LT1 Man

I've always wondered if the Corvette is a Sports Car, a Muscle Car or a Grand Tourer. I had a conversation with some of my friends yesterday about it, but I didn't get a clear answer, I also got the same answer with the Dodge Viper. ( I know, Unrelated) In my opinion, I kind of think that it's a Grand Tourer because it's a High Performance Luxury Vehicle with two seats, but there might be people who might think otherwise. Give me your opinion.

Photo Credit: Google

z06inVB

MMD

KCV

Stev-o

Mustang and Camaros are sedans??!

I see Corvettes as Sport Cars as they are two seaters with good handling.

BTW - That is a good book posted above [I have it]

6spdC6

If it makes you happy it is whatever you want it to be!

Those 3 terms describing this kind of car have been so missed used by people, who do not have a clue that over time the meanings have changed. Sort of the same thing that happened to semi auto rifles, they are now mostly called assault weapons. Idiots say thing and other drones just keep on repeating the nonsense till he name is morphed!

6spdC6

No they are pony cars!-----------------------------

ricks327

This is a Muscle car.



These 2 are Sports cars

mtaxman

YES...its what you want to make it

Kevin A Jones

Very clear to me, as it was designed/build as a sportscar in 1953 and still is today.

911Hunter

Corvette & Viper sport cars
Camaro Muscle car but could be also a sport car with is improved handling

ta70raiii

Definitely not a mussel car.

911Hunter

sedans = 4 doors
coupes = 2 doors

ricks327

I will add to my earlier post.
Muscle cars: Go fast in a straight line, don't handle curves worth a **** and questionable stopping. They are coupes or hardtops, no convertibles.
Sports cars: Convertibles only, 2 seater,handle curves exceptionally and know how to stop.

hummiscorvettetaken

Correct, the Corvette was designed to compete with other two seater sports cars - muscle cars have a back seat.

Skid Row Joe

It's a whole lot more! It's a family car. It's a grocery getter. It's an economy car. It's a work ca4.

JMII

To me a Muscle car is a normal coupe with a larger engine. While some upgrades to brakes, cooling and suspension maybe included the car wasn't engineered for cornering or handling to begin with. These are stop-light racers, fast in straight line is their claim to fame. However Sports cars were purpose built from the ground up to perform on track so things like weight distribution and handling are emphasized. A Grand Tourer changes things up by being optimized for effortless high speed cruising so it would have more creature comforts and a softer chassis setup. Now a Pony car is a muscle car just scaled down in size and usually available at lower price point. Dodge has pretty much the only muscle car on sale today with the Challenger. The Camaro and Mustang (traditional Pony cars) can, depending on configuration (engine, handling packages, etc), work well as Muscle, Pony and Sports Car all in one package which is why they are so popular. Ironically they would also make excellent Grand Tourers if given some significant interior upgrades.

The C7 tends to fit into the Sports / Grand Tourer category but with a focus on the "sports" parts. I'd say its a 70% Sports / 30% Tourer and maybe 60/40 with the mag ride suspension. To be a true GT car it would need more sound deading, along with a larger and plusher interior with more gadgets (lane assist, radar cruise, massage seats, etc). Don't get me wrong you can put away some serious miles in a C7 very comfortably but it doesn't appear to be the focus of the design. GM advertises the Corvette has a Sports Car and all its marketing materials push outright performance as the primary goal of the vehicle. The Viper in comparison has too many compromised to be a GT car, as its a pure sports car. Based on what I've seen & read (reviews) you wouldn't want to spend extended highway time in one.

tastegw

Going with extremes here for best understanding:

Dodge Demon = Muscle Car
Dodge Hellcat = Muscle Car

Mazda Miata = Sports Car
Subaru BRZ = Sports Car

Porshe Panamera = GT car
Audi RS7 = GT car

so by comparison of these extremes, sports cars are mostly for fun on most road types, muscle cars are mostly straight line cars, and GT's offer up the best of both worlds with the added boost of being very luxurious.
I would say my vette is in between the muscle car and the sports car as it carries attributes of both, but when comparing luxury for luxury it does lack that of the higher end luxury cars.

dvilin

It is a high performance sportscar.

LT1 Man