Dave,
Actually the MGB did not have a "chick-car" image in Britain or in the Far
East - from my experience. The MGB TC was the car the Spitfire pilots
drove - my god, how less chick-car image can you get?. The TD was a bit
"softer" but so was every other car. In the Far East where I raced TDs -
slow speed and all, they were regarded as "sports"cars (I gave way and
turned to TR2s!) - but the MG was always a man's car - Now Sunbeam Alpine -
that's a different story! But in the States? I have no idea, I used to
laugh at people who thought the XK120 was a "small" English car !!
At 06:32 PM 7/10/01 -0400, Dave Tietz wrote:
>Dan,
>
>I think Andrew nailed it. I don't know too much about magazine articles
>on the cars, what I have seen on the Miata is that it is a nice
>entry-level Sports Car, but now here is the real performer... (Corvette,
>Mustang de jour, Porsche what-ever)
>
>I think the problem with both the MGB and the Miata is their popularity!
>They are seen by many as "common" cars, they aren't exotic... The
>Austin-Healeys, 6 cylinder Triumphs, and other, faster (and considerably
>more expensive) cars were good, MGBs -- Ho Hum. I think there was a
>perception of the MGB being a "chick car" in it's day too. Purdy of the
>"New Avengers" drove a Rubber Bumper MGB, the other heros drove Jags and
>of course, the Rolls. The MGB was just the less expensive, basic Sports
>Car of the '60s and '70s (and that's OK with me).
>
>The Miata faces the BMW Z3, the Porsche Boxter, now the Toyota MR2 and
>Honda among others, and it really was just the basic Sports Car of the
>'90s. It is "pumping up" somewhat now, and has to for survival.
>
>I think a Sports Car should be nimble, handle well, turn heads, have
>room for a picnic basket, and allow the passenger as much enjoyment as
>the driver. My MGB and Miata qualify (the MGB does turn more heads). An
>ex-coworker who was a Corvette freak wouldn't even walk over to see my
>MGB in the parking lot, and didn't have any kind words about my Miata
>either... He thought he had a "real" Sports Car... I consider the
>Corvette a "muscle car", I drove his (a 1992 model), and it was like
>driving a sledge (a fast sledge). There are a lot of "Sports Car" guys
>like him, and I think, they just don't get it.
>
>It's their loss...
>
>Dave Tietz
>
>P.S. Even in your Sports Car, sometimes you just do have to put up the
>top and turn on the air conditioning...
>
>---------------------------------------
>
>Date: Mon, 9 Jul 2001 08:59:37 -0700 (PDT)
>From: Dan DiBiase <d_dibiase@yahoo.com>
>Subject: Re: Miata engines in MGs?
>
>- --- "Andrew B. Lundgren" <lundgren@byu.net> wrote:
> > I have a Miata, everyone, including major publications, thinks its an
> > underpowered "Chick-Car", not a real sports car.
>
>Dan sez - Which publications?? Everything I read (Car and Driver, Road and
>Track, Autoweek, even occasionally Motor Trend) all love the car... Don't
>recall them every bad-mouthing it at all from that stand-point... And
>Classic and Sports Car mag recently had a comparison test with a Series 1
>Miata and they loved it....
>
>- --- "Andrew B. Lundgren" <lundgren@byu.net> wrote:
> > I have an MGB, everyone, including major publications, bad mouths it
> > for being underpowered and unreliable...
>
>Dan sez - Well, Peter Egan always liked 'em! I always thought that most
>publications held the MGB in respect, if not awe....
>
>I agree that when the Miata came out, I don't think Mazda felt there was
>as big a market as there has been. And the market is certainly more picky
>than perhaps in the past - witness the lack of success of the Mercury
>Capri that was intended as a Miata-fighter. But without the success of the
>Miata, would we have the Honda S2000, the MR2 Spyder and others of their
>ilk now? (Geez, next thing ya know, I'll be defending Triumphs on these
>pages!!!!).
>
>I actually like the Miata. It's some of the DRIVERS (hard top on in
>summer, saw one yesterday) that I can't understand!
>
>
>=====
>Dan DiBiase
>Dayton, NJ
>'76 MGB Tourer (Driver)
>'65 MGB Tourer (Project)
>NAMGBR #5-2328
>Get personalized email addresses from Yahoo! Mail
>http://personal.mail.yahoo.com/
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