As much as the more complex, more unusual cars are cool, there’s something about a basic sports car that is hard to resist. And the MGB got the basics right – exhaust note, tidy styling, some trunk room for a weekend away, simple drivetrain, and some chrome-ringed gauges. Sometimes, though, it seems like even the basics are slipping out of reach, so we’re here to keep it real – check out this 1973 MGB for sale for $2000 near Hayward, CA.
As the frequently ignored third leg of the everyman British sports car trio (MGB, Triumph TR, Sunbeam Alpine), the Sunbeam Alpine often doesn’t get the consideration it deserves. And as if that’s not bad enough, it also lives in the shadow of its hot-rod hybrid brother, the Tiger. So let’s take a look at the Alpine, which featured greater civility than its competition while maintaining a decent power output and slightly more flamboyant style than the competition. Check out this 1965 Sunbeam Alpine for sale for $2250 near Concord, CA.
The Miata doesn’t get a lot of love here. That’s not by design, but as a car in the modern idiom, and a fairly ubiquitous car at that, it’s not an automatic fit. That said, anybody who’s a lover of cars can’t ignore them, for all the reasons that anybody loves a Miata – they’re light, handle well, decent-looking, and the top goes down. And they’ve had a major influence on the car industry, way beyond what any second-tier modern manufacturer has the right to expect. The list of roadsters they spawned is just mind-boggling, including cars from some of the world’s biggest manufacturers (GM, VW, and Toyota brands have all produced open-top roadsters that aped the Miata’s formula) to some of the smallest (Elise who?). Since Mazda’s been doing it for 25 years now (ack!), some Miatas are naturally fully depreciated, and they make quite an appealing cheapo runabout. Check out this 1990 Mazda Miata for sale for $1400 in Miami Beach, FL.
Rusty But Trusty 