This Short In Hemmings S&E...

[Rupunzell]

Was where it all began:

*Solex carb...
*dart shaped styling.. fashion of the day, maybe.
*Rusty.
*Bertone, the cars "assembler"

errr, one too many oopisies...

Email to Craig F.. of what was so wrong with what they wrote..

April that same year, this article appeared. While it was better, Karl closed with, "it's cam belt could produce unpleasant surprises."

They really did try... yet, some how Karl missed some of how the X was received back in the day.

Then came the first road test:

It was not long before Road & Track and others did comparisons with similar "sports cars" of the day. The majority ended up calling the British offerings "dated" and in need of updating.

Most of the auto media from that time was less than positive about BL "sports cars". Given the number of Brit car advertises in Hemmings and others.. Would they bit the hand that feeds them and say bad things about British cars, like what was said by a previous generation of auto writers?

Bernice

 

[Jim W]

Most of the auto media from that time was less than positive about BL "sports cars". Given the number of Brit car advertises in Hemmings and others.. Would they bit the hand that feeds them and say bad things about British cars, like what was said by a previous generation of auto writers?

Bernice

Bernice, I think you’re reading this situation totally wrong. You've got the cause-and-effect backward. The simple truth is that there are far more people out there driving and maintaining little British cars than there are little Italian cars. Therefore, you are going to see more articles targeted in that direction and you’ll see more advertisers supporting that segment.

Magazines need to make money or they cease to exist. So they are going to write to the largest audience within their editorial scope….

I really have no idea why there are more people interested in British cars - That would be an interesting subject for some PHD candidate, Social Behaviorist to do his/her thesis on – but the situation is what it is.

There was no more obvious demonstration of this than an event I attended the weekend before last. It was the annual “British Invasion” car show in Stowe, VT. A multi-day event that includes tours, displays, concours events and even a night block-party where the main street of the town is blocked off and only British cars can enter. There were 600+ cars on the show field alone, with probably another 100 (Brit) hanging in the spectator parking. …and this isn’t some Pebble Beach highbrow event with mega-million dollar trailer queen cars, sponsors and Hollywood celebrities (although there are some of all those there)… its mostly a bunch of Joe six-pack enthusiasts with home restored MGs and Triumphs.

This is something that happens every year, drawing thousands of people… all at the edge-of-nowhere Vermont… and this is only one of several LBC events that occur in the Northeast through the summer. I’ll challenge anyone to try and duplicate that with Italian car only events.

So, If I’m going to run a classic “sports car” enthusiast magazine, and hopefully attract readers and make a little money, where do you think I’m going to slant my content?…

 

[Rupunzell]

BINGO! You win!

The driving force behind why these publication write what they do is driven by their need to keep the doors open and lights on..... which means never saying a bad word about Brit cars even if they are a total mechanical problem.

I have a very good idea as to why ole Brit sports car are so well liked by these folks (There are many THOUSANDS of them out there). Maybe more on this later... Basically it is similar to why Detroit muscle cars, old Harley Davidson motorcycles and etc command the prices they do.
Like fashion, it's not about function or good design, it's about buying into an image...wanting that lifestyle and trying to re-capture some of one's youth in middle-life.

All this is good and fine, where I have a serious problem with all these writers is when they slam the X1/9 and other similar cars with problems that are the same or worst compared to their pet cars and make is sound like their pet cars are perfect and can do no wrong.

This is pure fantasy and a big lie to make more $ for their cottage industry at the expense of cars like the X1/9 and continues to perpetuate the crappy car myth.. which will make re-introducing FIAT into the current car market a living hell. This is also "Farming" these Brit car owners for $ to support their publications in the process. Like growing mushrooms in the dark, then harvesting them when ready.

Bernice

Bernice, I think you’re reading this situation totally wrong. You've got the cause-and-effect backward. The simple truth is that there are far more people out there driving and maintaining little British cars than there are little Italian cars. Therefore, you are going to see more articles targeted in that direction and you’ll see more advertisers supporting that segment.

Magazines need to make money or they cease to exist. So they are going to write to the largest audience within their editorial scope….

I really have no idea why there are more people interested in British cars - That would be an interesting subject for some PHD candidate, Social Behaviorist to do his/her thesis on – but the situation is what it is.

There was no more obvious demonstration of this than an event I attended the weekend before last. It was the annual “British Invasion” car show in Stowe, VT. A multi-day event that includes tours, displays, concours events and even a night block-party where the main street of the town is blocked off and only British cars can enter. There were 600+ cars on the show field alone, with probably another 100 (Brit) hanging in the spectator parking. …and this isn’t some Pebble Beach highbrow event with mega-million dollar trailer queen cars, sponsors and Hollywood celebrities (although there are some of all those there)… its mostly a bunch of Joe six-pack enthusiasts with home restored MGs and Triumphs.

This is something that happens every year, drawing thousands of people… all at the edge-of-nowhere Vermont… and this is only one of several LBC events that occur in the Northeast through the summer. I’ll challenge anyone to try and duplicate that with Italian car only events.

So, If I’m going to run a classic “sports car” enthusiast magazine, and hopefully attract readers and make a little money, where do you think I’m going to slant my content?…

 

[Jim W]

All this is good and fine, where I have a serious problem with all these writers is when they slam the X1/9 and other similar cars with problems that are the same or worst compared to their pet cars and make is sound like their pet cars are perfect and can do no wrong.

This is pure fantasy and a big lie to make more $ for their cottage industry at the expense of cars like the X1/9 and continues to perpetuate the crappy car myth.. which will make re-introducing FIAT into the current car market a living hell. This is also "Farming" these Brit car owners for $ to support their publications in the process. Like growing mushrooms in the dark, then harvesting them when ready.

