21 best sports cars from the 60s

[Aerkuld]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

This.

And I know the Min Cooper (the original) is a fun car, and all, but to call it a sports car is stretching the term sports car. It may be sporty and fun, but with 4 functional seats, it just does not fit what my mind thinks of as a sports car.

I'm a HUGE fan of the original Mini. While the Mini Cooper S could run rings around many of the sportscars of it's day I would have to agree, it's not a sportscar. I don't think there was anything previously to which it could be compared. In modern terms it was probably the first hot hatch, although it didn't have a hatchback.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by look 171

Isn't the GT40 a race car instead of sports car? The Ferraris on the list also a race car too?

Originally Posted by afterburn 549

Someone somewhere needs to redefine a sports car.
The GT40 is the ultimate race car..
I don't think you could even license one for the road..were they sanctioned?

Actually, they were. I don't know if they had a 427 or a 289 but they could be had as street cars.
https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/classic-cars/news/a28313/ford-gt40-road-car-auction/

Back in the 1960s, if you wanted to race in the GT class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, you had to build at least 25 road-going versions of your race car. That was a pretty great rule because it gave the world cars like this, the Ford GT40 Mk I street car. This 1966 example will be auctioned at Gooding & Co.'s Amelia Island event next month, where it's expected to fetch over $3 million.

Ford built 31 GT40 Mk I street cars, seven of which were used as dealer promotional cars. This was one of those dealer cars until it was sold to a man in Texas in 1967. From there, it changed hands many times and underwent many repaints, though it was only driven sparsely. It was fully restored in 2009 and returned to its stunning original color of Azure Blue.

Ever drive a lotus Elan? .Not sporty.

Really?
I guess miatas also don't count as sporty or sports cars either then?

[MrBonus]

Originally Posted by afterburn 549

Ever drive a lotus Elan? .Not sporty.

Wait, what? Gordon Murray's greatest regret when designing the McLaren F1 was that he couldn't replicate the Elan's steering.

My Elan makes my 911 feel like a Lexus. I cannot fathom your standard for sporty if you think an Elan isn't it.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by MrBonus

Wait, what? Gordon Murray's greatest regret when designing the McLaren F1 was that he couldn't replicate the Elan's steering.

My Elan makes my 911 feel like a Lexus. I cannot fathom your standard for sporty if you think an Elan isn't it.

I can only assume he forgot about the "of the 60s" part of the list and was thinking about the Elan from the 90s.



Surely he couldn't have been talking about the original Elan

[svandamme]

GT40 is on there, but no 904 ??

[Aerkuld]

Perhaps this depends on how 'sportscar' is defined. The Europeans and Americans had very different ideas back then, and maybe still do. Also, where is the line drawn between sports car and GT (Grand Tourer)? Is the Aston Martin DB5 a sportscar or a GT? In my opinion it's more the later.
The original definition of sportscar was a two seater or maybe a 2+2, without a fixed roof, and designed for dynamic performance rather than comfort. I think that definition becomes questionable when you start looking at cars like the Miura. Or is that a supercar?
Anyway, I propose the first step should be we define what is a 'sportscar'.

[RWebb]

Originally Posted by MrBonus

Wait, what? Gordon Murray's greatest regret when designing the McLaren F1 was that he couldn't replicate the Elan's steering.

My Elan makes my 911 feel like a Lexus. I cannot fathom your standard for sporty if you think an Elan isn't it.

maybe his rusted away?

[flipper35]

Originally Posted by afterburn 549

Someone somewhere needs to redefine a sports car.
The GT40 is the ultimate race car..
I don't think you could even license one for the road..were they sanctioned?
The American GTO was a muscle car
Ever drive a lotus Elan? .Not sporty.
Ford Mustang, in general, was your Aunt Tillies go to grocery store car.
In there somewhere was some really special ones.
The GT. in may various forms
Ca Special.
Anything with Carol S on it
and some others. But definitely not all.

Ford built 31 street legal versions of the Mk 1 GT 40.

The Porsche 962 had street legal versions but are much newer than the 60s. I was not aware of a street legal 917, though a 917/30 would be a hoot.

[flipper35]

And I also need to read the whole thread before responding.

