Imagine turning 60. The past 21,900 days or thereabouts showing their effect, physically and mentally. Then your mum appears in front of you and over the course of a few weeks, spending time, back at home, she makes you look and feel like you are sweet sixteen again.
I agree; fantasist, borderline mental I am.
But Mazda is doing exactly this, let me explain…
Let’s assume you own a now cult classic first generation MX-5, or Eunos, should you be based in Japan, and your particular Mazda icon is motoring on in its mid-twenties. Soon knocking on the door of thirty years old.
Like all us mere mortals, I am sure he or she (yes, my cars are always boys, so I’m not just going to say she and leave it at that) is now showing signs of wear, tear, and general displays of older age setting in.
Some owners may have replaced parts along the way, painted sections or indeed the whole car, reupholstered or exchanged the hood and more to keep it smart and tidy. Some owners may have just let their beloved mechanical pet be and love and embrace the patina and character.
Either way, neither is a restoration. This is obvious for the second point about letting it be I hear you cry, but is the first way of taking care of car a real restoration?
In my opinion, no, I believe not.
Until a car looks, smells, drives, feels and is as clean as the day it left the factory, I don’t think it can be called a true restoration.
Which is why Mazda Japan is inviting owners of the mighty MX-5 first generation to submit their now well lived and loved motors for some Mazda Magic in the form of true restoration.
True restoration involves supplying and fitting original parts, some of which I believe they will start to produce again specifically to cater for this new regime. No doubt replace and repair bodywork to emulate the I just rolled off the factory assembly line days.
I hear that even the original tyres will be reproduced again.
Imagine stepping into an MX-5 as if it were 1990; time warp condition.
Literally like buying a new car.
The above line brings me to my closing thoughts, with all the talk in the news of petrol powered cars being banned from sale and thus production in years to come, I wonder whether Mazda and not to mention Jaguar and Aston Martin who are also at it, are ahead of the game.
Just because you cannot manufacturer a new car, the way to keep things going is to simply restore what has already been made. The beauty of it is, they created it, so who better to breath new life into it.
And thus I don’t believe this is simply about celebrating a now classic icon and providing a service but about the future of the car industry.
It’s recycling on a whole new level; a magic level.
Right, I’m off to scout our site to see if there is a gen II RX-7 that needs a new owner and love. I’ll then keep my fingers crossed that Mazda Magic appears here in the UK.
Oh, and that I have a windfall of lovely money, because no doubt, it’ll cost a fair whack!
Mike
Oh yeah, and if you like my articles then you can have them delivered straight to your lovely inbox – simply subscribe to my blog.
MIKE ATWAL
This article was written and published by Mike Atwal. Mike works for Trade Classics as an in-house journalist and copywriter and has many years’ experience in the classic car sector – for over 8 years he was the General Manager of the Classic Car Club in London and responsible for a fleet of over 100 cars worth multi-million pounds.
So there’s not much Mike doesn’t know about makes, models, maintenance and idiosyncrasies of these old cars. Mike’s a true petrol head with a deep passion for the classics and he loves to talk cars all day, so why not write a reply on this article below.
Click here to get Mike’s latest articles straight to your inbox.
Tags: mazda cars restoration
Categories: 1990s Classic Cars, Classic Car Blog, Mike Atwal
so jaguar and Aston martin are doing this restoration already ? question is cost ?? can you get any info were who to contact and cost for jaguar ? i have one.