Ferrari Mailing List: cars I've owned

[George P . (ygpz4re]

Ok, I wasn't going to jump into this, until Britt mentioned the Spitfire (more 
on that in a moment)...
 
My first car was a '69 Ford LTD that my grandmother gave to my sister and I.  
It became more "my" car because I was the only one who knew everything that was 
wrong with it and the "workarounds"...  ;-)
 
After that (in chonological order):
 
'78 'Vette (but sadly it was a Chev, not a Cor)
'81 Ford Escort (my first "just gettin' out of college" car; Dad co-signed the 
loan for this in '84)
'78 Spitfire (my first sportscar; a friend of my Dad's w/ a 308QV GTB said I 
had more of a sports car than he did - because the top went down!  Bought this 
car in '85 with my own money!)
'87 Dodge Shadow (my first *NEW* car)
'86 Mazda 626GT (5 door hatch w/ a turbo - could carry a ton of stuff and was 
FAST)
'91 Toyota Celica GT (this car probably had the best "fit" for me)
'81 Lincoln Town Car (Dad's old car...)
'86 Toyota Celica GT (Mom's old car...)
'91 Honda Prelude (just an old car)
'77 308 GTB (steel - ex Steve Cook/Joe Martz)
'00 Mazda Miata (first new sportscar - gift from the wife)
'01 Mazda Protege5 (screamin' yellow, loved this car; sold on ebay to buy new 
house)
'02 Mazda Tribute (traded for Jetta when gas prices *first* spiked in '04)
'04 VW Jetta TDI Wagon (turbo, not real fast, but carries a ton of stuff at 
45+mpg!)
'04 Mazdaspeed Miata (turbo, real fast, doesn't carry much more than the wife 
and I!  oh, and *not* at 45mpg!)
'06 VW Beetle TDI (the wife's)
 
I think that's all of them.  Currently we still have the two VWs, the 
Mazdaspeed Miata, and (drum roll please) the Spitfire!  Yep, bought it in 1985 
and still have it.  Did an engine rebuild when I never thought I'd buy a 
Ferrari, and then set it aside for the 3 years I owned Steve's blue 308.  It's 
back in it's own little garage space now and is patiently waiting for me to 
complete the new Weber carb installation (the used SUs I had just never seemed 
to work right...).  Hoping to be driving it again this spring.  And while it's 
no 308, it is a blast to drive and "feels" much faster than it actually is.
 
Now, forgive the sacrelige on a Ferrari list, but the Mazdaspeed Miata almost 
*is* a 308.  At nearly 180hp and 170 ft lb of torque, 600 fewer pounds than the 
308 (<15 pounds/hp), and rock-solid reliability (I never have to wonder if it's 
going to start when I get in and turn the key), I almost like it *better* than 
the 308.  But it clearly does not have the sex-appeal, curb-appeal, or panache 
that the 308 has...  oh well.  It, like the Spit, is great fun to drive!
 
George P.

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