TWODOOR KINGS

TWO-SEATER SPORTS CARS ARE THE GLAMOROUS ROYALTY OF THE ROAD
IN BY IIILIE CANDLER

wo-seater sports cars are
crowd-pleasers at auto
shows, especially among
the young. Youthful trend-
setters ignore the big four-doors and
gather admiringly around the Cor-
vettes, Miatas and other sporty show
cars.
A two-seater's image radiates
glamour and speed, but a true sports
car is a machine that handles. It
doesn't necessarily have a big, high
performance V-8. Its quality is mea-
sured by the way it steers around the
pylons of a slalom course, or maneu-
vers a winding road or race track.
If you decide to go for it at a race
track, however, heed the words of
Tom Wilkinson of Motor magazine,
who himself races. "Never race a car
you can't afford to crash."
A sports car can be a closed coupe.
Or it can be a convertible with the
wind-in-your-hair sensation that
makes young people feel free and

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48 STYLE

older people feel young. "A purist
wouldn't call it a true sports car
unless it had an open top," says one
former MG owner. "Half the joy is
boiling your feet and cooling your
head.
Some two-seaters are not true
sports cars because they lack power
and handling capabilities. Some are
called roadsters, which technically are
two-seater open cars with rear
luggage compartments.
There's enough variety on the
market to fit every two-seater
enthusiast's wallet and needs. Most
two-seaters have rear-wheel drive.
Acura NSX ($61,000) distinguishes
itself with great performance and
handling. It arrived from Japan last
year as the world's first production
car with an all-aluminum body, chas-
sis and suspension.
The NSX's weight provides an out-
standing power-to-weight ratio and
excellent handling. From the Acura

Division of American Honda Motor
Co., this hand-built and handsome
coupe can go from 0 to 60 in 5.6
seconds. Getting it there is a mid-
engine, 270-horsepower, 3.0-liter,
24-valve V-6.
Alfa Romeo Spider Veloce
($20,950) is one of the few reasonably
affordable sports cars on the market.
We like the sculptured Italian look de-
signed into this classic roadster by
famed coach builder Battista Pinin-
farina. Veloce means "fast," with
speed produced by a fuel-injected,
dual overhead cam 2.0-liter engine
with five-speed gearing.
Cadillac Allante ($5 5,960) also gets
its styling from Pininfarina Coach-
building in Italy but its Italian heritage
seems subdued. It comes as a
convertible or a convertible hardtop
with a power-fastening soft-top and
a removable aluminum hardtop.
The Allante's 4.5-liter V-8 generates
200 horsepower. Personally, we like