And what country can preserve its liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as to facts, pardon and pacify them. What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.
Monday, October 31, 2022
A man's car. Didn't 007 drive the BMW version of this in one of his movies?
The BMW version of a Miata? I had a neighbor that had one of these when they first came out, I took my son, who was pretty small at the time to see it. It was cute but that's about it. Some time later I was at a classic car show and my son and I were looking at a nice early seventies 'Vette. I told him it was a fast car. He asked if it was as fast as Brad's car (the Miata). I told him the 'Vette would go faster in reverse than Brad's car would go off a cliff.
They are cheap, fun little cars. I've had two of them 20 years apart. I also own muscle cars. Those Miatas were cheaper and more reliable than the Brit and Italian versions they pay tribute to. No MG or Alfa-Romeo is ever going to be as solid as the Japanese knockoff.
I think you're referring to Flyin' Miata, they have lots of go-fast goodies for Miatas. The current Fiat 124 is a Miata under a new Italian skin. BMW has never collaborated with Mazda. Their Z8 was introduced in '98 IIRC and is a tribute to the BMW 507 of the late '50s which had an all-aluminium 2.5ltr V8. Elvis bought one when he was stationed in Germany. Al_in_Ottawa
I had a big block (1800cc) Gen 1 (1996) in black. Redid the suspension, brakes, wheels, Proxes 15's tires, and had the alignment set with 175 lbs of lead in the drivers seat to replicate my affect on the suspension geometry. Using my G-Analyst (from Mike Valentine of Passport fame) we measured 1.03 g left and right with it. It topped out at 115 with the top up. Great drivers car and my spousal unit hated it. More than enough reason to keep it. raded it for camera gear and was eventually sold to a kid who had a slew of them and was going to use the parts on a Gen 2. I should get another one. Still have the spousal unit though.
Got the new version of the Miata, the ND. I've completely replaced the exhaust from headers on back and with a custom tune it will get up to 140mph at sea level. I live in CO mountains so I can only get it up to about 130mph around here.
'93-96 Mazda RX-7 (final version). About the same size, and makes the Miata seem like a child's play toy. Looks better, also. Car & Driver magazine called it a race car with a license plate. (accurate statement. They were comparing all the expensive hot sports cars in an article, and the RX blew them all away)
The BMW version of a Miata?
ReplyDeleteI had a neighbor that had one of these when they first came out, I took my son, who was pretty small at the time to see it. It was cute but that's about it. Some time later I was at a classic car show and my son and I were looking at a nice early seventies 'Vette. I told him it was a fast car. He asked if it was as fast as Brad's car (the Miata). I told him the 'Vette would go faster in reverse than Brad's car would go off a cliff.
They are cheap, fun little cars. I've had two of them 20 years apart. I also own muscle cars. Those Miatas were cheaper and more reliable than the Brit and Italian versions they pay tribute to. No MG or Alfa-Romeo is ever going to be as solid as the Japanese knockoff.
ReplyDeleteI had some Alfas and they were certainly Italian in the artistic way they were built but my OCD says that it's important to be the real thing.
DeleteThere's a kit to drop the 5.0 fox body mustang engine in a Miata. I'm betting that would wake it up!
ReplyDeleteI think you're referring to Flyin' Miata, they have lots of go-fast goodies for Miatas. The current Fiat 124 is a Miata under a new Italian skin. BMW has never collaborated with Mazda. Their Z8 was introduced in '98 IIRC and is a tribute to the BMW 507 of the late '50s which had an all-aluminium 2.5ltr V8. Elvis bought one when he was stationed in Germany.
DeleteAl_in_Ottawa
The car that James Bond drove was a BMW Z3. 1996 is the year they came out. Made in Spartanburg SC.
ReplyDeleteDidn't Joe Don Baker drive a Miata in one Bond movie?
DeleteBond also had a BMW Z8 in The World Is Not Enough (the Z3 was in Goldeneye)
ReplyDeleteI had a big block (1800cc) Gen 1 (1996) in black. Redid the suspension, brakes, wheels, Proxes 15's tires, and had the alignment set with 175 lbs of lead in the drivers seat to replicate my affect on the suspension geometry. Using my G-Analyst (from Mike Valentine of Passport fame) we measured 1.03 g left and right with it. It topped out at 115 with the top up. Great drivers car and my spousal unit hated it. More than enough reason to keep it. raded it for camera gear and was eventually sold to a kid who had a slew of them and was going to use the parts on a Gen 2. I should get another one. Still have the spousal unit though.
ReplyDeleteSpin Drift
Got the new version of the Miata, the ND. I've completely replaced the exhaust from headers on back and with a custom tune it will get up to 140mph at sea level. I live in CO mountains so I can only get it up to about 130mph around here.
ReplyDeleteI remember when they first came out. My friend said you would need two of them; one for each foot.
ReplyDeleteA man’s car!!!
ReplyDeleteGimme a 1960 Austin Healey Sprite.
ReplyDelete'93-96 Mazda RX-7 (final version). About the same size, and makes the Miata seem like a child's play toy. Looks better, also. Car & Driver magazine called it a race car with a license plate. (accurate statement. They were comparing all the expensive hot sports cars in an article, and the RX blew them all away)
ReplyDeleteAre you maybe confusing it with the Toyota 2000 in You only live twice?
ReplyDelete