Date sent:              Sat, 29 May 2004 15:20:10 -0500
Send reply to:          Joel Walker <jwalker17@EARTHLINK.NET>
From:                   Joel Walker <jwalker17@EARTHLINK.NET>
Subject:                Re: spoats cars, definition thereoff ..
To:                     vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM

> > > AHIP!  REAL sports cars don't have roll up windows or built in
> hard tops.
> > > <snip>
> > >
> > Well, if spartan is what it takes, then my '58 Frogeye (Bugeye)
> Sprite
> > certainly qualifies as a sports car.
>
> definitely.
>
> but you guys are all forgetting that definitions evolve over the
> years.
>
> in the beginning, when God created sports cars, it was basically
> Low-Speed-High-Velocity type cars. dusenberg, allard, stutz bearcat
> and stuff like that. expensive but 'fast'. but 'fast' had a different
> meaning. back then, 100mph was terrifying ... cause the roads were ...
> well ... crap. :) hell, 40mph was terrifying back then.
>
> but 40mph on a horse was also terrifying ... if you could whip ol'
> Dobbin into such a frenzy. ;)  and 20mph on a donkey was torture, pure
> and simple.
>
> then things changed ... people wanted cheap thrills. so cheaper cars
> came out with only one design idea: the thrill of speed. not Speed,
> but the THRILL of speed. this meant fast and quick steering and
> cornering, and good brakes (like someone mentioned), and swoopy lines
> (well, it does have to LOOK good to the buyer and his perceived public
> ... i mean, not very many folks will shell out coins for an Ugly
> Spoats Cah). MG, Triump, Austin, Healy, and so forth. you FELT like
> you were going fast, even though by today's standards you might not. i
> can recall a 1959 MG-A with wooden floors and a transmission hump that
> was ALWAYS 'warm' and a drop-top that was exhilerating to drive on a
> curvy paved road.
> it was dull and boring to drive on a long straight road. cause its top
> speed was MAYBE 70-80 mph. yup. but boy, on them curves, you could do
> like 50mph around almost any curve, and it was FUN!!
>
> and THAT is what made a sports car a sports car back then. FUN.
> well, that and the unique position it put you in your local community.
> if there were others, then you suffered loss of position. til you
> formed a Club and all of you got together and drove around at the same
> time. now, THAT really started the tongues wagging! :)
>
> but now?
>
> well ... not even sure there is such a thing as a Sports Car. too much
> stuff in 'em. too comfortable. hell, you could take a 2004 honda civic
> and outrun a 1964 Porsche 356C ... and that porsche cost a year's
> salary back when it was new. but 40 years makes a lot of difference in
> technology, roads, fuel, safety, and even driver education ... kids
> today can much more easily handle the technology than us old farts who
> grew up with mechanical brakes (yup. NOT hydraulic) and radiator fans
> that ran off the engine (not electric) and tail lights that could only
> be seen at night from maybe 40 feet behind the car. and only one tail
> light at that!  why? cause they grow up with computer games and
> arcades and such. their toys are much more complex and quicker. so
> it's only gonna get worse. and us old farts will have to worry about
> it as we get older and older, and a new crop of younger ones hit the
> streets every year. :(
>
> but whatever happens, just remember one thing:
>
> you can only drive ONE car at a time.
>
> that hasn't changed. ;) so do the best you can in the car you're
> driving. and hope for the best.
>
> and stay away from dumptrucks.
>
> unca joel

You mean fans DON'T run off the engine anymore???  Well, that explains that
whrrring I hear once in a while.  //jack