In reply to Leo Basile:
Leo,
I hope I'm taking your comment wrong but I will point out that most Miatas are not red & none came from the factory made of plastic. In fact I believe the Miata is probably the entry level sports car that the TR-3 or MGA was when I first went car shopping.
A couple clips from The Tiger gathering a Big Bear
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7tMiBySkvg&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnQoXsrf0-g&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlja22kgl6M&feature=related
Im planning on going to another this weekend if the weather holds up. Ill try to get some video of that one also.
Let me adjust fire on my Miata comments...
I dont doubt the Miatas entry level status or any empirical facts that the RPMs generate.
The nose, tail, and inside are plastic(not metal, not wood, not fiberglass, therefore its plastic), Im also bashing modern manufacturing. Gone are the days of hand formed metal, carbs, and wirewheels, ect, ect...Old world craftsmanship. If I were say to use the color "blue", it just doesnt sound as cute...BPM. BPM sounds like some sort of Soviet lightly armored tracked vehicle, BPM also doesnt have any sort of Automobile ref that Im aware of.
By using the ambiguously derogatory term inclusive to all Miadias/MX-5s it usually sparks some friendly banter back and forth...RPM owners usually ramble on about oil leaks and Lucas electrics...I belive that they should just get over the jealousy and get a REAL sports car designed by the company that built it...LOL. If they get seriouly cranked up I dont think Id like to be friends with them anyway.
Leo
And on a related note:
We, The Mon Vally Sports Car Club are having our first (in about 35 years) autocross on Feb 28th...Last Sunday in the Month.
It will start at 1200 in Lot F @ WVU Hostpital in Morgantown WV...All are welcome.
Leo
Leo Basile wrote: Let me adjust fire on my Miata comments... I dont doubt the Miatas entry level status or any empirical facts that the RPMs generate. The nose, tail, and inside are plastic(not metal, not wood, not fiberglass, therefore its plastic), Im also bashing modern manufacturing. Gone are the days of hand formed metal, carbs, and wirewheels, ect, ect...Old world craftsmanship. If I were say to use the color "blue", it just doesnt sound as cute...BPM. BPM sounds like some sort of Soviet lightly armored tracked vehicle, BPM also doesnt have any sort of Automobile ref that Im aware of. By using the ambiguously derogatory term inclusive to all Miadias/MX-5s it usually sparks some friendly banter back and forth...RPM owners usually ramble on about oil leaks and Lucas electrics...I belive that they should just get over the jealousy and get a REAL sports car designed by the company that built it...LOL. If they get seriouly cranked up I dont think Id like to be friends with them anyway. Leo
So everyone but you should have a skin of leather whilst you bash concepts you apparently can't grasp? Like if you don't have fun entry level choices, no entry level person will become involved. Or else, you wouldn't want then for a friend?
I bet you have a pretty limited friend base. Must they also drive old Moogs and other effete vehicles than can't get home regularly without a roll-back?
So Leo, do you have a modern car? Bet you do for a dd. I admit, I have a Miata that I autocross and is set up for it. I share it now with my daughter. My dd is an RX8. But I do also have classics, a 70 Opel GT that I drive regularly but not to autocross. No anti-sway bars on the car makes for interesting cornering. But back road driving on windy country roads - a lot of fun. I also have an early MK I Midget project. Plan on upgrading to a 1275 and possibly using the brakes off the 72 parts Midget I have. Plan on upgrading enough to let it keep up with traffic and then also enjoy driving it on windy country roads. Classics isn't for everyone into sportscars. True, I think they ought to respect the heritage and I do enjoy getting the youngsters involved in my classic. But honestly driving the slightly upgraded Miata aggressively at an autocross is a blast. In a nutshell, I enjoy both new and old.
"In a nutshell, I enjoy both new and old."
Cheers to that! I agee with wlkelley3.
I do drive an 05 Subaru Impreza Outback. The weather in WV is very unforgiving on some days.
I hope that folks understood that my posts are good natured chain yanking.
Now, some of my bestest car buddies are tuner guys 'cause they are gen-u-wine gearheads, one actually knew about my BDR! They are always working on, and driving their cars whilst I belive most of the classic car guys are out polishing the spokes on the spare tire or somthing rather than using them. Not fun to hang out with.
Now for the serious part. I have the leathery skin of an old combat boot. I never have and would never put anybody down for what they drive, but will, as mentioned above, issue a bit of crap...Im fully prepared to recive more crap than I give...Always in fun. Sort of like an inter-service rivalry between the Army and Marines.
I do dig the rotary engine. Very neat.
Rupert,
I use a tandem axel trailer that I bum off my buddy because I cant afford a roll back for now....LOL But one day Ill get a roll back esp. since my wife thinks it makes sense. And your correct in thinking that I cant afford one because: 1. I bought an alternator conversion. 2. 5 speed G/B. 3. Jap. Starter. 4. Crane Ignition(Pertronics failed at high revs). 5. I'm waiting on Ford to sell me a new Kent block- my pistons are slapping around like bunch of dice in a yatzee cup since the head gasket blew right after I rebuilt it and the pistons galled to the sleeves...I am laughing out loud for all the right reasons...All in fun
Leo
Oh no! You're not a jarhead are you?
I had a good time teaching a couple young whippersnapper tuner guys that helped me put the engine back in the Opel all about distributers and points. They had never seen a points dizzy before. They're friends of my daughter.
