Exotic Cars 101: What is an ‘Exotic Car’ (by definition)?

WHAT DOES THE TERM “EXOTIC” MEAN TO PEOPLE IN GENERAL — NOT JUST TO THOSE WORKING IN THE CAR BUSINESS?

The term “exotic” ALONE by definition means, in its purest form, “strikingly strange or unusual”. Concepts that can be unilaterally or bilaterally applied to appearance of an object (as an adjective used to describe a person, place, or thing) or concepts that are exotic in nature — as in a term used to describe an overall feeling evoked by an idea that lead individuals to an assessment of an object as producing a sensation of foreign or alien — are easily described as exotic.

Rooted firmly in the xenophobic desire to give name to that meaning other (with a xenophobe being a person who has a fear [phobia] of other [xeno]), the term is a working definition. Applied as a term used to both describe and classify cars (as in “exotic cars”), the stipulative definition has been used to describe vehicles that are so rare and unusual, it’s not likely the mass population will ever see one in person . 99% of the public will seldom be fortunate enough to get near one as a driver or passenger. Furthermore, chances are the average layperson won’t even know what the cars are (by brand or feature definitions and specs) if they do happen to see one at a car show or on the road.

Dealers and die hard car fans are likely to be more specific with their criteria used to define the term “exotic car” than the general public is; however, the term as a subjective. Stipulative terms tend to be defined by a person or group of people seeking to define something for discussion of a niche area. The designation “exotic car”, when used as a sorting tool, is fluid in its application. More over, the meaning of the phrase shifts from decade to decade of production (influenced by advertising marketers, cultural trends, and developing industry production) and from generation to generation. What cars seemed exotic in nature 50 years ago may be considered common by todays vehicle standards; conversely, what was once well know, if exclusive, may today become less prominent — if a car is scarce and meets several levels of criteria as an exotic car, newer models may be seen as exotic cars by younger generations with older models of the cars being classified as classics.

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