Jeremy Clarkson
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From
January 13, 2008
Mazda MX-5
It’s far too cool for you, Mr Footballer
As the reputation of all the most exquisite cars continues to be embrowned by the nation’s footballers, those who try to combine extreme wealth with a splash of discretion and good taste find themselves in a bit of a quandary.
In the olden days, if you were to turn up at a party in a Ferrari or a Maserati, women might imagine that you were the Aga Khan. Today, however, they will cower in a cupboard all night, fearful that if they come out they will be roasted in front of a jeering mob who’ll record the event on their mobile phones and, in the morning, upload it all to the internet. “I have a Ferrari” is code for “I am a rapist”. Or, worse, “I am Kerry Katona”.
The solution, then, for wealthy people who are not rapists or Kerry Katona is to buy a car that simply isn’t on a footballer’s radar. A car that manages to be expensive and comfortable, and possibly even quite fast, without shouting, “Look at me.” A fatboy car.
The Bristol Blenheim is a fatboy car. So is the Mercedes SL. Then you have the Rolls-Royce Phantom, the Bentley Continental Flying Spur, the Jaguar XJR, the Range Rover – but emphatically not the Sport – the BMW 7-series, and the car I was given for Christmas. A 37-year-old Mercedes 600 Grosser.
Launched in 1963, it was by far and away the most expensive car in the world, with a price tag, in America, of $20,000. In its 18-year production run only 2,677 were made and almost all were bought by people who did not play football. Idi Amin, Louis Winthorpe from the film Trading Places and Leonid Brezhnev. Mao Tse-tung was said to be very fond of his, and it’s easy to see why.
Today we marvel at the power-operated boot lids on cars such as the Lexus LS 600h but the Mercedes Grosser had this feature 45 years ago. And yes, while it does without such luxuries as a heated rear window, and the dim/dip light switch is on the floor, it does have power-operated seats, windows, sunroof and even doors. And the power does not come from a fickle electric motor either. Oh no. Everything that moves on the Grosser is powered by hydraulics. Small wonder it weighs three tons.
It’s not a car you can just get into and drive, either, because hydraulics also operate the suspension. So after starting the engine you must do a crossword while the body rises to the correct height.
Still, you can then make up lost time because it has a 6.3 litre engine. The first production V8 Mercedes ever made, it develops 300bhp, thanks to fuel injection. In other words, in terms of luxury and power this was quite literally 40 years ahead of its time. In terms of style, however, it was bang-on, pure, 100% 1963. This was a time when designers were allowed to fit a car with ornaments, and the Grosser is fitted with so many it could almost be twinned with Elton John’s head.
The double bumpers, the enormous grille, the chromed wheelarches: it is a festival of brightwork and I’m only surprised it isn’t followed everywhere by a flock of magpies.
It’s the same story inside, where it’s fitted with nothing so vulgar as tinted glass. Instead you get curtains, along with interior glass wind deflectors should you feel the need to drive along with the windows down, waving serenely at the untermenschen.
The only thing that it didn’t come with as standard – but that I shall be adding as soon as I’ve designed them – are two flags on the front wings. This is the only sound you want to hear as you cruise along. The fluttering of two pennants.
Or, rather, this is the sound I imagine you’d like to hear. I can’t say for sure because I’ve had the car for a week now and so far I haven’t actually driven it. This is because most of the time it won’t start.
Sometimes it turns over with a decreasing level of enthusiasm for 10 minutes before the Titanic battery gives up the ghost. And sometimes it doesn’t turn over at all. Occasionally it coughs a little burp of hope and I prod the throttle, trying like a man marooned on a desert island to breathe a little life into the sliver of flame. But never quite succeeding.
So then I plug it into a trickle charger, and after two hours have been spent pumping some fresh enthusiasm into the battery, the engine bursts into an uneven V8 strum. The sound of joy. Followed by the groan of despair as I realise that, this being Christmastime, I’ve passed the time as the battery charged with my face in a bucket of red wine. And now I’m too drunk to go anywhere.
And so we must now leave the olden days when cars worked only if there was some warmth in the month, and look at the complete opposite of the 600 Grosser. The Mazda MX-5.
When I first encountered the new version of this modern classic, I reported that it was a better-looking, more practical version of something we all loved anyway and that you should all have one. And you all responded by buying something else.
No, really. The new MX-5 is like the new Ford Mondeo and the Subaru Legacy Outback. It is one of those cars that’s absolutely brilliant . . . and nobody buys it. You never see one on the road.
