Miata Mailing List: June 1995, Message #56
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   From: fischman@nynexst.com (Gary Fischman)
Subject: Message from Norm Garrett
   Date: Thu, 1 Jun 1995 16:10:33 -0400

I received this message today from Norm Garrett in response to several 
recently posted items about his involvement with the Sebring SC. (I felt
he deserved equal time to respond.) This message came via CompuServe and
a few lines were corrupted in the transmission. I tried to repair them, 
but 2 lines got pretty well hosed. Still, I think the intent is intact and
most of the message was preserved.
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Gary Fischman -- Eunos Communications, Old Tappan, NJ
fischman@nynexst.com / 73750.2552@CompuServe.com
Miata Webmeister: http://www.catalog.com/miata/miata.html
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TO THOSE WHO HAVE A PROBLEM WITH NORMAN 

	from Norman Garrett

The Miata Club of America and Miata Magazine are set up for the sole purpose of
serving the Miata enthusiasts in this country and elsewhere. We are a
not-for-profit corporation fully recognized, sanctioned, and watched (but not
funded) by Mazda to organize and inform the Miata owners who care to
participate. We are set up as a business because after decades in volounteer
organizations, I refused to be a part of one again. Nothing gets done if it
requires someone to have "a little free time". I wouldn't put my name on a
volounteer club, we pay people to get work done.

Miata Magazine has a target editorial content of 65% for each of its four
regular issues, as compared to the 65% advertising content found in most car
magazines. While the Miata aftermarket represents over $30 million in gross
parts and accessory sales per year (all advertisers combined), Miata Magazine
nor the Miata Club do not participate with any of the advertisers through profit
sharing, kickbacks, etc, although offers come in weekly.

If someone wants to become a millionaire, they should start a Miata accessory
company like some of the larger advertisers in the magazine have done. More than
one accessory marketer has made their fortune in floor mats and fog lamps. As
for my aspirations, luckily, I have other income streams sufficient to allow me
to enjoy running the Club and staying in touch with happy customers of a car I
had something to do with.

Only by staying fully objective can our service be useful to the members and
readers of the magazine. Our goal has always been to use our automotive
expertise to cut through the fog that surrounds the automotive industry,
particularly the aftermarket.

Without the advertisers, however, the magazine would look more like the typical
car club newsletter. The information would be the same, but the look would be of
a much lower quality. Thanks to the participation of the advertisers, their fees
subsidize the magazine's art direction and four color press work.

The one area the Club sells product is the small shift knob. That is one 
(...some stuff seems to have been cut off here...) to an
event and see an aftermarket knob on a Miata, I smile ) even if it isn't one of
my knobs, at least it is an improvement on what comes on the car. If someone has
a problem with me being involved with that, don't buy my knob.

Sebring Superchargers is a corporation run by Downing/Atlanta to sell it 
versions of the supercharger prototype I made for my personal car. They pay full
retail for their advertising and are welcome to stay in the magazine as long as
they pay their bills. Competitive systems have been requested for review, and
Cartech/Bell Engineering has submitted an article for publication in an
upcoming issue of their system.

Because of my involvement with the prototype for the Sebring kit, any articles
relating to forced induction have been written by an outside reviewer on a gratis
basis to insure objectivity.

Downing/Atlanta has put just over 350 Miata superchargers on the road. They
advertise in a magazine that goes to around 37,000 people each issue, and in the
Tech Issue which goes to 161,000 Miata wwners. Let's see, 350 out of a possible
161,000... gee wilikers, .2% market penetration!!!

For those who think that I am unfairly promoting the kits in the magazine, it is
a sad statement of my influence if it only results in a .2% of the market. The
whole argument is academic and being stirred up by Dowing's competitors who
should be out in their shops coming up with a better idea. If you think this is
bad business, you hould hear the stories behind Miata headers since the
beginning... the Miata aftermarket can be a cruel place - but to the customer's
advantage. Competition has created a wealth of products at very competitive
prices. Those who cannot design spread rumors.

Sebring kits sell because they works and are being sold at very narrow margins.
Remember, Downing cut their teeth on the Mazda-approved BBR Turbo kits which
were sold at $3000 plus. Don't begrudge them or knowing the market. No one else
sells a C.A.R.B. approved kit for $2295, so they are surviving on merit.

Head to head comparisons are done whenever possible, but most engine components
require a full dyno test. We have done chassis dyno testing in the past, but do
not find them as repeatable as we need them to be. We are now setting up a
Superflow engine dyno test for exhaust and intake modifications. Barring the
engineering (...some more stuff seems to have been cut off here...) the readers a benchmark against which to compare products issue to
issue.

Being involved with the Miata Club over the past five years has been icing on a
cake for me - to see the joy that this little car has brought to so many people
around the world, to be able to spend time talking and writing to them is a rare
treat for any product engineer. But I am not idle, nor has the engineer in me
gone to sleep. As much as I enjoy seeing the Miata do so well, inventing,
researching and designing is my first passion and where my training has been. So
if I happen to come up with a few things while tinkering in my shop, look for the
gleam in my eye and some good editorial content for the magazine, but leave your
suspicions at home...


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