Guys,
Couldn't resist adding another 2 cents worth........
I'm prepared to say here that NO FWD CAR CAN BE A SPORTS CAR (at least not by any sane definition)
The amount of G that a FWD car can pull may be very impressive, but cornering is not handling.
If you go into a corner in a FWD car, it will understeer. Press a bit harder and it will understeer more. You have run out of options (pulling the handbrake is not an option on a public road). With a RWD car you have options: so long as you have sufficient power, you can neutralise the understeer or even have some oversteer fun.
This is what sets a sports car apart from a car which just looks sporting. It's nothing to do with 2 seats and a rag-top........
The old saying is worth repeating here: "cornering is what gets you there, but handling is what makes you enjoy the journey"
On the subject of Saabs; they are quite well made and seem to resist rust well. To call them sporting is completely misunderstand the definition of sporting.
All modern Saabs are just Opel Vectras vith a different body and a higher profit margin.
I'm sure I don't have to spell-out just how well an Opel Vectra handles.
As a parting shot, 4WD cars fall into the same dismal handling category IMHO, with the exception of those with a fixed torque-split, biased heavily to the rear. These include all the Ford 4WD saloons Sierra and Escort Cosworth, Lancia Integrale and of course the daddy of them all, Jensen FF.
That should provoke a bit of discussion