Fearful, therefore, that I’d missed some crucial aspect of the car – a spike in the driver’s seat, perhaps, or a snake in the glove box – I decided to have another look. And there’s nothing; not even a preposterous price tag. The new soft-top Mazda starts at just £15,730.
So what’s the problem? I’ve given the matter some serious thought and I’ve decided what the car missed most of all was the mark. I liked the way the old car had few luxuries, because that made it light. For the same reason it had a canvas roof you raised and lowered by hand, and I liked that too. But actually, the fact is most of us would prefer some creature comforts and a roof that moved about using electricity. We may have been drawn to the idea of an MX-5 but actually we all went out and bought a convertible Vauxhall Astra instead.
Well, Mazda has obviously realised this too because the new 2 litre Roadster Coupé I tried has a superfast electric metal roof, a surround sound Bose stereo, and a button on the dash that says “Media”. God knows what it did.
All of this must be terribly galling for the engineers who struggled to make the new car only 22lb heavier than the old one. To find the marketing department adding stuff is probably enough to have them all disembowelling themselves but the fact is this: it doesn’t make a jot of difference.
The engine still feels unsullied by cotton wool damping and active exhaust tuning. The gearbox still snicks. The handling is still deliciously front-engined and rear-drive. You still feel hemmed in behind the wheel and the plastics appear, correctly in a car of this type, to have been fitted to shroud various wires and rough edges. Not as a surface you feel inspired to lick and caress.
The MX-5, then, still feels simple and sprightly and lively. It still feels basic and honest and wonderful. It’s still a bacon sandwich made with good bread, good butter and good meat. Only now it has a splash of HP sauce.
It is an epic car, this. A car for fatboys who are still thin.
Vital statistics
Model Mazda MX-5 Roadster Coupé 2.0i
Engine 1999cc, four cylinders
Power 160bhp @ 6700rpm
Torque 138 lb ft @ 5000rpm
Transmission Five-speed manual
Fuel 36.7mpg (combined cycle)
CO2 183g/km
Acceleration 0-62mph: 7.9sec
Top speed 131mph
Price £19,5800-62mph: 7.9sec
Rating 
Verdict A minor miracle Turned your shirt into a polo neck probably.
I'm on my third mx5 now and absolutely love it. Test drove the new 1.8 and it wasn't as quick as my mk2 1.8 icon 2000 which hits sixty in 7.6 seconds (6spd box). Likes the new car but feel the mk2 has the better feel of a lightweight sports car. Ifyou're thinking of the new mx5 then go for the 2L.
Chris, BATH,
I tried one the other day. I'm 6 foot 4. My head touched the roof and the steering wheel stopped me from moving my leg from the accelerator to the brake. It's a car for midgets.
I think Jezza's even taller than me so how can he enjoy them?
PS: I could get in my MR2 Spyder with a big hat on *and* fully stretch out my legs. Pity they don't make those any more...
James Watt, Darlington, UK
Thanks JC for pointing out something I noticed on the MX5 wikipedia page, as well as on the road. What happened? I bought a 2006 MX-5 GT ragtop a few months back and am completely in love. I have had SIX Miatas before this, including a 2000 SE that I still have sitting waiting to be sold. I've raced a 1st generation and am starting to race this new car. Before I bought this one, I tried the "other" roadsters and can't understand why someone would want them, except for the badge and the enormously expensive replacement parts.
Being a Cosworth lover, you might be interested in knowing that they are releasing a supercharger kit for the car. They also make Durotec engines (which is what the 2.0l is now) with the VVT heads necessary for the Mazda. Cams are apparently almost here too.
Considering the sales numbers, I am frightened that the life of the Miata may be coming to an end; but fingers are crossed and with the number of them on the road, there will always be an aftermarket!
Sean Sibbet, Vancouver, BC
Hello there Jeremy,
Your understanding of your 'new' old car, the '600' is incomplete!
Mine is a 1965 model and it has the wire imbedded heated rear screen and I am pretty sure if you look close yours does too!
Also, the suspension is not hydraulic but 'air' and has a separate pump to the right looking at the engine bay. It is also prudent to drain the two air tanks (found in front of the left front wheel) at least every couple of weeks by just pushing on the toggles themselves (found at the bottom of the tanks.
With regards to the dropping of the ride height, the air valves, one for each front wheel and one for the rear two (3 in all) may need refurbishing as the car should remain for weeks at near ride height if all is well.
