Text 4359, 47 rader
Skriven 2010-02-01 06:36:36 av Bob Ackley (1:300/3)
   Kommentar till text 4197 av Ward Dossche (2:292/854)
Ärende: Tata
============
Replying to a message of Ward Dossche to Robert Bashe:

 WD> The 2-cylinder engine from India will be a 3-cylinder here.
 WD> The wheel-base will also be different.

 WD> It has a rear-mounted engine but without a hatch. To reach
 WD> the engine to check the oil for example you need to fold
 WD> the hind seats or simply even remove them.

 WD> No heating (not necessary in India perhaps, but here?)

 WD> No airbags.

 WD> No SIPS.

 WD> The car has been heavily criticized by the IPCC
 WD> (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Chance) for its
 WD> polution.

 WD> From what I've read, I'd rather fly Turkish Airlines than
 WD> ride in a Tata. It's a lawn-mower with a roof, but not as
 WD> easy to operate.

For most of my tour on Okinawa (1965-71) I had a 1961 Mitsubishi LT-10,
which basically is a street legal golf cart.  3 wheels, pickup box about 4x4
feet,
seats two (although I once carried seven, six in the box plus one in the right
side
seat). 3 speed manual transmission (with reverse), 3 gallon gas tank.  One
cylinder,
4 cycle, 330cc engine mounted under the seat (tended to vibrate a bit), starter
and
generator were the same unit, switched electrically and mounted on the end of
the
crankshaft.  Maximum speed about 35 mph (the maximum speed limit on Okinawa
at the time was 30 mph).  Very economical to run.  I had the last one of those
still running on the island for the last couple of years I was there - parts
were
simply unavailable and the Mitsubishi dealer wouldn't even look at the car for
service ("You buy new car" was the advice he gave); it died of a blown engine
after I had the local Kawasaki motorcycle dealer replace the carburetor (which
was
shot), the mechanic over-revved the engine testing the new carburetor (which
worked fine).  I saw a couple of them in Bangkok when I was there in late 1971.

---
 * Origin: Bob's Boneyard, Emerson, Iowa (1:300/3)