This is a random, ignorable rant that has nothing to do with the league or anyone in it, but I felt like saying this somewhere people would hear it. xD
It's sad when a stock V6 Camry is faster to 60mph than a $10mil+ Ferrari 250 GT, but if a modern sports car is slower in a straight line than that same V6 Camry it's a "poser car" or "not really a sports car".
What does that even mean?!?
If you feel like your sports car has to beat all bland modern family cars in horsepower to be respected, then it's essentially impossible to make an affordable sports car that is respected, no matter how good it is. Modern appliances are just that powerful now. A top of the line Corolla GT-S was $11k USD in 1985. With inflation that is $23,000USD in 2015... I think some of you know what I'm getting at now. That's also the base price of the Scion FR-S/Subaru BRZ, it's supposed successor.
That car has been getting a bad rap as of late for it's low power output compared to other cars it competes with; even though it's essentially in a class of it's own right now, but I'm of the opinion that Toyota/Subaru simply copied the original format of the AE86 better than most people realize. (Even if the BRZ has a way better power/weight ratio than an AE86)
This is MotorWeek review from 1985 of the USDM MR2 and the AE86 GT-S... Look how slow they are, look how much body roll they have! These are cars that have a cult following and at least one of them is considered "legendary".
It's true, this review is now 30 years old - but these old cars are STILL well respected even today. Why? They were good cars; no GREAT cars, even if they were a little slow out of the box compared to other sports cars of the time. Their suspensions weren't even sophisticated. They were simple, functional, efficient and inexpensive. They did it all in the right ways, though. They were light and well balanced. They were driver-focused and road-focused. They could easily be made to outperform much more expensive cars on technical tracks (or in Rally and hillclimb events where they're still extremely popular) They didn't even pretend to isolate you from the road. They were easy to drive on the street, and rewarding to push on the track with the slightest of modifications. The interiors were cheap, but who cared? Thats not where your money went.
Following that tradition, the BRZ is the lightest semi-affordable RWD coupe with a roof since... well probably since the Nissan S chassis! And we didn't even get the last generation of that car here. The FR-S/BRZ is an amazing car to build whatever you want, or just drive around on the street and actually be able to enjoy doing it; to at least still feel like you're actually driving something.
What do you actually want from a sports car? Numbers on a page? To feel superior to the guy next to you in his Chrysler 300 land yacht because you beat him from a stoplight? Why does a sports car have to be faster than a 300HP bland appliance to be respectable? Why can't we just admit that.. "Damn, that's a pretty fast minivan [or land yacht, or bland appliance]. It's not even slightly a sports car, though." Why can't we have a cheap lightweight RWD sports car that is also practical? I guess it's a case of "light, cheap, practical, powerful. Pick any two". If only I could pick three...
The BRZ's only downfall, to me, is that it isn't quite practical enough. The hatchback version of the AE86 could haul some serious cargo (bass cab with 18" woofer, 350w bass amp head, two guitar combo amps, some small PA speakers, a drum set minus the kick, two guitars and a bass in their cases, pedals, cables, two guitar stands if I remember correctly...), and on several occasions I've carried four actual adult human passengers! All in a car that weighs ~1900lbs (in the spec mine is, with some work done, without me in it). That meant it not only functioned as a badass little RWD coupe, it could be your only car. It was just a Corolla, after all. If the FR-S/BRZ was everything it is right now, but as practical as that... I'd have one already. I'd have found a way xD
I'm hoping some other companies come out with something like what I've described, but i'm not holding my breath.
Anyway, there's something to think about I guess xD If you read that whole thing - I'm sorry.