Happy motoring (But will be a better experience to have your local '600' experts go over this vehicle!
Have a look at the 'International M100' site, a bunch of fine people!
Reg
Reginald Wright, Sydney, Australia
A true girls car.
Benson, Sydney, Australia
I am driving a Mk2.5 1.8 2004MY (my second one: the first was a MK2 1.6). After 8 years of driving my MX-5s I still love to drive the %#!@ things...! Sporty handling, minimum running costs. Fast in tight tracks and entertaining to say the least... Only things to add is a pair of Xenon lights and a good stereo to listen with the hood down. A Larini systems exhaust if you fancy a sporty sound... MUST HAVE CAR
Nikos Papanikolaou, Athens, Greece
This is my second MX5 and what a car it is. It does not pretend to hide anything, it's not meachanical in the way it feels, it just gets the job done, hreat handling and low running costs, beat that Tom Taylor with your S2000. Just wondering how much it cost him to buy and running costs and is it really as much fun?Nope! The S2000 is a cracking car but why compare something that costs nearly double to the MX5. We don't compare aston Martins or the like to the S2000 do we Tom?
Lets just appreciate what the MX5 is and that is an icon.
Pesonal tatse Emmanuel, the MR2 is looking dated and to be honest never really could comptete with the quality of the MX5.
Who needs a 150mph car in the UK? The MX5 outhandles a lot of them anyway and is built better than an S2000.
Who's in support, come on lets tell Tom and Emmanuel what they are missing, Clarkson ceratinly has!
Steve Anderson, Reading, UK
I have owned a MX5 for 10 years. Present one is an 8 year old Mk2. I can't find a reason for changing it. Great car, often used hood down in winter - like today. It does not go wrong, drives great and looks great. Sometimes a bit unnerving for the passenger when being enjoyed by the driver!
F Pond, Reading,
The reason you do not see them on the road is probably the long long wait for them, mine took 6 months!!
Jacky, Sittingbourne,
I own a 1990 edition of the Mx5 Miata... I've Autocrossed it Since 1992. Autocrossing is racing around tracks laid out in parking lots outlined with traffic cones in ways that fools you into think you might know a fast way through it; quite challenging actually.
I love this car, this year on it's 18th Birthday I am putting in safety equipment to make it into a track day car - my other obsession - and I plan to do this without in 18 years having touched anything that contains wet stuff. This is one abused little honey and I have never done a damn thing to maintain any of the expensive parts.
I drove a new Mx5 recently, and while they have removed some of the coarseness of the original and made it all modern and shiny, they haven't removed its soul. It's one hell of a fun car.
I spent 10 minutes in it and had already planned in my head what dampers and springs and sway bars I was going to buy :)
BTW I am 6'3"
Racer Guy, Irvine, CA USA
Clarkson understands.
Mike Nassour, Austin, TX, USA
"should you feel the need to drive along with the windows down, waving serenely at the untermenschen."
Where on earth would Mr Clarkson have to travel to to be able to do that?
Dave Spart, Stirling, Scotland
The Miata is a great car, but I'm confused as to how Mr. Clarkson fits in it! I've test-driven several soft-top Miatas and with the top-up, the top of my head just touches the metal brace above the driver's seat. A key reason I won't buy one - I don't fit in it! I'm six feet tall exactly. I am pretty sure I've read that Mr. Clarkson is 6'5". I have no idea how he manages to fit himself in a Miata with the top up.
Peter, Jacksonville,
Picking up on the brilliant but rare Subaru Legacy Outback, they are super - was very tempted by a 3L example. On the other hand, the Forester is taller, takes three good-sized adults in the back, helps people move their worldly possessions, has a tow-bar, goes up the Sidmouth festival camp-site field leaving mpvs struggling, handles nicely and goes quite fast enough, thank you.
Were it not for the need to move more than two people and lots of kit, the MX-5 would be very appealing.
Peter T, Godalming,
Jeremy, do you realize you're exactly in the position (in the U.K.) that Jesse Ventura was in the state of Minnesota? Seize the day man and run for office, you'll win!!! Or at least you should appear as a guest on Car Talk. In the mean time, I'll send you a parts list that I need for my '74 MG.........
East Green, East Greenville, PA
I seem to recall hearing that soon after the Grosser Mercedes was launched Stirling Moss broke the saloon lap record at Brands in one. Does anyone know?
Graham Peters, Toronto, Canada
JC the Mazda MX-5 Roadster does not have a METAL Folding roof, it is made of lightweight Composite plastics.
