Sports car

A sports car is a type of automobile designed for sporting performance. While opinions differ as to the exact definition, most sports cars have two seats and two doors, and are designed to excel at a combination of acceleration, top speed, braking, and maneuverability. Great emphasis is often placed on handling—the ability of the car to remain in the control of the driver under challenging conditions such as when the car's tires begin to lose their grip on corners.

Seating

Some sports cars have small emergency back seats that are really only suitable for luggage or small children. Such a configuration is often referred to as a 2+2 (two full seats + two "occasional" seats). Often these seats are only included to lower insurance premiums.

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Over the years, some manufacturers of sports cars have sought to increase the practicality of their vehicles by increasing the seating room.

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One method is to place the driver's seat in the center of the car which allows two full-sized passenger seats on each side and slightly behind the driver. The arrangement was originally considered for the Lamborghini Miura but abandoned as impractical because of the difficulty for the driver to enter/exit the vehicle. McLaren used the design in their limited-edition supercar the F1 whose performance was so extraordinary that the inconvenience of getting in and out of the car was dismissed by many owners as a minor complaint.

Related Topics:
Lamborghini Miura - McLaren

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Another British manufacturer, TVR, took a different approach in their Cerbera model. The interior was designed in such a way that the dashboard on the passenger side swept toward the front of the car which allowed the passenger to sit farther forward than the driver. This gave the rear seat passenger extra room and made the arrangement suitable for three adult passengers and one child seated behind the driver. The arrangement has been referred to by the company as a 3+1.

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Perhaps because of the need to negotiate French roads, Matra spots cars had such a wide track that three could sit abreast.

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The apparent reason that the Messerschmitt TG500 had limited sales is that it had only one front seat. One seat is fine for commuting, but who wants to lavish great attention and expense on a car that will not carry his favorite other person, next to him.

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