Message text written by Ralph
>I wonder if it's a coincidence that we own 2 Toyota
Previas.

Mrs. Ralph, however, could fit in a (Rambler?-- I don't remember who made
them, despite my yout' in California) Metropolitan with room left over for
the little Ralphs.

Ralph<

I am indebted to Daniel Pinkwater for the phrase in the subject line. Did
you ever hear him talk about his German car? On NPR a couple of years ago,
with an encore performance on "Car Talk". 

My other car is a Volvo 240 station wagon--the "Hotel Volvo" at IPTW 2001.
Plenty of room. And the Morgan is roomy enough except for the doors,
especially with the original 17-inch steering wheel. It requires a sort of
genuflection to get in and out of the driver's door. Morgan has in recent
years started making the doors bigger, and the steering wheels smaller. 

The Metropolitan was made by a joint venture of Nash and Austin (in
England); it was an American concept and assembled here, with British
mechanicals (including a four-speed transmission with first blocked off
because Americans weren't used to shifting more than three gears--you can
imagine the effect on acceleration with the tiny engine) and an
Italian-designed body (Pinin Farina, of all people, designed the entire
'bathtub' Nash line--described by one reviewer--I think it was Tom
McCahill--as "more Wheatena than Farina"). It was the first really
international and multi-make venture. They were sold under all the brand
names of what was becoming American Motors--mostly Nash, but also Hudson,
and I think even as an AMC with an attempt at calling the Met a 'make' in
its own right. They have an enthusiastic marque club. By virtue of the
Austin engine, they are included in the annual British Car Day show in
Maryland, where a few dozen usually turn up. 

Around here "rambler' is the name for what the rest of the country calls
'ranch' houses--I always get a chuckle from that, because like the Rambler
cars, rambler houses are considered old-fashioned (in the wrong way), out
of style, boring and only worthwhile for their utilitarian virtues. They
have no 'curb appeal' and that is the kiss of death for many buyers, who
often won't even get out of the car to look inside one. 

Don

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