But then there would be no Z in the VIN
sorry it’s the later 6 or 8 that denotes CC
from FAQ
NA1, NB1 or NC1 - These denote the “car line”
8 - Body type - 8 = 2 Door convertible
B, P, C, 6, 8 or F - Engine type: B, C, or 6 = 1600cc: P or 8 = 1800cc: F = 2000cc
2, 5,or 6 - Transmission type: 2 = 5 speed maual: 5 = 4 speed auto: 6 = 6 speed manual
00 - Production plant - 00 = Hiroshima
The last 6 digits is the serial number.
Exactly, it’s a UK 1.6 - and the last 5 numbers might indicate more to me too - or at least eliminate an unlikely long shot.
long shot = another missing one?
Well it appears i’ve got a UK car and not an import as I’ve told my insurers !! 
It has a Jap badge on the front and an Amercian badge on the rear ? 
I’m confused.com.
The guy I bought it off said it has been in the same family since new - it was spec’d up for someones daughter from new with the yellow colour, bodykit, BBR stuff. The bloke I bought it off was this guys brother-in-law, he lived in Jersey and it came in from there around 2003. looks like it was registered new in 1990 in Jersey. I would have thought that if it had lived there since new it would have been an old rust bucket by now what with the sea air etc ? Thats what made me think it was an import.
Hmmmmmmmmmm,
Reading this thread and looking in the FAQ and the spread sheet in there it seems that my log book is totaly wrong!
I was told by my dealer and the log book confirms we were buying a 1997 Eunos but the log book says NA5C and the chart tells me there isn’t an NA5,
My car VIN plate tells me NA8C which is better but the rest if the numbers tells me it’a a 1993 as it is NA8C-104***
AAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG.
Well I think its lovely
Cheer up!
Dr. Eunos
It may well have been imported in '97. I’m afraid I’ve seen a lot of dealers online selling Mk1’s and quoting the year of import as the year build. I mean - a 2004 Mk1! Come on! They obviously know nothing about MX5’s, or do and hope their punters don’t.
Yes, I’ve seen a Mk1 advertised as a 2004 car - and it had a 2004 registration, so even the DVLA mess up.
Yellow BBR - got the service manual or original owners manual? In mine my BBR is quoted as a LM Turbo - ‘factory’ modified, right from the day of registration and sale.
If it was my car I’d be sourcing the correct nose badge and swapping it over - and a correct rear number plate panel with UK badging and swap them over. I’d keep the body kit on it as it sounds like the car had that from new and if it’s an original BBR then it could appreciate in value. Finally, I’d tackle your insurers and the DVLA if your log book is wrong.
If you poke around under the bonnet, etc, you might find further clues; UK cars have a rather large heat sink on the passenger side for the headlights (which pop up when switched to sidelight, unless someone has disabled it). Seatbelts; tags are different (Japanese market carry white tages, with a belt build date, UK, orange tags), these are unlikely to get changed. Locate the zip in the headrest of the seat; it will unzip to show locations for headrest speakers. If fitted, these are Roadster seats; seats without speakers from the factory have a plain plastic panel, but on speaker-equipped seats, the panel is drilled. Check the headlights; UK are “Koiyo” branded, with correct E-numbers. Although some imports were fitted with UK MX5 headlights (because the owners didn’t know any better), later ones tend to get brands like Wipac or Ring. I don’t know if under the bonnet things are yellow or not; Roadster bonnet has a different set of stickers from UK; UK included a paint code sticker. Check the number stamped behind the engine on the bulkhead matches the logbook. Reregistration of cars in the UK is a bit sketchy; I had a late 1991 Roadster, imported into Northern Ireland in late 1997. Eventually I moved back over here, and reregistered the car with the DVLA in 2004, who promptly decided it was imported in late 2000 and that it was an early 1991 car, even though they has the NI logbook etc. They were only prepared to assign the correct age plate when I got the DVLA in NI to transcribe the details of the Japanese registration documents that they kept on file, send that to me, and for me to send that to the DVLA.
The bootlid is also non-UK, since it has an integral stop lamp. BBR have told me they received some Roadsters from Mazda very early on, to carry out some development work. Certainly the UK car that was the official first MX5 BBR (red, used in most road tests, and still on the road)
Its OK - i’m happy with what i’ve got !! I’m chuffed that its so clean and rot free underneath so its the basis for a good project.
No service manual or owners manual, just the last few years of service reciepts and MOTs.
Can you enlighten me as to what is the correct nose badge and number plate panel please ?! I’m a newbie and didn’t realise that there are so many inconsistencies !!
The original 1990 car didn’t have a nose badge at all; it used a “Mazda” transfer on the nearside front of the bumper. 1993 1.6s had an “eternal flame” nose badge. The numnberplate frame was a metal bracket; I think IL Motorsport and MX5parts carry this, or a very similar part. later Mk1s had a black plastic plinth, that has now been discontinued by Mazda. MX5parts sell a pattern part that is prone to cracking.
A couple more links which you might find useful:
http://www.mx5-3rdgenerationlimited.com/bbrturbo.htm
http://www.mx5-3rdgenerationlimited.com/Lemans.htm
I understood from someone else’s post that your car had a square-ish rear number plate, is a square recess. That comes from either a Japanes car, in which case it may have Eunos and Roadster badges on it. However, it sounds like you have a US rear panel - also for a square plate - but with the Miata badging.
The UK rear panel takes the regular oblong UK number plate and should have Mazda MX5 badging.
No, he has a UK rear panel, with a Miata badge stuck on it.
BBR numero 1, as tested in 1990. No foglight, boot stop lamp fitted, extra “spats” on mudflaps missing, no front decal. G174RKM is still on the road, with an indicated registration date of 17-01-1990; ie, very early for the UK. Also, even though Mazda Cars registered this car, the engine capacity is listed as 1498cc (the same capacity as a 1.5 Mazda motor of the time), meaning whoever has this car only pays £125 PA rfl. My guess is that this car might not have been entirely type-approved, and if you poke around underneath it, you will find a Eunos Roadster with changed bits. This might have been the Roadster they referred to in emails with me in 1998 (back then, no one outside of Mazda really knew for sure if a MX5 exhaust will fit a Roadster, BBR went out and measured for me…).
Just to clarify, as I have just re-read my topic title, I’m not suggesting that mine is THE original BBR turbo from the 90’s but AN original one from the 90’s !!
I was just confused about its origins because of the badges/import/colour,etc,etc.
Thanks for all the help so far though :thumbup:
So where were people seeing other views of this car then? OK, found it - and I even replied to the mail LOL!
Simon - sound like it’s getting even better for you then. You’ve just got to debadge the nose - you’ll probably find two small holes where the fixing pins go - or slice through them and leave the pins pugging the holes. (It may even be a later addition, stuck on with badge tape. Same at the rear - take of the incorrect badges and replace with UK items. Often these can be found cheaply enough on eBay but MX5 Parts also have them new.