I'll duck now to avoid the hail of stones... but isn't that pretty much what
the BMW Z3 is? A safe, low-emissions, nicely handling car with A/C and other
niceties? In other words, an easy, comfortable, wonder-bread kind of MG?
They seem to sell 'em nicely at $30-40K a pop... but they don't make my
heart go pitty-pat like my MGA or the B or various pre-7 TR's do. (However,
a nod in the direction of whomever designed the front of the car -- nicely
done!)
It's a shame that you can't (legally) build a bare-bones sport roadster like
our beloved friends anymore. Between needing 3-point belts, roll bars, air
bags, ABS, emissions control, etc. you pretty much HAVE to build the vanilla
version. Not to mention that you're going to have to put in a 18-speaker CD
changer with the boom-boom subwoofer, and the obligatory multiple
cup-holders, if you're gonna get any mass audience for the thing. Basically
you get either the Z3 (pricey) or the Pontiac Sunfire (cheaper, but
zzzzzz...)...
Kris
-----Original Message-----
From: dresden@tiac.net <dresden@tiac.net>
To: mgs@autox.team.net <mgs@autox.team.net>
Date: Wednesday, July 07, 1999 9:28 PM
Subject: Re: Hypothetical question
>Do you mean making "brand new MG's" for sale as a new car?
>
>The technical challenges would be almost entirely safety related, I think.
>I don't know how the B stacks up to modern vehicles, though I know it's a
>lot more solid than most people think. But they would have to have air
>bags, and they would probably also come with anti-lock brakes and a lot of
>other things to jack up the price tag. The answer to emissions problems
>would probably be to just use a more modern engine, one that would, we
>hope, boost performance as well. Also, for a modern sportscar, suspension
>and brake changes would probably be desired so as to attract new buyers as
>well as nostalgic ones. And a new soft top design that is easier to use
>would also be nice...
>
>But that's all speculation...the automakers' solution is to make a
>different model in the spirit (sometimes) of the old one. And would the car
>above, even if styled as an older MG, really be one? Of course not. Better
>that we take an MGH or whatever if we want a new car.
>
>
>>Hi there, I was just thinking about the state of new car design and
>>construction (and the excesses of such) and was pondering this
>>questions.
>>
>>1) What would be the technical challenges of building brand new MG's (my
>>preference would be for MGA's).
>>
>>2) What could you sell them for ($)
>>
>>3) Would they sell in sufficient quantity to justify it.
>>
>>Just curious as to your opinions.
>>
>>Matt
>
>
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