Path: utzoo!utgpu!alliant.com!UUCP Reply-To: british-cars@alliant.com Errors-To: british-cars-request@alliant.com Sender: british-cars-request@alliant.com Return-Path: Date: Fri, 23 Feb 90 12:06:13 EST From: bcstec!tahoma!gsds@uunet.uu.net (K.C.Babb) Message-ID: <9002231706.AA02607@tahoma.ARPA> To: british-cars@alliant.com Subject: Re: Far Eastern clone Newsgroups: list.british-cars Distribution: ut Approved: devnull@gpu.utcs.toronto.edu Re: Elans and Miatas-- >Ever see an Elan with its clothes off? I didn't think so. >The Elan (and the Europa) used exactly the same principle, >except that they hung fiberglass panels instead of steel >(and they used MacPherson/Chapman struts instead of dual >A-arms). Yeah, but I think Mazda had the brains to use decent materials for the metal frame (they had to get that extra 800 lbs. some- where, right?)--the Elan frame is made of fairly flimsy sheet metal. I think the body panels on our Rx-7 are stiffer. Something tells me there won't be many Miatas pulling out their lower-arm attachment points in the rear (a fairly com- mon failure in raced Elans). >"Miata? Isn't that the car that looks like a little Lotus?" >he asked. >"No," I said, "it looks like a big Lotus." Interesting point--you really don't think of the Miata as "large" until it sits next to an Elan. We parked next to a blue Miata (the colors are almost a match) at an auto- cross last year, and from a distance it looked like a pair of scale models; one 3/4 scale, one 1/2 scale. The Mazda is longer, wider, and taller. I don't think the size difference justifies the weight difference, though. If the Miata had come in under 2000 lbs. I'd probably sell my mother to get one. Since it didn't, I think we can wait until the dealer gouging subsides a bit. Anybody have any strong reactions to the "new Elan"? Looks too much like a Fiero for my taste, and I can't see paying that kind of money for FWD (gag), even if we won the lottery and could afford to. But the published power figures are reasonably impressive for that size of car. Too bad the GM influence shows so much. KCB