[MrBonus]

Originally Posted by RWebb

maybe his rusted away?

Hah, the underlying spider frame can rust quite badly, especially up front if the drain holes get plugged with gunk!

Originally Posted by afterburn 549

The one I drove?
like a mack truck.
Shifted hard, underpowered, seemed pretty typical like Opal GT or Saab sunset

Sounds like something was wrong with it. Mine shifts like butter. They were going 0-60 in under 7 seconds which was very fast for cars of the era but the twin-cam motors are by no means torquey but they don't need to be when the car weighs 1500 pounds.

[RWebb]

the "ultimate ballet slipper of sports cars"

- I forget who said that, but it is very true

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by Aerkuld

The original definition of sportscar was a two seater or maybe a 2+2, without a fixed roof, and designed for dynamic performance rather than comfort. I think that definition becomes questionable when you start looking at cars like the Miura. Or is that a supercar?
Anyway, I propose the first step should be we define what is a 'sportscar'.

Well stated.

The original link was all over the map as to basis for selection.

I like spartan for a sports car definition. gatotom's list mentions the Lotus Elite. The 1960 Elite weighed 1,200 pounds.

[sammyg2]

[Bob Kontak]

That 2CV has paint. Not spartan enough.

Galvanized.

[Aerkuld]

Originally Posted by sammyg2

Funny! Although I'm surprised nobody's mentioned this . . .



Hardtop though.

[petrolhead611]

If one includes hardtop coupe 2 seaters, all the 60s TVRs were good cars as were the Marcos GTs. The MGA was more of a 50s car than a 60s car altho sold until 62..There were other limited production English sportscars too, such as the Elva Courier, Rochdale Olympic, Ginetta G15, and the Piper GTT, all lightweight with good performance,roadholding and braking for the period. The Mini alone gave rise to the Mini Marcos, MiniJem, Unipower GT etc .
The Jensen Interceptor was a big heavy( by British standards) GT car, not a sportscar,; the Bristols were a bit lighter but were also GTs,not sportscars .I briefly had an Aston DB6 Volante Vantage : it was fast and cornered very well but was too big and heavy to chuck about the country lanes, so to my mind was also a GT car rather than a sportscar.The Reliant Scimitar GT was sold as a GT car( the name might give it away) but was more chuckable than the Aston as it was smaller and lighter.
Many of these cars aforementioned were not sold in the US.They were built to go round corners,
and many of them would be left for dead by 60s American cars, but on a winding country road they would make those big heavy wobbly things eat their dust.

[RWebb]

- spartan - trading luxo stuff for superior handling & braking, and hopefully acceleration
- light wt.
- small (but able to carry you, her & maybe some luggage, dog) - no trikes or sidecar m/c's
- production vehicle - no race cars

muscle car has crummy handling, braking; pony car is smaller faster muscle car

GT car is like a sports car biased more for long trips, some luxo

super car is a super sports GT car (959 and later cars)

hypercar - F1

--------------------

smallest sports car - Bugeye (no dog)
least luggage space - latest MR2 (her purse will fit in the trunk)
lightest sports car - Lotus Elan
most spartan - Brit. side curtained stuff

[Rapewta]

That question is like "What came first, the chicken or the egg?" The GT40 started out as a race car but dozens of them sold to private owners that just drove them as street legal. I know homologation was important to give the "Race Car" a sports car identity.

The craziest race car that became a sports car is the Ferrari 330 P4.
Dean Martin's son drove one around Hollywood, street legal for a while.
Beautiful car. Prettier than the Muira.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by Rapewta

That question is like "What came first, the chicken or the egg?" The GT40 started out as a race car but dozens of them sold to private owners that just drove them as street legal. I know homologation was important to give the "Race Car" a sports car identity.

The craziest race car that became a sports car is the Ferrari 330 P4.
Dean Martin's son drove one around Hollywood, street legal for a while.
Beautiful car. Prettier than the Muira.

Crazier than a Dauer 962? (granted, those were probably never street legal in the US)

[MrBonus]

Originally Posted by sammyg2

I saw one of these at Lowe's this week. The thing I noted was how frightening the body roll was in it even at low speed parking lot maneuvers.