At the risk of angering those with rubber bumpers and creating a schism
between those unfortunates and us guys with regular chrome bumpers, (joke) it
is easy to understand the frustration of the "enthusiast press" in reviewing
the later cars. I think contemporary performance numbers confirm that the
cars were heavier, slower and less nimble after the government mandated
bumpers were added (on top of years of creeping emission controls.) Lots of
cars had the same problem. Does anyone recall the hideous, enormous bumpers
Mercedes put on their cars starting in 74? The Fiat Spiders at least looked
decent, even if they rusted in the first rainstorm. Sadly, BL couldn't or
wouldn't do what was necessary, that is, redesign the car to survive in the
80's against cheap, reliable and (reasonably) fun to drive Japanese cars.
What really ended the road for the British cars was the Datsun Z cars and the
like, which were fun to drive, could be driven year round in places with snow
and didn't break down as much or as badly. Tho I love my Midget, a 78 Corolla
was pretty nimble, could be thrown around and abused alot and just keep
running. It was an appliance, which is why there isn't a list for them. But
unless you could afford to buy a new car that might or might not cost you big
money on repairs, you'd think hard about the Corolla. I think the reviews
simply reflect the frustration at the deterioration and ultimate death of the
cheap, fun convertible sports car, which was a dying breed after the 1973 and
1978 oil embargos and resulting economic upheaval. It was a long time before
anyone tried again (see Mercury Capri & Miata)
Dave Groundwater
70 Midget
|