Originally Posted by Karnak

I'm going to leave the Miata arguments alone, as I've never driven one....

...but Lotus! I bought a '73 Europa JPS in 1979. Owned it until USAA figured out how risky that car/driver combination was to them. My premiums were unsustainable.

The Europa was an amazing car. I used to sling it up and down Highway 1 in California with a permanent grin on my face. The engine (non-injected twin-cam mounted right behind me), transmission (5-speed), and that awesome suspension made me think I was a great driver. I went to Track Day at Laguna Seca in '79, and met Bobby Rahal. Nice guy. Stared at my girlfriend the whole time he was talking to me. Did 4 laps in "Don't quit your day job!" time.

Cried like a baby when I sold it.

It's legacy is a quote that I repeat often to my wife (the girlfriend), uttered by a guy to his friends while watching us get into the car in Santa Cruz, "That car, that chick...THATguy?"