American Sports Cars

[dis3as3d]

This question is for you guys outside of the united states. Im just curious how the rest of the world looks at the sports cars produced here in the us. It is kind of wierd how everyones pov differs so much depending on where you live.

[gis]

to be honest,i cant say anythin bout them really,only what i read on websites and seen in street racing clips.i dunno if this is the same for jabba and the rest of the UK bunch on here,but i VERY rarely see an american car.in the past 3 years i think i seen 1 80's camaro,and few months ago i saw a red Z06,and i think that was only sum1 visiting here from the US anyway as the number plate wasnt a UK one.

now,the only american car,i see practically everyday when im out,is a ford svt lightening.very nice,didnt think they was so big,and they sound very nice IMO.but apart from that truck,thats all i ever see really

[stracing]

i hate them
i've seen australias only sample of the corvette z06...didn't like it.

i've seen the viper...the build quality was a SHOCKER!!!! hyundai looked even better

but i do like the mustang after i watched gone in 60 seconds.

yea the ford trucks are huge...they should be registered as trucks not cars coz some ppl are dangerous.

my problem with them are styling and the fact they don't care if it turns at all

see if i had to build my perfect car...i'd get italians to style it, germans to design it and japanese to build it and its a shame americans aren't involved.

[fedezyl]

From my experience, i've been here in the U.S. for 2 years now, i'm leaving for 5 months home to Uruguay and then i'm going to live in France.
I've grown up around european car's so I can say I have a good base for comparison having seen both worlds, including japanese cars, you know here in america they sell a LOT of those..
For what i've seen and drove here american car's are dull, lacking a true own stylish character (e.g. the french are shocking in shape and bring technology to the masses, the german is build quality and performance, the british are all about glamour and splendor, and finally the italians, style, performance, soul, passion, the Japs? high tech, no style, lot's of performance for the price, but sadly no soul), they seem to be lacking on everything, technology, safety, handling, style, and corvette or camaro fan's, don't give me the crap that the corvette engine is very advanced, compare that to a 355 or 360 modena V-8 and there's no comparison period.
Handling, hideous, understeer is the predominant word in that departement, wobly is another one, lack of precision, refinement, this can be traced down to very old platforms and generally poor setup's...
Now, going to the interior, poor build quality, and you can find part's in a 50.000 dollars cadillac that you'll find in a 12.000 pick up, needless to say that that by today's standard's is unnaceptable..
The other thing that's hideous is how a GMC, Oldsmobile, Chevrolet and Pontiac all look exactly the same, at least the volkswagen group only provides the platforms and the brands work their own design based on that...but oh well...
I think the biggest criticism is the lack of a character, then all the other stuff I mentioned, and yes people will say how advanced they are now, truth is that they are not even close to industry standards worldwide in car making, in any point of view, that's why they can only sell it to americans, because they are blinded to what the world of car making has to offer, besides the usual expensive brands.
That's why most who can afford a BMW or a Mercedes buy's one..
my two pennies

[666fast]

I wouldn't say we are blinded to what the car world has to offer. You have to remember, we don't get a lot of the cars the rest of the world gets. Fiat, Citreon and Puegoet shot themselves in the foot when they were sold here. The reason they won't come back is that they know that no one will buy them. Except maybe me! lol
I'm not going to defend American Sportscars, I know they pretty much don't hold up to what the world has to offer. Do remember though, the Corvette and the Saleen S7 are the only american sportscars. Mosler, Panoz and a few other small companies excluded.

As for the not turning thing, yea, it's true for the most part. A Z06 can turn pretty well, so will a Cobra R. I said it before and I'll say it again. Peopel don't want stiff cars here, they want plush, mushy suspensions. That way they don't feel every bump in the road.
Did you know that every major highway in america has a 2 mile straight every few miles? Handling isn't the biggest selling point for a car in this country.
Clarkson put it best when he said we don't need really good handling cars. We have roads that go straight for miles and miles. Our roads don't twist and turn unless it was the only way to put a road there.

