Can “supercars” have four doors?

Do more doors (and more passengers) squelch the magic of so-called "supercars"? I ask the question over at MSN Autos Passing Lane blog, and right after the jump.By John LeBlanc This past week, the Interweb was all a twitter over the supposed leaked patent drawings of a new version of the SLS AMG, Mercedes-Benz’s unofficial “supercar”. Unlike the existing two-door, two-seat hardtop or convertible, this SLS had four seats and four doors: a pair of top-hinged “gullwing” openings up front, and two “suicide” rear-hinged at the back for, ostensibly, to make it easier for rear passengers to enter and exit graciously. Whether the SLS four-door will ever become a reality, we'll have to wait and see. For me, though, the math of a four-door SLS just doesn’t add up. Today’s AMG-built SLS is a true “super car”. And by that, I mean it offers performance (563 hp; 0-100 km/h in 3,8 seconds), style (it’s design was inspired by the 1950s’ 300SL race cars), and a certain je ne sais quai (it looks like nothing else on the road), that mere mortal sports cars can’t deliver on. But with four doors? I mean it’s like seeing Superman pushing a stroller. I guess we supercar fans should have seen this trend coming. I blame ‘Benz’s 2005 CLS “four-door coupe”. It used an existing E-Class four-door sedan chassis, but with a swishier roofline and profile. Similarly oxymoronic vehicles, like the BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe and X6 SUV, Porsche Panamera, Audi A5/A7 Sportbacks, and Aston Martin Rapide soon followed. And it looks like trend continues to have legs. When the next generation of the Panamera arrives, don’t be surprised if it spawns a few siblings amongst the vast Volkswagen Group empire. A production version of the Lamborghini Estoque (from the 2008 Paris auto show, and seen above) and something like the 2009 Bugatti Galibier (a front-engine, four-door replacement for when the mid-engine two-door Veyron supercar finally sops being built) will join the practical Porsche in the four-door supercar ranks. But I ask you: Do you think a supercar can be, well, super with four doors? Or does by adding a bit more practicality simply ruin the while supercar mystique?

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