I think it was the shape of the MX-5 which made me fall in love with it.
When I was a young car mechanic back in the early 70s, I always wanted a roadster. Whether it might have been an MGB, or a Sprite / Midget, or even a Spitfire, was not important. In those days they always seemed to be called ‘sports cars’, although some were a little less than sporty in performance, and hence were very costly to insure for a chap in his late teens.
So years later, and having to settle for ‘normal’ saloon cars for most of my life, my wife was changing her company car back in 2011, and asked me what I wanted. I automatically said an MX-5, because I loved the shape (the NC was the then current model), and still loved the whole roadster concept. Not for one minute thinking she’d go for it. OK she said (!), I’ll arrange a road test at the local Mazda main dealer !
As this was in Bristol, where she worked, I didn’t actually get a chance to road test it with her, but that was no problem - she was (is) a good and competent driver, and I trusted her judgement completely, and anyway, it would be her company car, which she would have to drive fifty miles a day, from Frome to Bristol, for work, and therefore she had to feel comfortable and safe driving it, so I let her get on with it. She came back after work that evening with a big smile on her face, and I knew we were going to get a brand new one to play with.
She wanted an automatic, and we had to have a hard top one, because of where it was going to be kept all the time, so we chose a lovely dark blue 2.0L with a PRHT and a Powershift transmission. Absolutely fabulous it was, and for the four years we had it, it was like Christmas and my birthday all rolled into one every time we took it out. Big grins all round - perfect motor. And we both loved the topless-driving experience.
When the NC came to the end of its lease-hire term, we thought about another one, but by then the ND had come out, and neither of us liked the shape of the new model, so she went with another choice of mine for her next company car - a VW Scirocco - another fabulous car, and so bloody quick.
But we both missed the NC with its topless driving facility, so we then bought a used NC 2.0L Sport, as a second car, and never regretted it for a minute.
But fall in love with a car? 
Give over! 
