enough with the Limey Bashing!

[John Brandt]

Porsche owners spewing all this nastiness against the British should be ASHAMED of themselves. There would not be a sportscar culture in this country if not for all the fun and reasonably inexpensive cars from England. How many of you ignited your love of sports cars through MGs, Triumphs etc? I'll bet a lot of you.
It's clearly unfortunate what happened to the UK car industry after the mid '70s but to say that those cars did not deliver as promised would be pure rubbish. Our Porsches are very expensive cars that were built to stand up to immense punishment on the street and the circuit. To hold the little Brit cars to that standard is unfair because that's not what they were designed to do.

MGs, Triumphs and Healy’s were designed to be fun, cheap, "sporty" cars. As designed, they were not intended to compete with the likes of Porsche or Ferrari. If you planned on dishing out that kind of punishment to your car, you probably should look to the continent.

That having been said, take note that I'm not counting Jaguar or Aston in this. Those were cars that went up against the world and regularly won.
Do any of you realistically think that a 356 is more reliable than an E-Type? Think again.
As for Lotus, They are, and always have been lightweight, fragile racing cars that do one thing very well and everything else poorly. A '70 911 in stock form would not be competitive on course against a Europa of the same year...however, the Lotus owner was probably trailering his car and the Porsche owner drove it to the track. Lotus guys knew what they were getting into when they bought one. Still do

I get the impression that many of you either were not around in the '70s or have conveniently forgotten about 914s and 924s in stock form, and thermal reactor 911s. Those cars were simply disasters until people got them sorted out in the '80s

Hail Britannia!

[Kmatts]

I haven't seen anyone bagging on any British Sportcar on this site. No, I have never owned a British car and I never plan on it. However, that doesn't mean that I'm going to begin picking out which cars I don't like and post it on this bulletin boards. I'm dedicated to Porsche's, that is why I'm here.

[Bill Douglas]

Yes John I totally agree. And if British cars weren't so unreliable we would not have become such good mechanics from having had to fix them all the time.

[emcon5]

In the timeless words of a diminutive US actor of great renown: Whachootalkinbout Willis?

Tom

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82 911SC Coupe

[joehahn]

Arnold Drummond CLASSIC!!! I am still laughing

[Saffs]

Ahh...John, I guess you referencing the "Why are Brit cars crap" or something thread: http://www.pelicanparts.com/ultimate/Forum3/HTML/009612.html
The thread raises some good points. As I said, quality wise, it was good, bad, terrible, and then better. Yep, MGs Triumph TRs (sorry about the TR7, we hate it in the UK too -although some are taking the damn thing as a proper TR now), Austin Healeys, et al, paved the way for the 356/911 and others. The biggest thing I can think of is that to look at some cars in the context of the US is that, they weren't made for it. They were made for smoother, narrower roads, less miles as shorter distances etc. So, can't really judge them in that context: probably some cars should of been more "enhanced" for the US.
But the Aston Martin DB5...what a beautiful car.....!

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'75 911S Targa
'81 BMW Alpina C1 2.3

[epbrown]

I don't know how seriously to take a complaint about British car bashing that refers to the British as "Limeys," but assuming you're serious: I didn't notice any bashing in the thread. Some people discussed the problems with certain marques, but there were also some good defenses and explanations in the thread as well. It was a pretty even-handed discussion.

Now, addressing the remark that most of us probably discovered sports cars through a love of British marques, I'd have to say that's doubtful. Most of the posters here are Americans, and in our formative years we tend to value raw horsepower rather than niggling details like an ability to steer (there's a reason no European group came up with a song called "Dead Man's Curve," after all). We've been spoiled by those wide open interstates.
I was quite a bit older before I learned that performance driving meant more than driving around an oval or imitating the Dukes of Hazzard.

Emanuel

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Everybody wants a normal life and a cool car;
most people settle for the car." Chris Titus
1966 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow
1983 Porsche 911 SC Targa

[Kurt B]

No 'bashing' from me, ever. I may have tried to get the English dander up by comparing them to the French, but let's face it, when the chips are down, Britain is there.
If you want to rename the states
"The United States of America under His Majesty" that's fine with me.

[pwd72s]

Gawd...make me politically correct. No, no..
just kidding. But I (seriously) never knew the British to consider "limey" a bad term. To me, it says that the British were among the first to discover that sailors who sucked on limes, which kept best without ice, didn't get scurvey. Vitamin C, you know? As far as the cars go? I still have nostalgic fondness for bug-eyed Sprites...

[JeremyD]

Lighten up francis!
As a fellow Brit (Pontypridd, Wales)- I took no offense - and have owned my share of British cars and have walked home because of it!

I liked the thread, it bought back lots of old memories.

Jeremy Dixon
1990 C2 Targa (current ride)
Alfa Romeo Spider
TR-7
Triumph Spitfire Mark IV

[Britwrench]

As a Brit I would like to thank you for being so kind about our cars.
If we Brits had not been so spectacularly successful in exporting to the US in the 50s and 60s I very much doubt that you would be
discussing the merits, or lack of, of sporty Renaults, Peugeots and maybe Dafs? There are bad cars from all over the world, from the least expensive to the most over-priced junk you could ever imagine. People buy them, so manufacturers make them...........

