Page 57 - Jan2023
P. 57
I Helped Make t he First Miat a, and Now I love It s Ancest or Story and photos by Norman Garrett
reprinted by permission of Hagerty Media
gearbox, and an ash-framed body. The TC, TD, and TF were built after World War II, but like so many cars
of the era, their engineering basically dated to the 1930s.
The 54-hp TD met the world in 1949. It was really just a restyle and a light mechanical update of the TC.
Both cars were relatively affordable and handled well. On the Miata project we had cited the T-Series as
helping start this country?s sports-car craze, so I had a vague interest in owning one.
Having just sold Edna, my ?64 Chrysler Imperial? the widest, largest, and most powerful American car
made in its model year? it felt somehow right to be entranced by a diminutive lightweight like the TD.
(See postscript: The author was a development engineer on the original Mazda Miata ? Ed.) continues p. 58
57
