Anyone that knows me knows that, as well as photography, I have a passion for cars, and in particular Mazda MX-5s, the small Japanese two-seater sports car. 2014 marks 25 years since the MX-5 was first released, and 20 years since the UK MX-5 Owners Club was born too.
I’m currently on my third MX-5. My first was a pristine silver 1999 (mk2 generation) MX-5, which I bought in 2007. I didn’t know much about MX-5’s at the time, other than their legendary reliability, and saw it as a safe bet for my first convertible car experience. I had a great time with it, but realised I wanted a few more toys…
And so later that year I sold that car and bought a 2005 (mk2.5 generation) MX-5 1.8i Sport, which was a slightly better style, and came with heated leather seats and air conditioning. I’m one of the rare convertible drivers in the UK who will have the roof down in dry conditions any time of year, even in the depths of winter.
I kept that MX-5 until 2012 when I decided it was time for a change for a winter, and moved to a Subaru Imprezza. After a while of fun (and scaring myself!) in the Imprezza, which is probably the best all-round car I’ve ever owned, I decided to start my hunt for an MX-5 I’d been thinking about for a while – a white mk1 generation car with pop-up headlights. After searching high-and-low I finally found one under an hour away and after a quick test drive bought it on my first sight of it.
It’s a 1995 MX-5, and for a car that’s now 18 years old, it’s in very good condition. It’s actually a Eunos, the first sold in Japan and imported to the UK by an enthusiast a few years ago. It also has a very low mileage, and so when it reached it’s 60,000 mile service I decided it deserved a few treats and a few photos.
