Jenny (8675309) - 93LE GT Build

[— Dandy —]

​This is Jenny, the model for this thread, as I laid my eyes on her for the first time in April 2011:

It was early in the morning, I was a little groggy, and Jenny had just traveled 1,443 miles from Grand Haven, MI to Boca Raton, FL to be with me. She was sitting on the top deck of an open commercial car carrier, and while I had seen plenty of pictures of her via the interwebs, you are always a little nervous when you finally meet face to face . . . I was pleased.

Jenny from the rear (yes, she is a 93 LE):


Jenny had 39,169 miles on her when she first arrived. The gentleman I purchased Jenny from was a retired schoolteacher. In addition to Jenny, he owned a Porsche Speedster and was the former owner of a 1949 Buick Roadmaster that you could tell he dearly missed. We had spoken at length; he was a real car buff and liked to attend events like the Annual Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance:


It is hard to imagine but I am Jenny’s sixth owner after only 39k miles in 18 years. I had it on good authority (some of the previous owners) that Jenny had nearly always been garaged, was given a strict diet of synthetic fluids, and never saw a winter. It seems that all of Jenny’s previous lovers er, owners were kind of fanatical, usually had other collector vehicles, and just didn’t feel they had the time to maintain Jenny’s shiny exterior in the manner that she deserved . . . and they sure weren't putting many miles on her, which was good for me.

[— Dandy —]

Now I generally am not one to name inanimate objects, cars or otherwise. My previous Mazda roadster was named CW, at best, (for Crystal White) but that was only for back up in case someone demanded that I have a name for my car.

But Jenny was meant to be special. I had had a 1.6 Mazda roadster before and I knew the strengths and weaknesses of the car and I also had a vision of what my ideal roadster would be. No, this time my car should have a name. I gave it some time . . . it didn’t come to me right away.

One of the first names that came to mind was Senior. See, I am actually a Jr. and my Dad was a big fan of red interiors, heck, just red in general. So that seemed kind of special. I know he would have loved the red interior. But cars are generally thought of as female and so Senior and the idea behind it didn’t seem quite right. It was a little too sentimental and it didn’t fit the gender. The fact that I thought of it and that the red interior reminds me of my dad seems enough.

So female, female, female names . . . hmmm, Betty?, Black Betty? . . . cool song (I actually knew the drummer for Ram Jam, who sadly, is no longer with us – another bummer), nahh, that’s not it. What did I want the car to be? Gran Turismo always came to mind. A grand tourer - able to make long-distance, high-speed journeys in both comfort and style.

When I was explaining what I wanted out of my suspension system, Shaikh at Fatcat Motorsports says, “So, you are looking for something along the lines of a grand touring vehicle.” The GT moniker was starting to become a theme. GT . . . GT . . . G . . . G. . . J . . . J . . . J . . . GT Jenny, GT Jenny . . . Jenny GT. It was starting to sound right. Jenny would kind of represent that GT theme that I had in mind. But was this the name? I went to the interwebs to help me solidify my answer.

Music was flooding my subconscious​. . . Jenny, Jenny . . . who can I turn too? Hmmm . . . 8675309 . . . 86753-oh-niyen. (Yeah, I’m old) Google search for 8675309:



OK, the lead singer is wearing a red shirt and black pants . . . and cool red shoes . . . red and black. That’s it, Jenny it is.

[— Dandy —]

So where is this build headed? Well, Jenny was bought as a needs nothing, well-maintained, low mileage vehicle . . . a true “build” is not needed. It is, however, now a 20-year-old vehicle, so maintenance and improved performance enhancements are needed and wanted. It is a Limited Edition model, one of only 1,500 sold in the US and is one of the most recognizable Miata models ever made, so staying true to the themes that make a 93LE special are important to me to maintain.

I’ll get into some of the maintenance and performance enhancements a little later, but for now let me share with you a few of the cars that have inspired me and I think as the “build” progresses you’ll start to see some these influences in Jenny as she becomes personalized.

