Max,
I'm sorry for the harsh language used in my reply to your posting the
other day. There were more effective and less rude ways to get my
message across. Instead of taking the high road, I took the low.
However, just because I have apologized for being rude doesn't mean that
I have been converted over to your viewpoint. You've injected some valid
points into your arguement, and alot of what I've said depends on
someone buying and saving the MGTF. That's still very much up in the air.
You mentioned the idea that MG-Rover could have arranged a co-marketing
agreement with some other manufacturer. I don't think that anyone would
have been overenthusiastic after what happened with the Sterling. Also,
Morgan is a low volume specialty operation. They didn't need but a
couple of dealers in the US, and would have been hard-pressed to supply
too many more. The waiting list's already quite long. The MGTF was more
mass produced. But it's not being produced at all right now.
Once again, assuming someone steps to the rescue, they're going to want
to make a profit, and the US is one of the bigger automotive markets in
the world, if not the biggest. Also, we're nuts for retro-style cars,
nameplates, etc. If the white knight materializes and the car is saved,
it would be in their favor to get it in here if possible.
Now, you brought up crash protection and engine location. If it comes to
making a change to the car to get it in here, I'll bet that the average
man on the street here is unaware of that car's present setup, and would
not care that it might have looked a bit different a couple of years
ago, or that the engine had been moved closer to the front. I know
making changes like that isn't cheap or easy sometimes. There's also the
chance that it might be workable as-is.
Yes, I'm eaten up with wishful thinking about this. I also know that
anything or nothing could happen. Not all of the car makers in the world
want to deal with US regulations, and this might end up being the case
for any future owner of the MGTF design. I'm just not ready to give up
the idea yet. As reasonable as you are, I'm afraid we're at an impasse
on this one.
--
William T. Killeffer
wkilleffer@comcast.net
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