Todd Mullins wrote:
>
> nolan penney writes:
>
> > However, there definately is something to the rumble and feel of a v-8,
> > or a v-12 for that matter. My fathers Mustang has a rumble that no
> > Triumph or Lotus is going to match. And a torque force that only comes
> > with lots of rotating mass.
>
> Therein lies the yin and yang of it. Of the many methods mankind has
> used to scoot himself about over the years, nothing quite matches the
> rumble of a BIG 'murrican V8. Driving milady's Mustang ('65
> convertible, with the 2V 289 and Cruise-O-Matic) is certainly enjoyable,
> but it also sharply focuses the reasons that I like my MGB so much.
>
> Classic American V8s are the automotive embodiment of the American
> mindset in many ways, especially when paired with a slushbox. They're
> grossly excessive (nobody actually NEEDS 5 liters' worth of rotating
> mass to bring home the groceries), relatively inflexible (they rarely
> shove the tach needle past 3k rpm), and not particularly enamored with
> efficiency (gas mileage? who needs it at $0.30 a gallon?).
>
> But man, that torque. Nudge those butterflies open and you're THERE.
> The throttle really becomes more of an on/off switch; the whole driving
> experience becomes more like an afternoon in your favorite armchair,
> letting your unused limbs flop about in the breeze while your right foot
> assumes one of the two positions and the index finger of your steering
> hand is constantly adjusting the 4-turns-lock-to-lock power steering to
> keep you between the little white lines. It's an attitude.
>
> And the flip side of that coin is represented by the nimble little
> racers we usually talk about here. One the one hand you have a massive
> engine generating massive torque and requiring a massive chassis to
> control it; on the other you have a well-tuned small-displacement motor
> working efficiently inside a lithe and (relatively) lightweight coccoon.
> One man blasts the most direct route through; the other gracefully picks
> his line with the care of a choreographer. One driver needs only a few
> simple controls and a vast reserve of power; the other chooses instead
> the car that lets him fine-tune to the demands of the road.
>
> To appreciate sunshine you must live through rainy nights. To feel joy
> requires having grieved. To tune in to the rapture of the buzzy
> four-cylinder as it shrieks towards the loud end of the tach, subtly
> flicking the tactile steering while the entire car follows exactly the
> line you planned for it, you must have some understanding of the
> philosophy behind the lumbering giants you so effortlessly weave your
> way around.
>
> --
>
> Todd "Now where did I put that book of MG koans?" Mullins
> Todd.Mullins@nrlssc.navy.mil On the lovely Mississippi (USA) Coast
>
> '74 MGB Tourer in pieces (but getting there)
> '65 Mustang convertible 2V 289 Cruise-O-Matic Americana-on-a-stick (hers)
>
> "I could go at any time..."
Really beautifully expressed. May I copy that to show to our club
members who are not so fortunate as to be able to lurk in Cyberspace?
Thank you.
Geoff Love, The English Connection
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