What Was the First Sports Car?

Can you guess who made the first sports car? Largely debated across the globe, is there a true answer? Check out the first sports cars ever to smoke the competition.
Written by Elaine Duvet
Reviewed by Kathleen Flear
Contrary to popular belief, the Corvette was not the first sports car. We’ve looked into the
automotive history
of the first speedsters to ever exist, and how they differ from the ones we know and love today.
Jerry
, the
car ownership super app
, explores the origin of the first sports car.

Beginnings of the first sports car

You may know that the best-selling car 100 years ago was the Ford Model T. But what about the sports cars that were created during the same time?
According to the
Automotive Hall of Fame
, “A ‘sports car’ is generally defined as a production vehicle designed for speed and maneuverability with a low body and seating for two.” 
One of the earliest recollections of the first sports cars was the Rennzweier. Designed by Tatra for racing in 1900, the German car was much lower than the autos we know today. The Rennzweier sported a modified Benz engine that cranked out a whole 9 hp. It also reached a top speed of 50 mph, leaving horse-drawn carriages in the dust.
Overseas, Alexander Winton and Henry Ford were prepping for a race in Grosse Pointe, MI. In October of 1901, Winton raced his fan-favorite “Bullet,” but Henry Ford dominated with his beloved “Sweepstakes” machine. While both vehicles were low and fast, some would argue that these autos weren’t actually sports cars, but purpose-built racers. 
In 1901, the Mercedes 35 hp was designed by Paul Daimler (Gottlieb Daimler’s son) and Wilhelm Maybach. The design was similar to horse carriages and soon became a dominant racing machine known for its potent engine and reliability. 
Some claim that the American Motor Car Company produced the first sports car before it went bankrupt. In 1907, the company collaborated with Harry Stutz to develop the first “underslung chassis.” 
Inside of hanging on top of the axles, the body hung below them. As a result, the powertrain could be housed lower to the ground, giving the auto a sporty-looking appearance and a lower center of gravity. The design lives on through “underslung” legends Stutz Bearcat and Mercer Raceabout. 
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Other contenders

The great debate continues about who made the first sports car. 
In Europe, the Austro-Daimler Prinz-Heinrich-Wagen and Prince Henry Vauxhall were being constructed. Both were created for the 1910 Prince Henry Tour, which was put on by the brother of Germany’s Kaiser. The Austro-Daimler was designed by Ferdinand Porsche, and the Vauxhall was based on an existing chassis with a modified engine.
In 1951, the original Nash-Healey hit the market. The aluminum-bodied roadster features a 3.8-liter straight-six engine. The speedster also had a good showing at the 1950 Le Mans, coming in fourth place. Until Ford annihilated the Le Mans competition in the 1960s, the Nash-Healey made a name for American cars in 1951, 1952, and 1953 competitions. 
However, because the Nash-Healey wasn’t made in America, many had issues calling it the first American sports car. 1951 models were made in Donald Healey's shop in England, incorporating a Nash Ambassador drivetrain.
”Beginning with the 1952 model, Nash-Healeys got even more international in the nature—the drivetrain, still U.S.-built was mated to a Healey-produced chassis which was subsequently transported to Italy, where a beautiful new, all-steel Pinin Farina body was installed,”
Hemmings
tells us. When the auto was complete, it was shipped on a boat to the U.S.
MORE: The First Car Phone Was Invented 100 Years Ago

The first sports car spotted in the wild

A 1914 Vauxhall 25-hp 'Prince Henry' Sports Torpedo, widely recognized as being the first sports car, sold for £516,700 ($657,185) at a Bonhams auction in 2016. The original speedster stunned crowds with its beauty and speed when it was first revealed. For the time, a top speed of 80 mph was quite impressive.
After outclassing its competitors, over a century later, there are only seven Prince Henry models remaining. The legendary auto was made for T.W. Badgery, an English businessman, and designed by English engineer Laurence Pomeroy. In fact, Badgery purchased one of the first four of these 25-hp vehicles. 
Until he died in 2016, Reg Long owned this special 1914 model for 46 years. The engineer from Lincolnshire, England, often drove the car around Europe, allowed it to be photographed for car publications, and even entered it into competitions.
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