A Promise Kept

Where do I start?

Let's rewind to 1983. My flirtation with roadsters first started with a red 1971 MGB I bought when I was in my late teens. Although it broke down often, I learned to live within its limitations and began to explore my own as a driver. I could easily out-corner the muscle cars of the day. I learned about balance and how to "carry the speed" through corners. I learned as much as I could on how to get the best out of the 90-odd horsepower coming from its heavy 1.8 L cast iron engine. My father and I replaced the engine, did valve jobs and replaced suspension and drivetrain components in the sometimes frustrating but mostly blissful years we kept it running.  I spent a fair amount of time at Campart Distributors buying parts and I found a body shop to revive its exterior. Floorboard rust was the disease that eventually spelled the end for my Abingdon-built convertible. This was the first car I'd ever been so physically and emotionally connected to.

Fast-forward to 1990. I was already interested in Mazdas with the introduction of the 2nd-generation RX-7 from the late-80s when Mazda announced the Miata for the 1990 model year. They were initially available only in red, white and blue. While my old MG was red, I decided that if Mazda should make a silver model that looked anything as good as a shiny 1986 RX-7 that was owned by a friend, I would buy it.

Skip to 1991: Mazda introduces the Sunlight Silver paint option. I was sold! I scraped my pennies together and got my new pride and joy in January of 1992. I joined the newly-formed Canadian Rockies Miata Club.  I think I attended about four meetings before work commitments and newly-married life took me away from the meeting schedule. In the end, my Miata with the hardtop option became my daily driver and I put almost 180,000 km over five years of reliable and joyful travel. The downside was since the Miata was so reliable, my skills as a mechanic atrophied quickly! Also, since I liked the stock look and performance of the original car and felt no need to upgrade the engine or mod the suspension or body. Sadly, I sold my '92 Silver in 1997, three weeks before our first child was born. It was time to get a minivan. At that time, I promised myself that I would try to find another Miata in ten years or so.

Fast-forward to 2007, I felt that old promise starting to haunt me. My children were then ten and eight years old and they seemed to be able to wash and feed themselves for the most part and we could afford a cheap third vehicle. I started checking the online classifieds. In the early fall of 2007, I saw a Kijiji ad for a Sunburst Yellow 1992 unit with 108,000 km on the odometer. I contacted the seller who turned out to be a Pentecostal minister. When I went over to his home take a look at the car, he simply handed me the keys and said, "bring it back whenever you're ready". Wow!  Frankly, I was never a big fan of Sunburst Yellow and the body had a few dings and scratches. It also didn't have the hardtop option but it seemed to be in such good mechanical condition, I simply couldn't pass it up. It was clear it was hardly winter driven and had remained an Alberta car throughout its life. As I slid back into the seat and started the engine, I was immediately homesick. I got the car home, checked the engine compression and attacked a few favourite corners. I was sold, again. I immediately arranged to buy this sunny and rare car (only about 400 Sunburst Yellow cars were built for Canada).

I have since purchased new lightweight wheels and tires, installed new shocks and adjustable anti-roll bars. I intend to install a stiffening brace and, perhaps, a small turbocharger in 2010. Whatever I do, I want to make sure it doesn't upset the carefully-engineered balance of the car. I have taken it to the track a few times and have made many long distance drives in it including a recent 5700 km no-cruise-control odyssey to northern California to attend an American Le Mans Series race with my now-10-year-old daughter! I now, certainly, have another car with the same emotional and physical connection I enjoyed as a teenager in my MG. And without having to fix something every 500 km!

That 1986 RX-7 I once lusted after is pretty much history now; replaced by newer, more advanced models. My old MG and my '92 Miatas retain a classic simplicity and timeless driving joy. I wouldn’t have driven my roadsters most of the way to the moon if it weren’t so!

(Ward)