"Sports cars are difficult to justify, but easy to love"

Steve Fowler thinks Nissan's decision to add a new Z sports car to its line-up should be applauded

The future of the sports car has never been in greater jeopardy. Car makers are finding it increasingly difficult to justify them in their line-ups as demand slows and ever-tightening emissions regulations make for higher costs.

Some have already disappeared – Peugeot, for example, is quite clear about concentrating on cars that make money before considering a replacement for the RCZ, while even the Audi TT is likely to be reinvented as a crossover rather than an out-and- out coupé next time around.

Thankfully, the Japanese still believe in their sports cars; Toyota’s Supra (with the help of BMW) and GT86 are firm favourites, while Mazda’s MX-5 keeps on going.

Nissan, too, knows the value of a great sports car and – as we reveal on page eight – there’s a new Z car on the way. So what is the value of a car like that, having already pointed out that it’s difficult to make money from one?

Let’s take a look at the MX-5, a car that’s at the heart of everything Mazda does. Every car the brand makes has a bit of the MX-5’s soul in it – and is all the better for it. If there were no MX-5, Mazda just wouldn’t be the same.

We know that Porsche makes more money from its SUVs than its sports cars, but would you still want a Porsche SUV if the firm didn’t also make the 911? 

So Nissan’s decision that it needs to spend the money to add a new Z car to its line-up needs to be applauded. It would be an easier decision not to do it.

Putting a sports car on your driveway can be difficult to justify, too, even though some recent models – what we’d class as modern classics – are good investments.

It’s something I’m grappling with myself, trying to persuade my wife of the benefits of buying a sports car – a 1991 Lotus Elan. My negotiations with her are proving as tough as any negotiations at board level would be when trying to get a new sports car over the line. Wish me luck!

Check out the best sports cars you can buy now...

Editor-in-chief

Steve Fowler has been editor-in-chief of Auto Express since 2011 and is responsible for all editorial content across the website and magazine. He has previously edited What Car?, Autocar and What Hi-Fi? and has been writing about cars for the best part of 30 years. 

Most Popular

Deal of the Day: Spacious Skoda Superb is a peerless estate for £223 a month
Skoda Superb Estate - front tracking
News

Deal of the Day: Spacious Skoda Superb is a peerless estate for £223 a month

The Superb is one of our favourite estates and our Deal of the Day for Monday 4 December
4 Dec 2023
‘Forget leasing a car, a cut-price van should be your next everyday vehicle’
Opinion - Fiat Scudo
Opinion

‘Forget leasing a car, a cut-price van should be your next everyday vehicle’

With some huge savings to be had, Mike Rutherford thinks a van could be the perfect vehicle
3 Dec 2023
New Jaguar XF Sportbrake 2024 review: big estate with value boost
Jaguar XF Sportbrake - front tracking
Road tests

New Jaguar XF Sportbrake 2024 review: big estate with value boost

Jaguar's XF Sportbrake may be 8 years old but it just got a whole lot cheaper!
7 Dec 2023