Peter Zaborski wrote:
> Someone posted recently that the miata registry in the usa has 600,000
> cars. If this is accurate I think it is simply astounding!
> [snip]
> So if we add all the mgs, trs, fiat spyders, alfas, etc produced in
the
> 60's and 70's, would we get even remotely close to 600k?
Peter,
I think you hit the nail on the head. I'm making a wild guess here,
and I may off a little, but I would guess that more Miatas are sold
in one month (at their peak) than the TOTAL number of British cars that
were sold in 1 year in the 60s and 70s? (even accounting for difference
in population). In terms of popularity, the Miata rivals the 240Z.
If I'm wrong here, please correct me. I think it would be interesting
to find out what these numbers are/were!
There was an earlier post (I apologize to the author for
forgetting his name) that suggested that the owners of then-new
Triumphs (AHs, MGs, Alfas, etc) are precisely the same type of person
who now buys new Miatas (Z3s, Boxters, etc).
I dont agree with this hypothesis based on the numbers of
availability given above. With the differences in production numbers,
this indicates to me that the purchaser if the then-new Triumph is
substantially different to the purchaser of a now-new Miata (would it
be more correct to compare the Miata with the Bugeye/Sprite/Midget
because of their relative affordability? Should TRs be aligned with Z3s?
AHs with Boxters?). Triumphs were different and unusual on the
roads in the 60s and 70s.
Personally I think Miatas are great modern sportscars, and
would certainly prefer a tweaked Miata to the modern Germanic
sportscar. However I would not own one now that I have lived with
a TR6 for 6 years, for all to reasons which we can relate to. I prefer
to drive my car with both hands on the steering wheel, wheras in a
Miata, I would be waving continuously at all the others at all the
others I see on the road!
Shane Ingate in San Diego
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