Paul:
Remember, I'm a BIG MG fan too, owing a 73 B roadster for over 15 years.
Sold them new when I was (much) younger. Read about it and my enthusiasm for
MG's on my website, link below. It's just that the C-5 Vette really IS a
great car - and a different car. You've got to understand it, just as you
have to understand MG's. It is NOT just a Corvette loyalty thing.
My younger brother also had a C-4 Vette before he died last year and his was
a good car too. Not as good as the C-5 but still a pretty darn good car -
for what it was. The MG is a good car too - for what it is. The whole point
I've tried to make all along is that they both should be appreciated - for
what they are.
The C-5 Corvettes is NOT just a drag race car either (though it does that
excellently too). In addition to being pretty plush and luxurious now-a-days
(power memory seats, Power windows, nice sound system, automatic AC, all the
normal good stuff, taking weight into consideration), they've also handle
fantastic. Can make 1 G side force STOCK! Not too many cars can do that.
Vettes have won several very big international road racing events, including
GTS class wins at LeMans, the Pete LeMans here at Road Atlanta and several
other road races. The finished 2-3 THIS year at LeMans in GTS class this
year, runner up only to a $150,000 plus Ferrari.
Let's see, if memory serves me correctly, didn't MG help make it's name as a
great road racing sports car???? I also seem to recall that the 73 model,
the same year model that I owned, was the SCCA class champion IN 1973.
Hmmmmmm.
And, furthermore, I do NOT love all Corvettes just because they are
Corvettes. The government, with emission laws and the fuel economy crunch of
the period, screwed Vettes up from the mid 70's well into the 80's.
Otherwise, I DO love all other model Vettes, just as I love all model MG's.
Well, maybe the RBB's are not my favorites (unless of course its Albert E's
good looking 78 roadster). Hi Albert! ;<)
And please read my post again - I DID clearly put in the caveat:
"I am NOT speaking up for ANY other American built car. They can fight their
own battles".
That's what I said. I don't care about Jeeps or whatever. In fact, our other
car is a Maxima and I got rid of a Rodeo (great car by the way) AND my MG to
get the Vette. Additionally, I'm going to replace the Maxima probably with a
Volvo in a month or so. I won't argue the point with you or anyone else if
the American cars that are produced right now are good or bad - but, in my
personal opinion, other than for a VERY limited few, us Americans are not
producing anything very "interesting" right now in the way of automotive
styling and technology. Very boring.
I'm sorry you've had you bad experiences with American cars but you
shouldn't heap them all together as you have. The C-5 Vette IS a great car.
Heaping ALL American cars together like you have done is like saying all
feet stink (substitute word). My wife's feet don't stink. The actually smell
great! And, I've met a few other ladies along the way (before her) that
their feet don't stink either! ;<)
You are nearby in North Carolina. I live in the Atlanta area. Stop by one
day and you can drive MY Vette for a little bit. After being in an MG for
awhile, that'll change your mind!!!!! I guarantee it. Serious offer.
Anytime.
To each his own, free country, a million, a million - and all that.
Jerry
Jerry Erbesfield
Was - 73 Black beauty MGB roadster
Now - C-5 Black Beauty Vette roadster
E-mail: jerbesfield@mindspring.com
Website: http://jerbesfield.home.mindspring.com
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-mgs@autox.team.net [mailto:owner-mgs@autox.team.net] On Behalf
Of Paul M.
Sent: Wednesday, July 23, 2003 11:56 PM
To: Jerry Erbesfield; 'Dean T. Lake'; 'MG List Postings'
Subject: RE: Two Super Supercharged MGB's
> Quite a rant - except for one thing; you're
> DEAD WRONG! The latest generation, the C-5,
> the model like I have is a wonderful car.
As I said, I'm not trying to convince anyone of
anything. If you love your Vette, more power to you.
All I'm saying is that in my own personal experience,
I have yet to find an American car that measures up to
the standards I personally have for build quality,
engineering excellence and design insight that I've
come to expect from modern Japanese and European
vehicles. Maybe your Vette is tight, and maybe the C5
really is the goods. I don't know. But the press
raved about the C4 too, and it was a piece of crap.
Fast? Yes. Affordable? Sure. But the estra money
you spend on a Porsche or Mercedes actually does BUY
something, and it's something that happens to be
important to me. More important than a quarter mile
time.
Look, Corvette owners are a loyal bunch, which I
respect, but the Corvett faithful loves every single
Vette ever produced, yet up to (and including) the C4,
they haven't warranted it.
The press raves about my Jeep, and it's a piece of
crap. The press has wonderful things to say about the
Dodge Caravan, and it's a piece of crap. This is
kinda my point.
Now my MG is a different story. To hold it to the
stndards of a Camry or Accord or Vette or Grand
Cherokee would be crazy. Different generations,
different worlds. When I bought the MG, I wasn't
looking for a refined commuter or a
maximum-performance street rocket. The MG is a
simple, rugged, tossable, antiquated sports car that
is absolutely perfectly engineered for its intended
use and market. Thirty years on, it's a delight.
But I hold brand new, modern cars to different
standards, and after owning a number of European and
Japanese cars, I've come to expect a level of
thoughtful engineering, exceptional build quality and
seamless useability that simple isn't there yet with
the Amercian cars I've driven.
The fact that I'm looking for improved build quality
by trading my Jeep for a Land Rover really speaks
volumes, doesn't it?
But hey! I could be dead wrong! Love your Vette,
drive it like you want to, and enjoy it. I definitely
don't want to take the wind out of anyone else's
sails! If I ever get to drive a five year old C5,
maybe I'll be a convert too. I suppose anything is
possible.
But I'm not holding my breath. I've been burned too
many times already...
=====
Paul Misencik
1971 MGB Vintage Race Project
www.sopwithracing.com
Huntersville, NC USA
www.paoloroman.com
__________________________________
Yahoo! SiteBuilder - Free, easy-to-use web site design software
http://sitebuilder.yahoo.com
/// or try http://www.team.net/cgi-bin/majorcool
/// Archives at http://www.team.net/archive
|