BRINGING AN MX5 BACK TO LIFE
For many years, the Mk1 MX5 was the ultimate motoring paradox. The MX5 was a masterclass in design and vehicle dynamics. It’s hard to imagine without the context - but if we cast our minds back to the mid-1980’s motoring landscape, what do we see?
British Leyland facing one of the toughest decades in it’s history - ultimately becoming Rover Group, factory closures; the last car to bear the Triumph name ceased production in 1984. It was a white-good amalgamation with Honda - the Acclaim, a long way from the dizzying heights of my beloved TR6 of the early 1970’s.
Elsewhere, the market for the British sports cars had all but dried up. Brave, smaller manufacturers soldiered on - I’m almost alone in a peculiar affection for the TVR “Wedge” era. Spiritual successor to the TR, I suppose... Lotus came up with the Elan M100 - much praised for being one of the finest handling front-wheel-drive sports cars ever made. Which is a bit like being the best looking sheep in a county fair. It’s still a sheep…
The Europeans took the marked by storm with fun, cheap, practical speed in the shape of the Golf GTI, the 205 and 309 GTI and various GTI offerings from Citroen. The British sports car was, then, consigned to the history books. Wasn’t it?
Mazda, quietly, in the background, had spotted a gap in the market. Looking closely at perhaps one of the best drivers cars ever built - the original Elan - into the late Eighties, they used a piece of tracing paper, and the best, most up to date components and engineering thinking in the world, to create the best-ever-British-sports-car-never-to-have-been-built-in-Britain.
An enduring icon, universally loved in a way not seen since the original Mini, the various iterations of the MX5 were all loved in the press at the time. The appeal is strong to this day and the next model Mazda bring to market is always a ’stop the press’ moment when announced.
Here, however, we start with Genesis. The original, the ‘Mk1’, or ’NA’, if you prefer - and this one has been on a journey. It remains largely untouched, a survivor, a timewarp, retaining as much originality as could reasonably be expected of a car that found at one time it’s values at the lowest ebb of the bell curve.
Driven, then driven to Glasgow, then not driven at all - the car settled in a damp garage for the better part of a decade. Always loved, it survived the auctioneers hammer by virtue of its charm and the knowledge that one day, the stars would align and it would be saved. And what a privilege it was, for the Vault Europe, to step in, and perform the necessary operation. Open theatre…
The MX5 completed its journey down from Glasgow to our sunny Suffolk workshops on the back of a low loader, in the snow. The job was to quickly assess the repairs required - had we, in fact, got a car, hidden underneath the layer of dust, snow and ice, or a proverbial tea strainer? The carpets were removed, and the floor from the top was as-new. The underside needed attention, and all four of the usual corners required weld repairs and new panels.
The decision was made early on to recapture the original magic of the MX5, so a full overhaul of the suspension with OEM-spec and genuine where available, components. The same with the braking system, where seized components were cost-effectively replaced with readily available new items.
The weld repairs and new panels were fitted to each of the corners, welded, seam sealed and the sills refinished in satin black Raptor, to recreate the original finish as closely as possible.
The cam belt, water pump and auxiliary belts hadn’t been replaced in at least twenty one years, so we did those before we were brave enough to fit it up. The engine oil flushed, and flushed before settling in with the correct spec and grade. The coolant was similarly flushed to get rid of years of corrosion build-up and then refilled with aluminium-compatible coolant and corrosion inhibitor.
The underside was wire-wheeled back by hand, painted, seam sealed, Raptor undercoat applied underneath and wax protected. The suspension arms we’d decided to re-use were cleaned back and painted with good old fashioned chassis black, for a durable, long lasting finish. Lanoguard was then applied where appropriate.
Brake hoses, master cylinder, rear callipers, discs and pads all replaced with new. Dampers and springs gave the car stance, poise and roadholding it wad famed for when new, and the original, rose-petal wheels were refurbished and shod with my favourite (yes, I have one…) tyre, the UniRoyal Rainsport - or RainExpert, in the case of tyres with a higher sidewall.
Through diligent searching, I’d managed to unearth a new-old-stock Eunos spec exhaust system that would be right for this car - so the corroded original was discarded in short order.
Hood, speakers, stereo unit all received an upgrade before MOT - where, as you’d expect, the advisory list was nil value.
Finally, the carpets, under the seats, the seats themselves and all soft furnishings, were deep cleaned and thirty-five years of grime extracted, leaving behind clean, fresh fabric with originality preserved.
A deep wash and wax of the exterior after a touch up and cut-and-polish to remove as much of the ’storage rash’ as possible, and the outcome is as you see here - an MX5, presented to the best possible finish it can be.
The good news right now is, that bell curve I was talking about earlier? We’re well and truly on the other side of that. Top, early cars are now five figure machines and the smart money in this end of the classic car market, speculates on these.
If you want the best British sports car we never managed to make - go get one. And if you want it to be everything it can be - make sure you call in here on your way home…”