I have a G reg MX5 in Classic Red which according to the VIN plate is number 376. My car was apparently built on December 18th 1989. This set me thinking, I wonder how many of the 375 that were built before my car are still around ?
Do you have an older MX5 ? I want to know about the cars that you either own or see on a regular basis and not ones which we have seen in magazines for instance.
Just curious you understand, add a bit of detail i.e, is your car in daily use ? What mileage has it done etc. For the record mine is a daily drive and has covered 130,000 miles.
That certainly sounds pretty early for a UK-spec MX-5, but there are Eunoses over here which are older including mine. Good luck with the research - it will be very interesting to discover the oldest UK car.
Oldest Eunos - Sam Goodwin had it, bought from the original founder* of SFT, - which was passed twice to other hands. - IIRC, it was No.23, imported straight off the production line. When Sam got it, he and Andy - his mechanic, totally restored it to OEM condition, apparently it was in a sad state when they got it. he was trying to sell it a couple of years ago - but people were shying away from the price. (ÂŁ7K odd) Next oldest was one in the 30’s I think - original UK owner* in SWM, don’t know if she still has it?Â
*- I forget both names - been in this Club too long!
There was another thread about this; the first “UK” MX5 is still on the road, owned by Mazda UK. It is however, a Roadster that was converted to a UK specification before the offiical launch. Sam Goodwin has the 17th Roadster built. The 14th Australian MX5 was on the road here circa 2000-2001. “Motor” and “Autocar” in 1990 were full of ads for used US-spec Miatas. About 6000 Miatas were sold June-July 1989, so its entirely possible there are some genuine F-reg Miatas about in the UK (I recall a rough one for sale a few years back).
Howmanyleft lists cars licenced or SORN’d by year of registration, not age. So, cars listed as 1990 registrations can be generally taken as meaning UK cars. There are currently 1491 1990 MX5s registered; these might not be all UK cars though. 2246 UK MX5s were sold in 1990; ignoring strange Euro MX5s being registered in 1990, and the odd Miata/Autohaus Roadster (Autohaus were importing Roadsters in 1990-1991, but very small numbers, mostly autos it seems), that would indicate that 249 of the first 376 are left.
It was imported as a parts car in 2000 by SFT; I spotted it at the back of Ka Yu’s barn, about to come under Kevin’s cutting torch. It wasn’t in bad condition; ripped roof, and a front wing had been replaced at some point; a typical Grade 3 car. A Nardi steering wheel had been fitted, other than that, it hadn’t been mucked around. It had been used in Japan; Bob Hall told me he reckoned it would have been part of a stock of preregistered cars that the dealers would have had on launch day to cash in on. Any press cars would have had a VIN in the 1000’s. I told Dave B he might want to look at the VIN. Then he decided not to chop it up, and instead it was used to try out some SFT products; mostly seatcovers, and roofs over at Trim Technology in Bedworth. Dave never drove it, it sat in a shed. Sam and Steve restored it. Its still for sale at £9995. I know he thinks he sold my M2 for too little (which I hear was run into the ground by the new owner), so I suspect he’s not going to shift on price.
Fairly daily, and about 184,000km ie 114,000 miles. Although mine got an F-plate when imported in 1999, it should really be a G as the VIN number suggests an October 89 build. There was a July 89 Eunos for sale (on Nutz I think) recently, built in the second week of domestic-market production IIRC, so that must be nearly as early as Sam Goodwin’s car. History owes AT quite a debt for spotting that one back in 2000.
Technically, the same age as G174RKM. Given that the Eunos Roadster didn’t go on sale until September 1989 (Mazda spent 2 months building up a sale stock), any Roadster on a F-plate is a DVLA foul up. When I brought my late 1991 Roadster back from Northern Ireland, I had an age related plate added to it. The DVLA put in on a H-plate, not a J-plate., Didn’t bother me, but it did bother the fella I was selling the car to. It turned out the DVLA didn’t bother asking the DVLNI for the Japanese paperwork, and defaulted to the older plate. The DVLNI keep all the details of cars registered in the province basically forever, and were able to transcribe the Japanese paperwork for me (I had faded photocopies of the original, not good enough for the DVLA), and then for me to hand that to the DVLA. The DVLA thought it was out of their remit to actually speak to another UK government department.
