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A sleeper (US English) or Q-car (British English) is a car that has high performance and an unassuming exterior.〔Rodrez. 〕 Sleeper cars are so called because their exterior looks little or no different from a standard or economy-class car. In some cases the car appears worse due to seeming neglect on the owner's part, typically referred to as "all go and no show". While appearing to be a standard or neglected car, internally they are modified to perform at higher performance levels. The American nomenclature comes from the term sleeper agent, while the British term derives from the Q-ships used by the Royal Navy. The earliest known use of the term 'Q-car' is in the February 1963 edition of ''Motor Sport'' magazine. The editor, Bill Boddy, said of the Lotus Cortina, "...the modifications carried out by Lotus have turned it in to a 'Q' car par excellence...". In the British film ''The Long Arm (film)'' (1956; aka ''The Third Key'') there are mentions of a Q car (unmarked) patrolling the city by night, indicating that the term was in use among UK law enforcement at least a decade earlier. In July 1964, British magazine ''Motorcycle Mechanics'' carried an announcement from editor Bill Lawless of the use of two police 'Q–cars' – a black Daimler SP250 sports car and a green Farina Austin A40 – patrolling the A20 between London and Maidstone, Kent.〔Motorcycle Mechanics, July 1964, p.3. ''To deter or detect?'' "If you drive down the A20 between London and Maidstone, keep a careful eye on the four–wheel boys ... Because there are several police patrols in the area disguised as normal vehicles. Watch out particularly for a black daimler SP250 sports car and a green Farina A40 ... I've no doubt that these police 'Q-cars'—the Daimler particularly—pick up dozens of offenders every day ... Everyone concerned in any way with motoring should clamour against 'Q-cars' and hidden radar traps, too." Accessed 2014-02-16〕 ==Beginnings== The Chrysler 300 letter series began in 1955 with the Chrysler C-300. With a 331 in³ (5.4 L) FirePower V8, the engine was the first in a production passenger car to be rated at , and was by a comfortable margin the most powerful in American cars of the time. By 1957, with the 300C, power was up to . These cars were among the first sleepers, marketed as high-end luxury cars from the traditional luxury marque Chrysler, but with a high-end homologation racing engine. However, these cars lose their "sleeper value" due to both their rarity (this series was highly luxurious; it was made in limited numbers and examples are very expensive), and the well publicized successes of Carl Kiekhaefer in NASCAR racing (1955–1956); though the car can be one of the creditors of the creation and popularity of muscle cars. The Mercedes-Benz 450SEL 6.9 was a powerful sedan with an intentionally subdued exterior, and a popular choice on the options list was a removal of the '450SEL 6.9' badging from the car's trunklid. Without this badge, the car is visually identical to any other period Mercedes saloon and belies extreme performance. This trend of overtly powerful saloon cars with subtle body modifications is exemplified by the work of Mercedes-AMG and Brabus on unassuming Mercedes saloons. However, the brand Mercedes Benz itself is associated with high quality vehicles so even though these models have helped to start the trend, this car still loses out on its "sleeper" value even though some cars within the same body layout Mercedes-Benz W116 may not have matched the Mercedes-Benz 450SEL 6.9. Also some other car's performance brands have become so iconic that they too lose out on their sleeper status such as an "AMG" badged Mercedes-Benz or a "M" badged BMW. The car which is most often credited as the start of the production Q-car trend in Europe is the Lotus Omega, which started out as an Opel Omega/Vauxhall Carlton. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Sleeper (car)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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