[DeTomaso] NPC: 850 Fiat Spider driving impressions

Bill Lewis lotus0005 at hotmail.com
Sun Jun 9 13:11:40 EDT 2013


Gary, I am probably the only Pantera owner on this forum who is not a mechanic - and I am constantly amazed at what you boys do with your cars.  Your MG looks great.   One of our cars that we owned as our only car in college was a MG Midget.  There's lots of memories of our youth, but boy the crazy things that we did!!  I'll bet you get lots of looks when you leave lights in your car - what is the engine?  Your great picture looks , well, uh great!!   Gives me an idea for a picture of my Pantera next fall.  --BILL Lewis

> Date: Sun, 9 Jun 2013 10:15:41 -0500
> From: gow2 at rc-tech.net
> To: JDeRyke at aol.com
> CC: detomaso at poca.com
> Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] NPC: 850 Fiat Spider driving impressions
> 
> I don't think agree with the dangers of a Fiat being different then the
> dangers of any other small car on the road which there are 1000 different
> ones.
> 
> I knew a guy sitting at a stop light in a Ford F250 creamed by a Semi so
> size did not help him.
> 
> Does not mean that you do not need to be aware of your size and
> surroundings albeit small car or motorcycle.
> 
> I bought a 1964 MGB many years ago. It sounded great but grandma in her
> grocery getter would zip right by. It handled like an Edsel as well. I
> eventually parked it putting less then a 100 miles on it. I was either
> going to do an engine conversion or sell it. It was not the car I
> envisioned when I saw it.
> 
> Eventually, I pulled it out of storage, stripped it down, did an engine
> conversion, suspension upgrades, 4-wheel disk brakes, tons of other stuff:
> 
> http://www.rc-tech.net/MGB/mgengout.jpg
> http://www.rc-tech.net/MGB/98strippedS.jpg
> http://www.rc-tech.net/MGB/engine/e2b.jpg
> http://www.rc-tech.net/MGB/paint1/jam4.jpg
> http://www.rc-tech.net/MGB/suspension/disk.jpg
> http://www.rc-tech.net/MGB/suspension/4wheel.jpg
> http://www.rc-tech.net/MGB/engine/en4.jpg
> 
> http://www.rc-tech.net/cars2/mg2/gal/CAI.jpg
> http://www.rc-tech.net/cars2/mg2/gal/fall2.jpg
> http://www.rc-tech.net/cars2/mg2/gal/fall12.jpg
> http://www.rc-tech.net/cars2/mg2/gal/int.jpg
> 
> http://www.rc-tech.net/cars2/mg2/gal/rainb.jpg
> 
> The car is a bast! It is not a race car by any means but it is a fantastic
> touring car.
> 
> Gary
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> > Sean, I once drove a FIAT 850 about 6 miles. A cute little Italian girl
> > where I worked bought a bright red one new in '70, and asked me to take
> > her to
> > lunch driving her car, and tell her what I thought, as I was known as a
> > car
> > nut. It was amazing- we took off on a 6 lane city street & I ran 1st gear
> > to
> > the redline, then 2nd-to-redline, then 3rd.... and we were doing maybe 45
> > mph. 4th & 5th seemed to have near-zero acceleration. Loaded inner-city
> > delivery vans were passing us on both sides. It handled well and I told
> > her so,
> > but I also said it really needed more power to commute or handle an
> > expressway safely.
> >
> > A week later, a woman in a Pontiac station wagon ran completely over
> > Debbie
> > and her FIAT at a boulevard stoplight. DOA at the hospital. Woman said she
> > didn't see my friend in her shiny little red roadster. Or the red light.
> >
> > A FIAT 810 or the 'big' 850 is badly outclassed in today's traffic, as are
> > small motorcycles and most scooters. If your plans for the thing include
> > commuter or other heavy traffic use, be really, really defensive in your
> > driving. Or maybe add a large mirror and a 100 horse nitrous shot so you
> > can at
> > least avoid the suicidal & the inattentive. The average motorist (I refuse
> > to
> > call them "drivers") simply pays no attention to anything beyond their
> > dashboard anymore. FWIW- J DeRyke
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