Gatlinburg is burning

Did you drive a Fiero in the 80's

 

LOL. No. Make fun if you wish, but a Miata is basically a little British roadster, only it is manufactured by the Japanese, so everything on it actually works. (The old joke among British sport car guys is "Why do the British drink warm beer? Because their refrigerators are made by Lucas Electric." Lucas was a primary supplier of the notoriously unreliable electrical systems in MG's, Triumphs, and Jags.)

Mine had the engine rebuilt by Flyin' Miata, has custom valved Bilstein shocks, Racing Beat intake and exhaust header and hi flow cat, a Borla exhaust, upgraded brake rotors and racing pads, and a bunch of other aftermarket parts. It won't accelerate off the line with a V8 but it has more go than you'd expect... and staying with it in the curves is another thing entirely. It's a momentum car, it can carry a lot of speed through turns.

If everything on the road handled and braked like it there would be far fewer wrecks.

 

Miata looks like a lot of fun. Would not like getting sandwiched between tractor-trailers, though.

 

Also in Land Rovers. I once had a '67 Series IIa that had Lucas Electrics ... also known as the "Prince of Darkness."

My father bought a '97 Miata in British racing green when he retired that same year. Still has it today with 30K miles on it. He loves it. My wife and I used it this past summer to drive from the church to the reception after our wedding.

 

But can you have sex in it?

 

Nothing like running 75-80 on the freeway while looking up at the bottom of the flatbed trailer running beside you. OTOH, all you have to do if you are nervous about it is to keep an eye on where his tires are in relation to the white line. I know a couple of guys who went to the junkyard and bought a big loud horn, say an 80's Buick horn, and replaced the little Jap beep horn. Three of our five have been wrecked, and two of those were idiot unaware big car people who hit it. One was cutting across three lanes to try to make an interstate exit that had snuck up on him and clipped my wife, nearly putting her into the water barrels at the exit. One was when I was stopped at a red light, and the lady in front of me saw a parking place and backed up to get into it - onto my hood. It was a brand new Lincoln Navigator, big as a house, *with* a back up camera, and she still "didn't see me". Scary as hell and not a damn thing I could do, it was all over before I could even get onto the horn. "She's not going to CRUNCH..."

Yeah, Lucas is kind of like Delco, a huge supplier to a number of brands, and almost all had electrical demons.

I had a supercharged '97 BRG, that was the one that she backed up onto. Sweet ride, the last year of the original body style.

Well, that depends on how flexible you are and what your attitude on public to semi-public sex is... Convertibles can get you laid, but having sex in a Miata is something of a challenge. On a Miata is a bit more doable.

 

Does this thread now qualify as a, ummm....

Carjacking?

 

Good thing the fires didn't penetrate downtown. All the moonshine would have lit it blue.

Was there last month to do fall foliage. Played at the Hillbilly Golf putt-putt place, which may or may not still be there. Perfectly encapsulates the dorky, unrefined but likable vibe of the place. Hope they make it to their feet again soon.

Proceeds from this shirt go to the American Red Cross.

 

The Hillbilly putt-putt did not survive, as did many of the businesses just on the outskirts.

 

Gatlingburg/Pigeon Forge and Panama City were my family's two vacation spots if we didn't have a lot of money for vacation. Been there many times, as recently as 2012.

I was supposed to go there with family in early October, but I had to cancel for my surgery. I love going up to Ober Gatlinburg and seeing the black bears. I was hoping to go next spring....

 

I'm glad someone mentioned the Tail of the Dragon. I'm a graduate of the Bondurant Racing School in Arizona and I've turned laps at several tracks, including Sebring, Road America, Lime Rock, Road Atlanta and some others I can't remember. All have their quirks.

But nothing scared me like the Dragon. No guardrails to protect you from going over the side and down the mountain to your death. Idiots on bullet bikes thinking they're immortal and riding like it. People in campers trying to navigate the endless corners. It looks like a large intestine. I felt like I'd aged 20 years during my time on that road. And to make things worse, there are photographers who shoot a pic of every car, truck, motorcycle or anything else on wheels on the Dragon and sell their wares on line, just waiting to put your wipeout on the interwebs for all to see.

It makes the Nurburgring look like a Florida road in comparison (lapping the Nurburgring in a high-performance car is on my bucket list). The Dragon is one of the scariest tests of one's driving ability and my car, although a decent 8/10ths, didn't make the grade there with its heavy and slow electric power steering. It was a white-knuckle ride below the speed limit that my wife said she won't repeat.

Back to the topic at hand, my heart breaks for the family of the Memphis couple whose bodies were found after they were trapped in the fire. I think you're going to see a lot more of these tragic stories in the coming days. The death toll is up to 11 at last count and I don't think that's the end of it. I think prayer is in order for the families.

Jon, Janet Summers, Tennessee couple missing after wildfire, among dead: family