(Preface: Last week I started this string on another list, but since
3/4 of the content is about British Cars, I'll share it here too.
Small Warning, two of the British cars tested, didn't fare too well,
and if reading about it will put you in a poor mood, stop reading
here.)
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Hello everyone, The other night I ran across a stack of old car
magazines that were hiding in a mislabled box in my crawl space.
After a few minutes of scanning the covers for something worth
reading, I found something that I thought would be fun to share with
the list, since one way or another several of us could relate to
it.
It seems that this magazine (that will remain nameless for now)
wanted to road test four convertible sports cars that cost less than
$10k. The cars they picked were a Fiat X1/9, a MGB, a Spitfire 1500,
and a TR-7, all 1980 models. (Now I know that for the fans of MGB's
and Spitfires, the 1980 models were/are pretty sorry examples of the
breed, but stay with me.) The place for this road test was a two day,
200 mile, tour of the picturesque rolling topography of the Napa and
Sonoma counties of northern California's wine country ending with
some serious testing at Sears Point. (Of the cars, not the wines
picked up along the way. :-)
But before I disclose the results of all of this, I thought it would
be fun for the list to try to guess which car of this foursome won
the the overall test and why. Then for bonus points pick the car that
turned the fastest lap at Sears along with a guess for lap time. Of
course you could take a stab at the lap times for the slower cars as
well. To the winner, bragging rights on how well you know sports cars
and/or Sears Point. (If you don't know anything about Sears Point, you
might want to guesstamate 0-60mph times or 1/4mile times.)
Pause here, make your picks, then read on for the results.........
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Ready? Ok here we go.
Let's first start with some specs....
Car Engine Power/torque Curb weight weight
distribution
X1/9 1.5 liter 66bhp@5250rpm 2180lbs 41%/59%
76lbs@3000rpm
MGB 1.8 liter 67bhp@4900rpm 2340lbs 51%/49%
94lbs@2500rpm
Spitfire 1.5 liter 53bhp@5000rpm 1885lbs 54%/46%
69lbs@2500rpm
TR7 2 liter 89bhp@5250rpm 2440lbs 58%/42%
100lbs@2500rpm
The winner on the roads in and around the wine country...
"through it all the X1/9 shone brilliantly. The Fiat has a raw-boned,
lean-and-hungry feel to it.... It's agile in a way few cars are, and its
responses are hair-trigger quick. Everything about it is direct; its
steering is precise and its brakes are sure. The X1/9 holds on to hilly
twists like a mountain goat and whooshes through high-speed sweepers and
second-gear hairpins with equal confidence. Its 1.5 liter midship-mounted
four is a model of zesty willingness buzzing its little heart out to the
seven-grand redline without a whimper."
A few words about the rest....
"the TR-7 roadsters influences are equal parts sports car and GT. Comfort
is now as important a factor as sportiness... The TR-7's handsomely
appointed cockpit, in contrast to the snug confines of the X1/9, is
spacious enough for a pair of football linemen. There is a velvetness to
the ride, and a general feeling of mass and solidity heretofore missing
in British roadsters"
"The B may be old, but it sure is outdated. ...the B has become the new
Beetle convertible. Befitting its advanced age, the B proved to be a
stately top-down tourer rather than a top-notch back-road artist. Through
the snaky bits it is tippy and wobbly, and the bumps knock it around far
more then they should."
"the Spitfire's 1.5 liter engine is anemic, and it wheezes and thrashes.
To its credit, the Spitfire puts a pretty fair grip on the road and
offers precise steering, but it also demands more respect that any of the
others during hard charging: the antediluvain swing-axle rear suspension
snaps sideways with sprint car oversteer if you try to brake and turn
simultaneously."
At Sears Point there were no surprises. The twisty circuit seemed only to
magnify each car's strengths and weaknesses.
"The Fiat again proved a delight, and the quickest of the group. It felt
like an overgrown formula car, willing to try almost anything we dared
and forgiving enough to save our skin when we miscalculated. It is in
fact one of the best-balanced and best-behaved street cars we have ever
driven on a closed course."
"The TR7 showed itself again to be smooth, predictable, and quick. We
couldn't complete a full circuit without drinking its float bowl dry.
(Yes, they do that, the Triumph Rep said, and No, we don't know why.) But
when it was on song, it built speed impressively between corners."
"The MGB, on the other hand, acted like a septuagenarian running a
decathlon. It hopped like a buckboard over bumps, and in corners it
leaned over on its door handles while raising its inside rear tire in a
fire-hydrant salute."
"The Spitfire again showed more spunk than its aged stablemate. As long
as we braked well before the corners, it had plenty of stabilizing
understeer and good steering feel to keep us on course and out of
trouble. Its distinct lack of oomph, however, relegated it to a lap time
even slower than the B's."
Stats from the track...
0-60mph 1/4mile 700ft slalom Lap time Top speed Braking 70-0
sec sec mph min/sec mph ft
X1/9 12.1 18.3 56.6 2:22.3 98 198
MGB 14.4 19.7 53.9 2:27.5 94 213
Spit 15.1 19.8 55.9 2:30.8 87 240
TR7 11.8 18.3 55.2 no time 99 229
They sum up with....
"The Spitfire and the MGB are two veterans that can still supply all of
the essential sensations that make open-air motoring such an enjoyable
experience - at least when you're not hurrying. But with leading-edge
two-seaters like the TR7 and the X1/9 on the scene, there's no reason to
dwell on the past. The new breed has brought the fun-in-the-sun tradition
up to date by adding Eighties levels of comfort and roadworthiness. As a
result, the TR7 and X1/9 pack more smiles into every mile than all but a
handful of today's cars." Car & Driver May 1980
If anyone would like a copy of this article, just let me know.
SASE, would make it easier.
Kirk (still a proud Spitfire owner) Buecher
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