Ain't the Internet grand!?
Wandering around the 'Net (as I tend to do at 03:00hrs) I bumped into a
reference to http://www.miata.net ... I couldn't control my curiosity so
I had a peek. To my surprise I find that the "father of the Miata" is a
guy named Bob Hall who (apart from looking like Father Christmas without
the beard) now lives in Australia (he no longer works for Mazda).
A couple of quotes from the site to whet your interest... as mine was...
"It was early spring, 1979 when the west coast editor of Automotive News
and Autoweek came to visit Mazda in Hiroshima. When Mazda managing
director, Kenichi Yamamoto asked Bob Hall his opinion regarding "What
kind of cars should Mazda build?", Bob's head pretty much exploded with
the answer. "A low-priced, open-bodied sports car." Bob then proceeded
to draw a sketch which marked the beginning of what we now know as our
beloved MX-5 Miata". Bob is the true father of the Miata. Now living in
Australia and working as a journalist for Wheels magazine.
and on the MGB v Miata thing...
Bob Hall said "One of the original documents I prepared described the
Mazda lightweight sports car (that became the Miata) as 'an MGB that
will start on a rainy day and won't leak oil on your driveway'. The
position of the car in the marketplace was much more in the area
inhabited by the likes of MGB and Sunbeam Alpine, particularly in terms
of affordability (based on weekly wages vs car cost, not the direct
dollar amount) and size".
hmmmmmmmmmmmm
Eric
'68MGB MkII
(I am still suffering withdrawl - she is still in quarantine)
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