Pity the poor Miata

 I JUST WANT TO BE ME!

That might be the refrain of the humble Miata. The sporty little roadster, that has been stirring enthusiasts' souls since it was first introduced over thirty years ago. Bringing back memories of all the great, inexpensive and semi-reliable British sportscars like the MG and the Triumph. But to some, this little corner carver is simply a blank canvas.

Speaking of which, for those of you who missed out on getting your dream Corvette back in the day or who simply can't conjure up the coin to buy an oldie today, this Miata conversion should speak to you......

Just another Miata under the skin, but trying to be something the little darling isn't.

Attention Mustang lovers.......

Yes folks, under this two seater Mustang copy sits the Miata roadster, crying out to be accepted for what it is, not what a few souls would like it to be. Of course, the Miata cover up doesn't stop with a couple of American "back in the day" icons, oh no, others strive for much loftier heights......

Take your pick, a make believe Ferrari or maybe this Maserati or failing those two, a Shelby Cobra. Pick your model from a selection of cars, whose prices these days are up in the stratosphere, if you could actually afford to ask.

And that poor little Miata just wants to be appreciated for the way it looks, the way it was born, without one of these ersatz bodies being plunked on top of it. Pity the poor Miata.

Now if you think it stops with these few, think again, Friendo.......

Take your pick. Drive one of these copies and be the person that you wish you could be, above driving a Miata, but without the bucks to go crazy on the real whatever.

And finally, in case you thought people disguised Miatas with only the hottest bodies........

Shed a tear for the taste of this poor individual who lusted after the almost ugly BMW Z3 and had a spare Miata on hand.

Pity the poor Miata. Just a nice little sportscar, longing to be appreciated for itself, not what a few underachievers would like it to be. Life as a car can be cruel.

 I JUST WANT TO BE ME!

Until next time.......

Electrifying looks!

 Have you noticed? Check out the picture below and see if you get what I've been noticing........

See what I'm noticing? These are the latest EV designs of a truck, that will hopefully hit the market before this new company runs out of cash, that they are probably going thru like flushing a toilet. Ok, give up? What I notice is that all the new EV trucks are really great looking. Smoothly futuristic with no resemblance to what is currently roaming our highways.

Sounding like a name from the Forbidden Kingdom, GM has just unveiled their BrightDrop (no spacing) at the Consumer Electronics Show.......

Peel back that unusual name and you'll see the newest addition to the burgeoning list of EV commercial vehicles. But what stands out is that great looking design. I can tell you that when these hit the road, I'll be ordering anything that FedEx delivers just to see this beauty roll up in front of my home. Extreme? Maybe not.

Why did it take so long to break the design envelope on these type of vehicles? Don't know, but I'm happy to see them. Another very cool looking FedEx van........

You know Rivian? This Michigan company seems to be very well funded and they've shown an suv and of course, another great looking EV pick-up......

Pick-ups these days are all pretty good looking. How does one stand out? Tell me that Rivian hasn't scored with their vision. 

But let's not stop there, as Amazon (you've heard of them?) also wanted an EV delivery van........

Between this van and the two FedEx's, I think the next year is going to be very expensive for me.

I recently blogged about the new Hummer.......

Yet another example of a new EV with electrifying looks, the 2022 Hummer.

Again, why did it take so long for the designers to come up with something new and different? 

Same old beer, but look at futuristic Nikola EV currently hauling this load of Bud........

And these few are just the trucks, as most new EV cars are just as good looking.

Notice what is missing from this brief preview? Does the name Tesla come to mind? Sure does, but their EV, while futuristic looking in the extreme..........

...... is also hideous in the same extreme. An outlier in every group? Let's hope Tesla makes a few major changes before this beast ends in their showrooms. 

Apart from the Tesla, our visual EV truck future looks bright. Will we all look forward to driving again, just so we can see these rolling sculptures cruising silently along our highways? Take the kidlings on a spotting mission.

Don't be silly, Barry, but it's a great way to get them out of the house.

Until next time......

Time on our hands

Yes, we've been busy over the past few months. The Car Modelling Cat (CMC) and I have been hard at it, keeping busy while the virus keeps us away from other things that we like to do, like eating out. Of course, the CMC regrettably gets left behind on those occasions, but hey, she sleeps and probably doesn't even know we've left. When it comes to making our precision scale models, she is right in the thick of things.