Oh no, I’m a freshly REE-tired (2 yrs ago) Army Warrant Officer...LOL I flew Hueys, Cobras, and forced into Blackhawks my last year or so.
I have had the same exp with the "youngsters" in my club. "Whadda mean 'an idle adjustment screw'? The computer can’t adjust that?"
Its funny how a simple looking engine, say an MGB or TR 4 engine is so much more complicated than the complex modern turbo charged unit with miles of wire hanging on and out of it...In practice a simple plug-in or computer up load will totally change the tuning, where as it takes hours of labor and hundreds of dollars in carbs and jets for the same operation in an old Iron mil.
And sort of back on topic...
There are zero structured activities around where I live, except with in our new club. If there was I’m sure I would autoX regularly regardless if I were competitive. I think the more classics get involved the more it will draw the classics in. A sort of support group if you will. Hence a corp of similar cars with near enough levels of competition regardless of if they are in the same class or not.
It seems that the mission at the club level may have gotten skewed...There seems to be a lack of camaraderie amongst performance car guys. Our club for example, is an all inclusive, all year sort of club. We are having our first autoX at the end of the month. We are using a simple handheld stopwatch and home made awards from old parts, like some knock off hubs and a broken temp gauge. Afterwards we are going to a member’s pizza joint till he kicks us out. So its not about the winner, its about hanging out, watching and BS with everybody.
Leo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gyS6YPDHI8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TztqI7ENzA Here are 2 of my runs at a mirrorkhana today, won the 1st, lost the 2nd.
Your car sounds good!
Leo
Leo Basile wrote: Oh no, I’m a freshly REE-tired (2 yrs ago) Army Warrant Officer...LOL I flew Hueys, Cobras, and forced into Blackhawks my last year or so. I have had the same exp with the "youngsters" in my club. "Whadda mean 'an idle adjustment screw'? The computer can’t adjust that?" Leo
What a coincidence, I'm a REE-tired (14 years ago) CH-47 TI and now work as a civilian in the Cargo PM office at AMCOM in Huntsville, AL. Started as a Huey crewchief, went to Chinooks as a flight engineer then TI. My boss (called Snuff) is an old Cobra/Apache jock.
Fortunate here to have 2 clubs, a SCCA chapter and a local club that does autocross & rallycross. They are kinda affiliated, lot of the same people in both. Along with a Brit car club that we are slowly converting to Euro car just to keep membership and interest in the older sportscars. After all, us Opel owners don't really have a club and definatly no local club.
The kids that helped learned the new technology because that is what is out there. They enjoyed learning the old school tech though. I think they just liked learning anything about cars period.
All my enlisted time, about 9 years, was as a Huey CE as well! Those were some of the best times ever...BTW, I drove a 73 MGB for 4 years or so as a DD at Ft Bragg, then a GT-6.
Wow.
I saw this at bringatrailer.com and it made me think of you guys...
Sold on ebay for $6600 yesterday, but it needed an engine and transmission.
In reply to Tom Heath:
Good looking car. Of course I can't afford a rollback either & all my rides are too lightweight to pull a double axle, so I guess It's good someone else bought it.
BTW Leo, I'm a former CH-46 flying jarhead. I got out rather than stay around long enough to retire because I was combat related disabled in the '60s. I drove a TR-3 while posted in Southern California.
What's with all the aviators? (and rotary wingers, at that!)
I spent most of my time in the Marine Corps with these.
and
but eventually ended up around Ospreys.
I never got to sit up front. 
Good to know we have such cool people in the neighborhood. Thanks for being in our community!
(sorry, back on topic...)
I think the magazine should be Classic Rotarywing and Motorsports!
I was very lucky...Uncle Sam let me sit in the front and in the back.
I do miss my old Hueys!
Leo
That would be cool, Leo! Although I wasn't a pilot or stick-wiggler I did get to wiggle the sticks once in a while, usually I rode in the back. The old die-hard Huey was a great machine.
In reply to Leo Basile:
And I miss the 46s. One of the coolest tricks they did was land and cruise on the water. Talk about freaking people out!! Cruise up to their marina in a chopper in the water!
Tom, What did you think of the Osprey? The only one I ever saw fly live was at a Thunder Over Louisville air show.
I didn't want to clog this thread with more aviation talk so I started another in the off-topic section.
http://classicmotorsports.net/forum/off-topic/stories-from-the-flight-line/28762/page1/
OK, We had our first ever autocross in like 30 years, no timming equipment except a stopwatch and a trained eye.
We are an all inclusive club. There was everything threre from a comp. preped 911 to my old ass Morgan. Some modern cars: MINI Cooper S, Honda S2000, and an Elise. The times...they are all fairly close. The course was slow, sort of leveling the playing field so to speak. With 1 exception all were with in a couple of seconds of each other.
Big fun was had by all.
Leo
I had to wait till after Christmas to post this still capture from my new helmet cam that came just before our first autocross.
Note the center tach!
dredging up an old topic here.... I recall that several years ago GRM was downright competitive with a Volvo 122 in autocross. I found it frustrating that they abandoned that series before its conclusion.
There are a variety of intersting vintage autocrossers in our region. I particularly like the guy with the E-type. It's quite slow, but he flogs it nonetheless. Hats off to him. But particularly in the more highly modified classes, vintage iron often performs well. There's a '73 Capri that took FTD with over 200 entrants. Dune buggys can be very quick as well, as they weigh next to nothing, and are so damn easy to mod.
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