Modern Heavy GT Cars

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200MphFord

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Thisguy70
My question is simple, why do todays modern 2 door sports cars like the SL class Mercedes or any of Aston Martin's cars weigh near 2 tons? Wouldn't people want a car that weights more in the range of 3500lbs? Or is it that they're loaded with all the luxury ammenities that also weight them down? Is it the chassis they ride on, are they that heavy? It just baffles me that these two manufactures have amazing cars yet porky curb weight.
 
I think you've almost answered your own question. Technology is extremely heavy. The GT cars of yesteryear are ridiculously light, but they're made of different materials, have less amenities, and don't even hold .01% of the new age technology of today's cars.
 
:odd: The Merc SL has always been heavy.

They are GT cars rather than pure sports cars at the end of the day. They have to fulfill dual roles of being a luxury cruiser with elements of sportiness. The two contradict each other in a lot of ways, which is why you end up with a heavy car but with a powerful engine.
 
Thats what always bothered me. Yes the Mercedes cars are full of luxury so ill disregard them. I guess its te same story with Aston, its a shame because that V12 works hard to push a heavy luxury car.
 
You're absolutely right. On one hand in the late 80's, 90's were there no such a big "electronic thing" to rule the car so yes it's bad but... on the other hand ask yourself "Are you really want a car with stripped out interior and rallcage for everyday use to save weight? I think no ... so this the point, sport cars are not race cars they are used to built at first priority to be used as a city car and sometimes you can track it. In my opinion, GTR still does the job? Am i right? :confused:
 
It's a combination of NVH, safety, and convenience.

Light cars tend to feel kinda thrashy unless the suspension is quite soft which leads to the car feeling like a boat. Not very sporty. And someone who purchases such a car wants a solid feel with firm handling...so they add weight to take some of the NVH out. This weight is usually in dampening materials, carpets, and even weights bolted onto some parts of the car (like Camaro calipers).

The safety part is kinda easy to visualize. A big car hitting a smaller car will always win. In addition, the more steel you can get between the occupants and whatever object; the better. It's why you see the shoulders on new cars so high; side impact protection. In addition, there's all sorts of support beams in the doors and pillars for rollover protection. Toss in a baker's dozen worth of airbags and the wiring/sensors to go along with them and you've added another Rosie O'Donnel worth of mass to the vehicle.

As far as convenience goes; it's really all the 'extras' like motorized side mirrors, headlight washers, back up cameras, premium sound systems, etc. that people like on their cars. While these 'extras' don't weight a lot my themselves, it's a classic case of gathering all the spit in the ocean to make a small lake. It all adds up.

Lastly, cars today are HUGE! I had an older VW Passat Wagon and it was the same length as a 2dr GTI MkV. It was narrower, shorter, and had an extra set of doors...yet it had nearly the same footprint. My guess, it was lighter too.
 

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