 

So, here is the little darling looking over our vehicle production of the past few months and below a little clearer pic of what we've been up to, minus a furry head and ears........

A variety of vehicles types, but one of the most unusual models we've done recently is a rare one. A car that really shouldn't have existed in that it is just plain strange. Those of you with a sharp eye can see a bit of it in the far background on the right. What is it? Any guesses? Any correct guesses?

Give up? Well, folks this is the 1980 Corvette America, which is simply a Corvette with a couple of more doors added. Good idea? I file it under the category of, just because you can, should you?

Whatever you think of this custom jib, it mirrored the 1980's when all sorts of strange vehicle mods hit the streets.

Now you know what the CMC and I have been up to during these strange times, what have you been doing?

Until next time......

Happy New Year?

 Happy New Year? 

So why the question mark? Used to be I'd be looking forward to the Detroit Auto Show and all the new concepts, but that like so many of these shows is temporarily(?) history. So, now I check online to see the latest reveals. 

Hoping for good things, I cruise my favorite new car info site, Carscoops. Oops, maybe not such a good idea, as laid out before me in all it's ugly glory is the upcoming Toyota Supra roadster.......

 

Be still my heart? I don't think so, as Toyota has taken their very well reviewed, but gawd awful looking Supra coupe and made it into an even uglier drop top. Yeah, yeah, I know all about, "It's only your opinion.", Barry, but surely my readers have eyes.

As my well informed readers know, the Supra and the BMW Z4 are the same car, developed in tandem, with each company putting their particular twist on things. What did BMW come up with?

Compare this tastefully done Bimmer to its Toyota cousin and tell me who got it right? Sure, Toyota's styling is on a peculiar roll these days, with each new model, including Lexus, trying to stand out in the worse possible way. Can't they hire some of the Hyundai designers, who are mining gold with each new model?

It wasn't always this way. Years in the rear view mirror, shows us a very appealing model from the 1980's.......

 

......followed up by another model, which cemented the Supra in the hearts of enthusiasts everywhere or at least in most places.......

Eventually becoming the daring of the Fast & Furious set worldwide.......

Even with all the icing on this car, it still out preforms its modern day counterpart in the looks department.

So back to my questioning Happy New Year. Looking forward to great things from the auto world and being beset upon by this latest Supra model. Oh, how things have changed and we can't blame it all on the virus. Or can we? Has some off putting design virus hit those folks at Toyota? 

Who knows? But if so, pray for a vaccine.

Until next time........

These are a few of my favorite things

 Yes friendo, it's that time of year again. Christmas? Of course, but I'm referring to those interminable lists, that everyone and their close relatives publish this time of year. Best whatever you can think from the past year. Should I be any different? Well, maybe a little, so my take on those tedious lists will be to simply show you a few of my favorite things.

Moving right along, this first one is an suv to die for, at least in its looks and at least in my opinion, ever so humble, the Hyundai, oops, Genesis GV70........

New from a company, that a mere ten years ago would have been laughed off the stage, if anyone suggested that they would be a style leader. An suv with a gorgeous look, that avoids looking like any other suv out there. Sure the Lambo Uris is a stunner, but it's at least six times the GV70's price. At around $50k-$60k Cdn, this is a luxury suv for everyday people like you and me (well, at least me).

But as nice as this suv is, it doesn't get the pulse racing like these next few of my favorite things.

Any Ferrari is a head turner, some more than others, but the new Roma brings tears to this car guy's eyes......

Seeing this beaut is the one time, that I wish I was The Drake. Not when thinking of cleaning his 30,000 square foot tasteless palace, but of having a small portion of his enormous wealth, so this Roma could be in my garage.

But why stop there, now that the new Bentley Bacalar is being seen in production form.......

A toy for those mega rich folks, that I occasionally (or infrequently) envy, this majestic ride is a mere two million US dollars. Would Bill Gates notice that pittance missing from his bank account? Be the only one on his block to have one of the handful (handful equals 12) being built.

Long to be a secret agent? If the British government insists on its James Bonds driving Aston Martins, then sign me up. This DB11 tugs at my heart strings every time I see one, which unfortunately is rarely....

Not a bad line anywhere, except maybe the bottom one.

