1991 MKI LE MANS
Roll-up the Le Mans
As edgy as a hyperactive child with a new toy.
It’s where Mazda answered complaints that the 1.6 was too competent and not scary enough.
This special edition was built to celebrate Mazda’s 1991 Le Mans victory. Only 24 were ever made, which is a crime in any petrolhead’s book since the engine – complete with BBR turbocharger – is a perfect accompaniment to the superb chassis.
Add to that the upgraded suspension and OZ alloys, and I can feel the point and squirt potential being properly exploited; carrying momentum through corners now has an added frisson of danger. The ability to plant too much power, too
‘You’ll grin like a Le Mans winner every time you go for a zoom zoom’
early is ever-present, although the BBR is probably the most gentlemanly turbo that I have ever played with. The original £20,499 list price also got you a body kit, ‘787B Charge’ colour scheme and a certificate signed by Le Mans winner Johnny Herbert in the super-exclusive leather pouch that every car came with.
Nice, but I don’t care about any of it by the time that I’ve begun my third lap and started to kid myself that I’ve found the perfect lines. It’s fast enough and scary enough (particularly in the wet), but also more than competent enough to make even an amateur like me to look like I know what I am doing. In fact I’m zinging my way through the corners like a seasoned instructor. Pity there’s no-one watching. The demure wastegate dump whistles in the distance between gearchanges and the turbo’s extra urge brings the MX-5’S 955kg mass up to the corners quickly with minimal lag. I even find myself heel-and toeing when I feel brave enough, as the Le Mans always asks for more. It’s such a driver’s tool – even if it looks a bit like a court jester – that it gets me black flagged for going too fast along the back straight, but I’m not complaining – it was worth it.
29 years on from the 787B’s amazing Le Mans win – the only time the race has been won by a car powered by a rotary engined car – this little box of tricks is the most perfect reminder that driving a two-seater is all about having fun.
An MX-5 should be a sensory delight at every juncture and make you grin like a Le Mans winner every time you go for a zoom zoom. This one does – and some.