Mazda Eunos Roadster
David digs the Mazda out to banish the winter blues and get his sports car kicks
1990 MAZDA EUNOS ROADSTER
Sometimes it’s the shortest drives that give you the biggest smiles.
The last time H521 NRX graced these pages it was recovering from an epic shopping trip north of the border to stock up on single malt ( CCW, 4 October) but since then it’s been taking things easy. A bit too easy, I reckon. The golden tipple’s virtually disappeared over the last few months but you’d be forgiven for thinking the poor Mazda’s taken a vow of abstinence by comparison. It even missed out on an outing to a New Year classic show, because the MGB got that gig this year (see last week’s issue).
But the other day the Eunos came into its own. It might not have been Blue Monday – the much hyped most miserable day of the year that is, not New Order’s nightclub floor-filler – but the short days, chilly weather and postfestive blues were really beginning to take hold.
So I couldn’t help nipping back from the office over a lunch break, digging the Mazda out of its winter lay-up and taking it for a roof-down blast. I’m glad I did, because a few miles in a properly sorted classic roadster is much better than one of those anti-depressant lights normally on offer at this time of year.
The rear-mounted battery sounded a bit weak when it fired up – the last time I’d used it was to go Christmas shopping, and its combination of non-electrified storage and the Immobiliser From Hell meant that there wasn’t much I could do to preserve the juice in meantime – but it didn’t take long for the rev-happy roadster to feel back to its usual self. In fact, the biggest frustration was how filthy it’s ended up over the festive period, thanks to its rather dusty winter digs. First job when I’ve got a free weekend is to treat it to a long overdue bath!
But even though it only did a few miles on the B-roads not far from
CCW HQ, it was an utter joy to be back behind the wheel. It did a brilliant job at banishing the winter blues – and I can’t wait to have some proper sunshine to enjoy it in again.