of tweek toys available is something the MINI Market is approaching (many of the same vendors...and a few of the same toys!!!!) P.S. you MINI freaks, many of your vendors are Mini suppliers, and handling MINI toys is a sideline!

I still take my Miata out regularly cuz their ain't nothing like the coast highway in a real top down roadster. My Cooper S is a great daily driver and sporty as hell, & even more practical than the Miata. ... but I don't recall a 1966 Mini Cooper S convertible..... Now a TR or an MG....well that's a different story. I love 'em all. My Miata reminds me of the MG, and my MINI of the Mini. I'll bet there's a few out there with a Cooper & a vette....

And lest we get too parocial I'd note that when I take my Classic Mini out, many of the hardcore classic folks shun the 'BMW imposter' ... I feel like an agnostic in a church! (when spousal unit and I show up as a matched pair, old and new, we shut down a few discussion lines!)

Sports car is in the eye of the beholder. Miata is a great car. MINI is a great car. Mini is something to behold!!!!

But if you can see beyond all the reasons I'm wrong, I'll tell you this. When I bought my 95 Miata, a few years after the car was 'established', the dealer handed me a copy of Miata Magazine; and I soon got an invite to join 'the club' and suscribe. That magazine has more useful information than I've yet to find from MINI web sites. We need something like that for the MINI.

my 2 cents

stable
95 Miata - red of course, 'popular options', hard top, suspension tweeks
02 Cooper S..ds/w, 17", lapis blue, whalen and chrome...
79 Austin Mini...oh yea...1275, 10" wheels, cobra buckets....

 

I am not sure what you want from the Mini web sites. I think they have a lot of information and it doesn't cost a dime.

 

Owner of a 97 Miata, 03 MINI, & soon a 05 MINI Cabrio I guess I have the best of all worlds Are they all "sports cars" Who knows But I sure have a lot of fun driving them

Lois

 

Let me offer a comparative answer. Take my MCS. Remove a sparkplug wire.
Then take away all the power options and creature comforts and stuff that make it a pure pleasure to drive. Loosen everything up so it rattles and steers and handles bad. Make it leak some of every fluid on board.Take away
the fuel injection and blower and replace them with crappy carburetion.
Next, make the brakes awful,and mount wire wheels that get loose and can't be ballanced. Now lets make it rear wheel drive so it's lousy in the rain and stays parked when it snows. The list can go on & on but if we can chop the top, it just might pass for a brand new MGB-GT. A true Brittish sports car!!!!!

 

i treat mine as a hot hatch :D

 

There is a guy in our local MINI club with a BMW Z8 (that's eight) as his other ride. He drives the MINI a lot more though.

 

Yup! We have a '91 Corvette Coupe and my '03 MCS! Hubby drives the 'Vette, but he LOVES Wanda!

Clover

 

Lotus made a FWD sports car a few years ago. The original Mini Cooper S was generally considered a sports car.
I've never been an FWD fan, and it was one of my biggest concerns but my first test drive told me they really had dialed out the dreaded torque steer and the balance was wonderful.
Previous cars;
74 TR6
72 MGB
81 Alfa GTV6
92 Miata
all considered sports cars.
My Vote after 2 years with my 02 MCS
Mini Cooper is most certainly a sports car.

 

That is exactly what happened to me. I saw the MINI at the Chicago Auto Show in '02 and really liked them, but it wasn't until last year that I drove a friends MINI and found it such a great driving car. I was used to FWD rental cars for so many years the MINI was a real shocker in the way drove.

 

This discussion pops up every so often ... and here it is yet again

If you personally feel it to be a sports car it is to you...

I never really considered my MCS to be a sports car...
I always felt it to be a spirited ....econo sports coupe.

Regardless of the tag....call it what you will......
it's a great vehicle.....

Peace,
D 8)

 

Folks say I look sporty in my MC,does that count?

 

i think you misunderstood my statement.. i said one can make a case.. im not one to make that... i think 99% of people will say cathams are supercars, but to the layman, when they hear the original has about 90 horsepower, they'd say it's no sports car until they get behind the wheel!

to some people, sports car means a combination of alot of things, namely
1)2 seats
2)power, and lots of it
3)superb handling
4)road feel
5)excellent brakes
6)track ready
7)stomp anything on the road with a quick downshift
8)Rear Drive
9)luxurious interior (this is more for the richer type)
there are alot more criteria im sure, but those are mine... does the mini qualify as a sports car? well it's got 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7..... so in my book, yeah

but to some people who is arrogant to believe sports cars must have tons of power, and must be rear drive, then the mini isn't a sports car... the same people can say the catham isn't a sports car simply because it's got no power (figures wise!)

you see what im trying to say? im saying that a sports car can be defined any number of ways... god knows how many ways, and for some people a geo metro is a pluky little sports car simply cuze it's uber light! and can say the M5 isn't because it's 4 doors

so it all boils down to opinion, what hits the spots for you.... there isn't a universal defenition of sports car because eveyrone's got a different version of the meaning