> I took a test drive in a Z3 3.0i last weekend with a
> friend, and when he asked me what I thought of it, I
> told him "it's certainly a tight car. good torque. but
> if I were to define it in a word, it would be -
> sterile."
Hahaha! Wish I could have seen the salesman's expression!
> I'm often called crazy, but if someone drove-up in a
> brand new Miata and told me they'd trade me square for
> my rusty spitfire. I'd think about it half a second
> before I laughed in their face.
My ex-boyfriend (who has a GT6, btw) and I play a game-when we see a really
nice car-a Porsche, Ferrari, BMW sort of things, he always asks, "Would you
trade Nigel for that?" Anyone who is semi-regular to this list should know the
answer to that! Only things I would trade Nigel for-and it would be with pangs
on my heart-the Jaguar XKSS, the Jaguar F-Type, the BMW Z8.
> I don't think I have to remind everyone that spitfires
> were assembled by hand. Good or bad, they aren't the
> cookie cutter cars of today. They have character,
> personality, imperfections, whatever else you want to
> describe it as.
They weren't built so much as "birthed".
> And despite the fact that some of you claim that you
> name your spitfire because "it's cute". I bet atleast
> half of you, think of it as having feelings or senses.
> You don't have to confess to it, but there are a few
> of you that park the Spitfire in the garage, not
> because of cleanliness or safety reasons, but because
> it's heated and you don't want the car to be cold!
> Admit it! And if the heat failed in the garage, you'd
> wake up your wife and tell her that she needs to help
> you move the couch into the garage so you have room
> for the spitfire in the living room. Admit it! You
> know who you are!
I admit it. Why do you think I put a cover on him? I tuck him in and kiss him
"good-night". Even Dave knows he (the car) has feelings-if I'm hearing or
feeling a problem and bring him (the car, not Dave) to Dave's, Dave will say,
"Ok Nigel, Daddy's here, so don't screw up!" And Nigel behaves.
> Another friend of mine (yes I have more than
> one..atleast imaginary) bought an M roadster when they
> came out. I saw him a couple of months ago at a gas
> station and he told me he gave his Z3 1.8 to his dad
> because this M had more "oomph". I asked him what he
> named it and looked at me funny and said "huh? What do
> you mean? The car?"
Hahaha!! My other ex-boyfriend, Maurizio, got custody of the Sentra-which was
my very first (and probably only) new car. I treated that car almost as well as
I treat Nigel and cleaned him every week. Now, when I borrow him (the car, not
Maurizio), I feel like he's so lonely and has a bad self-image because he's
always dirty and no one takes care of him the way I did. I always take him for
a bath when I borrow him. Maurizio thinks I'm nuts!
> If they build a modern car and give it the spitfire
> name, it would be a nice tribute to a great car, but
> at most that's all it would be. And in the least it
> would be a marketing ploy. You know if someone went to
> a British car show with a 2002 Spitfire (looking all
> Miata/boxter/opel like) in the back of your mind you'd
> have a feeling of superior arrogance and think
> "poser".
> You know you would! Okay...Atleast I would. Someone
> agree with me here.
I agree with you 100%! All the way! I can imagine the scene now-a car meet and
all our spit pilots gathered around, ogling the new "Spitfire" and I would
look, and say "FAKER! It may as well be a replicar or a kit car!" Gotta me
honest. Gotta be me!
>The Spitfire is more italian in style.
> Only the wide-round-too big for the rest of the car
> headlights really say "british" to me. The spitfire
> (old and new) remind me of an alpha romeo, fiat or
> ferrari calif. spyder. When someone says 'British
> styling', I think of a Mini, Midget or a Metropolitan
> (squished/bull-dog) or even a Rolls/Mayflower/Singer
> type of sedan.
I think the Italians are right when they call the Spitfire (old and new) il
jaguarino-the baby jaguar. To me, it looks like a little E-Type offspring.
(Though, having spent a bit of time around XK120/140/150 lately, I can see the
line of the spitty shadows that of the big cat a bit.) And that's British!
>If you ever look at a car and go
> "That's sexy", you can be most assured it's not
> British.
What about Lotus? The Elan convertibles like Emma Peel drove? Some of the TVRs?
Jaguars? Cooper Formula racers? The MGA? Oh dear! I'm getting too excited now!
Laura G.
Vita brevis est: rapide agite, vigore strigate!
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