One of my many Man Maths equations for cars I shortlist is power-to-weight ratio, and my spreadsheet is forever expanding with cars I’ve owned or want to buy. With 160hp and a kerbweight of 1,248kg, PL64 EPU is at the bottom of the list with 128hp/tonne. But this is not a car you can easily assess on paper, and I can't be alone in thinking that the pursuit of power - to the exclusion of most other concerns - is a fading preoccupation in a world now clogged with preposterous and mostly meaningless outputs. Far more fun to drive a slow car fast these days than the other way around.
What I wasn’t prepared for, even in the light of this realisation, was for the plucky little Mazda to be the most fun I’ve ever had on track. I organised my first private sprint event at Curborough sprint course over the summer, and the MX-5 was hilarious, despite being one of the slowest cars on the day. Just like on the road, you can drive it flat out everywhere without fearing being thrown into a barrier at triple-digit speeds, and it wanted to go sideways at every corner.
The modifications covered in my last update really shone through here, with the car being beautifully balanced and (almost) always pointing where you wanted it to go. When I owned my Series 2 Lotus Elise 111S I could never drive it with so much confidence – it caught me out on a handful of occasions with the back end snapping out, and it never felt that controllable. In hindsight I wish I’d had some driver tuition in it to make the most of it and learn the balance of a mid-engine sports car. Next time.
The MX-5 on the other hand, being front-engined and rear-drive with a limited-slip differential, felt endlessly controllable. With the traction off, I could turn in late, floor it and just let the car slide. The only thing wider than my grin was the tyre marks I assumed I must be leaving at every corner.
In reality, it was probably the smallest of skids from the outside, but, as we all know, there is nothing guaranteed to make you feel more like a hero behind the wheel than applying opposite lock to it. Predictably, the track highlighted its power deficit in a straight line – I’m a firm believer that the best balance of fun and outright speed is to be had around the 200hp/tonne mark. So that’s nothing a supercharger couldn’t sort.
Suffice it to say then, that my 25th Anniversary Edition ownership has been everything I’ve dreamt of over the past decade. I’d planned to SORN it over winter but given it has been relatively mild so far with no grit going down on my local roads, I’m still enjoying the occasional blast sporting a beanie on a rare crisp day. A year is a long time for me to own a car so as I approach that anniversary, and the appeal of switching to an ND2 is strong - but so is upgrading my NC to a BBR185 package. Let’s see what the new year brings, eh...
FACT SHEET
Car: 2014 Mazda MX-5 (NC) 25th Anniversary Edition
Run by: Ben Lowden
On fleet since: February 2024
Mileage: 13,426
Modifications: BC Racing BR series coilovers, Cobra Sport exhaust system, HEL braided brake lines, EBC Yellow Stuff brake pads, IL Motorsport gearknob, Fyralip boot spoiler
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