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A4 â€" Automotive â€" Wednesday, September & By JIM ROBINSON T he other day I was driving down Highway 27 to work K anda 1 spotted a 1961 Sunbeam Alpine sportscar pottering along at full chat. Mazda pulls out all stops with 25th Anniversary Miata roadster Special to the Beaver It belongs to Bruce Chevalier of Bolton and his son, Joel, was drivâ€" ing. The Sunbeam was the first car I ever owned and probably the worst. But the many times I drove that car out into the night in the midâ€"60s still is the subject of very fond memories. While everyone around me seemed to be growing long hair, talking about the acid trips they never really took, and tried to conâ€" vince anyone who would listen that Iron Butterfly would be The Band That Lasts Forever; I had my Sunbeam. In 1969 all my friends suddenly scattered and the world as I had known it changed. I sold the Sunbeam, moved to Toronto and like Thomas Wolfe said, you can never go home again. That is until 1989 when Mazda took a BIG chance and brought out its cheery MXâ€"5 Miata, twoâ€"seat roadster. Mazda sold 2,800 units in the first year and in the past four years, Canadians have bought 11.966 Miatas. I know why too. It‘s experiences like my old Sunbeam which bring home back without the angst. With stateâ€"ofâ€"theâ€"art Japanese engineerâ€" ing, you can buy a Miata and drive it without fear of Solex and SU carbs, weak bearings, oil gaskets that work, and no more English electrical systems. To celebrate its 25th year in Canada, Mazda has created a 25th anniversary model for everything it sells including the Miata. Mechanicals remain the same with a 1.6â€"litre, twin cam, inline fourâ€" cylinder engine driving the rear wheels with 116 hp and 100 ft/lbs of torque. Over and above the standard car is a gloss black exterior and a sumptuous red leather interior. The leather deserves special praise here being thick, supple and marvelously odorous the way we all remember it in Mark II or XKâ€"1508 Jaguars. There‘s a leatherâ€"wrapped steering wheel and a Nardi leather shift knob to complete the aura of one being a sportscar built by people who understand the concept and the allâ€" important spirit of what a roadster should be. And built into the seats are monâ€" ster woofers in the seat back and midâ€"range speakers in the head rests to go with the megastereo system. Mazda officials were mum about the price but I‘d peg it at about $2,500. You‘ve got tweeters on the door sills and more woofers in the door set in art deco aluminum housâ€" ings. And all this goes to compleâ€" ment the brushed aluminum face of the stereo/CD. This is all in aid of providing stereo sound when the car is in motion with the top down. It works but only to about 80 kmh when the windrush is simply too much. Other niceties include a special Bilstein shock/bushing suspension upgrade; BBS alloy crosslace wheels; a limited slip rear end; cruise control; power windows/locks,mirrors; and a fourâ€" poster rear spoiler looking very similar to the unit used on the sinisâ€" terâ€"looking RXâ€"7 twinturbo superâ€" Cost is $25,950, a lot when you consider the standard Miata with alloy wheels and the base sound system can be had or $20,000 give or take a few options. On the plus side, the 25th Anniversary version is in limited supply and is an instant collector‘s item. What is notable is the ride qualiâ€" ty. The upgraded shocks and susâ€" pension coupled to the viscous limâ€" ited slip differential means the rear grips one heck of a lot more on the curves. You can now hang the rear end way out, give it the gas, and revel as it comes obediently back on the correct line. Shifting remains featherâ€"light, but I found it still posâ€" sible to beat the synchro between first and second gears. Clutch takeâ€" up remains standardâ€"setting in the Mazda tradition. And during the eight days Mazda let me have the car, I had that top down grimly determined not to let six Celsius mornings deter me from droptop motoring and those fleeting remembrances al fresco joys in my old Alpine. The Miata cockpit is perfectly sized for me. Wheels, dials, shifter, pedals, they‘re all where they should be. Even the rearview mirâ€" rors or correctly placed it seems. Spin the key and the roarty exhaust note makes you feel very sporting indeed. On the road you can have a ball and be assured that 116 Japanese horses and the stoutlyâ€"engineered chassis cum aluminum backbone will never let you get into trouble. Stop at the side of the road for a minute and the sweet smell of that leather comes wafting up to the nosâ€" trils. Just sitting in the driveway it almost says: "Let‘s get my top stowed and get going, I want to 1993 TIRE AND AUTO CENTRE FRAM Air Filters Most vehicles available CA160PL, reg. 4.69 Mazda MXâ€"5 Miata play. Great car, great fun whether you pay $18,500 or load it up like the 25th Anniversary Miata. If you‘re in need of some joy in you‘re life, look no further than the Miata. Buy it and treasure it so some day in the future you don‘t have to look longingly as someone like Joel Chevalier comes down the road driving one of the few cars that ever really mattered to you. ~â€"oRer _ 6 eathersmates€" Paces""_ XZ 65,000 km | Allâ€"Season ‘ 3{ Tread Life Radial | SLICK 50 Activated PTFE engine treatment. Reduces friction, %rolects metaslagans ur Reg. 34. L 65.97 68.97 T297 37.97 16 97 54.97 20" AN P155/80R13 A pricing policy that gives your dollar extra mileage. 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