!!! MX-5 Miata Of the Month !!!

My Miata Story

My love affair with the Miata started way back in 2002, when I was looking for a two-seater sports car i could take out on weekends, and enjoy a relaxing drive with. I remember seeing my neighbor, Chito Frondoso, having one parked in his garage, and I wasted no time in asking him about it. Chito, being an officer of the club at that time, enthusiastically invited me to attend one of the friday night meetings which was then held at the Shell station in Fort Bonifacio. I attended my first friday meeting even without owning a Miata, and was met by a group of people whose passion and love for the car cemented my resolve to own one. Not a week passed since that fateful night when i acquired a stock montego blue unit from a friend of my dad's. The following friday, I was back at the Fort, but this time as a full fledged Miata owner.

A few days after getting the car, I slapped on an old set of 16" rims which I had originally purchased for my Honda Civic, and found that it looked really sharp. But the ride was horrible! The offset was off, the rubber was too thin (although on another product this would be considered fantastic :p), and the wheels were too heavy. I was enjoying the wind-in-your-face experience too much to really care, plus I didn't have any point of comparison to know any better, so I went on like this for a few months. Till one day when Joey Bernardez told me of a guy selling a set of original Eunos 14" "banana" rims. After having been told that this was a significantly lighter wheel compared to the one I had, as well as it being the correct offset, I wasted no time in getting it. True enough, the ride and handling improved, and my driving experience just went up several notches! Through the years I've managed to add a set of Koni shocks (thanks to Ricci Jimenez), various chassis braces (thanks to Chito F.), Accessories (thank to Allan Lavarro), Brake pads (thanks to Lowell Tortona), and a whopping Mazdaspeed supercharger (thanks to Alfie Rufino). Of course, that's not to discount the "other stuff" I gained from Rolly Lim and Norman Castillo ;).

My Miata has brought me to new places, given me new experiences, and most of all, rewarded me with new friends who have made a significance in my life. From the fun runs and out of town trips to Cavite, Rizal, Quezon, Batangas, Laguna, Pampanga, and Baguio, the track days in BRC and Subic, the various car shows, races, outings, events, parties, and photo-shoots, and the breakfast and dinner runs to the different restos around Manila and Tagaytay.

Many years from now when I look back at how I spent my younger days, the miata and the club would surely stand out amongst one of the most memorable, and times of which I felt truly blessed.