Sports cars and coupes in the Philippines

Coupes are motorized vehicles which have two doors and a closed body platform with a permanently secured fixed roof. The term comes from the French word “couper” meaning “to cut”. This word was first applied to 19th century four-wheel horse-drawn carriages whose rear facing seats had been cut or removed.

While definition of this type of car varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, coupes generally have at least two seats, two windows, a fixed roof which may be retractable, limited rear space and a possible rear opening.

Two good examples of coupe sports cars are the Jaguar F-Type and the Nissan GTR. These cars have maximum speeds of 260 kph and 315 kph, respectively. The Jaguar has a 0-100 kph acceleration in 5.1 seconds, with the Nissan clocking in at 2.8 seconds.

Variation of coupe pronunciation

Chevrolet in its marketing efforts to promote its two-door hardtops used the “sport coupe” moniker, with the original French pronunciation “Koo-pay” during the 1950s to 1970s. American hot rodders, however, used their own pronunciation “koop” to refer to the 1932 Ford coupe.

One distinguishable characteristic of coupes is that they do not have a “B pillar” to support the car’s roof compared to sedans which have a “C pillar” for supporting the rear window. A foldable hardtop roof has also been included in some coupes which makes them a convertible roadster.  

A Sports Coupe or Berlinetta is a car with a sloping roof, which goes down gradually to the back of the car in a fastback design.

Other examples of coupe sports cars

Sports cars with a coupe body are usually designed to exemplify nimble handling and spirited performance. They are usually designed either to be sturdy or luxurious but comply to a minimum weight to provide high maneuverability.

These cars originated from the early 20th century designs of roadsters and touring cars. Among the best examples of the sports car with coupe platform design are: Mazda MX-5 Miata, considered the best selling sports car, the Porsche 959, which has a rear engine and a four wheel drivetrain and the high-performing Ford Mustang.

Some of the more modern versions of these product lines now include extra second row seats, with others having four doors instead of two.