1992 Speeding Beauties: Four Quick Coupes Compared

Rear-view mirror, make the call, which silk-cut two-seater—Chevrolet Corvette, Lotus Elan, Mazda RX-7, and Nissan 300ZX Turbo—is the best of all? View exterior photosDick Kelley|Car and DriverFrom the February 1992 issue of Car and Driver. We know what the term "sports car" meant in the sixties—wire wheels and tweedy caps and elbows-out dashes down those twisting country roads. We know what the term meant in the seventies and eighties, too—mostly Madison Avenue hype applied to any sedan with separate seats and a shifter between them. But this is the nineties, a period when carmakers overrev their engineering departments trying to outdo each other in to-the-death global competition. What's the state of the sports car today? Give Mazda credit for raising this question. It heralds its new RX-7 as the "return of the pure sports car." It says of this third-generation two-seater: ". . . at a time when other manufacturers are introducing sports cars that are larger, heavier, and more complex, Mazda has made the new-generation RX-7 smaller and lighter, yet more powerful than its predecessor—as well as simpler, with no gimmicks to deviate from the original intent of building a pure sports car." See all results for used 1992 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray / Grand Sport for sale near a0p 1l0 The first half of that statement should make every auto builder in the world—and maybe every car enthusiast—a little uncomfortable. Cars are getting heavier and more complex. Too heavy? Too complex? Today's family haulers have comfort and economy and reliability and environmental friendliness to the degree that they stand as engineering wonders. But sports cars are different. They exist for the fun of driving. Are they getting too heavy and too complex for their own good? Are we losing sight of what made them fun back in the glory days of MGs, Triumphs, Healeys, Alfas, and Jaguars? Remember, back in 1960, very few sports cars had side windows. They were open two-seaters with removable side curtains. In the three decades since, we've passed right through the crank-up-window era and into the "full power" condition once reserved for the fat-cat Buicks and Cadillacs—power windows, power brakes, power steering, power seats, power mirrors, and air conditioning. Heavy, complicated stuff is standard equipment in sports cars now. See all results for used 1992 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray / Grand Sport for sale near a0p 1l0 It's time somebody did a reality check on sports cars. Mazda, with the RX-7, promises a return to the original concept, speed unburdened by unnecessary weight. How does Mazda's answer compare with the state of the art, A.D. 1992? Sounds like this is a job for a comparison test, doesn't it? Though the price of the new RX-7 is yet to be finalized as we go to press, Mazda forecasts a range of $30,000 to $35,000, depending upon options. What other sports cars can you buy without winning the lottery—say, around $40,000? The Nissan 300ZX Turbo, since its introduction in 1990, is a two-time winner of our comparison tests. At this price, the sports-car art knows no finer state. America's Only Sports Car has undergone another renewal: now 300 horsepower is standard equipment under the Corvette's hood, and more refinement is apparent everywhere else. We are intrigued, too, with the Lotus Elan—in part because it's British, and the British arguably invented the sports car. And in part because it still carries forward the recipe that made sports cars famous: it's a four-cylinder, open-air two-seater. Porsche, by virtue of it accomplishments in the sports-car field, deserves a place in this comparison too. Alas, our deadline came a month before the new 968's arrival in this country. So the Nissan, the Chevy, and the Lotus met the new Mazda RX-7 in the Carolina hill country for three days of track testing, twisty-road driving, and soul searching on the topic of What Makes Driving Fun? The answers are in. As usual, we're saving the best for last. The Elan scores highest on one of the most sought-after sports-car qualities—rarity. Only 300 have been sold in the U.S. as this is being written, which means the Elan is now—and probably always will be—a jaunty little roadster that most people have never seen. Bystanders are drawn to this car. The Elan single-handedly emptied an Asheville car wash of its patrons, none of whom were particularly fascinated by the RX-7's equally new shape. This is a tiny car, a bit narrower than the RX-7 (the next-smallest of the group) and 16.3 inches shorter in length. The cockpit is plenty wide, but tall drivers would like another notch or two of rearward seat travel. Don't expect to stow your briefcase behind the seats. No room. There is a trunk, however, and it easily accepts enough soft luggage for two people going across the country, all without encroaching on space for the top when it's down. Driving the Elan awakens old sports car memories. The body is a bit shaky, as small o

1992 Speeding Beauties: Four Quick Coupes Compared

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