!!! MX-5 Miata Of the Month !!!
March 2006Edrich SantosCongratulations to Edrich Santos on the selection of his 1996 Miata as the MCP's Miata of the Month for March! |
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When we think of Sports Cars we generally think of the default Porsche or Ferrari automobiles which, however popular, are often times out of the reach of regular people. Usually, most people would be content to relegate these dream machines to the realms of fancy and decide that they will be happy to have just a poster or scale model of these fascinating machines. What they do not realize is that these cars, although fast, beautiful and very special have some disadvantages, which people do not know about. This is often the case because – especially if they have such little exposure to these types of automobile – people tend to regard such cars as just plain perfect. However, just like most tools in your toolbox, these cars were built with a specific driving purpose in mind – and specific people in mind who have been singled out not just for their well-heeled status but their driving abilities as well…
What
disadvantages? Let us see. These cars are quite heavy to begin with. That is
the reason why they need their power; you can say that they are quick not
because they are light. They tend to be a bit big too. It is hard to fling a
Ferrari twelve-cylinder through a (really) tight set of back roads. Handling.
That’s another issue. The bigger and stringer they are, the harder they are to
control at the limit. If you’re not one of the Schumachers, well, just hang on
for dear life in the event of a nasty incident and hope your medical insurance
is good. They are outrageously expensive to keep. For the normal person,
owning these kinds of Sports Car may very well mean the end of normal home
life. Oh, and if you wish to go racing you’d better think twice about running
such cars if your name isn’t Nick Mason (yeah the drummer – he races classic
Ferraris).
In the old days, Sports Cars were small, light, and relatively easy and economical to maintain. People could acquire one with relative ease without wishing that they’d done better at school. Which brings me to the star of my little story.
Tifosi Blanca, which is what I call my dear old Mazda MX-5, is a very special automobile indeed. He handles very well, steers with scalpel like precision, is quite quick (for a car of its engine displacement), has some of the most desperately attractive automotive haberdashery around, and is a breeze to live with. No frills, no surprises. Just pure driving fun.
I bought him (rescued is more like it) from a very agreeable Frenchman by the name of Pierre Bannex. He is from Bordeaux – funny, since the MX-5’s sold here were really destined for France. He was sent by his company to work in the Philippines for a while. This is where he got the Miata. The car had already been spoken for by the time, I got to it but, incidentally, the buyer was out of town. Since no money had changed hands, I decided that I must try to swing the deal my way. I did. I simply told him that I’d just come from Europe that that summer (it was October already and my trip was around March to April) and basically told him how much I enjoyed France. He took awhile to get back at me but eventually he agreed – and for a lower price than what he was getting from the other buyer!
I
drove home a week later in my second hand (but almost brand spanking new) MX-5.
Wahoo!!! I had wanted to have an MX-5 for about five years already and when I
finally got one, I could barely contain my excitement!
I started to set my car up. Timidly at first then more and more adventurously later on. I seem to have gone through the entire list of ‘what-can-I-do-to-my-car’ and next thing I knew, I was driving a different animal. I even got my first taste of motor sport in my car!
Safety is the main thing. In every substantial thing that I install, there should be a corresponding safety benefit. For example: add power = upgrade the brakes; go faster = improve suspension and add a roll bar. The possibilities are limitless; the experience has taught me to be a more responsible car owner.
I love my car and what it does for me. But the best part is when I go out on a cool late afternoon when the sun isn’t so harsh then, I reach out to unclasp the locks of the folding hood and let it settle in its place on the rear parcel shelf. Right then, when your headroom instantly goes from about 5 inches to about 65 thousand miles upwards, you realize what driving a Sports Car is really all about.