Some tidy up work

Having now driven somewhere close to 500 miles already in 'my new beast' the lack of Apple Carplay was beginning to become rather tiresome... The car also had a very small smell to it, the inside of the roof was a bit fadedf and some of the rubbers etc were a bit grubby so overall a bit of tidy up work was required!

I started by removing the seats, and also the six disc stereo to offer up the Pioneer SPH-DA77DAB Apple Carplay stereo I intended to fit.

Seats out - car rejuvenation in process

With the seats out, I removed the tunnel cover and the carpet behind the seats too.

Seats removed from my NB2 MX5

I could now get better access to the sections of the roof that were faded.  

Faded underside of cabriolet roof on MK2 MX5

I found a product online called "Fabric Soft Top Reviver" by Renovo (linked to here), which I ordered a couple of days ago.  I would say I was a little skeptical in this product, but read the instructions and proceeded to put two coats on with a 1 inch paintbrush.  The roof soaked the product up easily, and it was such a hot day it dried pretty quickly too!  The difference is astounding.

MX5 faded roof after treatment with Renovo Fabric Soft Top Reviver

I proceeded to fully detail all of the rubber seals, and using Autoglym all purpose cleaner fully rinse and scrub all carpets, and used a wet vacuum to lift up all the remaining dirt.  The amount of muck that came out was surprising to say the least.

Then with clean and dry carpets refitted (it was 32c so the carpets dried in next to no time), I decided to fit the new head unit.  I bought the radio ISO lead to fit the head unit wiring into the mazda wiring and that worked well.  I also found the standard metal cage supplied with the Pioneer head unit was a good fit, with some of the brackets needing a small push to lock into place.  I then proceeded to take out the electric aerial and replace it with a manual aerial with a DAB antenna.

DAB aerial fitted

The final peice to the head unit puzzle was where to put the microphone!?  I prefer things to look discreet, so didn't want it in the common place of infront of the instrument dials, so I decided to mount it low down towards the left foot rest, which seemed a decent place to put it out of the way.

Fitting the microphone was the last piece of the puzzle

Then it was time to move onto the seats.  I had some 'Chemical guys' leather cleaner, and leather conditioner left over in my pile of car cleaning products, so put them to good use.  Once the seats were cleaned top to bottom, front the back and then conditioned they came up really well too!  

Leather seats cleaned and conditioned

Then it was time to put everything back together... 

Freshly cleaned MX5 interior with new Pioneer SPH-DA77DAB head unit 

And with the seats back in, the new stereo fitted, and a new Jass performance gear knob to finish it off - the car was refreshed, smelling like new again and I was pretty pleased with my days work.

Rocketeer Booked - Deposit Paid

So having slept on my visualisations, I've found myself very enthusiastic about this project.  It feels to me like it looks right, understated, but powerful (which is the look I want).

Having had numerous discussions with Duncan Forrester at Rocketeer, we've finally managed to agree a inital spec so that I can get a date for the conversion booked in with them.

So here is the spec:-

• Rocketeer Turnkey conversion with 280hp
• Engine upgrade to Stage 3 360hp
• Dry sump system 
• ITB Upgrade to take the engine to Stage 4
• Rocketeer cold air induction system
• Suspension upgrade – Meister R or 949 Racing
• Brake upgrade – Brembo / Wilwood Dynalite
• Underbody chassis strengthening
• Rocketeer seats (in black cloth) and seat lowering kit
• Rocketeer seat uplift to carbon shells
• Rocketeer seat upgrade to leather finish with Rocketeer R logo
• Rocketeer seat upgrade to heated seats
• Rocketeer instrument panel with 9,000rom red line
• Install supplied Rotary electronics gauge

As it stands at the moment, I will be taking the car to Rocketeer on the 23rd November 2026.  They will be taking the engine out, and stripping the engine bay, removing the roof etc, which will take around a week.  I have arranged for my local bodyshop who I have a great relationship with to do the final strip of the car, prep and repaint to a factory finish, inside and out.  The car will be collected from Rocketeer on the 4th December and dropped off to the guys at Daytona Coachworx to do their stuff over Christmas and January, with a view to getting the car back to Bruce and co at Rocketeer by the end of January 2027.

With the prep and painting process taking around two months, this will mean that with any luck Bruce and the team at Rocketeer can rebuild the car once it's back with them over the course of February and early March, so I'm hoping to have the completed collected by the end of March 2027 - just in time for the UK weather to get to it's finest, so I can get out and about and enjoy my newly created Rocketeer!

Final Visualisations and spec

Having got back from my trip to Rocketeer and to look at the blue NA last weekend, I've had to dig deep to see what I really wanted to achieve from this project.

