Sleeper (car)

For a train carriage with sleeping facilities, see sleeping car.
For someone who sleeps in a car, see vehicle dweller.
"Q-car" redirects here. For other uses, see Q car (disambiguation).

A third-generation Mercury Marauder, the high-performance version of the Mercury Grand Marquis full-size sedan.

A sleeper (American English) or Q-car (British English) is a car that boasts high performance while having an unassuming exterior.[1][2][3] Sleepers are usually developed on the platform of a non-athletic class of vehicle, most often that of an economy car. In addition to looking modest, a sleeper car may sometimes appear to be a "beater" — a car that is in a visibly poor condition due to seeming neglect and lack of maintenance on the owner's part — though this is intentional and commonly described as "all go and no show"; these cars are internally modified to achieve very competitive levels of performance while being presented as a standard or neglected car. The American name for this type of vehicle comes from the term sleeper agent[citation needed], whereas the British name is derived from the Q-ships used by the Royal Navy.

The British term has been in use since the aftermath of World War II. In the February 1963 issue of Motor Sport magazine, British journalist Bill Boddy states: "the modifications carried out by Lotus have turned the Lotus Cortina into a 'Q' car par excellence" in a highlight of the high-performance Cortina's unassuming exterior. Likewise, in the 1956 British film The Long Arm (known as The Third Key in the United States), the term is used in reference to unmarked police cars patrolling the city of London by night, indicating that it was in use among British law enforcement at least a decade earlier.[4]

In July 1964, British magazine Motorcycle Mechanics carried an announcement from editor Bill Lawless of the use of two unmarked police "Q-cars" — a black Daimler SP250 and a green Austin A40 Farina — patrolling the A20, a road between London and Maidstone.[5]

  1. ^ Rodrez. "1994 Honda Accord EX - Sleepers: A Modern Day Wolf In Sheep's Clothing". Honda Tuning Magazine. 2010-09-07. Retrieved 2011-05-25.
  2. ^ "Sport Compact Car Terms & Phrases - Information". Modified. Retrieved 2011-05-25.
  3. ^ Robert Genat (2000). Chevrolet SS. MotorBooks International. pp. 59–. ISBN 978-1-61060-862-6.
  4. ^ Gilboy, James (2021-01-18). "How the 'Q-Car' Term for a Sleeper Car Was Inspired By the British Royal Navy". The Drive. Retrieved 2023-06-12.
  5. ^ 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