MX-5 as a future Classic?

[Clive Granger]

The Editor,
New Zealand Classic Car Magazine.
Allan,

First I would like to congratulate you on a great car mag. I look forward
to each issue. The monthly mags are great reading but it is the classic
sports cars that attract me. When young (back in the '70s) I could only
dream of an open topped roadster or GT. Strangely enough the MGB was not
top of my list. The Mk4 Triumph Spitfire held that position. The GT6 was
up there as well. The Lotus Europa however was my dream car - too expensive
even to contemplate though, along with the Elite.

Now older - and richer - I realised I could afford to pursue a whim and get
that sports car I wanted. However, I am not a mechanic and not into
complete re-builds from chassis up. A critical look at the wonder cars of
my youth revealed few had survived in good condition. Also handling was not
necessarily that great by modern standards. So I was looking for a more
modern car with the same feel and I quickly realised the MX-5 fitted the
bill exactly.

I have owned my NZ new 1994 1800 MX-5 for 2 years now and will not be
selling it. I love it. It handles like a dream. Cruising along on a warm
summer evening with the top down has to be experienced. When I went looking
for an MX-5, the dealer knew what he was doing; he lent me the car for the
weekend. It sold itself; he did nothing. I have since heard dealers love
the MX-5. They can sell every one that comes on the lot.

This brings me to the point of this email. When your Yearbook 2001 first
appeared in the shops I bought it immediately. However, when I saw your
choices for Future Classics I could not believe the MX-5 was missing. I
nearly tossed the yearbook away. I certainly stopped reading it until the
other day when I picked it up again. Hence this letter to you some time
after publication.

All of the 'Future Classics', except the MR2 (which I entirely agree
deserves to be there), are exotic and rare in NZ. They will be non-existent
in 25 to 30 years time. If people are still driving cars then I know the
MX-5 will be a classic. It will be cheap too, because of the numbers being
produced today (and there's another indication of its popularity). The
design itself has hardly changed for ten years.

The MX-5 is bringing the classic open topped sport car experience to more
people today than any other marque - and you ignored it! This almost seems
to be a 'thing' with Classic Car magazines. I read a comparison between the
'new' front wheel drive Elan and the 1600 MX-5 (Classic & Sports Car, Oct
1999). The Elan was turbo charged front wheel drive and the little MX-5
naturally aspirated. The Elan won hands down of course. The article even
stated that the MX-5 was a Lotus Elan copy (this allowed them to praise
aspects of the car). It seems to me you 'Classic Car' types really don't
like the MX-5, yet, periodically one of you will sheepishly admit it is your
'daily driver'.

Do not dismiss the MX-5 as a Classic Copy. It revived the Light Weight
Sports Car class after the demise of the MGB in the Seventy's. Its handling
is benchmark. Its reliability accepted. A future Classic? Just wait and
see!

Regards
Clive Granger

[Clive Granger]

The Editor,
New Zealand Classic Car Magazine.
Allan,

First I would like to congratulate you on a great car mag. I look forward
to each issue. The monthly mags are great reading but it is the classic
sports cars that attract me. When young (back in the '70s) I could only
dream of an open topped roadster or GT. Strangely enough the MGB was not
top of my list. The Mk4 Triumph Spitfire held that position. The GT6 was
up there as well. The Lotus Europa however was my dream car - too expensive
even to contemplate though, along with the Elite.

Now older - and richer - I realised I could afford to pursue a whim and get
that sports car I wanted. However, I am not a mechanic and not into
complete re-builds from chassis up. A critical look at the wonder cars of
my youth revealed few had survived in good condition. Also handling was not
necessarily that great by modern standards. So I was looking for a more
modern car with the same feel and I quickly realised the MX-5 fitted the
bill exactly.

I have owned my NZ new 1994 1800 MX-5 for 2 years now and will not be
selling it. I love it. It handles like a dream. Cruising along on a warm
summer evening with the top down has to be experienced. When I went looking
for an MX-5, the dealer knew what he was doing; he lent me the car for the
weekend. It sold itself; he did nothing. I have since heard dealers love
the MX-5. They can sell every one that comes on the lot.

This brings me to the point of this email. When your Yearbook 2001 first
appeared in the shops I bought it immediately. However, when I saw your
choices for Future Classics I could not believe the MX-5 was missing. I
nearly tossed the yearbook away. I certainly stopped reading it until the
other day when I picked it up again. Hence this letter to you some time
after publication.

All of the 'Future Classics', except the MR2 (which I entirely agree
deserves to be there), are exotic and rare in NZ. They will be non-existent
in 25 to 30 years time. If people are still driving cars then I know the
MX-5 will be a classic. It will be cheap too, because of the numbers being
produced today (and there's another indication of its popularity). The
design itself has hardly changed for ten years.

The MX-5 is bringing the classic open topped sport car experience to more
people today than any other marque - and you ignored it! This almost seems
to be a 'thing' with Classic Car magazines. I read a comparison between the
'new' front wheel drive Elan and the 1600 MX-5 (Classic & Sports Car, Oct
1999). The Elan was turbo charged front wheel drive and the little MX-5
naturally aspirated. The Elan won hands down of course. The article even
stated that the MX-5 was a Lotus Elan copy (this allowed them to praise
aspects of the car). It seems to me you 'Classic Car' types really don't
like the MX-5, yet, periodically one of you will sheepishly admit it is your
'daily driver'.

Do not dismiss the MX-5 as a Classic Copy. It revived the Light Weight
Sports Car class after the demise of the MGB in the Seventy's. Its handling
is benchmark. Its reliability accepted. A future Classic? Just wait and
see!

Regards
Clive Granger

[Gary Morrison]

Well written Clive - Good one!

[Milo]

Excellent letter Clive.

When I was young (back in the 60s) my first car was a tired 1932 MG J2 which
I loved. When the MX-5 came out I was a journalist and had one of the first
in the country for a weeks road test. It immediately brought back memories
of the J2 and I was wrapped. At the time I declared it a 'future classic'
and another test of a new MX-5 12 months later confirmed my impression.

I tested dozens of cars from Jaguars, BMWs, Audis, to Toyotas and even a
Lada but I always said if I won Lotto the first thing I would buy would be a
new MX-5. Sadly, to date, someone else has always won.
Realising if we waited for Lotto we would never have one, we recently
shouted ourselves a '91 V-Spec and I have been driving around with a silly
grin on my face ever since.
Regards, Paul Ridder

[Clive Granger]

Thanks for your reply Allan. I look forward to the July issue. regards,
Clive.