[AlienDB7]

I think another problem is price. Consider how much cheaper cars are in north america. Mid-size cars in europe or asia are sold as econbox. Look at the civic and the focus. They had to do all the cost cutting just to make it fit well in the econobox market. It's not just the americans, the build quality of americanized japanese cars isn't that much better either. You all seen the review of the american spec 350z, it's not an econo sports car but the material used suggests otherwise. Same thing for honda here, they had to make a separate "acura" brand to sell their non-americanized cars.

On a related news, ford decided not to use the C1 platform for the next gen focus in north america because of cost issue. Full detail at http://autoweek.com/cat_content.mv?port_code=autoweek&cat_code=carnews&loc_code=index&content_code=00501325

Just look at all the SUVs and trucks being sold in america each year, I don't think people care about handling at all. They just want something big so others can feel their road presence.

[fedezyl]

I think car's in america are phalic symbols...
I think everything in america is pretty much a phalic symbol, big meals, big cars, big buildings, big everything....

[novass]

I think car's in america are phalic symbols...
I think everything in america is pretty much a phalic symbol, big meals, big cars, big buildings, big everything....

sounds like someones jealous LOL J/K

I know what you mean. American cars arent what they used to be. back in the day there were good things going on in terms of style and tech, but they seemed to have lost the spirit in the past few years.

666Fast said it best when quoting Clarkson about our roads and suspensions. I love old American cars pre-1972, with a couple of exceptions.

This is just my opinion, I dont care to defend ANY car company because why should I? I didnt have anything to do with the design or build, and I really shouldnt have too, drive what you like and screw what everyone else thinks LOL

To sum it up for me, I have 2 cars... a 1963 Chevy Nova SS and a 2001 Audi A4. I am currently searching for a 69-72 Datsun 510 and want to put a LS1 V8 in it. I like European, American, and Japanese cars.

[cho_888]

most of the aussy's love em they like anything that has
1. POWER
2. a stearing wheal

[Wide]

Like Camaro and Corvette..
As u can see many around here..

[stracing]

japs are known for something...their reliability. thats why i want them to build my perfect car

[draak666]

What sportscars? :D

[SFDMALEX]

Well, first of, America does not have many sports cars. Corvette is one, Mosler is another, Viper GTS thats it? Panoz doesnt make street legal sports cars that are up to task though.



Number one thing is the build quality. I went to the auto show and set in the new chevy cavaliar, I thought Im gonna puke. The El Chepo plastic finish was awful, shit, back home Ukrainian army trucks had better finish. The manual gearbox has such a cheap feel, my dads old Lada 2108 5speed was smoother. Yes I know the transmission fluid is not warmed up or anything, but its still feels cheap. The seats use very cheap material. And this car is supposed to be something like a Honda Civic. Please give me a civic.

American Sports car ey? Well when I saw the new Vette with auto gearbox, I wanted to cry. An auto in a sports car??? Looks like all they care about is high sales. Im sure if Ferrari had an automatic option they would sell twice the number of cars in US and Canada, why??? Well 80% of population does not know how to drive a proper manual gearbox. Even if you give them a sequnetial they still will not know what to do. But ferrari for example is not going cheap. I wonder if they sell auto Viper also? They probably do.



I love the Z06, in yellow, its beautiful, sounds cool, and performs well. But "American Sports Cars" are going down.

[Jabba]

Im sure if Ferrari had an automatic option they would sell twice the number of cars in US and Canada

The 355 F1 has a semi automatic mode....

[SFDMALEX]

Im sure if Ferrari had an automatic option they would sell twice the number of cars in US and Canada

The 355 F1 has a semi automatic mode....

355(semi), 360(semi) and the 456(fully automatic). Thats three models Jabba, dont know of the 575M has an button, Im talking in general, not few models.




BTW- 60% Of Porsches have AutoMatic here also. Do you think that a true driver will get an Auto??? Most of "super car", "sports car" owners get the cars to show off. Thats what pisses me off.

[Jabba]

I guess if your going to use them as a daily driver around town...then the auto mode can be quite useful........not my sort of thing though...

[dis3as3d]

Wow, lots of opinions :D, and where I live the traffic is god awful and when you are stop and go up hill for 30 min an automatic will sound good to anyone, espically if you have a stiff performance clutch.