Now let's get real and look at one of my favorite things, that most of us could afford........

The '60's were a great time for car design and this 1965 Chevy Caprice was to me one of the best. An important point........since it is a four door, its value is lower than a snake's belly in a wagon rut (courtesy of some country singer somewhere).

And finally........

.......with apologies to my other little grey fur ball, here is my favorite tabby.......

You got it. No list would be complete without an appearance by that most famous feline, The Car Modelling Cat. A diligent modeller and helper par excellence. Sure, she sleeps thru most of our builds, but wakes up for the most important parts. An unbeatable asset.

My sincerest apologies for succumbing to the list syndrome, but even your humble blogger has a weak moment.

As I close shop until the new year, my best wishes for you to have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Thanks for reading and stay safe.

Until next year.........

Start getting excited!

 All car people get excited about the next big thing. The anticipation of something new and if possible, different, turns us inside out with joy. Over stating it somewhat, but in these virus times, maybe not by much.

Once again let's turn to the east or I guess, west, since we are going back to China for more good news. There is a possibility that the company I'm mentioning today will sell their line in Canada. Of course, there is a possibility that the temperature one day in January will hit 20 degrees. Possible, but a long shot.

Enough with the talk, let's take a look at these break through vehicles that might be coming our way.......

Firstly the company is Neuwai, secondly their vehicles are electric. 'Nuff said. The taxi above is Smart car small and is actually a four door version of the two seater below........

Maybe some sales in Europe, but even the Smart car hasn't been a runaway sales success there, so put its chances of being in your local Canadian Neuwai dealership as very low, read "zero".

Moving right along to the volume vehicles, that will make Neuwai's trip to North America worthwhile (tongue firmly in cheek).......

My thoughts? The top model, the H1, looks like the 1920's meets the future, stopping along the way to mate with a Fiat Multipla.......

The white work truck, the T? Lots of these type of things in the far east and Europe, so why not let them have whatever surplus comes out of the Neuwai factory in the Forbidden Kingdom?

So you get the idea, that I don't hold out much hope of Neuwai's stock market price going through the roof in anticipation of an intro to our Canadian market. But there is one ray of hope......

Possibly, maybe, perhaps.........any of these words might describe the chance for Neuwai's UX602 to make a splash when and a big IF it reaches our shores.

But back to the beginning of today's blog. Car people live in anticipation of seeing the next new thing, big or otherwise. So now, when over the Christmas holidays, a friend stops to ask, "What's new?", you'll have an answer (after which they'll probably never ask you again).

As always, you read it here first.

Until next time......

Longing for the good ol' days?

Wake up after dreaming of the good ol' days with visions of old 1990's era Chevy Blazers causing your head to spin? Not surprising and I believe you are not the only one, as I bet there are at least a couple of hundred other folks with the same dilemma.

The stuff of dreams or nightmares? Excellent question. Now take a look at this beauty.......

Brings back memories of the memorable 1990's, doesn't it? So, what's the catch? Is this some sort of photo shopped image? No sir, this is the 2021 and 2022 Mitsouka Buddy. Ok, let's backtrack for a paragraph or two.

Quite a while back, I wrote about the Japanese company, Mitsuoka, who put new body panels on mainstream Japanese cars, in order to make them look like something else. Maybe something desirable, but rather costly. Who could forget these two aspirational cars......

The blue roadster is a make believe 1960's Corvette conjured up from a humble Mazda Miata. The want-a-be high roller mobile features an iconic Bentley grille grafted on to a humble Nissan Altima. Make like you are The Donald without spending the coin or being an insufferable, narcissistic bore.

Apparently there is a strong market in the Land of the Rising Sun for Mitsuoka's creations. The Buddy sold out its production for the next two years in only four(!) days. 

Of course, Mitsuoka is only going to make 200 copies over the next two years, so liars figure and figures lie. You know the deal.

Does the starting point of this unusual transformation look familiar? It should, as it is that perennial best seller, the Toyota Rav4. Already have one, but lust after that 1990's Chevy look and who doesn't? Simply cough up about $20,000 US and you too can cruise down memory lane with your Mitsuoka Buddy. Oh, I forgot, like I already mentioned, they are totally sold out. Sorry!

Any guesses to what Mitsuoka might come up with next? Dream big and pay small. What a deal!

Until next time......