I've spent many hours pondering and creating visualisations of where I could take this, and how I could make it special.  So here is my final visualisation of what I hope to bring to reality:-

My Rocketeer V6 MX5 Visualisation

Some info about the spec:-

• Fit Mazdaspeed front spoiler, rear boot spoiler and rear bumper trim
• Potentially replace bonnet, front wings, boot and doors with carbon miata full carbon fibre variants.
• Repaint the car in Ferrari Blu Corsa paint (or another paint to match the visual as close as possible)
• Fit 16" OZ Racing Alleggerita HLT 4F lightweight wheels in Matt Graphite colour with Michelin Pilot Sport tyres
• Interior will be heated Corbeau carbon seats with leather trimming and lowered seat runners
• Momo steering wheel
• Half cage in black
• Black leather/alcantara re-trim of certain parts of the interior with contrasting blue stitch

Stage 4 Rocketeer 3.0L V6 MX5 with itb's

And about the engine spec:-

• Order Stage 4 Rocketeer V6 engine with dry sump, individual throttle bodies, 9,000rpm rev limit and approx 375bhp (tbc), which will be mated to a custom centre exit exhaust. 

Any comments / feedback welcome.

My mind is playing tricks on me

Why is it, that once you have made a decision, your mind starts telling you that you've done the wrong thing / bought the wrong car?!?  Does everyone get that, or is it just me?  Clearly some buyers remorse kicking in... 

...That nagging voice in my head is telling me to go and look at a blue NA that has come up for sale - it's expensive, but low mileage and in good condition... And... just think, (that voice in my head says) - you would'nt have to go through all the hassle of getting it repainted, plus you wanted an NA... but you prefer the interior of the NB, and the NB is a stiffer chassis / better car to do this to...  Oh Daniel - what are you doing!?

okay, okay - enough of this!  I decided to go and take my car to Bruce @ Rocketeer, to get him to cast his expert eye over the car I'd just purchased... And of course to discuss my project idea in more detail.

I met up with Bruce around 11am, and he was blown away with the condition of the car I'd purchased, so that was a relief!  We discussed the spec of the engine / build that I'm looking to achieve, and agreed that we'd speak next week to finalise.

I had a look around their garages for a bit, and then also under the hood of Bruce's demo car - the 280bhp 3.0L V6 NA car which has been seen in quite alot of the press.

280bhp 3.0L V6 in Bruce's Rocketeer Test Car

HOWEVER... The blue NA car that had recently come up for sale was 'down this' way... Rocketeer HQ is in Whitchurch... So I decided to give the seller of the Blue NA a call to see if I could pop down to take a look as I really needed to see the car, to completely rule it out of the picture.  

The seller was around in the afternoon, so we agreed a time to meet, and I headed down.  I was somewhat ahead of schedule so stopped for a Subway wrap and Diet Coke and enjoyed the sun for a bit...  This MX5 life is pretty good!

Stopped for a Subway and Diet Coke

Arriving at the sellers property, it was clear instantly that it was in extremely good condition.  Almost too good to Rocketeer... I don't know if there is such a thing as too good, but it was in fabulous condition.

I took with me one of my paint 'blow out cards' from when I had my Caterham race car sprayed, as I wanted to match this colour... Offering the card up to the Mariner Blue MX5 - it was a very very close match!

Porsche Voodoo Blue swatch against Mazda Mariner Blue NA MX5

And then I offered all three cards up against the boot (a couple of them had the yellow stripe I've been considering too).

Porsche Voodoo Blue swatch against Mazda Mariner Blue NA MX5

We discussed price, and I said I'd have a think, we shook hands and then I headed home.  It was about a 3 hour drive home, and I was now super confused!

Do I sell the car I have just bought?  Do I keep the car I've just bought and repaint it - that'd be quite alot to organise!  The Blue NA is almost the "right colour"?  

One thing was for certain by the time I got home, was the fact that I didn't want to drive an MX5 without an Apple Carplay head unit anymore!

Some design ideas

Having collected my new donor car yesterday, the first thing I did was head online for inspiration. I wanted to start picturing what I wanted my Rocketeer MX-5 to become.

Back in 1999, I owned an NB fitted with a full body kit, so part of me is tempted to relive those glory days. Then again, I'll be knocking on the door of 50 by the time this car is finished, so perhaps a little restraint is in order!

I remembered the Mazdaspeed version of the NB MX-5, a rare sight in the UK with only a handful believed to be here. I've always liked its styling because it's subtle rather than over the top. I'm not interested in huge wings or an aggressive aftermarket look, but the Mazdaspeed body kit gives the MX-5 just enough extra presence and muscle without losing the clean lines that make the car so appealing.

When it came to the colour scheme, I wanted to carry over a theme from my Caterham race car, which wore Porsche Voodoo Blue with a RAL 1016 yellow triple stripe. Armed with a bit of AI and a few Photoshop skills, I mocked up several concepts to see how the idea might work on the Rocketeer.  I'll sit with these designs for a few days to see if this is the direction I want to take the car in.

Mazdaspeed Bodykit inc Porsche Riviera Blue (metallic) with yellow triple stripe

Same colour scheme overhead angle

The rear showing Rocketeer twin exhausts

Now I've been in discussions with the team at Rocketeer about potentially creating a bespoke rear dual exit exhaust (rather than the two side exhausts that are common with the Rocketeer setup).  Example image below:-

Rocketeer custom dual centre exit exhaust mockup

However with the inclusion of of the triple stripe, it looks a bit busy along the centre line, so I'm undecided at the moment on this.

