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“Winston” the 1998 Mazda Roadster. 1 of 250 "Nardi Torino VS" Spec JDM Roadsters.
So my right wrist that I broke as a youngster started giving me grief late into my 30s.
Unfortunately, this meant to me that my bike (2003 VFR800A Interceptor) had to go. I wasn’t
enjoying it much anymore and the rides that I did go on where excruciatingly painful. However,
I knew that once the bike went, I’d need a summer toy to replace it. I didn’t need fast, I didn’t
need expensive, I just needed cheap, convertible, and reliable. So the hunt was on. I looked into
MGs first, and that crossed “reliable” off the list. I looked into BMWs second, and that crossed
“cheap” off the list. All that left was the MX-5. It ticked all the boxes I needed it to. They are
relatively cheap, very reliable, easy to maintain, convertible, and sporty enough for me. See,
I’ve done “fast”. I’ve punched north of 300km/h in the face more times than I can count. I’ve
gotten the urge for unbridled speed out of my system more than enough times. All I wanted
was something that felt like a go-kart in the twisties, and quick enough to get me in
trouble…Just not TOO much trouble. So the hunt for an MX-5 was on. I found that most USDMs
in my price range were just junk. They were mostly rotted out or hacked all to hell and not
something I was interested in. I’m a Red Seal Automotive Technician, but body work eludes me.
So something that needed extensive body repair was out of the question. After much searching,
I had finally decided to pull the trigger on ordering a JDM Roadster straight out of Japan. The
one in question only had pictures, but from what I could tell, all it needed was a top. Literally
minutes before I ordered it, my wife messaged me about one she’d found in Calgary. There was
a lot of “Kijiji” information on it, but a “Contact for Price” was sitting on the top. I figured, “Fine,
I’ll call, a few minutes can’t hurt”. After I’d spent about 45 minutes on the phone with the
current owner, I knew every inch of the car. She told me EVERYTHING, and I DO mean
EVERYTHING about it. However, this one also need a top replacement. So then I finally got to
the “price” question. She started with, “Well, I’d like to see 4 gra-“, and I cut her off with “Are
you available tomorrow?” A quick conversation on time was agreed upon, and I was off to
Calgary the following day.
My father and I drove down to Calgary the following morning on November 24, 2017.
We were about 45 minutes earlier than we had arranged so we were able to go over the car
before its owner got there. The paint was neglected, fairly scratched, and had a lot of sap
coverage. The car looked like it had never seen a garage in its 20 years of life, but thankfully
there was NO rust to be found. Everything on the car was solid. At this point, I still did not
realize the rarity of the car, so the factory color matched rocker guard was not noticed. The
metal was like new though with only a SMALL spec of surface rust in the trunk tub near the
spare tire (which she had even told me about). I thought, “Heck, a little bit of polish and wax to
the outside with a bit of ‘Scotch-Brite’ in the spare tub and she’s good to go.” We took it for a
road test and it drove like a dream. Even the tires looked BRAND new as far as the tread was
concerned, but the sidewalls were quite cracked. We filled and the tires to spec and it drove
just fine. Shifting was as smooth as can be, the idle was mint, and the throttle response was
instant. No strange noises from the engine at all, and ALL of the fluids looked like they were put in the day before. We were thoroughly impressed with the condition of this little car. On the
road test, I had already made up my mind that it was coming home with me. We returned from
the road test, and I backed the car into the owners stall. It was at that point that I had forgotten
it was a JDM, turned over my shoulder to back it up, and promptly smoked my noise on the side
window causing it to bleed everywhere. The owner saw this and said, “Well, I guess it’s yours
now eh?” Well, I offered her $500 less than asking and the deal was agreed upon before I could
finish my offer.
After all the paper work was done I received MORE history on the car from the owner,
and its life is nothing short of amazing. It was purchased brand new in Hiroshima were it was
built in 1998. The original owner was an elderly lady who was the Aunt of its current owner. It
stayed in Hiroshima where she lived until 2016 when its current owner moved to Calgary and
brought the car with her. It was driven a few times in Calgary for a few years and sat for most of
its life there. Right up until I came around and bought it!
The drive home was outstanding. It was 12 degrees when I left Calgary, so naturally, I
was “top-down” to Red Deer. It got substantially colder so the top (or what was left of it) went
up. I noticed a brutal vibration between 105km/h and 110km/h. However, anything above or
below that was smooth sailing. I assumed it was due to the VERY old tires and perhaps some
alignment issues. Other than that, the drive home was near perfect, until I decided to wash it
before parking it for the remainder of the winter. After a quick splash-and-dash car wash, the
passenger side window didn’t want to go all the way down and the ABS came on and stayed. I
was beyond thrilled about this. Anyway, a quick “Google” search had told me that the cable for
the power window likes to come off and jam up, so that was a quick fix. Apparently the ABS
light came on due to poor traction in the alleyway while trying to park it. So all-in-all it was
repaired rather quickly and parked for winter. The parts ordering was to commence soon.
So “Winston” (aptly named for his ‘British’ heritage) was parked for the winter. I know
that he’s quite a national mish-mash of a car: Designed by an Englishman, built by the Japanese,
and gifted an interior by the Italians! Anyway, the hunt was on for parts. Over the winter
months, the following work was done on the car:
The Details: The car is a 1998 model year which was the first year of the “NB” body
style. It is called a “Mazda Roadster” and not a “Miata” or “MX-5”. After receiving all or the
information from its previous owner, plenty of MX-5 enthusiasts, and countless hours of my
own research, I learned that it is 1 of 250 cars every made. It is a “numbers-matching” “Nardi
Torino VS” spec Roadster in Twilight Blue Mica Metallic. Only 500 cars were made in the “Nardi
Torino VS” spec in that color, with 250 of them being manual and 250 being automatic. So a pretty
rare car, that means nothing to anyone but me really!-The vinyl top was replaced with a new “Tan” top.
