MX5 Mutterings

Sunday, September 30, 2018

A Blow In

For years I’ve been intrigued with the various iterations of the Mazda MX5.

Owning a couple of them has not resolved this fascination.

Back in the early part of this century, two turbocharged versions of the NB were produced.

The first (called SP) was a Mazda Australia project carried out under the supervision of Allan Horsley, but it was built by Prodrive in Melbourne, the company that builds FPV performance Fords in partnership with Ford.

The SP has a decal.

The second (called SE) was an official Mazda factory version, called Mazdaspeed Miata in the US, and Roadster in Japan and other markets.

A couple of weeks ago I came across a 2004 SE advertised in Newcastle. Coincidentally, I was planning a visit to an old army mate in Newcastle, so combined that with an inspection of the SE.

The car was good, sporting a unique interior fitout. It pretty much sold itself.

The SE has a badge.

I flew to Newcastle from Brisbane, and was met at the airport by the obliging owner. Incidentally, the last time I flew Brisbane-Newcastle was on my way to Nasho at Singleton in January 1969.

This trip had a much more enjoyable outcome.

I drove the SE to Tamworth the same day, and drove Tamworth-Toowoomba the day after. Whilst the boost is mild, it comes into its own overtaking on two lane roads.

The Tamworth-Toowoomba stretch has plenty of stretches of great give and take roads.

So now I have two MX5s. Given that I haven’t mastered the art of driving them both at once, the original is on the market.

Update - The original (left) is sold. It took a whole week!

Wednesday, August 29, 2018

Leyburn 2018

Regular readers will remember previous posts on this subject.

Leyburn Sprints have to be one of the most engaging motor themed events in the country. I've been to many, and the Bay to Birdwood in South Australia is probably the best, but Leyburn is up there with the David Hack meet, another local spectacle.

Toowoomba is well located if you're into veteran and vintage motoring.

What makes Leyburn interesting, apart from its history, is the variety and scope of the competing vehicles. The ability of spectators to mingle with the competitors and get up close to their cars is also unusual.

Because of the laid-back nature of the event, this intimacy is possible because neither competitors or spectators take themselves too seriously.


"Silver Fox" - 1936 Chev Maple Leaf

Some of the vehicles on display were unique. Above is an example. In my opinion, a strange idea beautifully executed. It certainly attracted attention.

MX5s were in the action. This NA competed as did a silver NB.

The MX5 is well suited to the sprint layout. There's always a few entered.

Vanguard ute.

My dad owned a Vanguard Spacemaster for a few years. It was built like a brick dunny, but needed lots of maintainance, which was a problem as we lived a long way from the dealer.


This Swallow was beautifully restored.

The Swallow above is the only one in the country. Swallow went on to build Jaguars and the rest is history.

Tidy little MGF.

There were two MGfs shown. This one was automatic.

Pony car.

Many mustangs were displayed. This was probably the most original.

Volvo C70 AWD

The C70 is extermely rare in Oz.

There's always P76s.

This Leyland P76 went round. It was noisy and spectacular, but probably too big.

Wolsley Special

Another unique machine with an interesting history.

I displayed the MX5.

The day was spoiled somewhat by the lazy* westerlies, but it was enjoyable.

*Too lazy to blow around you - they blow straight through.

Saturday, June 9, 2018

Tonsley Park Reflections

This week I spent some time in Adelaide visiting one of my sons. I stayed in a pub at Tonsley Park because it’s close to where he lives.
I also hired a car, a Toyota Yaris, which was subsequently upgraded to the Mitsubishi ASX illustrated.

The ASX reminded me of Mitsubishi Outlanders that were provided to me when I was working out west. It felt the same, smelled the same, and was equally unexciting. These days, Mitsubishi sells lugubrious looking cars - well engineered, but very conservative. It’s best feature was Apple CarPlay which helped me find my way around.

Many years ago, we owned a Mitsubishi Magna (1989) which provided reliable safe and comfortable transport for our growing family.

Back then, Mitsubishi weren’t afraid to innovate.

Sadly, no more cars are made at Tonsley Park.

But the reminders are there if you look properly. Chrysler and Mitsubishi once partnered in Australia.

Monday, May 21, 2018

David Hack 2018

Yesterday was the David Hack Classic, which remains one of the best annual meets in the country.

For me, it offered an opportunity to reconnect with the Queensland MX5 club which was represented with over forty cars from NA to ND.

Apart from Mazda MX5s, there was an amazing collection of classic cars of all shapes, sizes and vintages.

Here is a pictorial record of the event. Hopefully, I haven't mis-identified anything. If I have, please let me know via the comments.