Cars that define thier class

[Demon-Xanth]

Examples:

Muscle car: '60's GTO. Cheap, light, big engine.
Super car: Lamborghini Countach. Still one of the best looking cars after 20 years.
Sports car: Porche Spyder. Small, light, nimble. Sweet.
Light Truck: 40's to 50's Dodge Powerwagon. All work, no fluff.
Sports sedan: BMW 540. Comfortable when you need it, fast when you want it.
SUV: Jeep CJ-5. It did one thing well, which is the only thing the class needed to do.

 

[DivideBYZero]

Lamborghini Countach? Looks great, but in reality it's pretty shit.

Yes, I have driven one.

 

[thirdeye]

Yeah I'd have to agree that the Countach doesn't belong in that list. If anything I'd say the McLaren F1 or perhaps the Ferrari F40/50.

 

[exdeath]

Modern Muscle Car: 2003 SVT Cobra Terminator - Cheap and nasty, two key ingredients of the original muscle car formula often forgotten in these days of $40,000+ "entry level" performance cars. The Terminator lives up to the original Muscle Car decree; you can actually own one because they are affordable for the average Joe. And the cheap dated creaking interior that you forget about the first time you put your foot down and go sideways and beat a car costing 3 times as much.

Super car: Ferrari F50 - Limited quantity street legal formula car that is the first true super car that I remember, that created the category and set the requirements for the class. It was the first car that I remember being a money no object best in the world engineering ambition, and not just another 'dime a dozen' $100,000+ exotic sports car.

 

[Arkaign]

I'll defend Demon here, the Countach was definitely the first world-famous supercar. EVERYone knew/knows what it was, and the design is so different that it's just unmistakable. Granted, the performance hasn't held up under the hp revolution of the past two decades, but it's still a benchmark for a supercar recipe.

The McLaren, wonderful as it is, and ditto for the Veyron, are just a really cool looking car to most people. Take a textless photo of them around a shopping mall or restaurant, and ask strangers to identify them. You'll find a few gearheads who will know, but most will have no clue. Do the same thing with the Countach, and pretty much everyone will say 'Lamborghini'.

Other defining cars :

BMW 3 Series, the definition of midrange luxury without sacrificing style or handling. Truly an epic achievement, and something Mercedes has yet to really challenge them on.

Sports car : Corvette. Introduced in the 50s, and always a cool and great performing car, notwithstanding the nastiness of the mid/late 70s into the early 80s. God I hate how the 70s fubared so many awesome cars. Camaro, Mustang, Corvette, etc. Must have been too many shrooms and LSD hits for the management and engineering departments.

 

[jagec]

Econobox: Toyota Corolla. Cheap, light, reliable, good mileage, and very very boring to drive.

 

[DivideBYZero]

Originally posted by: Arkaign
I'll defend Demon here, the Countach was definitely the first world-famous supercar. EVERYone knew/knows what it was, and the design is so different that it's just unmistakable. Granted, the performance hasn't held up under the hp revolution of the past two decades, but it's still a benchmark for a supercar recipe.

The McLaren, wonderful as it is, and ditto for the Veyron, are just a really cool looking car to most people. Take a textless photo of them around a shopping mall or restaurant, and ask strangers to identify them. You'll find a few gearheads who will know, but most will have no clue. Do the same thing with the Countach, and pretty much everyone will say 'Lamborghini'.

Other defining cars :

BMW 3 Series, the definition of midrange luxury without sacrificing style or handling. Truly an epic achievement, and something Mercedes has yet to really challenge them on.

Sports car : Corvette. Introduced in the 50s, and always a cool and great performing car, notwithstanding the nastiness of the mid/late 70s into the early 80s. God I hate how the 70s fubared so many awesome cars. Camaro, Mustang, Corvette, etc. Must have been too many shrooms and LSD hits for the management and engineering departments.

Nothing to do with HP, the countach is crap to drive. The seats are brutal, the clutch is OK if there are five of you in the car to use it, the cabin ventilation is next to non-existant, the interior build is woeful, the rear view non-existant, the cabin smells VERY strongly of fuel most of the time, windows are tiny and then only wind halfway, reversing often requires perching out the side of the car to see where the eff you are going.

 

[AdamK47]

Mullet Mobile: Chevrolet Camaro Z28
Tasteless: Pontiac GTO
Ferrari Wannabe: Chevrolet Corvette
White Trash: Monte Carlo SS

 

[Arkaign]

Originally posted by: DivideBYZero

Originally posted by: Arkaign
I'll defend Demon here, the Countach was definitely the first world-famous supercar. EVERYone knew/knows what it was, and the design is so different that it's just unmistakable. Granted, the performance hasn't held up under the hp revolution of the past two decades, but it's still a benchmark for a supercar recipe.

The McLaren, wonderful as it is, and ditto for the Veyron, are just a really cool looking car to most people. Take a textless photo of them around a shopping mall or restaurant, and ask strangers to identify them. You'll find a few gearheads who will know, but most will have no clue. Do the same thing with the Countach, and pretty much everyone will say 'Lamborghini'.

Other defining cars :

BMW 3 Series, the definition of midrange luxury without sacrificing style or handling. Truly an epic achievement, and something Mercedes has yet to really challenge them on.

Sports car : Corvette. Introduced in the 50s, and always a cool and great performing car, notwithstanding the nastiness of the mid/late 70s into the early 80s. God I hate how the 70s fubared so many awesome cars. Camaro, Mustang, Corvette, etc. Must have been too many shrooms and LSD hits for the management and engineering departments.

