Quoting Dave Gebhard <kimkell@decaturnet.com>:
> The Laws for British Sports Cars
> LAW OF PECULIAR RANDOM NOMENCLATURE
> "The name of a British sports car shall consist primarily of letters and
> numbers, with said letters and numbers chosen in random fashion so that
> the resultant vehicle name is totally devoid of any meaning." This law
> explains why British cars have spectacularly bad names, like "EType", or
> worse yet, "MGB-GT."
I have to take issue with this. MG made the MG A then the MG B. Jaguar's E-
type was after the ... er... D type?! Eminently sensible naming scheme.
Conversely, what are the relationships between a Cobra and a Dodge Viper? Or a
Ford Mustang and a Mitsubishi Colt?
Note, I'm sweeping under the carpet the fact that the MkI spitfire was called
the "Spitfire 4" as opposed to the Spitfire Mk IV which was a very different
beast.
But the other two are spot on! Especially the masochism. This is related to a
rule to look out for in classified ads for cars. Positive terms normally
reflect a level of surprise or compensatory self-delusion on the part of the
seller. Owners of the classic Mini will tell you:
"They corner like they're on rails" -> you can't get it to go fast enough to
skid
"Practical" -> bits fall off all the time, but I just tape them back on
"Reliable" -> One of the bits I taped back on has stayed on for over a month now
"Great Runabout" -> Wouldn't risk going over 40 miles in one go
"Fun" -> "Really Uncomfortable" (to drive)
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