From: kevin@taronga.taronga.com (Kevin Brown)
Subject: Re: <<< Mustang Powered Miata >>>
Reply-To: kevin@taronga.taronga.com (Kevin Brown)
Organization: Minimal.
Date: Fri, 10 Apr 1992 06:42:44 GMT

In article <1992Apr9.191325.20822@hubcap.clemson.edu> lharris@hubcap.clemson.edu (Larry Harris) writes:
>dcg@mogun.UUCP (David Gunsul) writes:
>
>>> it's *impossible* to be "wrong" about what a sports car is.  It's a subjective
>>> thing (IMHO, of course).
>
>>Hmmm, you may have a point there.
>
>>That is a possible explanation for some of the American cars going bad as well.
>>People now-a-days just don't get into taking care of their cars like they did
>>a few years back so they run like crap.
>>It's a shame there used to be a time when the car was thought of as a friend and
>>not just another machine.
>
>>Sometimes I think people don't give enough credit to the Mustangs and Camaros,
>>everyones always pushing for improvement and don't get me wrong I like improvement
>>too but these cars are old "warriors" of the drag-strip that have survived the
>>toughest test of anything, time and have come out with dignity.
>
>>                       David Gunsul 
>
>I think that this is one of the best posts I've see you write.  As a
>Mustang owner myself, I have to agree.  No Japanese manufacturer has
>even attempted to make a car comprable to the Mustang's style, which I
>guess is very distinctly american.  It is a car that is far from
>perfection, but in a way, that's half the fun.  There's nothing quite
>like experiencing tire smoking power on overstear!!!  Sure its not to
>practicle... but fun... hell yeah!!  To bad I can't affoard to buy new
>tires every month.  

You and me both.  :-)

>The Mustang also leaves plenty of room for the shade
>tree mechanic to make his own improvements, something those sealed
>engine Japanese cars don't offer (I'm not really critisizing them for
>it, though).

This is one of the most important (to me) aspects of the Mustang.  The
engine in it has been around for almost 30 years.  There are *lots*
of aftermarket products for it, and it's real easy for someone with
a relatively small budget to get incredible performance out of the
Mustang.

And it's what has me more worried than anything else about the
next-generation Mustang.  As I understand it, they're planning on
putting in their "modular" V-8.  DOHC.  A completely different
design.  No real aftermarket for it, and I suspect there won't be
for some time.  Oh, it'll be an excellent engine in all likelihood.
But Ford got most of the basics right some 30 years ago with the
221 (which begat the 260, which begat the 289, which begat the
302 :-) ).

But worse than that: will they continue to manufacture the 302?  It's
such a good little engine that I'd hate to see them stop production
of it.  I don't want the aftermarket for the Ford smallblock V-8 to
die for a LOOOONG time.

>-- 
>-Larry Harris-                |  '86 Mustang lx 5.0 notchback
>lharris@hubcap.clemson.edu    |  Meyer's Tow'd Dune Buggy
>lharris@clemson.bitnet        |  OS-9, a leaner meaner UNIX
>Clemson Computer Engineering  |  RUSH, YES, R.E.M, The Who


		Kevin Brown (kevin@taronga.taronga.com)

From: maurice@hp-ptp.ptp.hp.com (Maurice Liang)
Date: Mon, 13 Apr 1992 17:38:11 GMT
Subject: Re: Info's and Comments on 86 Toyota MR2 needed
Organization: HP Pacific Technology Park - Sunnyvale, Ca.