Next MX-5 Uncovered

I'm not sure where it came from originally, but it's a rather widely used phrase in the automotive, motorcycle, and aeronautics fields:

The only direct attribution I can find is to Willian Stout, the designer of the Ford Trimotor back in the 1920s:

The Colin Chapman quote appars to be "To add speed, add lightness".

In any case, "adding lightness" is pretty idiomatic.

I always liked this one: "A Lotus is a kit car bolted together for ease of shipping." Definitely not a Chapman quote!

Don't start that shudda stuff or I send Pat up there to buy that hotrod from you right now ;-)

Seriously though, they are totally different animals, I'd like to keep the Miata and have the Speed 6 for the wife so, when I have to drive the 'big car' it could be a blast too!

cd

99BBB

Back in the day, that probably made allot of sense! I'm proud of what Lotus has done and how they've done it. If a British car company (are they still a British car company?) can rise like a Phoenix than so can American ones! Focus boys, focus!

Chris

99BBB

Stranger things have happened. I just need to earn a few thousand more a year, no problem.

I guess that Frank would need to be ready to sell as well. MSM's are not that hard to find, but Frank's car is in nice shape and is being well-cared for now, and it already has most of the aftermarket stuff done that I would consider if I owned one.

I'm assuming that he will fix the gauge problem if it has not been done already. If I could buy the car and put my SSR Competitions on it, I think it would be very cool. I also like the color a lot.

There you go Frank, now you won't want to sell. ;-)

I do wear a size 9 EE shoe (wide), so the changes that he makes to the pedal for increased room would benefit me as well.

Pat

But the Mazda3-based Euro Focus, please, not the old US model.

I mean, does Acura even have a car or truck that you can look at without cringing? And in the late 80's to early 1990's, every vehicle they built was a thing of lithe, graceful, supple beauty.

TIM, THANK YOU FAR SAYING IT FOR ME! ACURA HAS TOTALLY LOST IT'S WAY! CD

The only hope I have comes from the words of a friend of mine's daughter, a design student at Pratt in NYC, who told me at a cookout earlier this month that the young men she had met who were studying industrial design with an eye towards carrers in the automotive arena were all rebelling against what they called "transformer" bikes and that their design studies remind her of her Dad's Ducati 996SPS - smooth, flowing, classic, simple lines.

Maybe, just maybe, there *is* hope for the furute.

I HOPE SHE'S RIGHT. THERE ARE ALWAYS HIGH POINTS AND I GUESS THAT MEANS THERE HAVE TO BE LOW POINTS BUT MAN, WE'VE GONE LOWER THAN LOW WITH THE CURRENT 'CORPORATE LOOK' PRINCIPLE. THAT'S GOTTA GO!

CD

99BBB

You are sooooo right! Hey, I have to give Ford an earned big thumbs up for bringing the US a really good Focus (reportedly) this time. Cheers!

Chris

99BBB

Amen. My sentiments exactly.

Tim, we could probably go right down our lists of favorite designs and only argue about a couple rankings here and there ;-)

Chris

99BBB

Hideous! Makes me want to hug my 2005 MX-5. Looks like they are took lessons from BMW on how to turn the beautiful Z-3 into that abhorrent Z-4.