Heavy Sports/Perfomance Cars...

[AndyRAC]

After watching the repeat of Top Gear, and the driving of the sports cars, it got me wondering. Why do the car manufacturers insist on putting leather seats, climate control and other weight inducing materials into their sports cars? Shouldn't these cars have racing seats and the minimum of equipment, after all they are performance/sports cars. They should be as hard core as possible. Carpets, rear seats, etc should be available as options, but go against what a fast car is. Even the hot hatches should be like this, yet in the publicity often 'leather seats' are mentioned. It makes me cringe. C'mon car makers, get your act together.

[Daniel]

How can you pose when you've got backpain? ;)

[Brown, Jon Brow]

Why are the 'light weight' versions of sports cars more expensive than the standard versions when they have all the equipment taken out?

[AndyRAC]

Why are the 'light weight' versions of sports cars more expensive than the standard versions when they have all the equipment taken out?

Exactly, why?
I can't afford a sports car, but I can a Hot hatch, but I don't want carpets, climate control,leather seats. Just give me a radio/CD, and that's it. I want to hear the transmission whine and engine, (I think), can always use a head set.

[Brown, Jon Brow]

Buy a Westfield ;)

[AndyRAC]

Buy a Westfield ;)

Nice idea, not practical though.

[Rollo]

After watching the repeat of Top Gear, and the driving of the sports cars, it got me wondering. Why do the car manufacturers insist on putting leather seats, climate control and other weight inducing materials into their sports cars?

Car makers believe it or not need to sell motor cars to stay in buisness. The problem with sports cars is that the sorts of people who tend to buy them are richer than Joe Average.
Executives who are monied, tend on the whole to be slightly older than the average motorist, and so those "comfort" items need to be put there to sell the motor car in the first place.

In general, cars with the same nameplate on them tend to expand over time anyway.

[GridGirl]

Andy, do you really want a car to be completely bog standard and drive it around every day? My car is quite loud, and the sound of the engine gets dull after a while. :p I have a sporty standard road car and I like my leather seats, air con and the modern comforts I've become acustomed to. I wouldn't have bought my car if it didn't have those types of things in it. Well I'm not fussed about the leather seats but its a bit daft buying a new car without air con these days. Just look at James May on Top Gear last week. :p

Honda go back to basics with the Civic Type R where you get absolutely nothing, but if I were to buy one I'd have to spend a small fortune on accessories just to get it to be at a standard which I think a new car should be. If I'm paying £20k or whatever for a road car to drive every day you expect these kind of things. If i was paying £40k or more for a so called racing car to use on the weekends or for fun, I could live without them for sure. :)

[Daniel]

Andy, do you really want a car to be completely bog standard and drive it around every day? My car is quite loud, and the sound of the engine gets dull after a while. :p I have a sporty standard road car and I like my leather seats, air con and the modern comforts I've become acustomed to. I wouldn't have bought my car if it didn't have those types of things in it. Well I'm not fussed about the leather seats but its a bit daft buying a new car without air con these days. Just look at James May on Top Gear last week. :p

Honda go back to basics with the Civic Type R where you get absolutely nothing, but if I were to buy one I'd have to spend a small fortune on accessories just to get it to be at a standard which I think a new car should be. If I'm paying £20k or whatever for a road car to drive every day you expect these kind of things. If i was paying £40k or more for a so called racing car to use on the weekends or for fun, I could live without them for sure. :)
Yes but James May's car was basically a race car that just so happens to be road legal. N24 = Nurburgring 24 hours ;)

[GridGirl]

I know James May's car was pretty much a racing car. :p The majority of people don't own cars like that and don't use them for every day driving to Tesco and to pick the kids up from school. If we're talking about Hot Hatches, we're talking about a car your going to drive as an every day car where most people like modern comforts.

An example being about six years ago my mum bought a car with air con, three years later she bought a new one that didn't have air con. She spent the next three summers moaning about what she'd done and always wanting me to take her places when it was very hot. One of the first things she had on her car must have list when she got a another new car a couple of months ago was air con. She now has a car with air con, its winter, but she's happy now. Bless. :)

[Daniel]

I know James May's car was pretty much a racing car. :p The majority of people don't own cars like that and don't use them for every day driving to Tesco and to pick the kids up from school. If we're talking about Hot Hatches, we're talking about a car your going to drive as an every day car where most people like modern comforts.

An example being about six years ago my mum bought a car with air con, three years later she bought a new one that didn't have air con. She spent the next three summers moaning about what she'd done and always wanting me to take her places when it was very hot. One of the first things she had on her car must have list when she got a another new car a couple of months ago was air con. She now has a car with air con, its winter, but she's happy now. Bless. :)
Yes but you car = shopping trolley with a big engine
James May's car = Car you can drive to the race track with and then race competitively with.

If your shopping trolley didn't have all the comforts it'd be unsuitable for the task. If that race car had proper windows, seats and air con it would be too heavy. Apples and oranges.

[CarlMetro]

If I was spending upwards of £100k then I would expect to have leather seats, electric everything and climate control. If I wanted to buy a racing car, then I would expect it to be a racing car. I cannot see the apeal of combining the two. The bog standard Ferrari 430, Lambo Murcielago, Porky 911 has more power and better handling than 90% of drivers could handle anyway, so why this sudden obsession with making them lighter, faster and less comfortable?

[Daniel]

If I was spending upwards of £100k then I would expect to have leather seats, electric everything and climate control. If I wanted to buy a racing car, then I would expect it to be a racing car. I cannot see the apeal of combining the two. The bog standard Ferrari 430, Lambo Murcielago, Porky 911 has more power and better handling than 90% of drivers could handle anyway, so why this sudden obsession with making them lighter, faster and less comfortable?
I guess the reason why people don't like the heavy performance cars of today is because weight is the enemy of good handling and driving feel. A good light car is good to drive because it's not heavy and therefore doesn't need big brakes which means the suspension doesn't need to be as beefy, so then the tyres don't need to be quite so wide and it goes on. Performance cars are supposed to be performance oriented but when you add 100kg of weight to it then that detracts from the performance focus of the car. What you want Carl, is a GT but most performance/supercars these days would qualify as GT's as well. There was a time when you could buy a performance car and it didn't come with things to weigh it down. Problem is they're standard fit these days.

[GridGirl]

I didnt buy my shopping trolly to be a race car. Carl has it spot on, you buy something for normal driving you expect comfort and gadgets. You you buy something for racing you dont expect the comfort and if you got it you'd strip it out anyway. I think Andy's orignal point was that if he he had a glorified shopping trolly as he cant afford a performance or racing car he wants it to be a bog standard no nonsense car. In reality, to cater for what the majority of people want in a car he's never going to get that.

[Daniel]

I didnt buy my shopping trolly to be a race car. Carl has it spot on, you buy something for normal driving you expect comfort and gadgets. You you buy something for racing you dont expect the comfort and if you got it you'd strip it out anyway. I think Andy's orignal point was that if he he had a glorified shopping trolly as he cant afford a performance or racing car he wants it to be a bog standard no nonsense car. In reality, to cater for what the majority of people want in a car he's never going to get that.
I never said your shopping trolley was bought to be a race car :mark: But when you buy a supercar and get a GT it's all a bit wrong :)