"IMHO: Maybe a little more emphasis on the "beer we drank" and a bit lighter on the "poorly designed car" would have been in order."
I couldn't agree more, and I apologize in advance for the following rant.
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:]With an MGB, which has most of the weight on the front, the front tires lose adhesion first and the car will want to go straight ahead. Modern cars, and even many other cars of the 1970s, are more “neutral” than these extreme examples.[/QUOTE]Does this guy know anything about MGBs? They are pretty darn close to 50/50 balance. They also have no more understeer than is intentionally built into any other road vehicle. A little more than a modern sports car perhaps, but a normal amount for the day, or for any modern family car. Hardly what I would call an "extreme example".
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:]An MGB has very little front “overhang,” or bodywork in front of the wheels, which makes the wheels more exposed. As the left front tire hit the curb, it would have deflected violently to the left, wrenching the steering wheel out of Steve’s hands.[/QUOTE]You have got to be kidding me! How would having a bunch of excess body in the front of the car make the tires less likely to hit the curb? Ride height is ride height regardless of how much bodywork exists in the front of the car.
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:]The theory that another car was involved is implausible. If two cars had crossed paths at this corner they would have hit each other, plain and simple.[/QUOTE]Another ridiculous statement. Many vehicle accidents are caused by a second vehicle despite the vehicles never touching each other. Another car could have been coming the other way, and if Pre had crossed the line he would have realized the only way to clear that car would be on the outside. He therefore would have veered around that car, and at that point hit the curb. It seems extremely plausible to me! As for skid marks, if he crossed the line, saw another car, and hit the brakes in panic, this would also explain driving off the road in an understeer condition.
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:]...at the worst possible place and in a poorly designed car.[/QUOTE]What is he comparing Pre's MGB to? They are one of the most forgiving-handling cars of the era. They are easier to maneuver than most cars of that type and far better handling than the typical family car of that decade, or the decade or two following.
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:]Blame the road, blame the car — but don’t blame Steve.[/QUOTE]An utterly absurd and narrow-minded statement. What a disappointing article. And by all means, don't blame the beer!