Bearing in mind that very very few MX5s would see which way a modern rocket hatch went , it is better not to rise to the challenge . That isn’t a problem , BTW , as I enjoy driving mine rather than trying to polish my ego .
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Yep I enjoy letting them go past knowing they are not looking at the view, not listening to the birds, getting more stressed and using more fuel. 
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I’m with you guys, I’m far too long-in-the-tooth to get involved with boy-racers these days. The pleasure I get mostly from my MX-5 is lid off, and enjoying the fresh air (even when passing a farm !).
When you consider that many hot-hatches have twice as much power as I’ve got in my NC, it’s pointless anyway.
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Racing on the road is mainly down to who values their life least. I don’t even race cars on my motorbike as if they’re up my ■■■■ in a straight line then I’ll be buggered if i’m racing them around the twisties.
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like most others I leave the racing to the hot hatch brigade . I’ve never really had any problems with abuse ( that I’ve noticed) people look,but because of the colour I don’t think a lot of people know what car it is .
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I know we all make the occasional mistake/error of judgement and get vocal/visual abuse. However when I hear someone complaining that they are subject to regular abuse from other road users my first thought is what is their driving like that they warrant such regular abuse as most people will generally only respond to a situation whether real or perceived.
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Stunning looking car. Just don’t get the badge thing though.
Not really mx5 related but I really noticed when I went from a hatch to an hot hatch all of a sudden having never had any issues for years on the road I had two serious bits of agro within the first month. I still get some every few months. I will freely admit that I was in the wrong on one occasion although for the chap to then attempt to push me into oncoming traffic while I was trying to wave an apology seemed an over reaction!
In the mx5 I’ve never had a problem but I’ve only owned it two months.
I don’t think that I drive much differently between my cars but I’m sure having a great big wing on the back of your car like my Cooper S can give people the wrong idea.
To be fair it might also be the everything else, every aspect of that car that says: “come on then, let’s ‘ave it!” Looks fantastic, is it a ‘5 underneath or a car I’ve never heard of? 
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Friends of mine have newish JCW Mini’s, one 3 door and a Clubman, and face those challenges quite a bit… Now they are of a certain age, which isn’t an issue because the one thing I’ve learnt since joining the MX-5OC is the car is loved and enjoyed by people of all ages…
They find themselves being undertaken on slip-roads and being cut up by idiot “Come on Then” drivers…! Like us loving our '5’s, they love their Mini’s but find their cars just getting unwanted attention on the road… They have just a forward-facing camera to the Clubman so at least it can record an event should the worst happen…
Rob
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I’d like to see the footage on the one that had been tailgating my NC from Chertsey to the A40 on a January Sunday a couple of years ago. The M25 was at 50 for most of the way, as usual, and I was in the left-most lane when appropriate, but he sat less than a cars length behind, despite numerous ample opportunities to overtake. Maybe he was admiring my car?
Past the M4 the speed limit reverted to 70, as did I, a true satnav 70. He was still there.
Come the exit slip to London bound M40 I didn’t slow down although usually 50 is a much more comfortable speed while the bend tightens in the catenary. It was great to see the JCW losing grip and fishtailing across both lanes in my mirror. I’d lost him by the time I was on the M40 and never saw him again. Good riddance.
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I owned 4 Nissan Primeras, 3 saloons and one estate. During there ownership I bought the SRi version, big mistake, it looked sporty because it had the badge and a tailgate spoiler that’s about it. The amount of drivers wanting to take me on or tailgating me I just had to get rid of it.
It was better looking than the picture suggests, mine was metallic green though.
How dated when you look back.
It’s a MEV Exocet. Built from a '90 Eunos which my son wrapped around the M3 and hence wasn’t econmically repairable so we made this instead.
Not just “hairdresser cars”. Just now, BMW (3 series ?) went by at a cruising speed, and when it was about 50 m. past me a very noisy “hot Ford Focus ST” went by as if it were trying to break the land speed records and went past the BMW. Big mistake! Howl of siren emitted from BMW (and no doubt front lit up with blue lights) which took off in hot pursuit - “Q” car!. Don’t you just love it when things like that happen!!! Just recently our country road has been used increasingly as a race track, so maybe this was not just an accidental encounter but a planned operation to serve as a deterrent.
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I’m with you ND’er…I think Countryboy is being a bit harsh there.
I had a Golf VR6 company car at 25 and got so much abuse just because I had it. Not provoked, not because I’d been making an ■■■■ of myself, it was just sheer unfathomable anger from some seriously unbalanced people.
I once had someone deliberately reverse into my front wing in a car park (witnessed by the attendant) whilst I was off having lunch with a client. No explanation, they just decided to ram their MK2 Escort into my car for laughs.
I see bad riding/driving almost every day.
I was riding home on my Explorer 1200 earlier in the year and next thing I know a tat on a Ducati Panigale comes past my offside at about twice my speed (national limit) and at about 18 inches separation. Then another one comes past exactly the same speed. I nearly sht myself.
What they didn’t t see was the horse down a lane just off the main road that they made rear up and dump its rider. I saw it because I was going slowly enough but I didn’t stop because (a) the rider seemed okay and (b) I knew I would probably be me getting the earful for bad riding (we all look the same in crash helmet)!
And then there’s the new craze here in East Sussex of ignoring hazard lines. Yes they can see you coming but they’ve got a transit / 4x4 and they are going to ignore the parked cars on their side of the road and come at you head on, across the white line every time. Still, I did see someone try that with an unmarked police pickup truck recently - hilarious.
I can’t say I have ever had a problem. It does get admiring comments from the girls though. Only problem is only the ones over 60 it appears.
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In the 1990s I used to commute on part of the A217, and most mornings heading north a Laverda Jota used to go past like I was standing still at only 70. I would turn off at the Childrens Trust roundabout and he would head on towards Burgh Heath traffic lights, with the speed limit now 50 and a camera halfway.
I regularly saw him do a wheelie past the camera so his number plate was not readable. One day he was far enough ahead of me I just saw the blue lights pull him just before the red lights.
He was a prat because the number of genuine Laverda Jotas could be counted on a couple of hands.
I think it’s really location dependant. If I drive though an area of high depravity then they can look at you pretty weird. Most see a car like a 5 as a sign of disposable income or showing off. Go in to nicer areas and you usually get the opposite, some admiring glances etc.
Two months in and no major incidents so far. I’ve let a couple of hot hatches past but they weren’t really trying to race or anything, they just have 300bhp on tap and where probably wanting to just open it up.
Used to have a R5GTT and drive it pretty nuts, people probably though I was trying to race them when I was really just ignoring them and trying to have some fun with the car. Perspective is everything.