>>4609957A sports car is an automobile built with an emphasis on handling as an element of performance. It is NOT based on a lesser model like a sport compact.
The line between the sports car and its larger brother the grand tourer is typically how far the sports car goes in eliminating comfort in favor of performance. A GT is typically larger, heavier, and often possesses back seats, although some sports cars do as well.
A muscle car is a mid-size platform with an engine from the next class up installed, usually a two-door variant of a sedan. A pony car is a small car, again with two doors, equipped with an engine designed for a car one or two sizes up.
That's the textbook definition of a sports car. Your "opinion" of what makes a sports car is about as relevant as my "opinion" of what the separation should be between a Boeing 757 and a Piper Super Cub.
It is, of course, perfectly acceptable to express a preference for a more powerful sports car, but you cannot argue that a car is or is not a sports car on the basis of power.
Pictured is a sport compact that is faster than many sports cars.
