Sleeper (car) - Definition and Overview

A Sleeper (US English) or Q-car (British English) is a car which hides high performance inside an unglamorous, non-flashy exterior.

Some cars come like this from the factory, to suit the tastes of those who want performance without drama, whether because understatedness suits their chosen image or lifestyle or simply because they don't want to attract the attention of the police. Many German high-performance sedans, for example, look little different from the lower-powered models in the range: for example, the Mercedes-Benz 450SEL 6.9.

Owners may, in fact, even remove the evidence that their car is the high-performance model, removing lettering and trim that would distinguish them.

Others deliberately create sleepers by hot-rodding a car's mechanicals but leaving the external appearance exactly the way it came from the factory. Sometimes hints of the car's true nature show if one looks carefully: wider tires, lower stance, different engine note.

Some simply like having performance without show, but a more predatory use of the sleeper is made in street racing—where it is used to fool an opponent into under-estimating one's car. Some have even gone as far as to leave their cars' exteriors banged up and rusting—even causing additional rusting via the use of battery acid.

See also

• Drag racing
• Hot rod
• Rat rod
• Contrast: Rice burner