Miata – The Thing About Cars

More Miata Madness:

As we continue with Bob Hall’s history of co-designing the original MX-5 Miata, we find out: What car Bob refuses to design in the future. Why “Designed in California” is a positive message about a cars and other products to the global audience. Concept cars: why we see some in production and why some just fade away. What the difference is in marketing a car and selling a car. What does Miata mean? How certain market segments of car designs boom and then go bust as others market segments become popular. What will your future EV sound like, how will you charge it and where will that power come from? What lurks in a Volvo’s underpinnings? What is Bob Hall’s dream (Frankenstein) car and what are his literary aspirations? Thanks for listening?

Shameless plugs: Minis, VTEC’s, and Nashes, oh my!

We welcome your support via Patreon and your questions and feedback via our website.

Much ado about Miatas:
We are joined by Bob Hall, one of the founding fathers of the original MX-5 Miata. Among the unique questions that are answered: What pricing number is considered lucky in Japan and China? Why was the original Miata priced higher than it needed to be and why did the price point help Mazda sell more of them? How did Japanese car models in particular end up on a 4 year product refresh cycle? How much cargo can you fit in an MX-5? How simplicity adds elegance and profit? All this and much more in this first of a two part episode with Bob Hall.

Shameless plugs: 1978 Toyota Corollas. 1960’s Lotus’, maybe all of them. Emma Peel.

We welcome your support via Patreon and your questions and feedback via our website.

Much ado about Miatas:
We are joined by Bob Hall, one of the founding fathers of the original MX-5 Miata. Among the unique questions that are answered: What pricing number is considered lucky in Japan and China? Why was the original Miata priced higher than it needed to be and why did the price point help Mazda sell more of them? How did Japanese car models in particular end up on a 4 year product refresh cycle? How much cargo can you fit in an MX-5? How simplicity adds elegance and profit? All this and much more in this first of a two part episode with Bob Hall.

Shameless plugs: 1978 Toyota Corollas. 1960’s Lotus’, maybe all of them. Emma Peel.

We welcome your support via Patreon and your questions and feedback via our website.

Dean Case was a junior engineer at Mazda R&D when the Miata was developed. We discuss his career, the history of the Miata, and the connection to a Taco Bell Test Kitchen. (Bob Hall is the true father of the Miata.) In Cultural Collision, Misty wants to talk about Miatas in Film. (And who knew the Teletubbies drove a British Racing Green Miata?) Ben Takes a (Surreal) Moment to reflect on ice cream trucks. Should they play Helter Skelter? Dave and Misty debate launching Lobster Thermador and canned spam from a trunk-mounted tee-shirt gun.

And in Grand Trivia Auto, we learn what made Chrysler’s mid-sixties slant-sixes so unique.

We welcome your support via Patreon and your questions and feedback via our website.

This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Dean Case was a junior engineer at Mazda R&D when the Miata was developed. We discuss his career, the history of the Miata, and the connection to a Taco Bell Test Kitchen. (Bob Hall is the true father of the Miata.) In Cultural Collision, Misty wants to talk about Miatas in Film. (And who knew the Teletubbies drove a British Racing Green Miata?) Ben Takes a (Surreal) Moment to reflect on ice cream trucks. Should they play Helter Skelter? Dave and Misty debate launching Lobster Thermador and canned spam from a trunk-mounted tee-shirt gun.

And in Grand Trivia Auto, we learn what made Chrysler’s mid-sixties slant-sixes so unique.

We welcome your support via Patreon and your questions and feedback via our website.

This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

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