Quick Pic, got the hardtop

Picked up the hardtop and other toys today, I love it.  The hardtop makes it feel like a different car, less wind noise, better visability, more room.

...and a pic

Small, Small World

Holy crap, talk about small world.

So, looking at CL, see a guy selling a hardtop, figured I'd call. He tells me it's red, and I ask why he's selling it. Told me he doesn't have a car to go with it anymore. He says his first name, and i recognize that as the first name of the previous owner ( car was donated, then bought at auction, then sold to me), I ask his last, and whadda ya know it's the previous owner.

So he then tells me he went through the car, what's been done, what hasn't, why the steering wheel is 5* off center (new steering wheel), that it has aftermarket top hats (fat cat racing), a racing beat rear sway, and he has a racing beat front brace of some sort that he has for it still, it has a very smal (half inchish) drop from the top hats, etc etc.

Soo.. gonna pick up a hard top this weekend

Happy belated birthday Mazda

I know Mazda's 90th birthday passed about a month ago, but catching up on reading and visiting a great site called Japanese Nostalgic Car I came across the best write up on Mazda logo history I had seen.  Check it out!  Japanese Nostalgic Car – Blog » Blog Archive » 90 Years of the Mazda Logo

On his Birthday, RIP Paul Newman

Paul Newman

What an amazing guy, past the years that I feel most people should no longer be allowed to drive he took his final laps at Watkins Glen at age 82 in a Corvette race car, and at 70 he was the oldest driver to win at the 24 hours of Daytona.

A moment of silence for an amazing man.

Vintage (wheel) Pr0n!

Kobayashi Tire of Japan published a bundle of old photos.  Awesome throwback stuff, I strongly encourage you all to check it out!  Found via JapaneseNostalgicCar.com

Check out the albums here: Kobayashi tire company Neohisutorikkuka ∥ and 小林タイヤ商会∥オールドタイマー (the older stuff in the second link).

Ok, So what now?

Someone asked what will become of the FMM now that I have the FMM.  I assure you all, the fun doesn't stop now.  So here is a list of thoughts.
1. Going to the first HPDE event this weekend, an Auto-X put on by the Rio Grande SCCA
2. Eyeing those new Enkei 92's pretty hard.
3. There is a hardtop for sale locally, red no-less
4. I have a good friend that had a boosted NB miata that I need to chat with.
5. There are mountains of stuff yet to be sold for the project.

Parents Just don't understand

That was a hard ride home, I don't know how I survived
They took turns -
One would beat me while the other one was driving
I can't believe it, I just made a mistake
Well parents are the same no matter time nor place
So to you other kids all across the land
Take it from me
Parents just don't understand

 -Fresh Prince & DJ Jazzy Jeff

Early December I went to dinner with my dad, we chatted about a number of things per usual.  Then I told him my grand plan, in this conversation I explained the ubiquity of the miata is one reason parts are so cheap, that and they are among the most raced cars in the world.  I explained that I wanted something I could take to a track day, etc etc.

This was somehow contorted into; Matt is going to race a season of spec miata.  Once this errant thought got into his head I heard a stream of what a bad financial decision racing is, how much time and energy it would take, and how I needed to concentrate on other things.

Sigh.

Wheel Pr0n vol I

I know this isn't popular to say, but I'm really a function over form sort of guy.  I'm not into the super slammed stuff, the bosozuku camber, etc... but a sharp looking wheel really can setoff a car.  On the flip side, unless you're really going for the gold I don't get dropping $2000+ for a set of wheels because of brand name, or saving that extra 3 ounces.  To each their own though.

Enter the Enkei 92, Enkei is of course known well to anyone who has been into the import scene in the last 15 or more years, and in the last three or four they have really stepped up to the plate as far as aftermarket wheels with the light and strong RPF1.  Yes, I'm fully aware they have made OEMs for STi's, NSX's, and racing wheels for the likes of Mclaren.  They are a company with history.

...speaking of history, they are re-releasing the Enkei 92.  Perhaps it's the resurgence of interest in vintage Japanese cars from Skylines to AE86's, or just the bitchin classic design, but either way, I love this piece.
I'm sure they are available from a multitude of companies, but I'd get mine from JSCSpeed.com

Arrrrgghh

After checking out the car I purchased, I thought it may be an R package as I noted before.  R package have the front and rear underbody spoilers, rear decklid spoiler, manual steering, manual windows, Bilstein shocks, higher rate springs, beefier sway bars, and the coup de grace a torsen limited slip diff.

I used the awesome VIN decoder which told me a bit about the car, but not what package it came with.  For that, I had to go straight to the maker.  After a brief, and remarkably friendly call to Mazda USA, the gent on the other side told me I did indeed have an R package.  Huzzah!

Without Further Ado...

...I present to you the Found Money Miata.

So yeah, the picture sucks, I'll get better. And I really hate to admit it, but I went a hair over budget because I just couldn't pass this one up.  94 Red R package, picked her up for 3 large.  Really great condition.

Oh yeah, I need to come clean.
I was a little concerned about going to a Miata.  I'm 6'2", 186lbs, my girlfriend is 6', and I'm coming from an STi that makes 291 wheel horsepower and 311 ft/lbs of torque at the wheels.  And I live at a mile high.  I was as concerned about a little naturally aspirated 1.8liter motor keeping me happy as I was being able to fit in it.

I LOVE IT.

...speaking of fitting in the car, it came with two, nice, sheepskin seat covers.  Thick & cushy.  That thickness robbed me of about an inch of head room, and an inch of leg room.  They had to come out.