Despite a coating of dust and only having one mirror, which was held on by rubber bands, Roadster made it out to the first show of the year this past Memorial Day weekend at Precision Mazda and Mitsubishi in Tampa, Florida. I finally got to meet some of the local Miata owners in the local club known as Tampa Bay Miatas. Out front we had eight Miatas lined up of all three generations, and surprisingly without planning it, each one was a different color.
Oh the horror, oh the shame!
I’m not usually the type to commit slapdash vehicle repairs but after having just recovered from a nasty cold and being cooped up in the house for a week, I needed to get out of the house and walk around to fight off the cabin fever. Determined to make it to the show, I did what I had to do and got the driver’s side mirror bolted back together so that I could at least not have to worry about getting a ticket. But then once that was assembled and properly tightened, there was only 2 hours left until the show was about to start, not nearly enough time to dry the silicone that held the mirror in the frame. So I improvised by wrapping two rubber bands around it to hold it in, in a rare #thereIfixedit moment and arrived to the show just as it was starting. This was a fairly diverse show focusing mostly on imports. There was a little bit of everything, from drift to drag and form to function.
This FR-S was lowered on CCW wheels with FT86 badge and lens swaps. Looking sharp!
A straight body example of an S13 240SX with an RB25DET engine swap next to a DC2 Integra.
A blast from dreams past, the Lancer Evolution IX sitting next to a Subaru WRX.
Honda S2000 and Nissan GTR
Vintage Toyotas
There was also a nice showing of vintage JDM with some older Corolla wagons, Corona, and this AE86.
Mazda RX-2
This Mazda RX-2 really stood out with it’s more period-correct mesh wheels and beautiful gold paint. The owner said it had been fully restored ten years ago but he was planning on a refresh in the near future.
E30 BMW 3-series
Another standout, with a less traditional approach was this blue E30 BMW with boost by Active Autowerke.
Miatas
This NB’s stripes gave it the appearance of a baby Viper.
Clean NC MX-5 on Enkei RPF1
Day 15: They still think I’m a show car… I’m kidding, I love my little Roadster.
The event wrapped up with Precision Mazda and Mitsubishi giving this mint condition Tracer away to a lucky veteran. It only had 50,000 miles on it and was in like-new condition. The man had served 7 or 8 years (I can’t recall the exact number) in the Middle East and had recently retired to spend more time with his family.
Photos copyright 2014 Bryce Womeldurf Full Flickr set available here for viewing. Flickr slideshow available here.
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[…] Memorial Day weekend, with the car more roadworthy than ever, I decided to take it to a local car show at the local Mazda dealership to meet the local Miata club. But the car had no mirrors on it at […]
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