I’m undertaking a new project very soon – the restoration of a Mazda MX-5. ‘Restoration?’ You might be thinking. Well, I’m looking at, ideally, a model for around £1,000 with a removable hard top, rather than a soft cover. No doubt it’ll be an import, or Eunos as they’re also known in the UK. Almost certainly not a Limited Edition ‘Arctic’ as they go for more. Will it have galactic mileage? Will it be right hand drive? Is it the coupe? Is it a soft-top?
You can see from the questions above that when you’re considering a used MX-5 there is a range of options. One of the reasons for this is that it is one of the best selling sports two-seaters of all time, with more than three quarters of a million sold globally and three generations (or main body variants). The nippy little vehicle has also scratched up more than 150 awards in its’ time.
So why do I want one? Well where else can you get a rear wheel drive, proper sporty, two-seater convertible? Well unless you get a ‘galactic’ mileage vintage oddsmobile, the answer is absolutely nowhere at all. The car is popular for a very good reason.
If you haven’t been in a small two-seater sports car with the roof down, I’d recommend that you give it a go. Go to your local dealership or car supermarket and test-drive one, even if you’ve no intention of buying. It’s like being in control of an over-sized go cart, in a way that’s incredibly fulfilling to drive. It’s an experience (no doubt due to the wind in your hair and the low driving position) that’s enjoyable even at reasonable (legal) speeds.
How I envisage the project
Of course the first part of the project is understanding exactly what I’m going to be buying, beyond of course a second car in the shape of a Mazda MX-5. At the price I’m looking at, it won’t be a brand new motor by any means. It’ll be in the either 1.6 (reactive but not sprightly) or the 1.8 litre variety, which has a little more oomph to it.
I wouldn’t be surprised (or really that bothered) if it had more than 100,000 on the clock. I’ve heard of many Mazda vehicles going beyond 250,000 – these things are built to last. However, I won’t take my chances so I’ll have a home service with new sparks, air filter, oil change and general checks. Of course, the main thing to look at when buying any car is the panels – if the engine is okay and the panels are too then you should be sound.
The next part of the project will be development of the battle plan. If you’re unfamiliar with the MSA, then you’re probably not into motor racing. I’ll tell you a bit more about my motoring club in another article, but I’m going to get my MSA license (not sure which class yet) later this year. When I have this, the car will start to see more modifications in the form of a sports exhaust and sports cams and valves. This could be an increase of up to 35 BHP. I thoroughly intend to spank it around a track a short time after that.
Whilst I’m sure I’m not the next Lewis Hamilton (have you tried concentrating that hard for that long?) I can’t wait to get a few laps done on the track, or even cruise around the coast with the top down. One thing I can’t change however is the British weather – so if you are thinking of following a similar plan, make sure to check that the roof doesn’t leak! I’ll follow this post up when I purchase the thing (some time after the Scottish Motorshow in case I broker a deal for something else whilst I’m there), but in the meantime the planning contines – as well as the heartfelt recommendation to give a soft-top a go.
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