Nothing to do with HP, the countach is crap to drive. The seats are brutal, the clutch is OK if there are five of you in the car to use it, the cabin ventilation is next to non-existant, the interior build is woeful, the rear view non-existant, the cabin smells VERY strongly of fuel most of the time, windows are tiny and then only wind halfway, reversing often requires perching out the side of the car to see where the eff you are going.

That has nothing to do with this discussion. Look at the title of the OP : 'Cars that define their class'. For Supercars, it's all about the performance at the time, combined with notoriety and style. Countach had all of this in spades.

Watching Top Gear, you can tell that the McLaren is a bitch to drive too.

For Supercars, the rule is that, in general :

They will be distractingly noisy
They will ride so low that you can't see around other cars, and other cars will have a hard time seeing you in their blind spots
They will have lots of vibration and general discomfort
Visibility will be questionable
Fuel economy will be beyond bad
You will be missing out on the luxury department (separate driver/passenger climate control, nav, etc)

Supercars are NOT daily drivers.

 

[exdeath]

Originally posted by: AdamK47
Mullet Mobile: Chevrolet Camaro Z28
Tasteless: Pontiac GTO
Ferrari Wannabe: Chevrolet Corvette
White Trash: Monte Carlo SS

White Trash: 15 year old beat up BMW 3 series with 26" chrome rims and blue headlight tint turning into a trailer park.

the 70s-80s Trans Ams I always thought were mullet mobiles. Pimped out Camaros were more of a gold chains and drug dealer image, which has since been replaced with Escalades.

 

[Jawo]

Originally posted by: jagec
Econobox: Toyota Corolla. Cheap, light, reliable, good mileage, and very very boring to drive.

Ha ha ha, very true. The Honda Accord would be the runner up. Both would be circa late 80's early 90's.

Ricer: Same as above cars with giant rear spoilers, lowered to just above the ground

 

[MrChad]

Originally posted by: AdamK47
Mullet Mobile: Chevrolet Camaro Z28
Tasteless: Pontiac GTO
Ferrari Wannabe: Chevrolet Corvette
White Trash: Monte Carlo SS

:laugh:

What does that say about you, exactly?

 

[AdamK47]

Originally posted by: MrChad

Originally posted by: AdamK47
Mullet Mobile: Chevrolet Camaro Z28
Tasteless: Pontiac GTO
Ferrari Wannabe: Chevrolet Corvette
White Trash: Monte Carlo SS

:laugh:

What does that say about you, exactly?

All of these cars combined create a high energy ball of awesomeness that can be dropped and bounced back to 101% of it's original height. This comment has absolutly nothing to do with your reply, but I felt it must be mentioned.

 

[Demon-Xanth]

Note that my list isn't the BEST of each car made. There have been many muscle cars better than the '60s GTOs. Just the car that if you said that class, people would very quickly lump that car in with. When you say 1964 GTO, people think muscle car. It is what it is, and it's just that. A muscle car.

 

[DougK62]

Nice list. I really can't argue with any of them.

 

[Summitdrinker]

Originally posted by: AdamK47
Mullet Mobile: Chevrolet Camaro Z28
Tasteless: Pontiac GTO
Ferrari Wannabe: Chevrolet Corvette
White Trash: Monte Carlo SS

LOL, good list, esp the monte

 

[Arkaign]

Where does my old black '77 El Camino w/383 custom fit into this?

 

[DanTMWTMP]

Originally posted by: MrChad

Originally posted by: AdamK47
Mullet Mobile: Chevrolet Camaro Z28
Tasteless: Pontiac GTO
Ferrari Wannabe: Chevrolet Corvette
White Trash: Monte Carlo SS

:laugh:

What does that say about you, exactly?

I really envy AdamK's garage .

 

[Fenixgoon]

Originally posted by: Summitdrinker

Originally posted by: AdamK47
Mullet Mobile: Chevrolet Camaro Z28
Tasteless: Pontiac GTO
Ferrari Wannabe: Chevrolet Corvette
White Trash: Monte Carlo SS

LOL, good list, esp the monte

i'd say the GTO is "most boring muscle car" as opposed to tasteless. tasteless, to me, means a civic w/ fartcan, ground effects, body kit, giant wing spoiler, etc.

for a "ferrari wannabe" the corvette sure gives the F430 a run for its money. and by "a run for its money" i mean "beats it in Top Gear's track, the Nurburgring, and 0-60 times" and costs a third of the price. not to mention it doesn't need to be inspected every other day for maintenance issues.

 

[maddogchen]

compact: Civic
Family Sedan: Camry
Entry-Luxury: BMW 330i
Ricer: Integra

 

[drpootums]

Sports car: Chevy Corvette Nothing can touch the value of the Corvette for the performance you get. If you mention Corvette, people think sports car. Simple as that.

Ricer: Mitsubishi Eclipse/Eagle Talon Maybe this is just for me, but in my school there are like 7-8 people that have a Eclipse/Talon/Laser, and they are all slow, noisy, but look like super cars (all the money spent on them is in the wing, wheels, lights, and the weed-whacker signature muffler).

Economy: Toyota Corolla Excellent reliability, fuel economy, with a low price. Very unmemorable driving experience.

Sporty on the cheap: Mazda Miata Since it's debut the Mazda had only one mission: low frills, extremely fun car without a lot of money.