[Bill Douglas]

Favorite Brit car: The fabulous Damlier Dart SP250.

[Saffs]

Limey, it's no insult for me....
Daimler SP250, interesting car, Bill. I know someone who has one. I was slightly put off by it being glass fibre, but it was nice.
I'd have an Aston, or maybe an early E Type, but really it's the German cars for me. BMW, which I've had loads, and Porsche - only the one, but it's the car I've loved the most...
Had one Mercedes which was so well built but not that integration of sportyness and practicality of even the cheapest BMW.
I'd have a Pontiac GTO too....

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'75 911S Targa
'81 BMW Alpina C1 2.3

[Fishcop]

Hmmm, E Type or 356.... I know which one I'd rather be fixing.

As an Aussie, I grew up driving the bastard hybrids of both British and American influence (Holdens, particularly the "Sandman Panelvan". Aussies and Kiwis are intimately familiar with these!).

I'm just glad I found out about German cars early on.

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John Forcier
69 911T

[CamB]

I've brought this up before on panel vans.. I will go to my grave thinking that "If this van's a-rockin', don't come knockin'" is hilariously funny


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Cameron Baudinet
1975 911S (in bits)
1969 911T

[Fishcop]

I also forgot to mention my uncle's chevy powered XJ6. There's actually quite a few of these hybrids down-under. Seems you get the best of British style, comfort, and looks with American power and reliability.

Cam, you'll also be familiar with the "Virgin Conversion", "Shaggin' Wagon", and "F... Truck"!

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John Forcier
69 911T

[Jdub]

Memories...crankshaft shims in the oil pan of my TR6...buying three wipers for my '69mgb...porous cylinder heads of my Norton Commando...Amal slide rattles...Spridget windshields with noseprints...

And every one worth it. What fun to drive a car/motorbike so noisy, so smelly, so close to the edge. I can thank the Britcars for entry-level prices to sports cars, learning wrecking yard etiquette (donuts in the AM, beer in the PM). Low prices for replacement parts. Tremendous comraderie (what did you do in the war daddy? i fixed those SUs). And of course, the Goldstar, Vincents, Astons, Jags, and other breathtaking rides.

Now that I own a Porsche I can understand why folks love them so. But I will say this; nobody every waves at a Porsche the way they do at a Britcar, period. Nobody.

Jw

[ras911]

The first car I ever bought was a British Racing Green TR4A IRS, in my last year of high school. $1000 for a 1967 model that I purchased in 1974. My friends and I were big fans of the the british autos and held the muscle guys up for ridicule . It was all about wind in the hair and going through the gears on a windy back road. Yes my Triumph did break a lot, but I changed the clutch shocks, fuel pumps , balanced the carbs by myself out of economic necessity. BUT, when that car was right ---wow , what fun and what a great sound from the exhaust. This definitely led me to my love of sports cars and Porsches particularly. Now my goal is to get a pre rubber bumper MGB as a nice toy.

And , not withstanding the revolutionary war, Thanks to our brothers in England for thier support and encouragement in this OUR darkest hour. Rule Brittania.

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Bob
1982 911SC Targa
PCA - Founders Region

[cstreit]

Okay, let me preface this by saying my whole family is British... ...and I don't take offense. Every countries cars have had their problems... For instance,

"Why did Harley Davidson never try and make a television set?" "Because they couldn't find a way to make it leak oil"

Get thicker skin!

[JEB]

British cars are wonderful. I have owned my TR-6 for over 20 years and wouldn't trade it for the world.

As far as waves and smiles - I get loads more in the TR with the top down than in the P-car. Little kids are always running up and saying "NICE CAR Mister". The performance is surprisingly good and the car is FUN to drive (pre-smog helps).

I have found the British car community to be second to none in knowledge and love of their cars. Most of these people really know their cars and have worked on them from the ground up. The average P-car owner (present company excluded - of course) hasn't the foggiest idea about the mechanical workings of his car. British car guys can't wait to tell you how they did this or that - then ask you to open your bonnett and look at how you did it.

Further, I have found that British cars (TR/MG's) in general are very reliable when properly maintained. They are in fact very simple cars with technology that improved slowly over time. The problem - in my mind -is that alot of these cars were purchased by kids or people who thought they were cute - but most were not car people (like P-cars for example). They then beat the hell out of them and did not put any money in to maintain/fix them. When the broke they parked them out back where they rotted.

All in all my 6 is a blast - and my 930 is a blast also. They are two very different cars
with two very different purposes, price points and personalities.

It goes back to what I have posted on these boards before. Cars are built for different purposes. Comparing A to B is pointless. Which is better and apple or a orange?

Buy 'em, drive 'em, enjoy 'em. I am a car guy - I love to look at and drive everything I can (drives my wife crazy). I was at a car show the other day and say a Stanley Steamer! Last week I saw an Aston Martin DB7! - I enjoyed looking at both equally.

For the record I would like to have - In no particular order:

XKE V-12 Convertable
DB-5
275-GTB
356 Speedster
Series II Land Rover
Gull Wing Benz
427 Cobera
Austin Healy MkIII 3000
Etc, Etc, Etc

Jeb
'69 TR-6
'79 930
Etc.

PS Was at a British car show a couple of weeks ago and my wife fell in love with the new Mini the had there. British looks - German engineering (BMW) Could be a winner