There's no doubt that the MGB is a well built car, stout and
pretty roomy inside. Having worked in an English car wrecking yard
for several years, I can say that MGB's survived accidents better
than most other cars. Jensen Healey's were also pretty good when it
came to surviving accidents.
Bugeyes, while small, are larger inside than Midgets and
Sprites, and they have such a distinct character, along with a pretty
good local race record. I think that Ray was expecting that his MGB
would handle comparably to the Bugeye after the B had new suspension,
and this is where I had to let him down. The two are completely
different cars, and while it is certanly possible to make an MGB handle
better than a Bugeye, the original intent and character of the car
would have to be significantly altered to achieve that.
I guess the one other thing that bothered me about MGB's is
that it seemed there was no attention paid to the aerodynamics of the
cabin with the roof removed. At any speeds above residential, wind
buffets violently down on the occupants heads, so trips longer than a
few miles become tedious. The TR-6 is similar in that respect. I
haven't driven a Bugeye, but Midgets and Sprites are also similar.
That's why I drive the Spit-6, it doesn't punish you while you're
having fun.
B's have a unique character, and some people really like it.
That's fine with me. I think though that Ray has been spoiling himself
with one of the best cars ever made, Kermit. Plus, if Ray did buy this
MGB, and he drove it at the handling limit, the outer 1/3 of the tyre
tread would wear, and he'd be looking for a new set of tyres. Not
knowing what size tyres to fit on it to get a little better handling
while also not rubbing, he would be forced to ask the list for advice.
The bitter scent of hypocracy flows across the bandwith....
Greg
Greg Meboe meboe@wsunix.wsu.edu
Dept. of Mechanical and Materials Engineering
Washington State University, Pullman, Wa.
'85 XJ-12 H.E. (daily) '67 Spit-6 '74 TR-6
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