There is a G Reg that I pass everyday parked at the Doncaster Hospital Park and Ride. In what I would class as a dull red with clack soft top, prob benefit from a good polish. I have only noticed it since I’ve had mine but it it there every day without fail.
Technically, the same age as G174RKM. Given that the Eunos Roadster
didn’t go on sale until September 1989 (Mazda spent 2 months building up
a sale stock), any Roadster on a F-plate is a DVLA foul up. When I
brought my late 1991 Roadster back from Northern Ireland, I had an age
related plate added to it. The DVLA put in on a H-plate, not a J-plate.,
Didn’t bother me, but it did bother the fella I was selling the car to.
It turned out the DVLA didn’t bother asking the DVLNI for the Japanese
paperwork, and defaulted to the older plate. The DVLNI keep all the
details of cars registered in the province basically forever, and were
able to transcribe the Japanese paperwork for me (I had faded
photocopies of the original, not good enough for the DVLA), and then for
me to hand that to the DVLA. The DVLA thought it was out of their remit
to actually speak to another UK government department. (End quote)
Â
That car on Nutz, though highly interesting, wasn’t the one I was thinking of which has been made into a trackday car. I can’t find it now, strangely. Yes, my car’s F-reg is almost certainly a DVLA foul-up, given that its VIN number ends in 4941, but I like it and it’s staying!
Mine certainly isn’t the oldest G-plated car, but it must be an early one and it seems that it’s totally original.  I do know that it came into the UK on March 4th 1990 and it was registered on March 26th. It’s car no 1850.
It was originally supplied by Runcorn Mazda and it had no warranty claims recorded. It has Mazda dealer service history up to 25,912 miles. I bought it recently, with a genuine mileage of 28,583 (now just about to turn 30,000).
As you might expect at such low mileage, it drives perfectly, I can’t keep out of it and have driven it most days since I bought it. I’m off to the Laon Historique for 4 days in May, which I suspect will be it’s first trip outside the UK since it first came here.
I own  a 1990 UK mx5 1.6cc classic red and it was registered on 26th march 1990 plate is G301CLD and last 4 numbers on vin 1335 I would also like to know how many older UK mx5s are still going strong also can you tell a date when it was built before it was regestered ??
I had until middle of last year a Mk1 number 576, reg: G83 FAN, I had all the original Japanese build docs which showed it came of the Hiroshima production line on July 24th 1989 at 14.00 hours (believe second week of production), when imported into the UK the car had a steel bonnet & alloy doors, I had paperwork from the original owner showing this & had posted this info on the forum before, I know there is an “expert” out there who will say “not possible” but it did ! why or how never did get to the bottom of although I did find that at least a batch of very early Miatas went to the USA in the same format ! the car is now living in the Brands Hatch area, I was told by Mazda that the consecutive numbers didn’t always follow & that cars came off in batches with a batch of chassis/commision numbers in groups, not necessarily being consecutive, just one of the many mysteries of the MX5 saga. Paul H
Thank you, was fun (and quick, 9 minutes 17 seconds at the Ring !) due to a quick visit to hospital (not MX5 related) & no driving until last Xmas had to move it on but then bought a Mk2, bit more comfort & compliance but still competitive, wish I was back in a Mk1 though, Paul H, Bicester.
Hi, my mariner blue mx5 is VIN number 352. It was built about the same time as yours and first registered in early April 1990.According to records there were about 35 ish cars registered before mine. Of those there are bout 20 or so still on the road. When was your car first registered ?Â
Thanks AT
