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  #76  
Old 01-08-2009, 04:32 PM
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My 1st "sports car" was a 59 AH sprite, that I transplanted a 283 into. The sport was stop light to stop light, hopefully with no hard curves involved. Even though it was painted competition orange, it got run over by a land yacht. The last one was a Piper Lance, a 1929 MB SSK replica on a ford mustang chasis and powerplant. I have a CRX-si to play with now, but I can't bring myself to call it a sports car.

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  #77  
Old 01-08-2009, 04:32 PM
TheDon's Avatar
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kalpol View Post
Not to start a Italian versus English car flame war here, but I find it odd that Fiats aren't more popular, with all their virtues over English engineering.
I saw a Fiat 500 around town the other day. I was amazed
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  #78  
Old 01-08-2009, 04:42 PM
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Location: Northeast Indiana
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I had an '81 Fiat Spider 2000 Turbo, fun to drive but still handled like an MGB. I also had a late X1/9, handled like much more car than it was, I could easily out-autocross RX7s even though they had twice the power, ... those things were lots of fun to drive. Not much to protect you though, that's for sure.

The early Spitfires (IRS / swing-arm suspension) were the really scary ones, you get a little sideways and the rear suspension would tuck itself under the car. Brother had one of those, ... had some close calls.

I didn't really consider the later Spitfires scary for their time, had more go than a midget/sprite and sexier styling (had MGs too, don't flame me). The scary part of mine was the I-6 stuck in where a 4-banger came out, it had a lot of power and wasn't exactly perfectly balanced. The TR6 was IMO a "safer" car just because it was taller and more visible, although neither was much of a match to today's SUVs, a sturdy sedan, or even a modern sports car like a Z3 or TT roadster. Something about that Triumph with a pressed-cardboard transmission tunnel between my legs and the drivetrain that never made me warm and fuzzy (although feet were always warm in a Brit car in the summer).

BTW, what is considered a "sports car" here? In my day, we never considered a Corvette after the Stingray era to be much of a sports car, ... well maybe a few of the early chrome-bumper C-3s were not too bad, but certainly not a Muskrat or Challenged. Those were Muscle Cars. Sports cars were usually more like MG or Austin Healy, or 356 roadsters, or even a Volante or C-2 roadster. Mostly open cars. What's the criteria here OP?
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  #79  
Old 01-08-2009, 05:14 PM
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Location: Red Lion,Pa
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TheDon View Post
last car was a dodge colt that I was going to put an eclipse turbo motor in with a talon TSI AWD... but then I bought the benz... so I havent owned a sports car or exotic until I bought that Irish car... I now understand the British car joke. Thank god they do use lucas wiring harnesses because finding NOS wiring harness smoke for a DMC-12 would be harder than getting a blinder fluid cap for a spitfire.

I have seen original Lucas smoke on ebay. I think the DMC-12 takes two jars
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Current
Monika '74 450 SL
BrownHilda '79 280SL
FoxyCleopatra '99 Chevy Suburban
Scarlett 2014 Jeep Cherokee
Krystal 2004 Volvo S60
Gone
'74 Jeep CJ5
'97 Jeep ZJ Laredo
Rudolf ‘86 300SDL
Bruno '81 300SD
Fritzi '84 BMW
'92 Subaru
'96 Impala SS
'71 Buick GS conv
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  #80  
Old 01-08-2009, 05:21 PM
LUVMBDiesels's Avatar
Dead on balls accurate...
 
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Location: Red Lion,Pa
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kalpol View Post
Not to start a Italian versus English car flame war here, but I find it odd that Fiats aren't more popular, with all their virtues over English engineering.

I think there are three reasons.

