Sports Coupe Conundrum

TF Works FR-S spotted while on the job up in Highland Park, IL 

In my blog Aging I spoke about how similar the performance numbers are of the BRZ/FR-S and Mazda RX-8, yet you could get yourself into the Mazda for 1/3 the price. 

But there is another... 

[photo cred: Mike Lazzara]

That's a picture of me driving my buddy's Honda S2000 at his request. And as you may have noticed, I'm thoroughly enjoying myself. 

This car is outstanding. Everything just feels right. Clutch, shifter, seat, driving position—it's stellar. Not to mention gorgeous (mismatched bumper aside…).

My buddy's S2000 prior to its track day injury and subsequent bumper transplant

Now, I haven't driven an RX-8 since my days working at the local car wash back in high school (circa 2003), but I have no recollection of one making any sort of impression on me.

For me, the S2000 takes the cake by a hefty margin. 

I can remedy the fact that it only came as a convertible with a hardtop, which means literally the only negative thing I can say about this car is its lack of storage. I know, I know, "It's a sports coupe, idiot. Go buy a GTI." But the FR-S, RX-8 (and -7), my Cobra, M3s, and many others all have room behind the seats for junk, if not passengers. 

The Honda roadster has been in remission since 2009, but that works to its advantage. When they were new, they cost nearly twice as much as the Toyobaru does now. And that's not markup, these cars are posh. The interior is stylish, clean, and chic—one of my favorites. These days you can easily find an AP1 S2000 in good shape for $14,000. 

Sign me up.

But don't open up the Autotrader browser just yet. A fourth contender recently caught my eye—one with enough potential to put it ahead of the others:

[photo cred: caranddriver.com]

It's the next generation Mazda Miata. With a drastically better looking body and the potential return of a turbocharged motor, this new Miata looks very promising. I will continue to drool over the idea of them sticking a Mazdaspeed3 motor into it, but since I know that will never happen, I'll just just get excited that the epitome of cheap, fun, speed will no longer look like it was modeled after a smiling Goldfish cracker. 

AR

Bay Area's Finest

This summer the wife and I will be moving to the West Coast. We recently took a trip out there to scope out the neighborhoods around the Bay Area and find a place where we'd like to live that we might stand some chance of affording. These are the cars of those 'hoods:

In white, representing Oakland; and in red, representing Sunset—A pair of Volk-loving Evo Xs

From the East Bay, representing Berkeley, this shockingly decrepit 914:

Berkeley itself is actually quite nice

From Inner Sunset, about as clean a 240 as you can find these days:

Everybody is always getting all hot and bothered about the El Caminos of the late 60s, but this absolutely gorgeous first gen that started life in 1959 deserves some respect:

Nighttime iPhone photo, my apologies

Pacific Heights, bringing the heat with this sick F430:

How about this supercharged first gen MR2 with carbon fiber everywhere and a set up solely for the destruction of mountain roads:

Having been the proud owner of a '97 Explorer XLT 5-speed that was passed down to me from my parents who had bought it new, I'm especially partial to this rare, souped up, soccer mom-mobile: The Saleen XP8 Explorer:

Supercharged Chevelles are cool too.

One of many, many Miatas on the West Coast that are completely stock with the exception of a roll bar:

I'm not at all a bike guy, but for whatever reason, I love this Triumph:

The wife loves these V-dubs, so we got a shot of her next to this slick MKVI GTI:

Stayed tuned for more, we move in less than 3 months! 

AR