In a message dated 7/17/2003 2:17:28 PM Eastern Standard Time,
nosimport@mailbag.com writes:
> Bud, and his best friend "get it." ...... well stated, Bud.
I just had a house guest from England, who had completed a TR4 restoration.
He is looking at my cars and I am telling him, the Sprite (1275, 5 speed, disc
brakes, Bugeye) is alot more fun to drive than the TR4A. At this point I would
sell the TR, but have too much history with the car. Plus it is nice road
trip cruiser.
He looks at me in disbelief. Says prove it.
So we sent out a little back country drive, up and down hills around curves
on loose gravel dirt roads. I have the stick shift cut off real low on the
Sprite so it slides under the radio and it feels like a toggle switch. The tach
isn't working but the car just wants to wind up, and my guess is we are
shifting
at 5000. Car is driving great. We get half way I stop and tell him your turn.
Starts off slowly, but before you know it the guy is shifting down hard in
the corners and going into four wheel slides. I am trying to act cool. We get
home and I am at 150% adrenaline level. So he volunteers the car was a blast to
drive.
Then we look at the TR and he says we need to do a comparison. So out we go
on the same course. So I am saying that you just can't take the TR into a
corner as hard, but it will have more torque coming out.
So I go to demonstrate and go into a right hand turn in third, brake, put it
in second, turn the wheel, gas it, and go into this really bad oversteer. OK
be cool, just steer into the skid, and we won't hit any of these trees. After
a 90 degree swing, got the car back into control. Not too much to say. We get
to the same point to change drivers, and he just nurses it back home.
So we pull back in, and I am at 200% adrenaline overload.
All this and we never went over 45 mph.
David Oliner
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