-The arm-rest hinge didn’t perform the greatest, so I custom fabricated a new hinge assembly.
-“TiVar TK88” door bushing where installed. -The front and rear brakes where replaced.
-All four wheels where “Plasti-Dipped” in “Volk-Bronze” color shortly after the four new tires
were mounted and “Road Force” balanced.-The headlights were painstakingly refinished by my wife.
-The exterior of the car received over 12 hours of polishing and waxing to take it from a “50
foot” car down to a “10 foot” car. Just enough to be somewhat respectable in the spring.-A luggage rack complete with a case from the 50s was installed. Leather belts belonging to my
late father-in-law are being used to secure the luggage-case to the rack.
-A new stereo was installed as the Japanese one doesn’t get the North American radio
channels. A Blue-Tooth Hands free mic was also installed with the stereo. The door speakers
were also replaced, but more wiring is needed there to figure out what the last person in there
butchered.
-The power antennae was wired to its own custom switch so I can control when it gets
deployed in the cabin. -Interior lights were custom fabricated to sit behind the visors to provide more light in the
cabin. This, however, resulted in it being able to be seen from space, but it works.
-A custom fit cup-holder, color matched to the interior was installed.
-The valve cover gasket was sweating a little, so that was replaced.
-The spark plugs, wiper blades, air filter, both accessory belts, and the oil/filter got replaced.
-“Italian” style euro-horns were installed to give it that little bit more “punch” when I get cutoff.
-Custom “Mazdarati” decals were created in house at NAIT by the “Project Factory” for the
vehicle.-Custom made trunk lights were installed with a pressure switch as well.
-All exterior bulbs (signals, headlamps, brake lights, etc.) were replaced with LED bulbs. I’ll have
to address the annoying “Fast Flash” issue later.
-My wife got her hands on the interior and re-wrapped just about everything that was looking
worn in a custom gold “Houndstooth” pattern that really accented the car well.
Winston was now ready to go for the spring. I just had to wait for the weather to improve. It
was a long winter!
Winston had come out for the year at this point and was used as a daily driver by my
wife and I as well as a few cruise nights, a car show or two, and multiple trips to “Castrol”
raceway for EMRA events that I marshal. The car may have gotten a few “spirited” laps out
there over the summer as well. After a very short summer due to awful weather, Winston did not get the time out he deserved. Over the summer months a few more bits and pieces were
added to car:
-A “Cobalt” CAI kit was installed which really gave it a nice throaty tone.
-A dash cam was hard wired into the car.
-The lug nuts got replaced by “Volk” bronze ones to match the wheels as well as the valve stem
caps.
Then, at the end of August, Winston was donated to the NAIT Auto-body program at the
Patricia Campus to be completely restored. I took the car completely apart and stripped all the
panels off. This was the last time I’d see the car before it was ready to be re-assembled.The students, over several months, then took the whole car down to bare metal and plastic. All
the imperfections were repaired, dents were filled, and the TINY spec of rust in the trunk was
removed. The car was then fully primed and prepped for the 2nd year class to paint and finish. The car then went into the paint booth and received a multi-step paint process to bring it back
to better-than-new quality. Multiple coats of the original color as well as multiple coats of clear
were applied, wet sanded, re-applied, and polished to a mirror like finish. Over my Christmas break from work, I went in to re-assemble Winston and get him ready for
winter storage as well as the few finishing touches that he requires. I arrived at the NAIT
Patricia Campus on December 28, 2018. What greeted me was a brand new 1998 Mazda
Roadster. I couldn’t believe my eyes. The car looked better than it did when it was sitting in a
show room I’m sure. The body could have been a mirror for all I knew as it was nothing short of
perfection.After some assembly, Winston was now ready for the parts I’d amassed over the fall and
winter. So a few MORE things where done before he left the body shop:-A custom made Subwoofer Box, Subwoofer, Amplifier, and all the wiring was installed. A HUGE
thanks to “Hi-fi Sound Connection” for that kit. It fit to look like it was factory.
-The wiring for the rest of the stereo was completely re-done to factory spec. JL Audio 6x9
speaker were installed in the doors with built in cross overs for the internal tweeter. The
factory BOSE Amplifier is still installed and being utilized properly to drive them.
-The fully custom made and custom painted tail light covers were installed. Body color matched
to fit the car.
All that was left now was to tow the car home and get it into storage for the winter with its
NEW Custom Car Cover installed as well.
The parts are as follows, but not limited to:
-Mazda OEM Valve Cover Gasket. The “RockAuto” one leaks.
-Mazda OEM CAS cover plug is being replaced. It seems to be leaking a little.
-Brand new NGK Spark Plugs and Wires are going in while the valve cover is out.
-Full Steel-Braided brake lines from Super Miata. The 20 year old lines like to swell under
braking a little.
-30ohm Heat Sink resistor pack to stop the “Fast Flash” from installing LED bulbs.
-Also can’t forget a fresh oil and filter change after all the engine work is done before it comes
out too!
-Factory OEM BBS 14" wheels complete with center caps have been installed
-RTheory Frame Rail Braces installed
So there you have it. That’s the life history of “Winston” in a nut shell
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