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Re: new healey

To: "Blue One Hundred" <healey.nut@gmail.com>,
Subject: Re: new healey
From: "Greg Lemon" <glemon@neb.rr.com>
Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2006 00:02:01 -0600
Richard, I agree with most of what you said except about the cheap parts,
there a plenty of good four or six cylinder powertrains available which
typically power 3300 to 3600 pound garden variety Hondas, Toyotas, Fords and
Chevys.  Subtract 800-1000 pounds from the weight and suddenly you have a
pretty good power to weight ratio.

As Alan alluded to, I believe the Lotus Elise engine is based on a fairly
garden variety Toyota 4 banger.

It will be hard for a small manufacturer to build to a low price, get a
larger player in the mix and maybe that would change.  Flashback to the
original 100 story with Austin, a lot of things have changed, but many are
not that much different.

Somewhere between a Miata and a Corvette in price and performance would be
great, but probably too much to hope for.  As in the early fifties there is
actually a little gap in the market there, the "entry level" BMC Porsche and
Mercedes roadsters are about as much as the Vette and offer less
performance.  Only tweener car I can think of in the USA is the S2000,
perish the thought but maybe something like the torquey GM 3.8 liter v-6 in
the new Healey (believe it was an option in the Camaro Firebird, so even a
RWD driveline available) as a contrast to the high strung Honda unit, and in
keeping with the Healey tradition of a low stressed production units giving
effortless performance

Also it needs to be GREAT LOOKING, stunning, fabulous, etc.

Now I am working myself up, anybody want to throw out a little (OK a lot) of
venture capitol, hell I'll build one!

Greg Lemon
54 Bn1




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