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Yes. Sorry. I've been having 'Girl Trouble,' as well as '(T3)Girl Trouble' recently. I was on a tear. The Rock Crusher is a 'Muncie M-21' 4-speed transmission, and boy! what a transmission. Good machine. I'm thoroughly disappointed in American cars, as while they've come to their senses in many ways (there was *no* excuse for '75 Buicks), the FI you're referring to was the biggest POS the market's ever seen. Effectively increased the fuel mileage of American cars by, wait, no, it didn't increase the mileage. At least it was more dependable than a Rochester 2-jet, oh, no, wait, it wasn't. American manufacturers gave up the solidity of their makes of the 60's for cost cutting moves, and gave the industry Pinto's and Chevettes. A T3 is worlds away from a 65 Nova, technically, it's true. You couldn't even get disc brakes on a regular Chevy until like 1967, and they were expensive, so nobody got them (Corvette was the only exception, they started in like 1963). But a T3 is worlds away from a Fiat Panda (or 128, or whatever those dreadful little things were) or a 2CV. The Renault used big rubber bands for a tranny for Pete's sake! Anyway, this was a destructive thread that I should've never started. Sorry volks! James 'Love Them And Loose Them' MacNaughton -----Original Message----- From: Erkson, Toby [SMTP:toby.erkson@intel.com] Sent: Thursday, November 19, 1998 1:27 PM To: 'type3@vwtype3.org' Subject: RE: [T3] Boy am I about to make enemies! James, you make a valid point. We need to remember that cars made for Europeans are made differently than how American cars are; I mean in the utility/ergonomics/human sense. The expression is a broad statement, not pointing to every single vehicle made by whoever. Americans got ego and it's represented in the early cars: Big estates, huge chrome bumpers and even bigger engines, all to go with a large, spacious country. Europeans are more subdued and focused on, well, it's hard for me to verbalize...economy. Innovation vs. innovation the European automotive engineering community has progressed at a much quicker rate than the Americans. Our little T3 was the first production vehicle for the masses with fuel injection. I can still remember American car ads touting FI as a selling point in the late '70s/early '80s when many Euro cars were already FI and it was no big deal. Differences in exterior design shows that the Atlantic does more than separate our continents. Looking at the American cars now I can see they are progressing well. They are slowly backing away from the big cars of the past and making more economical boxes. They are also making them more sportier, with improved engine management, suspension designs and body stylings. In the broad scope of autos I see nothing better or worse about American or European (or Asian) automobiles, each has its following, its place, to the tastes of the individual. If I had to make a sudden decision on an auto maker without getting my choice of vehicle (it'll never happen, this is just an example), I would pick American for a cruising ride and European for a sporty ride. One of my favorite American cars: My friend Marty had a '68 Chevy Camaro Super Sport with a 3-something small block and a Rock Crusher tranny (whatever the hell that is, it sounded cool and the throw was incredibly small!). Boy, that car had speed like nobody's business and the best set of full hips (yes, like a female's) my eyes have ever gazed (Porsche 930 gets the best European hips :) Toby Erkson air_cooled_nut@pobox.com <-- Please use this address for email '72 VW Squareback 1.6L bored and stroked to 2.0L, Berg five-speed '75 Porsche 914 1.8L, ORPCA member Portland, Oregon, http://www.pobox.com/~toby_erkson/ >-----Original Message----- >...I've heard this >a million, >million times before... > > "In Europe, you're ON THE ROAD. In America, you're IN THE CAR." > >They've said that for 40 years, and as a driver, I'm a little >tired of it... ------------------------------------------------------------------- Unsubscribe? mailto:type3-request@vwtype3.org, Subject: unsubscribe