The M2-1001:







I first saw these images in Miata Magazine. I don't remember exactly when it was but I am guessing it was sometime between 1999 and 2000. There wasn't much of a write-up but those pictures really spoke to me. So clean, so simple, so pure roadster. At the time I had a white roadster, so I didn't really feel like I could replicate that look, but those M2-1001 pictures always stayed with me.

And here is a more current picture that I really like:




The Blue Potato:




I have followed the Blue Potato's progress since before the Pit Crew Racing nose. The car oozed vintage pretty much from the beginning. The Potato was really among the first to document progress through pictures for all to be inspired. I adopted the Talbot Replica "Bullet" Mirrors to my Crystal White as one of my earliest mods. The Nakamae carpeted center counsel was always a favorite of mine since I saw it on the Blue Potato. Of course the Nakamae piece was inspired by the M2-1001, but the Blue Potato showed that the same look could be acquired through an aftermarket purchase and was pretty much plug and play.

One thing unique to both of these inspiring cars that I will not be adopting to Jenny is a change to the stock NA front nose. I have always liked the look of the nose on the NA with a front lip R-style spoiler and Jenny has that already. I like the noses on the above two cars but not enough to change the well thought out design that came from the Miata engineers.

[— Dandy —]

PhatMiata's Roadster:




Yes, that PhatMiata. The Administrator of MazdaRoadster.Net. The Big Cheese, the High Muck-A-Muck, the Grand Poobah. Can you spot Randy among this cast of famous Poobahs?


Phat's red interior was so well done. A lot of JDM inspiration there. I became aware of Randy's famous car probably when I was between Miatas. I kept a couple of photos in my favorite Miata photos file and now I have the red interior to apply Phat's inspiration to. All three of these inspiring cars are different from each other, but certain patterns are emerging that I think you will see in Jenny's new look.

[— Dandy —]

Ferrari 400 Superamerica Cabriolet Pininfarina:










Now I really don't know that much about Ferrari's other than I lust for them. However, I was browsing some vintage car threads when I came across this beauty. I like vintage and a splash of Italian exotic is just what Jenny needs in keeping with the Grand Turismo theme. In the Mazda press release for the 1993 Limited Edition Miata, they state: "Harkening back to a color combination inspired by sports cars of the '50s and '60s, Mazda is introducing the Miata Limited Edition . . ." This had to at least be one of the inspirational cars they were talking about, if not the inspiration.

Since I have owned Miatas I always thought that wood grained steering wheels looked fine with a tan interior, but they were never my first choice for black interiors and I never considered them with red . . . until I was swept off my feet by the Ferrari Superamerica. I had never realized how vintage a wood steering wheel was before. An additional nod to the vintage past is to rock them a little bit oversized by today's standards.


A Few More Inspiring Shots for Good Measure:




. . . and now on to Jenny (8675309) - the 93LE GT build . . .

[theothersawyer]

There are some beautiful cars in here!!! I think you would cry of you saw what the blue potatoe looks like now.

[— Dandy —]

There are some beautiful cars in here!!! I think you would cry of you saw what the blue potatoe looks like now.

I did . . .

[theothersawyer]

It's very sad!

[— Dandy —]

A Preview of Goodness to Come:





And a little bit more . . .


Most everything I need for suspension/chasis mods, interior and exterior modifications, is already here or on order. I'll try and detail most of the installation as it happens and then it will be on to the engine bay where moar! power is desired.

[— kung fu jesus —]

[theothersawyer]

Ohh this is going to be good!! I'm excited!!

[—atank—]

Very Interesting, more please!!!!!!

[—tsingson—]

Looks like Jenny has found her soulmate. So um, what does the Blue Potato look like now?

[theothersawyer]

Looks like Jenny has found her soulmate. So um, what does the Blue Potato look like now?

Not trying to go off topic from the OP, but this is the blue potato...

The passenger side of the windshield has all sorts of stickers, illest, no fat chicks car will scrape, etc.

[Cxmoney]

Yikes