The current selection of weekend-warrior cars is already slim, and that’s set to shrink.

What is a sports car?

A sports car is defined as ‘a low-built car designed for performance at high speeds, often having a roof that can be folded back.’ Most people’s idea of one is a little rear wheel drive 2-seater convertible that’s used on high days and dry days. Very similar usage to that of a motorbike.

Let’s start by talking about some examples that are currently on offer in the market. Mazda still produces the wonderfully simple MX-5, Alpine with the glorious A110 and Caterham with the bonkers Seven range.

To some, a Mazda MX-5 is the truest sense of a sports car, its lightweight, RWD and has adequate power. Just enough that you can have fun, but not so much that you’d be getting frequently acquainted with the rear seats of a 5-Series Police car. Other cars have followed this fashion, namely in the Toyota GR86 which has all the same characteristics – albeit with a fixed roof.

Then you can move up the powerband by walking into your local Porsche or Jaguar dealer and come out with a Cayman or F-Type from the respective parties. Or, of course, you could head to Ariel and pick up the batsh*t crazy Atom. 300bhp bolted to some scaffolding? Yes please.

In truth, there are lots of options out there, and whilst certain manufacturers like Toyota and BMW have recently brought out two greats in the A90 Supra and Z4. But the choice is certainly getting slimmer.

How so?

Certain key players no longer offer sports cars in their range. The best sports car of the last 20 years was recently named as the spectacular Lotus Elise. However, if you venture onto the Lotus website, you’ll notice you can no longer buy one.

Similarly, Subaru no longer make the GT86-based BRZ, or any kind of performance car for that matter. That ended with the WRX STi Final Edition. Audi have just dropped the TT. Whilst Fiat dropped the Abarth-engined 124 Spider not too long ago.

But most of these manufactures offer stupidly quick SUVs with sophisticated suspension and chassis control. Throw in an absurdly powerful engine to shift that weight down the road and you have a well-rounded car. Why spend extra money on a second car when your primary hauler can do it all?

Is there a point to them?

This is question that motorbike owners will be more than happy to answer. Many owners are fair weather riders, myself included. Bikes are much more enjoyable down a twisty road than a heavy car when the weather permits. Sports cars epitomise this in a very similar way.

This is exaggerated with a convertible, allowing you to ‘feel’ more of the outside and accentuating the driving experience. Much better than driving an SUV with the sunroof and windows down. The other plus is that sports cars tend to be low to the ground which makes everything feel more visceral. Why do you think Go Karts are so fun?

Back when a sports car was simple – MG Midget

In a sentence, sports cars offer you far more in terms of the overall feeling and being ‘connected’ to the car than anything else with 4 wheels.

So, are sports cars dying?

To put it simply, yes they are. Most manufacturers are only looking to (understandably) produce their highest earning vehicles. Sure, 10 years ago there was a huge offering for sports cars, because they were popular.

But with the recent move of most buyers opting for SUVs that can do it all reasonably well, this looks like a trend that is set to continue. Unfortunately, sports cars are dying.

With new cars becoming more complicated and digital, buyers are going for older, more analogue cars. Sports cars are an even smaller niche than they once were. But we salute the manufacturers, and owners, who are keeping them alive.