Planning on being at the OC National Rally at Gaydon on Sunday has bought back some very fond memories for Jane and I of how our MX5 journey began.
I bought Daphne, a BRG V Spec for Jane for our 25th anniversary in June of 2007. I admit I knew nothing about cars and even less about MX5’s. I bought her on eBay, unseen and collected her in the rain, however as soon as we had the keys we were hooked.
Shortly after I discovered the OC and joined, we attended a couple of regional meets and our first ‘run’ was with South East Roadsters around the lanes of Kent and Sussex with the likes of Julian & Karen and AndyK, this is also where we met our now very good friends Tony and Lou AKA Speedy Laney.
Daphne was Jane’s car, so I only got to drive her at weekends, maintenance was not in my vocabulary in 2007, that is until…we attended the National in 2007.
Neither of us had a clue what to expect as we made our way towards Oxford Services on the M40 where we had been told some members of South East Roadsters would be congregating before driving onward to Gaydon. The site was amazing, around 40 cars already there and more arriving as the departure time got closer.
The convoy to Gaydon was an absolutely amazing experience seeing that many cars together, other road users too were waving and clearly enjoying the sight.
On arrival at Gaydon we were more than gob-smacked, MX5’s as far as the eye could see and as we made our way through the parked cars Jane spotted things she liked - chrome door mirrors and a fuel chrome cap were the favourites and in no time at all we had bought said items from MX5 Parts.
Mooching around the stalls, not knowing anyone apart from a handful of people we had met on the SERoadsters run and the couple of meets we had attended, someone called our names, we ignored it to start thinking that nobody knew us, but we soon found it was Terry & Joy AKA The Admiral and The Admirals Wife who are now also very good friends.
Anyway, that was 7 years ago, the bug had bitten, 2 years later we acquired a MK2 VS Import (Anni) and sold the caravan and tow car and another 2 years down the line I accidentally acquired a MK2 LE Red Sport (Kit), bringing our stable to 3. Last year Daphne was unfortunately a victim of rust and was broken but was very quickly replaced by Grace, a Mariner Blue Eunos who will be in the colour coordinated parking this coming Sunday.
In that 7 years these cars have shaped, moulded and dictated our social life, they have helped us make friends for life, true friends. They have taken us on road trips across Europe, holidays abroad and at home, weekend get togethers around the country, more rallies, days out, lunch meets, spur of the moment gatherings, weekends away in France and Belgium and dozens fettling days and all of them with the best friends we could ever hope for.
So, this coming weekend is important for us, and guess what, we are going with a bunch of mates, and will undoubtedly bump into dozens of other fantastic fellow owners that we have met on our journey, a journey that started just over 7 years ago and we hope will never end.
Oh, and I now thankfully know a little bit about these cars, most of it thanks to the great people we have met along the way.
Nick & Jane, AKA The Captain & The Captains Wife.
Strange, because a year later, I brought the Montego Blue in the background (and which I still have) and since 2013, now also have the black S-Limited in the foreground. I swear I never took the photo thinking 10 years later both these cars will be mine…