texian

Is is a sports car? A sporty car? A sports sedan? A sports coupe?

Tobey...Tobey....Tobey....

It's a freaking RX-8. Period.

Those who don't own one can ponder the question. The rest of us know and don't need any external validation.

mmjames

I think in order to determine what is the RX-8s ultimate function or you need to know its original intent. I definitely do not know what was on the minds of the original engineers who designed it, but I speculate it like the following:

1) We want to target drivers who had to give up their two-seater sports cars in the late 1990s, to have a practical car for their families.

2) These families most likely now have teenagers who need to sit comfortably in the back seats.

3) The drivers should have the sport driving experiences they remember in the sport car but the practicality of daily family driving.

4) Take the best elements from the Miata and the 626 sedans and blend them together.

5) Goal was to get these sports car loving drivers to buy this a now, instead of waiting for a two-seater later, when all the kids have gone.

This is only a speculation and I fit into this category. I wanted to buy a two-seater sport car like the M - series Miata I had to give up when I got hitched. I looked at many sedans and I said if I was going to spend good money on a car I wish it were a sports car. I commute a ways to work on bad highways (L.A.) so the car cannot be tuned to firmly. The end product is simply outstanding.

CelticFan

I've seen that some of you require that a sports car have lots of power. But what about cars like the Lotus Elise with a 118 bhp 4 cylinder that will destroy many more powerful cars? Or older cars like the original RX-7? I think the 0-60 times for a 1981 RX-7 are like 8.6 seconds. Not bad for the time but not near what sports cars get today. Does this mean that the old RX-7 isn't a sports car anymore? I still think it is.