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From: haapanen@watdcsu.UUCP (Tom Haapanen [DCS])
Newsgroups: net.auto
Subject: Re: Miscellaneous Ramblings
Message-ID: <1028@watdcsu.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 27-Feb-85 18:08:31 EST
Article-I.D.: watdcsu.1028
Posted: Wed Feb 27 18:08:31 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 1-Mar-85 05:07:29 EST
References: <330004@acf4.UUCP>
Reply-To: haapanen@watdcsu.UUCP (Tom Haapanen [DCS])
Organization: U of Waterloo, Ontario
Lines: 51

In article <330004@acf4.UUCP> hkr4627@acf4.UUCP (Rei Shinozuka) writes:

>In the US vs Japan debate, you have to consider that the Japanese cars are
>just about the ugliest cars made anywhere (with the possible exception of
>Hondas).  A great deal of this is not their fault.  There are laws in Japan
>governing an automobiles dimensions (hence Japanese cars are all tall and
>skinny whereas US cars may be low and wide).  The Japanese also seem to feel
>that the ultimate car looks and operates like a Transformer and build their
>cars accordingly.  I would, however, buy a Japanese car over a German car.

The laws do not dictate putting in all those busy details that wreck
the lines of, say, the Supra and the new mid-engine MR2 (wrong number?)
It's said that the japanese like to look at cars from a close distance
(since there's no room to move far away) so they appreciate the
details more than the overall clean lines.

Does your comment mean you don't like German styling?  Or is it just
general bias against German cars?

>R&T mentioned that the Porsche 944 engine was set forward to gain legroom for
>the driver and front seat passenger.  If i am not mistaken, it also has a
>transaxle.  This means that most of the mess of the car is over both axles.
>By contradiction, the 1963-1982 Corvette has its engine set back behind
>the front axle, the transmission between the driver and passenger.  
>The admittedly greater mass of the Vette is nevertheless better distributed.

Such factual information! ( :-( )  The 944 has its transmission placed
over its rear wheels, resulting in a weight ditribution of about 51/49.
I'd love to know what the Corvette's weight distribution is --- could
someone look it up in an old Road&Track?

>Why the Vette is low technology and the Porsche is high is beyond me.

I could make a REALLY nasty personal remark here but I won't.  :-)

>I think a lot of automotive reporting is b.s.  I remember in 1978 R&T was
>saying a lot of great things about the Porsche 924, but now, in 1985, they
>admit what we knew all along: that the 924 was "rather mediocre."

They don't say it's mediocre as such; the 924 was merely mediocre as
far as Porsces go.  As the title of one of the most respected Porsche
publications says,
			"Excellence Was Expected".


				   \tom haapanen
				   watmath!watdcsu!haapanen
Don't cry, don't do anything
No lies, back in the government
No tears, party time is here again
President Gas is up for president		 (c) Psychedelic Furs, 1982