Sports sedan
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A sports sedan is a descriptive term applied to a sedan or saloon automobile that is designed to look and feel "sporty" - offering the driver more connection with the driving experience. Most vehicles in this category overlap with the compact executive car classification.
The term was originally introduced in the 1930s and applied to lighter, more streamlined closed body coachwork fitted by car makers. Rover, for example, had Sports Saloon versions of several of their models.
It was later applied by manufacturers to special versions of their vehicles that allowed them to enter production cars in motor races with extra modifications not normally permitted by the regulations. Such regulations required cars to be homologated typically by selling them in minimum numbers to the public. Some of the earlier examples were the Alfa Romeo Giulietta, Triumph Dolomite and Lotus Cortina. The term is also used for flagship cars even when they are not required for homologation. They are also known in the United States as halo cars.
Traditionally sports sedans have a manual transmission and tachometer in order to provide that "sports look and feel" and are rear wheel drive, have good handling characteristics, and adequate power. Because of the move to automatic transmission and front wheel drive these types are now also to be found in the sport sedan category. Most purists however consider any front wheel drive sedan to be so far removed from the concept of "sport" that this is merely another case of marketing making a word cheap and meaningless.
Examples are the:
- Acura RL A-Spec
- Acura TL A-Spec/Type-S
- Alfa Romeo 159
- Aston Martin Rapide
- Audi S4, Audi RS4
- Audi S6, Audi RS6
- BMW 335i, BMW M3
- BMW M5
- Cadillac CTS-V
- Cadillac STS-V
- Chrysler 300C SRT-8
- Dodge Charger SRT-8
- Ford Mondeo ST200
- Honda Accord Type R
- HSV Clubsport
- HSV Grange
- Infiniti G35
- Jaguar XF SV8
- Jaguar XJR
- Jaguar S-Type R
- Lexus IS350, Lexus IS-F
- Mazdaspeed 6
- Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG
- Mercedes-Benz CLS63 AMG
- Mercedes-Benz E55 AMG
- Mercedes-Benz S65 AMG
- Mercury Marauder
- Pontiac G8
- Porsche Panamera
- Rover 620ti
- Rover 800 Vitesse
- Saab 9-3 Aero
- Saab 9-5 Aero
- Volvo 850R
- Volvo S60R
