> can you name a more reliable and affordable mid-engine car of the era? Porsche 914, perhaps?
That is a stumper. I think the 914 is probably the primary competition, but it would be close. Of course, there weren't that many mid-engine cars of the era period.
Look what just popped up in an ebay listing:
http://www.auctiva.com/hostedimages/showimage.aspx?gid=613465&ppid=1122&image=145326997&images=145326997&formats=0&format=0
(if the link goes away, as auctiva links sometimes do, this is a 1977 Fiat ad headlined "Of all the mid-engine cars you could buy, we offer one you could buy")
So what are the seven mid-engine cars they're counting?
Maserati Merak, Lamborghini Urraco, Ferrari 308, our beloved exxie, Lotus Europa, Porsche 914, and what's the seventh? There were a number of even more upscale super-exotic mid-engines of that era: Ferrari 512, Countach.