Originally Posted by mikegarrison,Sep 7 2007, 07:13 PM

Kind of an elegant solution, in a way. Like two motorcycles sharing the same sidecar.

Originally Posted by RED MX5,Sep 7 2007, 05:19 PM

Have you ever actually seen the chain drive?
A solid axle is mounted ahead of the rear wheels, and drives sprockets.
And I agree; Very elegant.

Originally Posted by RED MX5,Sep 7 2007, 05:16 PM

My buddy, Tripper Cook, is in the process of heavily modifying an Elise.

Originally Posted by RED MX5,Sep 7 2007, 02:20 PM

Extremely so.

You know, Mike, back in the 60's I had a really sweet BRG MGA. Talk about character! There were no exterior door handles. To open the door, you pulled out the side curtains, reached inside through a hole in the interior door panel trim, and pulled a cord, to release the door latch. Side curtains, no radio, no air, no power steering ... Without a doubt the purest sports car I have ever owned. Simple, and to the point. When the MGB came out, it reaked with "improvements." Bigger engine with more power and torque, door handles, roll up windows, stiffer chassis, and suspension improvements. My first MGB was also BRG, and the second one was white. In spite of all those "improvements," or more accurately, because of them, the MGB's were never as much fun or as much of a joy to own as the MGA. They lacked its purity of purpose, and as such were actually inferior, at least in terms of that all important "driving experience." Much was gained, but a part of the soul of the car was lost.

I believe you are one of the people here who will understand why the MGA was so much more desirable and enjoyable than the MGB's, because I know you value the driving experience you get from the S2000.

We also know the direction most cars take as they are "improved," and the MGA/MGB story is actually very typical. A car starts out highly focused, then over the years as it is upgraded, that focus is lost. From where I sit we have already seen that happen, to a much lesser extent, with the S2000. Just putting a clock in the car ... Hahaha, I don't even want to go there.

Now if Honda had decided to boost power with a supercharger rather than a displacement increase, had lowered the car an inch, had switched to a clutch type LSD and 4.30 gears, instead of making the "improvements" they have made over the years, then I'd see the changes as improvements, but they've actually gone in almost exactly the opposite direction. You and I also go in quite different directions with our mods, because we're doing totally different things with our cars, so I suspect that your list of improvements and possible further improvements would be quite different from mine, but the difference between you and I, and Honda, is that we are improving with tightly focused goals, while car companies improvements are aimed at gaining market share. Focus is what makes a car stand out, and it is rare to see a major car company retain focus as they broaden market share.

Smaller companies and custom shops are another matter.

Originally Posted by mikegarrison,Sep 7 2007, 07:27 PM

No, not in person.

And I guess not all the S800s had them. According to Wikipedia, they switched to a conventional Panhard design about halfway through the production run.

Originally Posted by mikegarrison,Sep 7 2007, 03:49 PM

From an engineering standpoint, this is almost impossible. It is very difficult to downsize a design. It is much easier to grow it.

To make that car you are talking about they would pretty much have to go back to a clean sheet of paper.

Originally Posted by nastinupe1,Sep 7 2007, 07:31 PM

So in other words... your definition of character is a car with no door handles, no AC, and no clock?

Originally Posted by nastinupe1,Sep 7 2007, 07:31 PM

No wonder you love the CR.