The idea of the sports coupe is intrinsically a part of most popular types of vehicles nowadays — with everyone from Toyota to Ferrari embraing the bodystyle. Ideally you’d want to drive the sportiest, sleekest version of your car available. The sexiness of the classic coupe style has integrated into automakers’ lineups as demand for stylish versions of just about every segment has proved to be a big hit with drivers of all kinds of vehicle types.
Originally the coupe was a standalone body style, in simpler times you either chose a sedan, a sports car, or a coupe. There was very little in between. Coupes are traditionally seen as 2-door vehicles sometimes based on a 4-door counterpart, with 2+2 or sometimes 2+0 seating. Originally built as more of a “budget” model, coupes did not start out as a stylish way to enter the automotive market. For those with limited space the coupe was a smart option too. Culturally the coupe became more of a stylistic statement as they tended to weigh less and when people inevitably started souping-up vehicles they were the obvious choice. Although the classic coupe shape might not be as popular as it once was, there are signs of its relevance throughout the industry. Here are 10 widely varying examples of the humble coupe’s influence.
10 Four-Door Coupe — The Audi S5 Sportback
It’s not necessarily about who did it first, it’s about who did it best. Audi took one of their prettiest models, the A5 Coupe and created the A5 Sportback, a well integrated 4-door coupe (with a hatch). Really, the first to do this was Mercedes-Benz with their CLS way back in 2004, and Audi’s version (the A7) back in 2010. Now though the Star of the show is the slightly smaller, but sportier A5, S5, and RS5 Sportback models. The Mercedes CLS and Audi A7 took on more of an executive role, whereas the smaller models became more of a driver’s car. Seen here in S5 form, the Sportback variants of Audi’s models have caused quite the craze. The S5 strikes a beautiful balance of just the right amount of edginess, and sophisticated 4-door elegance. Really though, customers want the sleek looks of a classic coupe, but the practicality of having 4-doors. So like a wise man once said, here is a 4-door version of a 2-door version, of a 4-door car. This of course referring to the 4-door S5 Sportback, a stretched S5 coupe, which is the 2-door version of Audi’s coveted 4-door S4 sedan. Technically weird, but in the real world it makes sense…mostly.
9 Traditional Sport Coupe — The BMW M2
The original, the classic body style, an iconic shape that set the standard for the rest. The BMW 2 series and in a more sporty sense, the M2, is a modern day quintessential coupe that embodies everything people have grown to love about the body style. While the new M2 has received some mixed reviews about its styling details such as its grilles and bumpers, there’s no denying that from the side profile view, the BMW M2 is pure sports coupe. It’s OK for coupes to be a bit muscular, a bit brash, they are after all, a statement that you as a driver want to be different. There are more subtle coupes out there, but why not go for the one that causes a bit a of a stir.
8 Shooting Brake — The Ferrari GTC-4 Lusso
No longer in production, the Ferrari GTC-4 Lusso (or its FF predecessor) was one of the weirdest modern Ferraris ever. It was however one of our favorite rare versions of a coupe, known as a shooting brake! Basically what you got was a 2-door, hatchback, 2+2 Ferrari V-12 coupe. A V-8 version was launched later, but the V-12 shooting brake isn’t a recipe we often see baked. You could argue this car was a tester to see how the public would react to a more practical Ferrari, it did after all, have 4-wheel drive and ample space for a small family. Now though, we have the Purosangue, a slightly higher riding (still V-12) practical-ish Ferrari. That car is a more traditional 4-door, though so long live the GTC-4 Lusso, and long live the shooting brake.
7 Two-Door SUV — The Land Rover Defender
This might be a bit of a stretch, but coupe styling has stretched across many segments of the auto industry. A key component of the classic coupe recipe is the idea of only needing two doors. Arguably the most stylish of the range in the Land Rover family is the Defender 90 aka, the 2-door version. This is the one that brings back the most nostalgia of the original Land Rover Defender. The new model is a hit and the 90 offers the most cohesive shape with the new design language. It’s a true 2+2 with two doors, embodying the coupe spirit.
6 Coupe SUV — The BMW X6
Love it or hate it, the BMW SAC or Sport Activity Coupe is here to stay. BMW brought coupe styling to the SUV market back in 2008, and it has been a hit ever since then. With its much more angled roof that tapers down into the rear of the car, you end up with a rear window that is much more “fast” in angle than a traditional upright squared off SUV rear end. Families looking for a sportier look to their necessary SUV found inspiration in BMW’s sports activity coupes, and now there are X4 and X2 variants as well. The upcoming XM may be a standalone product but still loosely fits within the category.
5 Three-door Hatchback — The Hyundai Veloster N
The Hyundai Veloster N — named “Performance Car of The Year” by Road & Track — is a hilarious car to drive and use every day. The 3-door design, plus the rear hatch for a total of four doors isn’t a format we see often. Here you have a single long door on the drivers side, a passenger front door, and somewhat hidden passenger rear door. You get the best of both worlds, practicality for the passengers, and sleek coupe styling for the driver.
4 Off-Road Lifted Coupe — The Lamborghini Huracan Sterrato
The newest (production) variant of a coupe would be the lifted, off-road super-coupe. Porsche and Lamborghini are the only two offering such a car with the Porsche Dakar and Lamborghini Huracan Sterrato. The Sterrato aimed at a more exotic oriented crowd shows that a Lamborghini can not only be wild and bold on-road but when the tarmac ends you can still drive your super sports car in the dirty stuff too. Lifted with larger tires and equipped with off-road goodies like underbody reinforcement plates and off-road spotlights, it allows the Huracan Sterrato to actually drive on softer surfaces if you so desire.
3 Targa — The Porsche 911 Targa GTS
Porsche basically reinvented what a coupe could be with the Targa version of its 911 back in 1965. The goal was to provide a safer convertible with the added benefit of a built-in roll-bar. The result was a very elegant brushed aluminum hoop across the width of the car with a rear glass section intact, with a removable roof portion just above passengers. The newest 911s are a return to form very closely emulating the signature shape of the original, although they have more sophisticated mechanisms, the look is pure Porsche Targa. Since then other automakers have created their own versions of the coupe/drop top style.
2 Convertible — The Mercedes-Benz SL55
Mercedes is bringing back the soft top, and the “55” variant of the new SL, a car that is supposed to instill a newfound sense of sportiness and render the SL name relevant again. Albeit expensive, the new SL is quite the roadster with glitzy features on the inside and a classic coupe/convertible silhouette. The SL now focuses on shedding some weight and getting back to its sporting roots. Exchanging the bulky metal folding top with a lighter soft top helps reduce weight and the center of gravity. Now the SL is technically a 2+2, meaning it better fits the coupe recipe. The fine line between coupes and convertibles is elegantly blurred with the new AMG Mercedes-Benz SL55.
1 Large Luxury Coupe — The Rolls-Royce Spectre
Rolls Royce, known best for their ultra luxury sedans is no stranger to glamorous coupes. The new Spectre previews Rolls Royce’s electric future with an all-electric powertrain. Companies like Rolls-Royce have spent decades refining their engines to run as smooth and silently as possible. Their goal is to provide effortless power but in a way that separates passengers from the harsh reality of what’s going on inside an internal combustion engine, the perfect job for an electric powertrain. Rolls-Royce coupes have been dripping with elegance and luxury over the years with elements like rare materials, unique design, suicide doors, and most impressive of all, sheer size. Yes, even the smallest of Rolls Royce vehicles, their coupes, could more than suffice in terms of sheer space for entire families. Spectre is no different, it’s as long as a Ford F-150, and just as wide too. This is a hilariously large platform on which to build a coupe, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.