Some could argue that the F12 isn’t really a sports car either, but a grand tourer. Ferrari’s used in sport would be their 458/488 mid engined offerings.
BTW - I know the driver of the last video…
And yes - A muscle car is NOT the same as a sports car,
Traditionally the Camaro would have been a muscle car -
Although nowsadays, it’s pretty much a distinction without a difference
Why would Chevrolet make two kinds of the same car? Every different model a company makes is intended to be for a different market segment, or else they’d be the same model. It’s quite clear that the Corvette niche is closer to what people call a “sports car” than a Camaro. I heard there was bitching from some Corvette fanatics when they decided they were going to put a compass as a navigational aid in Corvettes, because the purists thought there was no point for such a thing on a car intended to be used on race tracks.
Golf clap. The logo is perfect.
Just to be clear, I did not make the logo.
If we are being pedantic, it is a pony car.
A muscle car is (was) an intermediate family-type car (i.e., Tempest) with a big engine.
The Mustang was the original pony car and the Camaro/Firebird was GM’s answer to that.
But you are correct that neither are sports cars
ETA: None of these terms denotes that one is better or even has superior performance to another, but like sedan, landau, coupe, etc. had meanings relative to how they looked or were built. The meanings have since been lost on most people.
An MGB is a roadster … quick off the line but dog food at the quarter mile mark.
So–the nearest I’ve come to owning a sports car is an Audi S4, which I don’t think IS a sports car. What exactly do you call a Chevy that will beat a 911 Turbo around what looks like a relatively technical track?
If there is are reasonable number of the cars that are tracked competitively then it is a sports car.
This definition has some amusing results. But a substantial number of Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Porches (especially Porsches) and even such beasts as the Mercedes SLS, are sport cars by such a definition. If there is a regular class that Camaros compete in, they are sports cars. As much as that might offend one’s sensibilities.
That’s not the definition of roadster -
Roadster = Convertible = Spyder / Spyder
A roadster can be both a muscle car and a sports car
By that definition a HQ Holden is a Sportscar - which also cannot be correct …
On topic… I think the jet might be at a disadvantage because of the lower thrust from a standing start. It takes a while for the acceleration to build.
I’ve flown a Glasair III (a long time ago), and I seem to recall it had some pretty good acceleration. The specs say it has a takeoff distance of 700 ft, with a rotation speed of about 90 mph. So, 0-90 in 700ft. In comparison, a 430 HP Camaro will hit about 85 mph in the 1/8 mile (660 ft). The comparison seems reasonable, since a Glasair III has a 300 HP engine and weighs about 2200 lbs empty. So the power to weight ratio is similar.
‘Pony Car’ is just a marketing term. A sports car is a car you use for sporting purposes as opposed to just transportation. There are many different types of sports car. A WRX is a rally car, but does that not make it a sports car? If a muscle car gives you a thrill when you accelerate down the road, how is that not a sports car?
But even if you want to define a sports car as one that is designed to race on a track, the Camaro still qualifies. At least in Z/28 trim. Likewise, the base model Mustang may not quite live up to the ‘sports car’ name, but a Boss 302 sure does.
Here’s a video of a 2014 Camaro Z-28 going around the Nurburgring in 7:37.47. This car comes from the factory with track-tuned suspension, racing brakes, a 505 HP engine, and stripped of everything that adds unnecessary weight. it has one real purpose - to go really fast on a track, including in the corners. That’s the very definition of sports car.
By the numbers, it went around the 'ring faster than a Porsche 911 Carerra S and a Lamborghini Murcielago LP640. So how exactly does it not qualify as a sports car?
You’ve got to go back to when the term was “invented” for the difference between a muscle car and a sports car.
In the 60s a “Muscle Car” was one where straightline speed / acceleration was the priority, with handling being less important.
For a sports car - it was cornering ability, braking and handling that was the priority. Naturally there is some intersection between the two.
As cars have improved - the distinction between the two has been reduced. But if you were pressed - I would still put something like a HSV Commodore into a Muscle Car category rather than a sports car - even if it does sports car things as well as a car like an M3
The Camaro in question was a Z/28 which is not really indicative of what most Camaros can do. The Z/28 is a limited edition, Corvette-powered Camaro sold specifically for track racing. So, a special souped-up super Camaro beat a standard 911 Turbo.
Your definitions are not what most people use. Traditionally, a pony car is an affordable mid performance car (e.g. Mustang) and a sports car is a small, lightweight and nimble car, usually a 2 -seater. But it’s not really about speed. The Honda S2000, Mazda Miata, Porsche Boxster, and BMW Z3 are textbook examples of sports cars although none of them are very fast. The Porsche 911 is a sports car. The Camaro is a little bulky and not really light and nimble enough to be a sports car. It fits better in the pony car category. Making it faster than the 911 doesn’t change that.
Where it gets interesting is for something like the GTR -
yay or nay to sportscar? Wickedly fast two seater, corners like a bastard but hardly small or nimble…
These terms are not used as descriptors, but rather as types- as such, the fact that a particular model crosses over is irrelevant. I admitted it was pedantic, especially today, but the fact remains that traditionally these were market segments which had specific meanings. Pony cars, for instance, were not nearly as fast or as large as most muscle cars. They were intended to seem sporty and be affordable, and back in the day weren’t nearly as fast as a muscle car.
Today the lines are so blurred as to be meaningless- a 2015 V6 camry probably outperforms 99.9% of all 1968 models regardless of cost, whether at the drag strip or on a track. But at one time they were distinct segments, and an MG did not compete (for sales) directly against the Mustang, which did not compete directly against the Pontiac GTO.
Trucks and sedans aren’t the same thing, despite the existence of the Subaru Baja.
That’s actually the very definition of a missing link to a video. Can we haz pleaz? 
Whoah. I fucked up this thread good.
LOL, I almost posted “it’s a pony car”, but I figured that for a one off jibe at YogSoth that would be a little too esoteric, so I went with muscle car. Once again I underestimated the Dope’s propensity to veer off topic and dive into the minutiae. 
Ding ding ding! Winner!