Miata Forever

This recent piece from Hemmings is titled, “Mazda Confirms the Miata MX-5 Will Never Die.” Martijn ten Brink, chief executive of Mazda in Europe is quoted as saying, “But I think for Mazda it would be fair to say that the MX-5 will never die. I think it will continue to exist forever…”

Of course, much of the discussion is about what type of engine will power the car in the future. ten Brink said, “Of course, as you can imagine, people have opinions on which direction it should go.”

I think the current generation, the ND or fourth iteration–released in 2015, is the best-looking of the bunch. I have never driven one, but on paper they seem underpowered. However, it is power-to-weight ratio that really matters; the current engine produces 181 HP/151 LB-FT of torque, which doesn’t sound like much, but the car only weighs about 2,400 pounds. Of course, if both of those outputs started with a “2” then I might be more amenable to test-driving one with the possibility of a purchase.

The engine in my Mustang GT is rated at 450 HP/410 LB-FT and the car weighs 3,750 pounds. You can see the power-to-weight ratio is better than the MX-5 even though the car is more than 50 percent heavier. The last non-SUV I owned with engine horsepower and torque under 200 (actually, under 300; well, sort of: the engine in my Infiniti G37x coupe was rated at 332 HP/270 LB-FT) was the 1995 Pontiac Grand Prix I purchased new when I moved to California to work for the San Diego Padres. It was not a GTP spec so the engine was rated 160 HP/185 LB-FT and the car weighed about 3,300 pounds. Anyway, I digress. Long live the Miata!

 

******************

Maybe she’ll be kicked out of both parties and maybe that’s what she wants. Republican member of the House of Representatives from South Carolina Nancy Mace “skewered” Democrats and Republicans in a recent speech she gave at the Washington Press Club Foundation. For example:

 

“I know everyone thinks Republicans aren’t funny. But if you get a bunch of us together, we can be a real riot.”

“I’m looking for Ilhan Omar, but it looks like she lost her seat.”

 

Away from the speech Mace was quoted, “I love exercising First Amendment rights and have fun doing it.” I don’t know anything about her other than this story, but I think we need more people in positions of power who are not afraid to exercise their right to free speech (and respect the rights of others to engage in the same), even if that right is used to needle other people in power.

******************

This article, also from Hemmings, is about Renault planning to return to the US market, via its Alpine brand, before the end of the decade. Sadly, much of the plan revolves around electric crossover SUVs. However, if this means the car below might be available in the US, then I’m all in.

 

 

This is Renault’s modern iteration of the famous Alpine A110 model. In Why Can’t I Buy This Car?! (and in other posts), I lamented the fact that even if I could afford to buy one in Europe and ship it to the US, it would be illegal for me to do so.

Speaking of power-to-weight ratio, the 2,500-pound mid-engine A110 is powered by a turbocharged 1.8-liter inline 4-cylinder motor that now produces 300 HP/251 LB-FT of torque. It will accelerate from 0 to 100 KM/H (62 MPH) in 4.2 seconds.

In the linked post above, long-time automotive journalist Jonny Lieberman’s comments about the topic were noted. In an episode of “Head 2 Head” on Motor Trend in which the A110 was featured he asked why he couldn’t buy it in the US. He said, and I’m paraphrasing, that the US is one of the two largest automobile markets in the world, is a country with lots of automobile enthusiasts and lots of great roads. (This episode was filmed in Europe.)

Capitalism is supposed to give the consumer, not governments, the ultimate say. #DeathBeforeEV

 

#MiataForever

#NewAlpineA110

#DeathBeforeEV

#somanyCARSjustonelife

#disaffectedmusings

If you like this blog please tell your friends and share the blog URL (https://disaffectedmusings.com). Thanks.