Terry,
I really hate it when anybody starts off a (debatable) statement with,
"It is generally accepted..."!!! Who generally accepts this? I
certainly don't! Personally, I think that anybody who tries to sell
anything using that beginning remark probably doesn't know what the hell
he is talking about, and what he really means is, "It is my uninformed
and highly biased opinion that..."
Regards,
Joe
"Terry L. Thompson" wrote:
>
> Recently at work, I had a brief debate with a co-worker regarding the
> saving graces of British 2 seat roadsters.
>
> I tried to explain that it was somewhat generally excepted that, what the
> spitfire lacks in a smooth elegent ride and wheel-peeling g-force
> inducing power, it made up for in it's ability to corner and tame the the
> winding country roads. To punctuate my discussion, I provided for him a
> list of contemporary "sports cars" and their relative road holding index
> (as aquired from Edmunds.com).
>
> My argument was wasted on his deaf ears. He still calls my car "the
> shi?fire"
>
> Although not side-by-side imperical evidence (and G-ratings tend to vary
> slightly), here's the break-down of the road holding index ratings of
> several 2000 model year "sports cars" and "convertible compacts" along
> with that of the Spitfire. (The percentage of 1g-force that the car can
> generate before losing traction in a turn).
>
> '00 Porsche Boxter S .91
>
> '00 Honda S2000 .91
>
> '00 BMW Z3 .89
>
> '00 Mazda Miata MX-5 .89
>
> <bold>'73 Spitfire Mark IV .87
>
> </bold>'99 Mitsubishi Eclipse Syder .86
>
> '00 Mercedes Benz SLK230 .85
>
> '00 Pontiac Firebird TransAm .85
>
> '00 Ford Mustang GT Conv. .85
>
> '00 Volkswagon Carbrio GL .81
>
> '00 Chevy Camero Coupe .81
>
> '00 Saab 9-3 SE HOT .80
>
> '00 Chevy Cavalier Z24 .74
>
> '00 Pontiac Sunfire GT .74
>
> Note that the Spitfire rating was taken 27 years ago, on tires that are
> probably not
>
> as "advanced" or wide as what you might be running today.
>
> As a printed advertisement from 1973 that hangs on my wall boldy states:
>
> ".87g's for only about 3G's*." (*$3,295)
>
> "This performance puts the Spitfire in the same league as the $5,000
> Datsun Z-series, the $6,300 Alpha Romeo 2000 GTV, even the $10,000
> Porsche 911. And the Spitfire gives you .87g's while getting 23 miles per
> g... Gee."
>
> Terry L. Thompson
>
> '76 Spit 1500
--
"If you can't excel with talent, triumph with effort."
-- Dave Weinbaum in National Enquirer
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