I'm also feeling a little undecided about the triple stripe, as it perhaps looks a bit too "shouty"... I'd like my Rocketeer to look purposefully quick, without looking too 'boy racer'.  I need some time to think this through properly.

I bought an MX5!

A week has passed since my last post... Gary (the seller of the MX5) messaged yesterday morning, and told me that the car had passed it's MoT, with the MoT guy apparently hadn't seen a car as clean as this for many, many years.  I decided to go and see it that evening.

Had a good look over the car, and wasn't entirely sure...  I'm not sure, why I wasn't sure... But I had a brief chat with myself and reminded myself that this car was not a Ferrari, was quite old, but was in great condition, was low-mileage and looked like it would be a great donor car.

So we went for a quick test drive, all seemed in order... We agreed a price, shook hands and said I'd be there this evening to collect!

I'm finally home at almost 10pm, and am the proud owner of my fourth Mazda MX5. 

Short video of the car below.

On the drive home, some things came to mind quite rapidly!
I'm quite pleased and proud with my purchase
The interior is quite small
My seating position is quite high
The CD changer is redundant
Having a windscreen mounted sat / nav iPhone isn't really suitable.

And so, the journey to building what might well be the ultimate NB2 MX5 has begun!

The (almost) perfect donor

Now with the garage space to fill...  I put a 'WANTED' post on the MX5 owners club... Specifically looking for a rust free, ultra-low mileage NA car....  I had couple of responses, which we're not really what I was looking for...  And one response which had a good feel about it.  

It was an NB2, with LSD, bilstein shocks, heated leather seats, air con, and had only covered 7,565 miles!  It was rust free too, and had the factory hard top...  BUT it was an NB, and worse it was red!

We had a brief chat over the phone, and the car was being offered for a price point which I considered acceptable for it's age, so I asked the seller (Gary) to send me some pictures.

Here she is in all her glory

The rear - stayin' alive comes to mind!

The external pics looked good, and the chassis pics even better...

Original chassis rails - rust free!

Front Chassis Legs - immaculate!

Original spot welds on rear arches

And only 7,565 miles

So the structural condition of the car looked good, and the low mileage was almost unbelievable...  but there were a couple of minor paint problems, mainly from where the car had been sat under a car port for the majority of it's life, which are consistent with a vehicle that had been left dormant.

Extremely faded wing mirrors

Some mottling on the bonnnet

Flaking paint on the hard top

Having seen the pictures, I was still a little undecided... Was it the right car?  Did I really want an NA?  Did I want a red sports car?!  There was lots going on in my head!

Nevertheless - the car needed an MoT, so I agreed with Gary that once the car had an MoT, I'd go and view the car and take it from there...

Welcome to the blog

Hello!  And welcome to the first post of this blog.  

I'm rapidly approaching 50, and back in my younger days I owned three Mazda MX-5s: a white NA, a grey NB (which deserves a story of its own in a future post), and finally a green NB. It seems some passions never really disappear. This blog follows my journey to owning my fourth MX-5, but this time it's something rather special. Instead of a standard car, I'm commissioning a 3.0-litre V6 powered Rocketeer MX-5, and documenting every step along the way, from choosing the right donor and planning the specification to taking ownership, driving it, and making the most of everything that follows.

A bit of background about me / my car life:-

I've been very lucky over the years having had some lovely cars, and back in 2014 I created a previous blog about building a Caterham R500.  Looking back with rose tinted glasses, I thoroughly enjoyed the build process, modifying and enjoying the car, road trips, meet ups, track days and the ups and downs of the car ownership experience.  Having been on quite a few track days (the only place for a car of that calibre) for three or so years, it came to a natural end with the desire to become a 'racing driver'

Me in my Caterham R500 at Cadwell Park

In 2017 I decided to race Caterhams, participating in the Caterham Academy Championship, Roadsport in 2018 and the 270R championship in 2019.  Winning two titles and coming a gnats whisker away from three in a row, I decided at the end of 2019 to hang up my racing overalls and call it a day.

I was 2019 Caterham 270R Champion!

Covid-19 then happened, and for some reason I lost my love for cars... That was until 2024 where I had a health scare, and decided life is too short, and went a bought a beautiful Ferrari 458 spider in red.  The car was absolutley beautiful (one of the most beautiful, if not the most beautiful car), but it was a fairly 'low spec' car and I decided to acquire all of the lovely Ferrari carbon goodies to make it one of the best examples in the UK!  The main downside to Ferrari ownership is the brand is so mileage sensitive, that it discourages you from driving it, plus the servicing and warranty extension costs were truly frightening... Anyway, cut a long story short I was moving home at the beginning of this year (2026), and decided it best to sell the 458 (which I kinda regret on one hand, but on the other I'm happy with my decision).

My Ferrari 458 Spider

So... having moved home, and letting the dust settle (a bit!)... I have an empty garage to fill...