Hey guys! New member here and new member of the owners club.
I have a 1991 Eunos Roadster NA 1.6, in Silver Stone metallic (what’s left of it anyway). I’m based down on the south coast in Worthing, just outside Brighton. Here’s my journey so far! (bit long, sorry)
I’ve always had a ‘thing’ for the mk1, since the early days and having grown up playing Gran Turismo 
- maybe it’s those pop up headlights?!
Fast forward to my 30’s, my premature midlife crisis kicking in, I needed an MX5 in my life! Being an automatic only license holder - due to personal reasons - finding a good, affordable auto mk1 was like trying to find unicorn ■■■■. Hours of scouring ebay, autotrader and the likes, to no fruition. Then one day, I came across a listing on ebay for an NA Auto, 1.6, starting bid at £500 and only a couple of days to go. Few messages exchanged with the owner, and I secured it for £450. I was so excited!
The car, as you’ll see, is not in the best condition, but I knew that, and still took a punt on it. For £450, for a Eunos with MOT, was an opportunity not to be passed up! I drove it back from Kettering to Worthing, a good 150 mile journey, and it was absolute faultless to drive. Stop start traffic as is usual for the M25, and didn’t overheat, excellent oil pressure, didn’t make any unwanted noises and was solid the entire way. I was beyond impressed. But the bodywork was terrible and there was no way on earth it’d pass another MOT. So I used it as much as I could for the last few weeks of it’s MOT, and I absolutely fell in love with it, to the point I named her. Maisie, the Miata. But then we had to have her parked up for 3 months till we decided what to do with her.
Fast forward to 2022, the car went through a full inspection just after new year, and the rust and rot was far worse than first anticipated. I knew the sills were rotten, but I had no idea, just how much more was rotten too. In the end, I had to buy two new front wings, two new full sills, two new rear arches and two new inner rear arches as they were all completely shot. The drain holes for the roof were completely blocked with debris which possibly made matters worse. Also there was some rot setting in under the passenger footwell so some steel plating had to be sourced to repair this. Mechanically though, absolutely sound. Aside from the power steering rack developing a leak due to being stood in the elements for a while as the dog ate my car cover…
So far, I’ve spent £2200 on her, that’s including the car itself. Managed to source some original Daisy’s too, to replace the awful after market 15"s.
Anyway, here are some pics! And I also have an Instagram page for anyone interested in following my progress to restoration! @maisiethemiata
- This is how I bought her.
- This is just before her big adventure to the North, sporting Daisys!
- Last update from the North, as you can see, the extent of the rot around the rear arches was worse than first visible.
Am I mad? Possibly. Anyway, thanks for reading and I hope to hear from other members here as I’m sure I’ll need some advice - James
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