In a message dated 98-11-26 13:13:53 EST, savercool@email.msn.com writes:
> Like Andy Mace has already pointed out, one doesn't need to change to a
> rotary to get performance. My 1500 has been clocked at over 100mph and the
> red line is off the tach. Same motor it came with-just some mods. And he's
> all Brit-just love to hear it sing!
>
> Quite impressive, eh?
Would you be willing to put your Spit up against Tim Suddard's rotary Spit,
wheel to wheel, you pick the venue, in a race for titles? I doubt it. Never
mind how much money or work he has in his car, that's not the point. I can
walk into any used car lot in town, and for very little money buy a car that
can outhandle and/or out perform either one of them - no work required. No
matter how hot your Spitfire is, it can be made hotter.
The point is, you are happy with your car, others are happy with their Spits
just the way they are, no mods at all, and others, like Tim and myself, get a
great deal of joy from modifying them. I'm very happy with my stock TR6, and
I'm getting happier every day with my Ford 302/TR6 swap as it gets nearer to
completion. Even if someone could get just as much streetable performance from
a TR6 engine as I'm getting from the 302, I'd still be happy with it, just
because of the pure pleasure I'm getting from doing it. It's not the
destination that counts, it's the journey. The fact that no way, no how, will
a modified TR6 engine ever come close, streetable or not, just adds to the
excitement. Is it costing me a lot of money? Sure, but so what? That just
means it takes a little longer as I wait for funds to come available. Is it
taking me a lot of work? Absolutely, but that's the biggest attraction of
all. The thrill of seeing your ideas and your handi-work come to life is hard
to beat. The hours and hours I've spent head scratching, researching,
calculating, then hammering, grinding, welding, banging, fitting, refitting,
and so on, have been some of the most enjoyable hours I've spent.
There's no argument here - you're right, I'm right, Tim's right, we're ALL
right. We're speaking of personal opinion here, not facts. Yes, you can count
HP/$, but that's irrelevent. If you insist on making such factors part of the
equation, then we all lose, because there are plenty of other, boring, cars
that will beat ANY criteria you want to choose. Except one, that is - personal
satisfaction. Each and every one of us, alone, has to evaluate that factor for
ourselves - another's opinion is not valid.
Drive Nigel, enjoy Nigel - more power to you and I'm happy for you - but don't
get on your high horse just because some one else has a different idea.
Dan Masters,
Alcoa, TN
'71 TR6---------3000mile/year driver, fully restored
'71 TR6---------undergoing full restoration and Ford 5.0 V8 insertion - see:
http://www.sky.net/~boballen/mg/Masters/index.html
'74 MGBGT---3000mile/year driver, original condition - slated for a V8 soon
'68 MGBGT---organ donor for the '74
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