There's been a lot of discussion about what cars have a "soul", even
whether or not this is a correct concept. Well, I was seduced by the
M**ta back in 1989 when it came out, and I bought one 6 months later.
Suffice it to say that I sold it 5 years later, to partially finance my
Factory MGB-GT V-8, and felt no remorse, for the M**ta has no soul...
I think a car's "soul" is that indefinable quality that goads you into a
full involvement with the car. With the V-8, I enjoy driving it,
working on it, hunting down parts for it, planning the restoration, etc.
With the M**ta, I enjoyed driving it at first, and looking at it, but
thats all. Working on it was a chore, even changing the oil was an
exercise in frustration. Cleaning it was no fun either, it just pointed
out how lousy the paint was (I paid $16,000 for this?). As time went
on, the M**ta even became boring to drive. Sure it handled and
accelerated better than a B, but it did it without any of the right
noises, just like any other Japanese sedan, I started taking it for
granted. Even the M**ta Club didn't help, what fun is it where people
don't talk about their latest malfunctions or weekend repairs?
Sure, my wife regretted the sale of the M**ta, but she doesn't derive
the same satisfaction from "just getting there" that I do. And with the
V-8, she knows where I am all the time, out in the garage.
But I still enjoy looking at M**tas as they drive by. Every other
modern sports car, Z-3s and MGFs included, have too many little design
fillips and excrescences stuck on, whereas the M**ta is clean and
uncluttered. We won't even talk about the new Alfa Spyder, I saw one of
those in the UK last month (a Chartreuse one!) and it was ugly as an old
boot...
Cheers, PK
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