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Poll: Is a Mazda Miata a sports car?
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Is a Mazda Miata a sports car?

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Poll: Is a miata a sports car

So, some kid on the miata board posted a poll asking if a miata is a sports car.

Some folks wonder what the results would be on a Porsche board or vette board, so I'm going to find out.

The kids reasoning is that they don't have brisk enough acceleration to be a sports car. My assessment is that they do have zippy acceleration, not fast, but zippy, and the kid's an idiot (but that's only natural, he's a kid )

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Old 06-23-2009, 04:18 AM
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definitely when they look like this:

Ok well maybe that's technicly a RACE car. but either way with more mazdas roadracing than any other make, it's tough to say it's not a sports car.
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Old 06-23-2009, 04:28 AM
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They are a sports car... anyone who says otherwise hasn't driven one down a twisty road or out on the track.
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Old 06-23-2009, 04:30 AM
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The only people who would say NO to this are those who haven't had the pleasure of flicking it down a twisting road and zipping through that lovely gearbox.

Not the fastest car on the planet and a bit common, but every inch a sports car.

anglea
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Old 06-23-2009, 04:43 AM
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These guys seem to think so.

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Old 06-23-2009, 04:50 AM
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i've seen guys at the track driving very aggressively, and having a great time in miatas.

i've also seen guys driving very aggressively and having a great time on modified lawnmowers.


the thing is an econobox commuter with a stylish body slapped on top. it was never intended as a sports car. the fact that some people can push it hard doesn't change that.
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Old 06-23-2009, 04:55 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by varmint View Post
i've seen guys at the track driving very aggressively, and having a great time in miatas.

i've also seen guys driving very aggressively and having a great time on modified lawnmowers.


the thing is an econobox commuter with a stylish body slapped on top. it was never intended as a sports car. the fact that some people can push it hard doesn't change that.
I'm not sure how you can say that, with it's one and only fault, lack of power. It's got a great suspension(better than say, a 911), a chassis designed for aggressive driving (see power plant frame), the drive wheels and engine are in the right places, the steering, clutch,brakes and shifter are telepathic in their feel, even the gas tank is designed to be a sports car, you can run the car FLAT DRY before fuel starving. Try that with any other econobox. I'm going to say you've never actually driven one due to it's "image"
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Old 06-23-2009, 05:04 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by varmint View Post
it was never intended as a sports car.
Where does this revelation come from?
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Old 06-23-2009, 05:09 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by varmint View Post
i've seen guys at the track driving very aggressively, and having a great time in miatas.

i've also seen guys driving very aggressively and having a great time on modified lawnmowers.


the thing is an econobox commuter with a stylish body slapped on top. it was never intended as a sports car. the fact that some people can push it hard doesn't change that.
So, what do you know about a miata? It sounds like you don't really know much about them. What you've described is a Honda Civic del Sol.

Did you know that it's front engine, rear wheel drive (I've met folks that thought that it was front wheel drive), independent suspension with unequal length double wishbones front and rear (coilovers, not struts)? The suspension front and rear is adjustable for caster (front only), camber and toe. It was designed to have a 50/50 weight distribution if a 165# person is sitting in the driver's seat. The hood was made of aluminum to make the car lighter and the battery is in the right rear to create a more favorable weight distribution.

The car was designed from the ground up to be a sports car. When Mazda was designing the miata, they bought a bunch of classic sports cars and compared the driving experiences and tried to take the best of all of them and build that into the miata.
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Old 06-23-2009, 05:10 AM
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Is my 72 911 a sports car? Because the Miata makes more power than my 911. So if power is the only thing holding it back from being a sports car, I guess I drive an econobox.
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Old 06-23-2009, 05:23 AM
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I think the Brits would think so.

That's like saying MG's and Triumphs are not sports cars.
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Old 06-23-2009, 05:46 AM
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Absolutely, the Miata is a sports car, in my opinion.

But that all depends on what your definition is of a sports car.

Granted, the Miata isn't as fast around a racetrack as a 911, a Vette, or a BMW M3. But since when is "It must be the fastest around a racetrack" a requirement for a car to be a sports car?

There are very few cars which command their own racing class - but the Miata has its own - SM (Spec Miata), which is recognized by SCCA, NASA, and MCSCC. Wiki on Spec Miata.

Oh, and Mazdaspeed, the motorsports branch of Mazda supports the Spec Miata series. I suspect they have more time, money and effort invested in the Spec Miata series than Porsche AG has in Porsche racing today. Hmm - maybe that makes the Miata more of a racecar than a Porsche....

Other links:
SCCA Spec Miata rules & specifications
NASA Spec Miata Info
Spec Miata website

On another note: the Miata alongside the VW New Beetle have been a popular choice among those who prefer an alternative lifestyle. NTTAWWT.

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Old 06-23-2009, 05:48 AM
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Seems to me the Miata is very much like a 356 or Elan or Brit sports cars, except it's got a better suspension than most of those older cars.
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Old 06-23-2009, 06:21 AM
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It is a sports car, but it is also a CHICK car. The only car that is more chick car is a new VW Bug. Any car that comes with a flower vase is marketed to chicks.

I have seen guys drive Miatas at the autocross. They are cheap and fast. They are very nimble. You will just not see them at the drag races. A Porsche 914 is a sports car and it is slower than a Miata.
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Old 06-23-2009, 06:32 AM
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It's a sports car. It's just a ghey sports car.

If you've been to the track enough you've seen the spec miatas go pretty fast. But I'd rather drive a 911 slow than a miata fast. That's just me.

A shifter cart is way cooler than a miata, and faster, too.
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Last edited by TechnoViking; 06-23-2009 at 11:11 AM.. Reason: chagned "gay" to "ghey"
Old 06-23-2009, 06:46 AM
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Ya its a sports car. Now that doesn't mean that I won't put little pink bows and crap on my dad's when he gets one.
Old 06-23-2009, 06:47 AM
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It is definitely a sports car and it matches the exact definition.

My question to you guys is:

What makes the Miata and the Boxster a chick car?
Old 06-23-2009, 06:56 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RedBaron View Post
It is definitely a sports car and it matches the exact definition.

My question to you guys is:

What makes the Miata and the Boxster a chick car?
That's a good question. The Boxster is more than a lot of other cars can handle at an autocross, yet still the stigma.

I think it's the lack of aggressive styling queues - kinda soft lines.
Old 06-23-2009, 07:15 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Amail View Post
That's a good question. The Boxster is more than a lot of other cars can handle at an autocross, yet still the stigma.

I think it's the lack of aggressive styling queues - kinda soft lines.
I'm curious, would a Ferrari 250Gt SWB or a Jaguar C-type, D-type, or E-type have aggressive styling? I'm not sure that any of them would be considered aggressive (I think they are all some of the most beautiful cars ever). But I've never heard any of them called "chick cars".

My miata is stock except for the Bilsteins and uprated springs and wheels. I don't think most girls would enjoy it much unless it was on perfect roads.
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Old 06-23-2009, 07:19 AM
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A chick car is a cute convertible with an easy to shift gearbox, and a soft clutch pedal .

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Old 06-23-2009, 07:23 AM
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