Performance car

A performance car is a car that exhibits above-average capabilities in one or more of the following areas: acceleration (torque and throttle response), top speed (horsepower), cornering and braking.¹ It is debated how much performance is required to move classification from standard to high performance.

Classification

Further classification of performance cars is possible in the following categories:

Hot hatch — a high-performance version of a mass-produced hatchback model
Sports sedan — a high-performance version of a sedan model
Muscle car — a large American or Australian rear-wheel drive car with a V8 engine
Sports car — a high performance designed with an emphasis on dynamic performance, such as handling, acceleration, top speed, the thrill of driving, and racing capability.
Grand tourer — a luxury performance car designed for high speed and long-distance driving
Supercar — a street-legal sports car with race track-like power, speed, and handling, plus a certain subjective cachet linked to pedigree and/or exclusivity
Hypercar — Another term for high-performance sports cars, often used to describe the highest-performing supercars