And why do you ALWAYS rant about FORD MONDEO's, according to you every model made is also an icon.
Frankly to use the two cars above in any talk is outrageous.
There is only one true engineered icon and it is not the Ford.
Ash Grant, Seaford , Australia
Well if you like this one try a Honda S2000, no footballers in sight either, better engine, better box, better grip. And it's not a BMW or a Porsche!
North Pole? How did you get the cars back? Chinook?
Tom Taylor-Duxbury, Ludlow,
Clarkson ~ the dementia has well and truly set in ~ you've actually gone and bought ein oldtimer 600 Grosser ? or ein Pullman ?
I know the sickness well, now owning 2 swb 600's plus 3 Pullmans ( 2 ex Hugh Hefner ) and a 600 Landaulet.
This sickness, starting with the purchase of a solitary 600, soon morphs into Pullmanitis, an inflammatory condition of the Pullmanary artery.
It then transmogrifies into Landauletism, a rare form of Autoism, of which there were only 59 known cases, until the conversion of a Pullman by Crayfords in the 1980's into the Landaulet I now own.
Sadly Jeremy, there is no known cure.
Get new airbags through the MB club at half the price of through MB dealers and also adjust/service the master valve, and the car will sit up and beg for weeks on end before suffering from a saggy bum.
You are for sure an inspiration to those of us with petrol coursing through our veins.
Vote Clarkson for El Presidente of the world ! ! !
visit www.number1.co.nz to see my 600's
David Blackmore, Auckland, New Zealand
I have a new MX-5 2.0i and Jeremy it has SIX manual gears and goes like a bat out of hell!
I do agree the gearbox "snicks" especially when cold but they tell me there's nothing wrong.
Roadholding is great too but then I'm not STIG
Mine also seems to do 35MPG even at naughty speeds.
I too have not seen too many around but plenty of earlier ones, in fact I still have an old Eunos import, that goes well too!
Thanks for the review though.
John Knight, Watford, England
I remember seeing a TV programme about a guy, employed by Mercedes Benz, specifically to fly around the world troubleshooting 600Ls.
Most of the problems were hydraulics related, unsurprisingly.
Perhaps he is still doing it and you could give him a call, Jeremy.
Phil Bibby, Barrow in Furness, Cumbria
You are an inspiration. Keep it up Jeremy.
arthur mumelo, Nanjing, China
Yes Jeremy, the MX-5 always seems to hit the spot. But you know, I've seen this all before. Take a Honda Del Sol Transtop 1996 Vintage. 1.6 litre 168bhp. Metal folding top that is an engineeing masterpiece. So impressed was I with this vehicles overall excellence I've just bought one for the wife. THe engine spins to a staggering 8500 rpm with that wonderful V - Tec whail all in something that weighs barely more than 1000kgs. The engine must be rated as a true great of all time for it's power, reliability and character. The MX-5 is and always has been a honey but it just shows how cutting edge Honda engineers can be.
Peter Jeffries, Ventnor, Isle of Wight
The 2008 MX-5 hard top panals are plastic not metal.
Scott, Baltimore, United States
Jeremey, you know what Untermenschen stands for, do you? If not, have a look in your history lesson notes once again: you went to school when the subject was teached properly I suppose. By the way Untermenschen is a German noun and as such written with a capital letter. Imagine Audi had written vorsprung durch technik it just doesn't look good.
Mark Boss, Bremen, germany
"nobody buys it"? Not down my way. There are quite a few over here. Perhaps I notice them more readily because I drive one myself.
Vince Chadwick is right about the suspension lowering. It not only improves the handling, but helps the look of the car enormously. Get the wheel alignment and geometry properly adjusted and then you're sorted.
I think, Jeremy Clarkson, the only thing that is missing is a lap time from the Stig driving it around the TopGear track.
spats, Billericay, Essex
Jeremy, you missed one point: the new model is as ugly as Kerry Katona. I would rather have the MR2 over MX5.
Emmanuel, Berkshire,
Clarkie, I'd have one tomorrow - but I can't afford to run two cars and I've got a wife and two kids. Ever thought that those of us in a position to appreciate the MX-5s brilliance (and I do) might not be in a position to act on it? Now, if you and the rest of the Parsons Green escapees (ok, that includes me..) would only lay off the house-prices round here..