[stradale]

Wow, what a difference with Racingflix! Put these posts up on RF and you'll have yourself a nuclear war within minutes.

I don't like American cars. The reasons for that have been named in this thread already. Wouldn't know what to say without repeating after someone.

[fedezyl]

Yep, I guess being a smaller group and knowing each other helps...
I guess the liking or not of american car's depends if you are performance oriented or a car is just another tool for you...(transportation tool)..

[SFDMALEX]

I guess if your going to use them as a daily driver around town...then the auto mode can be quite useful........not my sort of thing though...

Yeah but why would some one buy a sports car or an exotic for daily driving? I dont care if a Merc has an auto they would not feel right without one, but a americas number one performer with an auto in it, makes me sick

[AlienDB7]

Number one thing is the build quality. I went to the auto show and set in the new chevy cavaliar, I thought Im gonna puke. The El Chepo plastic finish was awful, shit, back home Ukrainian army trucks had better finish. The manual gearbox has such a cheap feel, my dads old Lada 2108 5speed was smoother. Yes I know the transmission fluid is not warmed up or anything, but its still feels cheap. The seats use very cheap material. And this car is supposed to be something like a Honda Civic. Please give me a civic.
Yea, the cavalier's build quality is pretty bad. The plastic used for the side mirrors is almost paper thin. But for CDN$12k (US$8500) before the extra rebates, it's dirt cheap for a 150hp car. The Z24, which price similar to a civic, uses slightly better quality material. Will I pick a cavalier or civic? Niether, I'd rather pay a bit more for a golf or jetta. The quality is so much better than cavalier and civic combined.

One thing about american cars or cars sold in america, manual gearbox is usually the econo option. You can get stick for the 4 banger but it's not a option when you get a V6 or bigger engine. Not sure why that's the case but maybe they think people only need a manual box to squeeze out all the power in the "tiny" engine.

[dis3as3d]

Wow, what a difference with Racingflix! Put these posts up on RF and you'll have yourself a nuclear war within minutes.

I don't like American cars. The reasons for that have been named in this thread already. Wouldn't know what to say without repeating after someone.

I totaly agree this is a great bunch here, very diverse but no dickheads

[ferrari550]

although i do not hate every american car, it just seems that the american solution to an overweight chunky car is to throw a giant motor in it so it will go faster, thats why they are also very cheap compared to european cars.
look at the new saleen s7, it is a pretty big car and it only weighs 2800 pounds. thats why the buyers are paying $395000 us even though it does have a beefed up mustang motor.

[666fast]

thats why the buyers are paying $395000 us even though it does have a beefed up mustang motor.

My guess is they used that motor because they know it like the back of their hand. The S7 is the first car they have ever built. Everythign else was beefed up mustangs. Why spend the insane amount of money on developing a new engine when they have one that will do everything they want it to.

[Fleischmann]

Out of american cars I like the Corvette ZO6, Dodge Viper SRT10 and the Mustang Cobra R.

[jon_s]

Im sure if Ferrari had an automatic option they would sell twice the number of cars in US and Canada

The 355 F1 has a semi automatic mode....

355(semi), 360(semi) and the 456(fully automatic). Thats three models Jabba, dont know of the 575M has an button, Im talking in general, not few models.




BTW- 60% Of Porsches have AutoMatic here also. Do you think that a true driver will get an Auto??? Most of "super car", "sports car" owners get the cars to show off. Thats what pisses me off.



An automatic Ferrari is a sin IMO. The best thing about driving a Ferrari for me was the gear change. It is something that will stay with me for a long time. Even paddle shift is is not quite right.

As for American sports cars, well the Saleen S7 or whatever it si called, is a damn good car, it handles well too. But that is about it!

[jon_s]

Wow, what a difference with Racingflix! Put these posts up on RF and you'll have yourself a nuclear war within minutes.

I don't like American cars. The reasons for that have been named in this thread already. Wouldn't know what to say without repeating after someone.

I totaly agree this is a great bunch here, very diverse but no dickheads

It is for that reason that I do not go to RF anymore :(

[crasherror]

I love the new ford GT. Bu i feel that ford should have tried something some thing totaly new but they are stuck to the past.