I think most of us were probably young and silly but lucky ,that’s why we’re still here today. 
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I seem to have three Ragtops hidden in my playpen.
I have had one since 1992 and I am still not bored with it, Its an Early Hairdressers car, a 1933 Austin Type 65 Sports, top speed 65 mph when new, its a wee bit faster now it has a billet crank and rods.
Number 2 is a 1994 Eunos RS Ltd which I have had for six or seven years, stock apart from missing the Recaro seats.
Number 3 is another 1994 Eunos RS Ltd. this is a modified example with an ITB motor giving 169 BHP.
I have always fancied an Amilcar C6 !!!
1100cc six cylinder twin cam !!
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A bit late to the party on this, but one of my all time favourites has to be the Lotus Elan Sprint. This one is a real beauty and just right for exploring the narrow country lanes, before ending up at a nice country pub for a spot of al fresco socially distance dining …assuming it doesn’t breakdown on route. Perfect.
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B-in-Law had two of these back in their prime days.
Used to rag them from Shifnal to Glasgow to “visit” my sister.
Never seemed to have many if any real issues with either but I recall the 2nd one drank oil when he bought it.
Mind, he was an engine builder at RR Crewe, so whipping out the Twin Cam and chucking another in was, when I was in Shifnal, a Sunday job with him and his Dad. The thing ran sweet till he flogged it years later.
Ian taught me from young the mantras of “Service, service, service” & maintenance x 3.
I’ve got the view they were run by people who had no idea.
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Nice story. For me as a young man it was the looks and reputation for great handling that was the attraction. I loved the idea of piloting such a small, nimble car. Unfortunately it was out of my league, so made do with my Spitfire. I did have a test drive in one and I remember being impressed. It was a good bit quicker than my Spit. Interestingly, the owner of the garage (who accompanied me on the test drive) was Wyn Percy, who successfully raced jags.
Many years back, my cousin bought a light blue hard top Elan which had a black badge for whatever reason, and I had my Spitfire at the time, when the Lotus was running well it was a real hoot, but he had all manner of problems along the way, particularly with the large round rubber doughnut thingy’s that where something to do with the drive mechanism, he often had to replace them.
We decided to go camping for a long weekend in his Elan down near Bude Cornwall, the side window was wedged up as the mechanism had failed, and on one occasion there was muted bang and the car filled with smoke, we never did figure out what it was.
When we got back he sold it to an enthusiast 
He also had an old green mini at one point that was a total pile of junk , he was always having to work on it, maybe he was just unlucky, 
I think I probably had a lucky escape… 
…must admit we came into the MX world about 22 years ago after a 1275 MG Midget, Triumph GT6, Spitfire, and another (1500) MG Midget.
Often hankered for a “classic” but a mate told me that he once had a go in an E Type and hated it!..crap brakes, poor steering and generally not that good.
I also had a colleague who owned a GT6 and asked him to “let me have a go” as I once owned one in my youth…again a really bad experience that convinced me that I would not want to go back to an older car now, I like the ND too much…but accept that’s just me!
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Totally agree. The ND is a brilliant drive and although tempted in the past to go the classic route I’m sure it would have been a retrograde step. Midgets, Spits, GT6, TRs, etc were all great in their day, but things have moved on. Driving a well sorted modern sports car has to be far more fun than driving a classic. However, like many people, I do like to see them on the roads.
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I was at Cadwell Park this weekend watching historic racing - in common with a number of other MX5 folk it appeared - and , as ever the wonderful Elan was well represented . often at the sharp end of the grid .
A few years ago I saw an Elan 26R pick off car after car at a soaking Silverstone - it made it to the front , having humbled Cobras, TVR V8s , Bizzarinis and E -Types . Just add lightness , as Chapman so memorably said. .
Others remind us that LOTUS stands for ‘Lots of trouble , usually serious’
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I’ve heard that said about original E-Types before - poor brakes, steering etc. Maybe the best solution is to get one of the Eagle rebuilds - but oh, the money !!
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One should remember back in the day the Elan was an expensive car- 2/3 the price of an e-type. Motor Sport pointed out that the Triumph Spitfire was pretty good compared to the Elan considering it was a third of the price! Okay you could save by the Elan kit version but that was still twice the price of a Spit or Midget…
And don’t forget that whilst the Elan may have been one of the (several) design influences on the Mx-5, it was a Spitfire they leant to the Mazda design leader to convince him of what they were doing.
Just look at the front end design of the E Type. The bodywork curves away under the grille. Apparently this can cause lift. An ex work colleague had one back in the day. He had had quite a few impressive cars including an Elan. He said that once you got the E Type up around 100 mph it felt like the front wheels were about to come off the ground. You could see the bonnet rising too. Scary.
Although I haven’t got the money or the patience to own one, that is one lovely looking little sports car 
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I always thought the e-type was quite a big car…until I parked next to one the other day on the Welsh coast.
(Before anybody says anything the hood was down all the way, only put it up while parked!)
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This, prettiest car ever made - accept no substitute 
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…I would probably agree with that…forgotten all about the Dino.
At one time (long gone), you could have got one for “reasonable” money…not any more I fear!!
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This is my personal favorite, but now £2m or so…
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A Lexus 5.0 litre V8 RC F.
Looks like a super car (imho), Porsche Cayman S performance (OK, the Cayman’s cornering is legendary but 0-62 mph is the same), great sound but not “shouty”, more practical boot than a 911’s “frunk”, almost usable rear seats, high quality interior, nothing rattles, supremely reliable …
What’s not to like?