The Lockdown series continues with me and my 2 driving buddies, Alfred & David, also sharing our experiences, comments and reflections of the different cars we have owned.
David’s 12th car, brings us to one of the most iconic and successful sports car- roadsters made and sold of all time, the Mazda MX-5. Bang for buck, this brings driving purity to the masses with all the reliability and affordability that Mazda could bring.
This car is not about the power, its about perfect 50:50 weight balance, the blend of chassis and engine, the driver extracting and learning the limits of the car together. The chassis, steering, manual gearbox and the convertible connection with the wind blowing through your hair. The car and driver as one. Dare I say, “its about the VIBE!”.
Another car that has bound all three of us together and lays the bench mark to what the purity of the driving experience is all about. To call it a “hairdressers car” is really missing the point. What it showed is that you didn’t have to spend a fortune on a Porsche or Lotus. You could experience the joys of pure motoring pleasure with reliability thrown in, that anyone of any age or capability to enjoy.
If this reminds you of a special car you have owned please share your experience or just name it or just “like” ours.
#mynextcarbuying #melbourne #automotiveadvocate #lockdown #carsweowned #mazda #mx5 #mx5nc #mazdamx5 #mietta
2005 MX5 NC series 1
2 litre twin-cam 4 cylinder 6 speed manual
118kW 188Nm
0-100km/h in 7.8 seconds
We are now getting to the modern era where we have shared and talked about these cars already so I will not go into an in-depth review. Instead I will just give a brief “feel” of what the car meant to me.
The MX5 imbibed the happy spirit in everyone whether they were into cars or not. Friends and people at work all noticed this car and continue to ask about it to this day. Driving it kids would wave and other drivers were always happy to let you in the traffic. Maybe it was because it was small, maybe the bright red paint, maybe because I drove everywhere with the top down even in the dead of winter, this car always made people smile.
It proved to me that a car doesn’t have to be aggressive to feel sporty to drive. There was nothing aggressive about the MX5 but I rate it as one of the great sports cars to drive.
Richard comment:
Yes, we have discussed the merits and the joy of driving and owning the MX-5 and all agree they NC was the pick for size and I thought the best looker. I had never seen a picture of your car and now recall it was Red like a Alfred’s. I wished I had the opportunity to really drive it the way we have our recent cars in the last couple of years.
Alfred’s brief nine month stint of ownership allowed me to dabble but never really connect the way we did even as recently with the Hyundai i30N. Its dynamics did make it very easy to drive and steering was razor sharp. I think it would only take a few drives to really connect with it. But nothing has come close to the almost instant connection the Toyota 86 gave and I must say the i30N is not far away on that account. I’d say a close second.
Alfred comment:
The MX5 was the cornerstone car for me in my driving experience that changed everything for me. It moved me away from thinking power was king and everything that defined a car for me. It made me appreciate that handling was the number one most important thing for me for my satisfaction as a driver.
The perfect 50:50 weight distribution came into my life together with the appreciation a car being balanced with the right combination of power and handling was the sweet spot. The icing on the cake was that the manual transmission was a key ingredient to the DNA of my driving fun and personal unique expression as a driver. And finally the Mx5 gave me the 4th dimension of driving bliss of no roof, openness to be connected to the beauty of the world, igniting all my physical senses of sun, rain, warmth, wind, incredible engine, exhaust and physical sounds.
In a nutshell a sensual freedom and bliss of feeling alive and with a smile on my face and deep in my soul every time I would try and find any excuse to drive that beautiful red sports car.
