What would you do with a nearly perfect NA Miata? | Column

In our world, the answer to almost every question is Miata.

Looking for a great sports car for date night? Miata. 

Looking for an easy-to-drive, inexpensive car to autocross? Miata.

Looking for a terrific entry-level road racing car with parts support and lots of competition? Miata.

The Miata came into my life in February of 1989. We were doing a lot of work with Mazda, and they flew me to Hawaii to look at an important new car. This was before the internet, and spy photos were limited, so I really had no idea what they wanted to show us.

Upon first glimpse, I was smitten–both with Hawaii and the all-new Miata. I shook my head in disbelief: Mazda had recreated and perfected the classic British roadster.

At that time, some 33 years ago, we didn’t know how much Miata involvement awaited us. We didn’t know that the magazine staff would soon offer public demo drives through a program that we developed with Mazda. We didn’t know we would take a factory-backed 1994 Miata R to the SCCA Solo National Championships. We didn’t know we would build one of the first NC-chassis Miatas for a new pro spec racing class. We didn’t know that we’d help unveil the current model to the SCCA autocross community.

And we didn’t know that the Miata would become the number-one car of our readers for some 20 years in a row–or such a cornerstone of motorsports. 

Along the way, so many Miata project cars have passed through our shops–all four generations to date. We still own a zebra-striped, off-road Miata as well as a road racer powered by a Camaro V6. I’ve personally restored a few early cars, but sadly I didn’t keep them. 

As early Miata prices have been rising, I’ve been thinking that I should get another one. Personally, I’d love one wearing Sunburst Yellow, Smurf Blue or British Racing Green. And instead of starting with a worn-out rat, perhaps this time I should pony up and just buy the nicest, lowest-mileage, most original example I can find.

Sadly, though, that’s now a $10,000 to $15,000 car. I find it tough to swallow that news when they sold for just $5000 a few years back. Still, the Miata is so important in our world that prices will only go up more, right? 

But then a stock Miata fell into my lap this past summer. It’s pictured above.

I was up visiting family, although the reason was sad: We were remembering my first cousin, who had passed away in a kiteboarding accident. (Still, I have to respect a 67-year-old man who decides to go kiteboarding on Christmas Eve in Massachusetts while the weather is barely above the freezing mark.)

During our conversation, my cousin’s son said that the family had decided the fate of his dad’s Miata: Instead of selling it, they wanted me to have it. 

I was surprised and humbled. “Yes,” I said, “I would be honored to be the car’s next caretaker.”

For some reason, I thought that I was getting a well-optioned, low-mileage, original-paint 1993 Miata in perfect condition. While the car is nice, it has no options other than the hardtop. And while still in nearly perfect condition, the car has been repainted and shows about 120,000 miles.

So I’m left with a bit of a dilemma. My original intent was to leave the Miata perfectly stock, as I expected a collector-grade car. While I still wish to honor my cousin, I think he’d agree that this one makes a perfect blank canvas. 

Do I just improve its performance a tad to make it faster or more comfortable–or both? Or do I go hog wild with a supercharger atop a later, larger engine? Is this a restoration project for our sister magazine, Classic Motorsports, or the start of another autocrosser for the pages of GRM? 

What would you do here?

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