Well, what I don't follow is the anti X1/9 bias/conspiracy you claim exists, or your opinion that the magazines in question feel British cars can do no wrong. I own both (brit and Italian) and I just don't see it.

The "negative" statement you pulled from Karl Ludvigsen's article on the X was the only bad thing he had to say in the entire final paragraph. The remainder was quite positive. And his down comment is true for those that had early X1/9s and were lax in maintenance. All I think he was trying to convey was that the timing gear in old tech pushrod engines predominant in the early X's contemporaries could be ignored for quite some time and miles before catastrophe, but skip that 30K mile belt change in your X (which many did) and you had trouble.

Karl's article as a whole was light in content, but no more so than most articles of the type (in that magazine) and typical of what I would expect in a general interest "classic" car publication trying to appeal to many tastes. Now if that article would have been in something called "Italian Classic Car Monthly", I would have expected more.

And regarding British cars... they get picked on a lot. Trust me on this. Maybe not so much in Hemmings or Classic Motorsports but in the general car enthusiast community they get abused... just as much, if not more so than anything that came out of Italy. I can't drive my Triumphs or MG around the block without someone volunteering a "Lucas Prince of Darkness" joke or some story about how rusty their friend's/father's/roommate's british roadster got.

 

[wombat]

... europa v X article

Bernice,

I'd like to get a copy of the Europa v Fiat article ... which magazine was that from ...?

And it's a good comparison with the Europa Renault engine; the twin cam engine would have been more entertaining though not as close. At least a body rust would not be a problem for the Europa; mor elike crazing.

As pointed out, the writer's are only as good as their resources and journalistic endeavor.

 

[Rupunzell]

Consider this quote from Karl for a moment, "it's cam belt could produce unpleasant surprises."

What does it contribute to this article? Why at the end of this article was this quote put in?

FIAT was one of the first to use cog belt drive for the cams, this solved the problem of driving two over head cams which allowed reasonable cost twin cam engines to be made in mass production at a price that many could afford. While FIAT got the brunt of critique for using a cog belt, in time, just about every car manufacture used it.. and they all had the same problems as FIAT if the cog belt was not replaced as required..Yet, FIAT got branded as un-reliable and crappy for this innovation..

Why was this not mentioned in Karl's article?

This was just another "dig" aimed at FIAT. As that statement added no real value to the article or provided any historically significant information and it is insinuating reliability problems by omission of other details and facts related to the cam timing belt.

Most recent example was what started all this, the "un-reliable x1/9" -vs- very reliable, "problem_less" Toyota MR2.

We have a TR6 and TR3, remember. I can tell you all sorts of stuff that you might not wanna know about these cars and why Brit cars have the problems they do. Much of it is self inflicted by their designers or British Leyland penny pinched until the penny screamed in their efforts to stay alive..

Remember, British Leyland sold 80+% of their production as sports cars to the US car market. This is why BL did most anything to keep that market alive including bribing SCCA and buying off journalist in any way they can or what ever else was necessary. BL tried to sell sedans in the US, but they were never successful. Remember the Austin Marina or Austin America or Triumph 2000 or Rover 2000TC (actually a good design)? None sold in significant number to the US car market.

This volume of British sports cars sold in the US is one of the reasons why they have the following they do to this day. Which is why we have "Vintage" car rags like Hemmings S&E, Classic Motorsport and etc writing the stuff they do about Ye Ole Brit cars..

The Miata (aka MX-5) is more British sports car or Roadster than anything original from Japan, yet it is one of the most successful two seaters in the US market proving how ingrained the expectations of what some car folks believe is a "sports car".

Even Ferrari built "Sports Cars" following the British mold until the Ferrari Dino.

World War Two figures into this too, the US and Britain were strong allies during the war and helped each other during and post war. This was not true for Italy given Mussolini's Fascist government at that time.

So there you have it. Why Hemmings and others write the stuff they do and why the market value of the X1/9 will stay pretty much where it is today and why it is likely to continue to be looked upon as a "Fix It Again Tony".


Bernice

Well, what I don't follow is the anti X1/9 bias/conspiracy you claim exists, or your opinion that the magazines in question feel British cars can do no wrong. I own both (brit and Italian) and I just don't see it.

The "negative" statement you pulled from Karl Ludvigsen's article on the X was the only bad thing he had to say in the entire final paragraph. The remainder was quite positive. And his down comment is true for those that had early X1/9s and were lax in maintenance. All I think he was trying to convey was that the timing gear in old tech pushrod engines predominant in the early X's contemporaries could be ignored for quite some time and miles before catastrophe, but skip that 30K mile belt change in your X (which many did) and you had trouble.

And regarding British cars... they get picked on a lot. Trust me on this. Maybe not so much in Hemmings or Classic Motorsports but in the general car enthusiast community they get abused... just as much, if not more so than anything that came out of Italy.

 

[Rupunzell]

Australian Classic Car magazine.

The body on the Europa might not rust, but the thin sheet metal (like 20 or 22 gauge sheet steel) frame has SERIOUS rust problems. The Original Elan has the same rust problems too.

New improved frames are available for both the Europa and Elan. This is how vintage Lotus folks deal with the rust problem.

Regardless, the Europa remains one of my fave cars from Lotus. The Europa evolved to be the Esprit.

Speaking of British car magazine.. here is a short on the X1/9:

Bernice

Bernice,

I'd like to get a copy of the Europa v Fiat article ... which magazine was that from ...?

And it's a good comparison with the Europa Renault engine; the twin cam engine would have been more entertaining though not as close. At least a body rust would not be a problem for the Europa; mor elike crazing.

As pointed out, the writer's are only as good as their resources and journalistic endeavor.