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This morning I had to give a co-worker a ride to pick up his XJ6 from the British car specialty shop. It turned out that they had a small showroom, with several really nice cars crammed inside.
As a kid, I never dreamed about owning a Camaro or Corvette; the muscle-car performance formula never really appealed to me the way that the smaller sportsters and handlers did. The teched-out Japanese cars, such as the Stealth/3000 GT and 300ZX, didn't really do it either, as all of that extra stuff that they had really didn't have much to do with actually driving, and it all added weight.
What I really liked, and what I always wanted, were cars that felt like you were wearing them instead of sitting in them. I dug the first-gen RX-7, the 240Z, the early 911, and the classic Brit cars. I never had anything against American cars, or V-8's, and, being a kid, I never actually got to go out and drive stuff, but the idea of that much weight just seemed counter-productive. I also drove an 83 Accord 4-dr, which did a good job of pretending to be a nimble sports car while not letting a reckless, irresponsible kid get into too much trouble.
My favorite of the Brit cars has always been the Austin Healy 3000, though mainly from pictures and articles, as I've rarely ever gotten to see one up close. The one in the showroom today was cream white, with an overall good body, great chrome, and an interior that looked restored. I'm not knowledgeable enough to know just how good the car was beyond that, but it certainly was easy on the eye.
I know it's counterintuitive, but the fact that the 3000 is a little bigger is part of the reason I like it. The MGB and Spitfire were too small, and too cute. The 3000 certainly wasn't big, but it had a maturity and class to it lacking in all but a precious few of the sport-pints. The shape is probably the most elegant of all the Brit roadsters, and I particularly like the grille, the T-bird style chromed hood, and the silly rear-view mirrors mounted way out at mid-fender. It'll be a long time before I'll have the cash to get one, much less keep it running.
My other favorite is the MGA, with its graceful bodywork and tall chrome grille...
Getting ready to leave, hafta pick this up at home!
Ghrankenstein
As a kid, I never dreamed about owning a Camaro or Corvette; the muscle-car performance formula never really appealed to me the way that the smaller sportsters and handlers did. The teched-out Japanese cars, such as the Stealth/3000 GT and 300ZX, didn't really do it either, as all of that extra stuff that they had really didn't have much to do with actually driving, and it all added weight.
What I really liked, and what I always wanted, were cars that felt like you were wearing them instead of sitting in them. I dug the first-gen RX-7, the 240Z, the early 911, and the classic Brit cars. I never had anything against American cars, or V-8's, and, being a kid, I never actually got to go out and drive stuff, but the idea of that much weight just seemed counter-productive. I also drove an 83 Accord 4-dr, which did a good job of pretending to be a nimble sports car while not letting a reckless, irresponsible kid get into too much trouble.
My favorite of the Brit cars has always been the Austin Healy 3000, though mainly from pictures and articles, as I've rarely ever gotten to see one up close. The one in the showroom today was cream white, with an overall good body, great chrome, and an interior that looked restored. I'm not knowledgeable enough to know just how good the car was beyond that, but it certainly was easy on the eye.
I know it's counterintuitive, but the fact that the 3000 is a little bigger is part of the reason I like it. The MGB and Spitfire were too small, and too cute. The 3000 certainly wasn't big, but it had a maturity and class to it lacking in all but a precious few of the sport-pints. The shape is probably the most elegant of all the Brit roadsters, and I particularly like the grille, the T-bird style chromed hood, and the silly rear-view mirrors mounted way out at mid-fender. It'll be a long time before I'll have the cash to get one, much less keep it running.
My other favorite is the MGA, with its graceful bodywork and tall chrome grille...
Getting ready to leave, hafta pick this up at home!
Ghrankenstein