Do women feel attracted by men who drive sports cars?

In the public consciousness, the owner of the red convertible Ferrari parks up in Casino Square, Monaco and – within the blink of an eye – is assailed by propositions from dozens of supermodels. This assumption has no doubt put thousands of sports cars on the driveways of men indulging in a mid-life crisis but, until now, nobody has taken the time to look at the truth behind the myth.

All that changes with the publication of a new study in America’s Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. The study forms part of research by teams at Rice University, the University of Minnesota and the University of Texas-San Antonio.

The researchers found that, according to 1,000 women surveyed, the driver of a sports car was more likely than not to get a first date. However, the same women were also more suspicious of a sports car driver’s long-term intentions and were less likely to choose them as a potential husband.

In fact, for longer relationships, owning a sports car gave a man no advantage over owning an ‘economy car’ or everyday hatchback. Co-author of the study, Daniel Beal, went on to say that ‘many men may be sending women the wrong message’ by owning ‘flashy’ possessions and that women were wary of the negative connotations often attached to sports cars.

Furthermore, Beal’s findings only reinforced the fears of the women surveyed, as men who spent lavishly on grandiose items in an attempt to attract a partner were often only doing so for a short-term relationship.