1) RUST

2) Parts availability

3) The amount of Fiats sold were a fraction of the numbers of MG and Triumphs

Alphas drip more oil than an OM617 and did not last either.
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"I have no convictions ... I blow with the wind, and the prevailing wind happens to be from Vichy"

Current
Monika '74 450 SL
BrownHilda '79 280SL
FoxyCleopatra '99 Chevy Suburban
Scarlett 2014 Jeep Cherokee
Krystal 2004 Volvo S60
Gone
'74 Jeep CJ5
'97 Jeep ZJ Laredo
Rudolf ‘86 300SDL
Bruno '81 300SD
Fritzi '84 BMW
'92 Subaru
'96 Impala SS
'71 Buick GS conv
'67 GTO conv
'63 Corvair conv
'57 Nomad
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  #81  
Old 01-24-2009, 09:13 PM
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Location: talco, tx AND surburban DC
Posts: 54
Icefire, et.al.,

over the last 48 years i've owned nearly 100 cars/light trucks, including but not limited to (these are the ones i remember that have "passed through my hands".):

at least a dozen Nash Metropolitan coupes/roadsters,
several Chevrolet/GMC pickups (mostly bought for the family farm),
2 Austin Healey roadsters,
1941 American LaFrance Pumper,
Nash-Healey roadster,
1929 Ford Tudor,
1917 Model T coupe,
1923 Model T roadster,
1923 One Ton TT flatbed truck,
1948 Nash Ambassador saloon,
2 Caddy convertibles (57/76),
Alfa Romeo 1600 Super Gulia Spider,
Alfa Romeo 2600 roadster,
1600 Alfa Romeo coupe- body by Touring,
1961 MGA twin-cam roadster,
1969 Checker Super Marathon wagon,
Mazerati 3500GT coupe,
1965 Sunbeam Tiger roadster,
3 Karmann Ghia Cabriolets 67/71/72,
1940 Packard 120 Business Coupe,
1967 Lancia Zagato coupe,
1967 Rambler Rebel SST,
MB 220SE saloon,
1985 MB 300SD,
1938 Henney-Packard Ambulance,
1964 MB Hearse,
MB 220 (gas) Taxi,
1958 Morgan +4 Drophead coupe,
1961 TR-3 roadster,
1965 Jaguar Drophead Coupe,
BMW 600cc coupe
&
Mini Moke, with a Cooper engine.


as you can see, i'm a REAL "car nut". (looking at this list makes me wish i hadn't sold/wrecked/traded off a BUNCH of those.)

yours, texasnative46
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  #82  
Old 01-24-2009, 10:14 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SD Blue View Post
Does a '74 F150 with a 460ci engine count as a sports "car"?
If so then my 8? (84? 85? something like that) F150 with the 351 would. As the '72 Impala with a 400. Flooring it for 0-100mph and you could see the gas needle drop.

But the last "real" sports car was an '89 SHO. Walked into the dealer to buy a Mustang 5.0 and the salesman kept trying to push these new things that just came off of the truck. I finally agreed to test drive it to shut him up. I finally sold it 2 years ago to a friend's brother who needed a reliable vehicle. Well, that and the wife kept nagging me to get rid of it. It's still on the road with the original engine. The only major repair was replacing the piece of cr*p Mazda transmission when one of the gear pins broke and chewed up the gears.
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  #83  
Old 01-25-2009, 09:16 AM
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Had a 69 mustang fastback ,302 w/ 351 heads ,ported polished ,mid rizer ,isky cam ,high duration ,the car in all practical terms was a drag car .It made you sick to sit in it.The joy came when you hit the throttle ,closes thing to a rocket sled I had ever been in.This car was recognized as my High schools wow car ,as a kid I always would watch this car pull into our local High School parking lot and amaze at its sound ,made your heart skip.Jumping 10 years into the future ,driving home one day and Im amazed to see the car with a for sale sign sitting in the front yard of a residence off the main Highway ,I pulled my truck around to the next exit and headed back for a closer look and its the same one. After enquiring of the sales price ,(I dont think it would of mattered) .I made the deal .What sold it is the sound that this one car could make at idle ,unfergettable and brought me back to being a kid with dreams of driving such a car. I smiled all the way home that day.
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  #84  
Old 01-25-2009, 11:50 AM
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Location: Lathrup Village, Michigan
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Quote:
Originally Posted by texasnative46 View Post
Icefire, et.al.,

over the last 48 years i've owned nearly 100 cars/light trucks, including but not limited to (these are the ones i remember that have "passed through my hands".):
...snip...
yours, texasnative46
No Model A?

