Hello Kai, et al.,
I am afraid that I am an old fart and sometimes have to
be dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st century.
It is a time where nation boundaries are becoming less and
less important. For better or worse, we are no longer going
to see "nationalized" efforts in automobiles or motorsport.
I mean, even the new Ferrari 360 Modena has German gears
in its 'box' made by the same people who make them for
Porsche! This is enough to make a Ferrari P330 owner of old,
turn over in his grave!
The point is, just because the name is the same and the
logo looks familiar, we cannot recreate the marques of old.
IMHO, this is a VERY good thing. We love our old marques
for all the reasons that modern industry is trying to eliminate!
My son and daughter will be the potential customers for the
"new" MGs and Minis and whatevers. And except for our
efforts, those marques will mean nothing to our kids, born
5-10 years after the last MGB LE rolled off the old line.
I consider it my duty as a motorhead, to expose friends
and family to the history of our marques and to put these old
gems back on the road where they are enjoyed and SEEN.
The classmates at my kids school are just as excited about our
old MGs as they are our Ferrari (and rightly so) -- and much
more so than about the plethora of two-seaters dotting the
parking lot.
And since you read this far, I'll make another point and it
is with regard to owning an 'exotic' marque. I feel that it is
my responsibility to drive my exotic car and to show that
exotic car owners are not all snobby millionaires. We're just
motorheads, like the MGB owners and the Spitfire owners
and the BMW 2002 owners.
One of the most enjoyable things starting here in Tulsa is
'all marque' old car nights and track events. It is WAY cool
to put 2002s, Triumphs, MGs, Alfas, Fiats and Ferraris all
together. Even more fun is watching the owners realize that
although our cars are different, WE are the same!
Forza!
rick
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