It was a car-centric day yesterday for me, starting with the Arizona Concours and then Barrett Jackson. One of the more lively discussions I had with my host as we walked through the concours was about Japanese sports cars in the 60's when we came upon one of these in a far corner of the grounds:



A Mazda Cosmo from the late 60's. To me it was an example of the Japanese blending classic European cars in to a Frankenstein. The Cosmo would have been the result if an Alfa mated with a Jag or Lotus. That led to a discussion of the Toyota 2000, the 240Z and yes, on this forum, the beloved Mazda Miata.

Over at Barrett Jackson there were several "retro mod" cars, including a Porsche 928 that had been converted to a retro "spyder"



From past conversations, I knew my host was keen on these conversions since they provided "the look" with modern hardware. My take is that these retro things should be repulsive to enthusiasts as the look is hardly a decent exchange for what made the original special. If you want a 550 sypder, go get one. Or at least a quality "reproduction" as most Cobras are these days.