Re: newcomings

[ejfluhr@austin.ibm.com (Fluhr)]

>rewarding...  Tweeking one can make you look longingly at the Urq as the
>chance to do it right....  9.0 seconds to 60 sounds slow, but the all around
>handling of that car was pretty good right from the get go, and fun driving
>in that car wasn't a hp equation.... Ask Mr. 400,000 miler...   Eric?....

After driving the GT with all three engines (100hp 2144cc, 110hp 2226cc,
and 130hp 2309cc), I have to agree with you Scott.  They all have been
equally fun, regardless of the horsepower.  The car just has a wonderful
balance of engine and suspension, and it also keeps up with the Energizer
Bunny, as many Coupe & 4K owners can attest.  :)

>major the compromises minor when tweeks applied...  GT, enjoy it flog it,
>ride with the comfort of knowing you have the best back seat room in any
>2door car built, and a machine that sets the standard for stock competency
>comparable even today....

After checking out the A4, I was amazed that the Coupe seems to have more
room in the back seat.  Really surprised me there.

And my father, who ordered an A4 1.8tq sport, is not excited about it 
compared to his '82 Coupe.  He may not even buy the A4.
I have to admit, I wasn't impressed with the 1.8t auto, either, compared
to the Coupe.  The handling is clearly superior and the sport interior
really feels comfortable and snug, but something definitely seems lacking.
Maybe the 5spd manual will change things for the better.

>"Well, it's not a car you can expect major gains from."
>is dead nuts on, IMO....  It's two pronged, cuz to me it really means that
>it's great from the get go....  What's to gain?

As Mike Tipton has shown, you can get some significant gains from the
engine, but you need to expend a lot of effort to do it.
I don't know how the extra horsepower would affect the fun of the car,
but the 130HP Coupe doesn't feel all that different from the 100hp Coupe,
with the exception of a bit more high-rpm pull.   I don't think 185hp would
detract from the car, except you would have to be careful about torque
steer and _traction_.
Still, I have decided that the effort is not worth the gain for my car.
I have so much fun in it now, I don't really need the extra power.  I'll
save that for the urq I want.

Later,
Eric
'82 Coupe, father's, 365+K miles
'85 Coupe GT, mine, 140+K miles
'87 Coupe GT, brother's, 120+K miles