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Supercar is a term generally used for high-end sports cars, whose performance is superior to that of its contemporaries. It has been defined specifically as "a very expensive, fast or powerful car with a centrally located engine",[1] and stated in more general terms: "it must be very fast, with sporting handling to match", "it should be sleek and eye-catching" and its price should be "one in a rarefied atmosphere of its own",[2] but the correct usage of the term is both subjective and disputed, especially amongst enthusiasts. The use of the term can be dependent on the era; a vehicle that may have been considered a supercar in one decade may not be considered the same in another. The term supercar may refer to factory-built, street-legal race cars. Some vehicles referred to as supercars include features required for race cars such as roll cages.[3]
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Origin of the term
The term was first noted by Car & Track in 1917 to describe an Alfa Romeo Monza[citation needed]. An advertisement for the Ensign Six, a 6.7 L (~409 cu in) high-performance car similar to the Bentley Speed Six, appeared in The Times for 11 November 1920 with the phrase "If you are interested in a supercar, you cannot afford to ignore the claims of the Ensign 6."[4] The Oxford English Dictionary also cites the use of the word in an advertisement for an unnamed car in The Motor dated 3 November 1920, "The Supreme development of the British super-car."[5] and defines the phrase as suggesting 'a car superior to all others'. The phrase did not become popular until much later and is often said to have originated with British motor journalist L. J. K. Setright writing about the Lamborghini Miura in CAR Magazine in the mid-1960s.[citation needed] The magazine claims to have "coined the phrase"[6] although it was also used in May 1965 by the American magazine Car Life, in a test of the Pontiac GTO. By the 1970s the phrase was in regular use, if not precisely defined.[7][8].
See also
References
- ^ Collins English Dictionary. Glasgow: HarperCollins Publishers. 2003. ISBN 0007109830.
- ^ Ward, Ian (1985). "Secondhand Supercars". London Motor Show "Motorfair 1985" Official Catalogue.
- ^ "MG launches 175mph supercar". www.autotrader.co.uk. 2004-11-16. http://www.autotrader.co.uk/EDITORIAL/CARS/news/27178.html. Retrieved on 2008-01-13.
- ^ "British Ensign Motors". The Times. 11 November 1920. p. 6.
- ^ "super-, prefix 6.c". Oxford English Dictionary. 1989. http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/50242443/50242443se176?single=1&query_type=word&queryword=supercar&first=1&max_to_show=10&hilite=50242443se176. Retrieved on 2007-12-27.
- ^ "About CAR magazine". CAR Magazine Online. http://www.carmagazine.co.uk/GLOBAL/About-Us/. Retrieved on 2007-12-28.
- ^ Stuart Marshall (September 4, 1975). "Rewards and frustrations of the supercars". The Times (London): p. 23.
- ^ "BUSINESS ROUNDUP; From the Land of the VW, a $35,000 Supercar". New York Times (New York): p. F15. September 21, 1975.
External links
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