Uh ... yeah. Whatever. You think the Peugeot is a bad idea because it's not a Camry. I got that. Look up the word, "hypothetical" because that's the 3 Series I decided you were recommending. I thought that was where this discussion was supposed to be. Let's take it further that way so it doesn't continue to confuse you: IF one of two hypothetical persons bought the Peugeot we're discussing (let's call this guy 'me') and the other one had a race prepared E36 (let's call this one 'you'), the first one would be perfectly willing to match times (Do you understand how AUTOCROSS works?) or even race door-to-door under vintage racing (no contact!) rules. I further hypothesize that the Peugeot would suck the headlights out of the E36. Does that 'hands-off' scenario frighten you a bit less? So I'm guessing you don't want to be my Saturday student at the Oktoberfest Road America driver school. Maybe I'll give him or her your email address so you can compare notes on how I really am. Or maybe you'd prefer to ask any of my old pals here about me. Try 'MGarrison' (His first name is Marshall.) or Phil Marx (BMWCCA1) or, if you can catch them on their rare visits, Michael Izor or Diana Slocombe, all of whom have known me for at least 20 years. Even Satch knows me well enough to understand that I'm just a harmless Smartass©, just like him.
There may be one slight difference though... Satch gets paid to be a smartass! How do you get a gig like that?
Hey! Hey! Hey! Let's work WITH the drug, okay?! Jeez Louise, Krieger! That whatchamacallit vein in your forehead is throbbing again! Lighten up! And Brother Weir (what IS the B for, anyway?), try not to spoil our wistful imaginings with too many layers of reality! We're supposed to be friends around here! The problem with being. . . um. . . smart-alecky is that one man's subtle wit is another man's snide sarcasm. That's why I respond only infrequently to Roundel letter-writers: I have learned from sad experience that that when I think I am being clever and droll, I come across as a snide, nasty bully. (Which is what I always wanted to be in middle school, but the real snide, nasty bullies beat me up and took my lunch money.) Are we all agreed that we probably NEED a Group B rally car in the garage? Are we all similarly agreed that sadly, unfortunately, for reasons of finance, matrimony, or the practical realities of life, it ain't never gonna happen? Hey: Where's my Alpine A110?! My Lancia Stratos?!
Fair enough. To each his own. After seeing one too many AMC-Renaults self-destruct, I guess I am just not convinced that the French can build a performance vehicle that won't implode their engines past first gear. But that's just an opinion. Apologies if I ruined anyone's childhoods. The B stands for Brian.
Then by all means, feel free to beat us up in the Letters column and take our subscription money, turnabout's fair play.
In the inimitable words of Sir Leigh Teabing... "The French are not to be trusted" from Dan Brown's, The Davinci Code
The magnificent French Yes, but, there's at Alpine A110. . . Not to mention Sebastien Loeb's various Citroëns. . . . . . or my old Citroën SM. . . AHA! YOU'RE RIGHT!
