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2,000 rpm - light wheelspin, no bog here!
Roadsternut
I've been around the forums for a long while, with different user names. Never really documented my Roadsters before. So each of these will be by year, starting in 1997. (well, first chunk cover 1997-2000)
November 1997. I had returned to the UK after a spell working in the US, to a new job in Ireland. Cash flow due to the move meant I had to make do with a Peugeot 309 GTi for a while; ultimately forgettable, so after 6 months, I was hankering after a change. Then I happened upon a 1992 silver stone Eunos Roadster, fresh off the boat from Japan, and being utterly mint condition.
Being a bit green in all things Roadster (prior to 1997, the MX5 didn't even register with me as a car), it took me a while cotton on to the fact that this innocuous looking Roadster was very nicely specified with 15" Watanabes, RS8R 4-2-1 header, Fujitsubo FGK exhaust and a Mmm's K&N intake.
I gradually got more an more involved with the MX5 scene, eventually running the MX5 Owners Cub in Northern Ireland. I didn't do a whole lot with this car, except add an aluminium Carbing style bar (which can just about be seen in the photo below), and strip the Wats, repaint them black with a polished lip, because thats what everyone else was doing at the time.
But, then, in April 2000, disaster struck. At a MX5 meet, car thieves took my car, raced it, and torched it. We found it, 30 minutes later.
The insurance company gave me a generous settlement, and 6 weeks to find another MX5. And so the hunt began.
Last edited by roadsternut; 07-15-2012 at 01:07 PM.
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2,000 rpm - light wheelspin, no bog here!
2000.
I found a suitable replacement, with insurance settlement money left over to boot. Minuses; the roof needed replacing, over-sized 17" wheels had been fitted, and the car lowered without changing the shocks (so a -35mm spring turned into a 50mm drop). Pluses; low mileage, Tanabe 4-2-1 header, Remus exhaust, HKS intake. I only had a week to enjoy before flying to LA for a business trip, to spend the left over lolly on a rare Type IV Stylebar from Racing Beat (made for a RHD, returned unsold from their Japan distributor, they just asked me to make them an offer, which I did; $100, whereupon they promptly threw into the deal free hats, and shirts, and a cool factory tour. Nice guys), new hood and strut brace from Duetto (entertaining weirdo ran that place), and bits and pieces from BrainStorm. British Airways raised their eyebrows when I checked all that stuff onto my flight.
Then I took it to the Isle of Man on a magical trip organised by the MX5 Owners Club for the Millenium; as part of the trip, the TT Circuit was closed to traffic, and we were waved through by the police to go and enjoy ourselves. Plus I lot my trackday virginity on Jurby, in a car that I had only been driving for 2 weeks.....
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2,000 rpm - light wheelspin, no bog here!
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2,000 rpm - light wheelspin, no bog here!
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2,000 rpm - light wheelspin, no bog here!
2002. My thoughts were turning to hillclimbs and sprints, after getting bored of a year of trackdays. So I sought out and fitted a 6-point Carbing rollbar.
It needed holes drilling in the floor behind the seats, and cutting back of the shelf, and drilling the monocoque.
This type of rollbar robbed quite a bit of seat travel; the side bars worsened this. Also, it was pretty lethal when it came to proximity to the head.
A TRS 6-point harness was also added, with the shoulder straps mounted direct to the body
I wanted a bit more cold air to the engine; in 2001, vented headlamp covers were in short supply in the UK, so I made one from a spare headlamp lid and a Rover Metro bonnet vent. This idea was later copied (and improved upon) by others.
It was functional.
To sort out the lethal rollbar, besides padding, I wanted a lower seat. Autolinkuk sent me a couple over to choose from. I opted for the tatty looking Ligier G-Hold; held me in superbly, plus was mounted very low on a Bride subframe.
My first event, issued a number 26 for the season.
My first event was the Cultra Hillclimb, which lays claim, along with some others, to be the oldest car race in the world.
Later on in the year, a bit of bling, and a bit of functionality.
A Knight Sports anodized billet oil cap
Okuyama-Carbing triangulated brace made for RS Aizawa; purchased mainly to firm up the brakes.
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2,000 rpm - light wheelspin, no bog here!
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2,000 rpm - light wheelspin, no bog here!
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2,000 rpm - light wheelspin, no bog here!
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2,000 rpm - light wheelspin, no bog here!
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The Following User Says Thank You to roadsternut For This Useful Post:
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Super Moderator
Nice build so far. Sucks about your first one though.
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2,000 rpm - light wheelspin, no bog here!
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2,000 rpm - light wheelspin, no bog here!
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2,000 rpm - light wheelspin, no bog here!
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2,000 rpm - light wheelspin, no bog here!
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The Following User Says Thank You to roadsternut For This Useful Post:
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2,000 rpm - light wheelspin, no bog here!
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The Following User Says Thank You to roadsternut For This Useful Post:
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