Overview and previous owners
Poppy is a 1990 NA Mazda MX-5. Delivered the 12th of April 1990 by Mazda Stanborough, this car was one of the first MX-5 to be delivered in Europe. It has been driven in the Stanborough area by Mrs Hartnell (work in progress to find her) for a few years, before moving to the Bristol surroundings with her and her husband. Finally, Poppy was listed for sale in 2006 and went to Dorchester with Mrs Jean, the second owner.
Technical information
The MX-5 is a cute lightweight roadster also known as Mazda Miata in the US and Eunos Roadster in Japan. The front-mid engine, rear-wheel-drive layout results in a very good car to learn how to drive up to your limits. With no ABS and no ESP, the driver is the only one responsible. Hopefully, the car is really predictable and a beginner can quickly learn how to use 100% of the car.
Powertrain
This car is using a naturally aspirated B6ZE engine. This I4 16-valve DOHC engine is able to produce 115bhp at 6500rpm and can reach 7200rpm. Known for its extreme reliability, this unit can easily achieve 400 000 miles with a regular maintenance. Using a cast iron block, an aluminium head and a lightened crankshaft, this engine wants to rev higher than similar engines. It is also a “non interference” design, preventing any damage in case of a faulty timing or a broken timing belt.
The gearbox is a very short 5MT that gives good information to the driver. It is also known to be a bulletproof unit, such as the engine.
Finally, the differential is an open unit with a 4.3 ratio (common with 115bhp NA). This is the lightest and shortest unit that you can have in an MX-5, as they decided to put heavier, longer and stronger differentials later.
Suspension
Thanks to a full double-wishbone suspension system for both the front and the rear, the MX-5 is a very good car to drive. It is also easy to tune.
My story with Poppy
Planning
Back in July 2016, I was in holiday between two years of engineering studies and I wanted to replace my Peugeot 306 for a NB-NBFL MX-5. I found a few interesting cars listed for sale and I planned my trip with my brother to see the cars. He also found an very interesting red MX-5 NA in good condition that he could bring back with us to sell. After all, we are two so we can bring two cars with us. He paid a deposit to the private seller and the plan was to take this car in priority to have a way of transportation to see other cars for me.
Unfortunately, three days before the trip, I can’t find my ID. My brother has to go alone to pick up the red NA without me.
Pickup
After an hour of flight and a train trip from London Gatwick to Dorchester, Arthur (my brother) finally meet Mrs Jean’s husband that came to bring him home to see the car. After a good inspection and a test drive, a few good and bad points were discovered. It has been garaged, the paint was nice and original, the interior was just immaculate with no smell, … Nevertheless, the clutch was gone and there was a few minor rusted areas. Arthur took it into account to negociate and they lowered the price. At the end, it was lunch time and they just said “Oh you can stay to eat with us”. So he stayed to eat with them and learned that the name of the car was “Poppy” (british people are so king wow).
He finally left Dorchester to sleep in a bed & breakfast.
The next day, back on the road to reach Dover, take the ferry and drive home. As usual, this is a perfect but risky way to find out how reliable a freshly bought car is and what has to be repaired/changed. The car was obviously attracting attention from other drivers and many kids were shocked to see pop-up headlights in action.
I, for my part, was waiting in front of the house. I was so excited to see it … And then, this beautiful car was just in front of me. I jumped in for a drive at 11 PM. I came back and said “don’t sell it, I keep it”.
Living with Poppy
- From 2016 to 2020, I used Poppy as a week end car and a mechanical training in addition to my studies in engineering (see service and repair for more information). I also learned how to drive mountain passes fast, how to tune the suspension, …
- From january 2020 to june 2020, As I was in internship in Luxembourg, Poppy has been daily driven in the snow and the rain. I also went back to Strasbourg every week end. Poppy has been extremely reliable, acting like a perfect comfortable and fun daily (430 miles/week).
