Now more than 35 years into the Mazda MX-5 story, we’ve pretty much seen it all when it comes to modification and optimisation. For a long time there have been supercharged and turbocharged cars, Flyin’ Miata for a long time plied a nice trade in V8s, and closer to home Rocketeer has combined MX-5 with Ford V6 very nicely indeed. That’s on top of those cars now being restored to concours standard, as the little Mazda is now the classic, simple, pretty roadster we remember from many moons ago.
It is to Dowsetts Classics Cars’ credit, then, that they found something very different to do with the MX-5 fundamentals. Those with a good memory might remember Mike Duff’s story in 2021 on the Tipo184, an evocation of the Alfa 158 from the inter-war period; it was a spectacular thing, a lovely celebration of a glorious Grand Prix era, and it used the Mk2 MX-5 as its base. Well, the running gear at least; the chassis was obviously unique, albeit with Mazda subframes, arms and hubs, the suspension was by coilovers and the steering unassisted. The idea was simple, and laudable: low mass, low power, low grip, and a huge amount of fun. That could, in theory, be built at home.
Back then the plan was for a race series, Tipos going wheel to wheel on Britain’s circuits like the world was still in black and white and racing drivers had great moustaches. Another great idea, though we’ve not heard much more yet. That being said, there’s a three-year wait for a new, road-going Tipo184, so something’s going right. In a world of million-dollar restomods, something that looks this evocative but could be built at home from a cheap donor car sounds fantastic. Naturally, a PHer is building a Tipo184 in their garage.
But this one offers a chance to skip the queue - and any labour. It’s said to be one of just two Tipos currently road registered, and comes with an extraordinary spec. The paint is an actual Alfa colour from the time, with silver underneath so that the red could be rubbed down for a ‘patina spec’; that extended as far as recreating areas of burnt paint where fuel would have spilt. The Tipo looks like it’s enjoyed an illustrious race career, yet has only covered 300 road miles.
Similarly, while still powered by the humble Mazda four-pot, it’s been stripped, cleaned and rebuilt, so it’s essentially a new motor. Perhaps it still seems a tad incongruous under the bonnet of such a car, complete with the eight-branch manifold tribute that has half blanked out, but the little 1.8 itself has never looked so good. With just 700kg to shift and crossply tyres, it promises to be a hoot to drive.
The advert for this one suggests that £90,000 has been spent over three years to get the Tipo184 into the condition it is now. So clearly somebody was properly invested, in every sense, to make it the best possible. But now it’s on offer for someone else to enjoy, and what a summer sports car it’ll surely be. At £70k, yes, but little else will get the same attention, interest and affection. Perhaps one day it could be raced, too. And there should always be a decent supply of spare parts…
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