>Date: Tue, 11 Aug 1998 14:05:38 -0500
>From: Bill Eastman <william.eastman@medtronic.com>
>
>Rick,
>
>Thanks for including me in this fascinating discussion. I once did a paper
>comparing English (MGB), German (Mercedes 220S), Italian (Alfa Guilietta)
>and American (Dodge Charger) cars. These were all cars based on late 50's
>early 60's design thought and really showed the differences between the
>countries' approaches to car manufacturer. The Mercedes was wonderfully
>constructed using high quality components and old world charm but the
>"design" (vs the engineering or quality) of the car was almost laughable.
>It looked like a smoother version of a 30's car. The car was complex
>beyond what was needed to function and, as such, even though it was well
>made things always seemed to break.
>
>The Alfa, on the other hand, was indeed a "little jewel" but every part of
>it was poorly engineered. In almost every corner of the car, wonderful
>ideas were poorly executed. Individual parts of rare beauty were assembled
>in haphazard fashion. The air cleaner, for instance, was a wonderful
>conglomeration of fabricated parts but it was very constrictive and a poor
>filter to boot. When it was on, however, it was a very satisfying device.
>
>The MG and the Dodge were in the middle. The MG was wonderfully
>constructed to a price out of somewhat outdated components. Other than the
>need for maintenance and the stupid Lucas bullet connectors, it was
>reasonably reliable to boot. There was no part of the design that did not
>seem to work as well as it could with the other parts. In fact, other than
>the motor, it was a thoroughly modern (and profitable) car into the early
>seventies. Admittedly MG is not the typical British Marque- they had no
>labor issues to speak of- but it is still thoroughly English.
>
>The Dodge was Proven components selected to go with exciting sheet metal to
>perform in typical American fashion. It wasn't well built but it didn't
>fall apart. The engine was powerful because it was huge, not because it
>was sophisticated. The development money was spent on reducing owner
>involvement, not increasing efficiency. If something was important, it was
>built to survive. If something was less important, it was built as cheaply
>as it could be.
>
>So, each car reflects the beliefs and constraints of their builders. None
>of them were really bad cars although relying on the Alfa for
>transportation was your basic leap of faith. When people lambaste the
>British car industry, they either choose to focus on a couple of
>generalities (old engine designs, poor labor relations) or home in on one
>or two specific examples (TR-7's come to mind or Sir William's "Luxury for
>a price" philosophy) and ignore the many examples where the British lead
>the industry. The same can be said for fervent backers of British (or any
>other) cars, by the way. They just choose different example to prove their
>point. The British auto industry died because they chose not to invest
>when it was necessary, not because the British couldn't design new cars.
>Once they fell a little behind then the Socialists drove them into the
>ground. Mercedes and Porsche almost suffered the same fate but they
>redefined their niche to fit with modern requirements. Look around right
>now. See GM. See GM use old motors and designs. See GM suffer paralyzing
>strikes. See GM lag behind the buyer's preferences.
>
>With all of the mergers and the speed of development. Cars are loosing
>their differences. It is indeed a world market now. Instead of talking
>about how "We did it better than you" we should just be glad that the old
>cars with personality are still around for us to enjoy. I prefer old
>British Iron, mostly because that is what I preferred as a kid, but I still
>appreciate the others and have owned one or two of most of them (except
>French cars or at least French cars that ran) and will probably own
>non-Brit iron in the future. I have always wanted a Willys Overland
>pickup, for instance and Porsche makes about the best small GT...
>
>Regards,
>Bill Eastman
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