I've always wanted a TR3A. When I was looking for my first just out of college, I actually saw a couple in the Auto Trader. Didn't have the money to buy one though. Wish I did!
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'05 E320 CDI - 86,000 miles
'86 300SDL - 360,000 miles
'85 300SD - 150,000 miles (sold)
'89 190D - 120,000 miles (sold)
'85 300SD - 317,000 miles (sold)
'98 ML320 - 270,000 miles (sold)
'75 300D - 170,000 miles (sold)
'83 Harley Davidson FLTC (Broken again) :-(
'61 Plymouth Valiant - 60k mikes
2004 Papillon (Oliver)
2005 Tzitzu (Griffon)
2009 Welsh Corgi (Buba)

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  #85  
Old 01-25-2009, 11:56 AM
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Okay, if a POS FWD Audi-knock-off full-sized sedan Taurtus with a Yamaha ricer-job and suspension made to ride like crap just so that it could keep up with some of the euro sedans of its era (at least on smooth pavement like skidpads) is a "sports car", I've certainly missed the memo.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Gene Horr View Post
But the last "real" sports car was an '89 SHO.
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  #86  
Old 01-25-2009, 01:51 PM
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Location: talco, tx AND surburban DC
Posts: 54
mplafluer,

in case you didn't notice, i HAD a 1929 Ford Tudor, i.e., a Model A 2D sedan. - kept it about 6 months & traded it for another car.
(never bought another A, as they are too much like a "modern car" but wouldn't "keep up with traffic" in Houston, though i must admit that i'd be sorely tempted to buy a '31 Deluxe Roadster, if i found a restored one at a DECENT price.)

fyi, the little TR-3A i had came from the Houston PD "impound lot". i think i remember that i paid something like 100.oo for it. - drove it on & off for years. sadly, my kid sister totaled it in the mid 1970s.

yours, texasnative46
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  #87  
Old 01-25-2009, 02:05 PM
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Location: Orlando, FL
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I've never owned any sports cars myself, but I have driven a few only to realize that at this point in life if I did actually own one I'd be dead in a week. I've driven an Audi S3, Lancer Evolution IX, and a Nissan GT-R.

My first car was a 1998 Buick Park Avenue my aunt and uncle gave to me because it was just sitting in their garage taking up space. It was my cousins car, and he went to college so he couldn't take it the first year.

My grandpa passed in 2006, and I had always eyed the 190E he had in his garage. I wanted that thing since I was 5 years old! Well once he passed it went up for sale, so I sold the Buick and bought the 190 from my family. Best decision I've ever made, that Buick (besides the engine, I actually liked the 3800) was falling apart quickly.

Every time I switch from Norm to the 190E I feel like I'm driving a sports car
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  #88  
Old 01-25-2009, 02:20 PM
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Location: talco, tx AND surburban DC
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colincoon,

PURTY wagon.

yours,tn46
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  #89  
Old 01-25-2009, 03:59 PM
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Location: Santa Monica, CA
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At one time I've owned:

Spitfire

TR4

Maserati 1964 3500GT Convertibile Vignale (sp. as per the brochure)

Those days are long gone (but they were fun!)
Attached Thumbnails
Did you drive sports cars before MB's-triumph_spitfire_mk1_b-small-.jpg   Did you drive sports cars before MB's-tr4a%2520project%2520syk303f%2520008-small-.jpg   Did you drive sports cars before MB's-vigspyder1_carnut.jpg  
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  #90  
Old 01-25-2009, 08:27 PM
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Go back to the kitchen and finish cooking, honey. You're only embarassing yourself.

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