Technically Speaking
Not many British roadsters had backseats, but the Austin-Healey 3000 did. It was optional as a two-seater until 1962, when all subsequent 3000 convertibles (MKII and MKIII) were built in the 2+2 configuration.
There couldn’t have been a worse design for backseat passengers. Built on a ladder frame chassis, the 3000 was considered “underslung,” which means the rear axle was mounted above the chassis rails. That, along with a rakish sports-car design (dating back to 1953) and a short overall height of just 50 inches led to severe height issues for backseat passengers, who would have been more comfortable if they were decapitated.
So if someone asks if your Austin-Healey 3000 has a backseat, what do you say? It depends who’s asking. When you tell your spouse and two teenage kids that you traded in your old Lotus Super Seven for something practical, and your spouse says, “Does it have a backseat?” When you volunteer to take the basketball team out for snow cones after the game and someone asks, “How many people can you take? Does that have a backseat?” When you tell your parents that you found a perfect first car to drive to high school – fewer than eight cylinders, at least two seatbelts – and they ask, “Does it have a backseat?”
Technically, yes. But practically, no way.
Jesus preached The Sermon on the Mount to people who were technically sinless but practically flawed in every way. Had they committed murder? No, but the hatred in their heart was a sin that needed forgiveness just as badly:
“‘You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment… You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.’” (Matthew 5:21-22, 27-28)
Early in this sermon, which was relatively early in his ministry, Jesus wanted to set the record straight. No human being was, or is, in a position to rely on obeying God’s law “technically,” “essentially,” or “more or less.” He wanted them to know that God wasn’t praising them for behavior that was “quasi-permissible,” “legally murky,” or “in a gray area.” Sin is serious enough that God took it seriously enough to send his son, Jesus, to preach, suffer, die, and rise again.
Perhaps you’ve noticed in your life that allowing behavior in “gray areas” eventually finds you crossing “hard lines.” Of course. That’s how sin works. When you desire something, it’s easy to make excuses on its behalf, look for wiggle room, or convince yourself that you’ve found a loophole.
With cars, finding the lunacy in all of this is easy. If you need a car with a backseat, don’t ask “Does the tiny sports car I desire have a backseat?” Instead, ask “Does the tiny sports car I desire have a backseat I would want to sit in?” If the answer is no, the decision is easy.
In life, the question can be, “Does the thing I desire reflect the new life given to me by Christ?” It’s not always so easy if the desire is strong. For inspiration, consider the words of Corrie Ten Boom, reflecting on desires: “We can all get to heaven without health, without wealth, without fame, without learning, without culture, without beauty, without friends, without ten thousand things. But we can never get to heaven without Christ.”
The “Big Healeys” became unlikely rallycross heroes as the sport took off in the 1960s and 1970s. Good weight distribution, somewhat high ground clearance (in the MKIII), body-on-frame construction, and plenty of torque – 165 lb-ft – from the 3-liter inline-six pushrod engine made them class winners. But, as British sports cars, they tended to rust pretty badly. Technically speaking, perhaps they weren’t the best choice for racing around in the dirt.