Cotswoldian, Cotswolds, UK
I think the styling missed the mark with this revision. The engineers may have made it light, but that is not communicated to the buyer's eye. The NA and NB bodied cars took inspiration from early Lotus designs, which everyone knew at some subconsious level meant balance and agility were the priorities in the car's design.
A sports car is an emotional purchase. I liked the NA, could not resist the NB, and yawned at the NC. Sure, it is a better, more comfortable car than my 99 10th Anniversary model, but I could never see myself spending hours on the internet searching for just the right, tasteful, mod.
I've not read what the Mazda engineers were thinking, but it seems Audi became an inspiration somewhere in the mix. Germans build fine cars, but it was the British inspiration in the first generations of Miatas got the US market really excited.
Bob, Marietta, USA / Georgia
I too have never written in to this column, however feel I should comment on this article. I drive a new MX-5; I am a 20-something female, but I'm not a hairdresser or indeed a beautician or reiki expert. It's got rather more universal appeal than that. Falling in to that camp of a fatboy who's still thin (just), my boyfriend does indeed love it and isn't ashamed to be seen throwing it around the Berkshire lanes. It's the most fun car I have ever owned, and I share Jeremy's lack of understanding as to why they don't sell in their millions. I'm quite happy for the secret to remain secret though, as it makes my lovely motor that little bit more exclusive. Go on everyone, pretend you didn't read this, and buy one of those common Astra convertibles instead.
NJ, Maidenhead, UK
I think there are so few new ones because they are so many old ones. They just refuse to break down!
Chaz, Richmond, Surrey, UK
Well I bought one - a lovely silver 2 litre foldy-hard-top one, and it's just superb, especially when you get the Mazda lowered spring kit fitted (Mazda designed it like that from the outset, but in order to meet ride-height regs had to fit taller springs, and sell the 'proper' ones as an after-sales extra).
Just one thing - this fat boy fits into it perfectly well, so it's a fat boy's car for true fat boys!
Vince Chadwick, wilmslow, uk
The Ford Mustang GT with a luvely V8 rumble is a lot less expensive over here. An honest fun car to drive and with 4 seats foir those occasional people who have good friends. Oh I forget JC hates the Mustang;)
Ian, Madison, USA
Hi
Having owned one of the 1st Uk Roadsters in the MotorShow colour of "Copper Red Mica" this car is growing in terms of "Fans" Check out the various web site for feed back.
Some minor faults but a "Good Buy" in terms of ZOOM ZOOM FUN. Sell your Granny and buy one NOW.
Dr. John Douglas
john douglas, Manchester, Gt Manchester
I wish I had got the mx5 for christmas. I bought the Astra convertible because you can't take three kids to school in the mx5. Such is life.
PS just seen the Top Gear North Pole episode which was brilliant. How did you get home?
Pat , Berwick, Australia
The previous MX-5 was brilliant though the preposterous £200 plus services every 9000 miles blunted the economical cheap as chips image.
Hopefully they sorted that out with this version.
Marios Patrinos, Reading, Berks, UK
I never liked the MX-5's first two incarnations: too bland, too plain. The latest one looks ugly.
Lorinc Del Motte, Sackville, NB, Canada
I read up about the Mercedes apparently it does have a heated rear window. Dont know if Jeremy would ever bother to read these comments though.
Invisible wires imbedded in the glass assure that the rear window shall ever remain frost free.
http://www.m-100.cc/600/magazines/roadandtrack_july1965/index.html
George, Birmingham, England
Perhaps if Jeremy stuck to a critique of the car he is reviewing rather than two thirds of a clap trap pre-amble we might listen
James Robinson, Buckinghamshire
James Robinson, Wendover, Buckinghamshire
I am my third Mazda MX-5, my first being an early 1990, then a 1996 then in 2005 I went mad and plumped for the mk3. I love it for what it is, simple, cheap, economic fun. I have a dire commute to work every day lots of it in traffic jams, but when I do get a bit of open road, why not enjoy every second of it. My colleagues don't understand my enfactuation, but they see driving as a means to get from A to B, which it is, but I can't see why you can't enjoy the hell out of that process. That's what the MX-5 does. David, Leeds (my car's website : http://www.mazdamx5.co.uk)
David Bell, Leeds,
Jeremy, I have been a fan of yours for many years and this is the first time that I have motivated myself to make a comment.
Top marks from a bloke that is all 'man' to sing the praises of what should be a hairdressers car but still does what it should. Drive well and be a laugh to own at a 10th of the price of the headline grabbing exotica.
And no, I don't own one, mondeo man myself!!
JF, nottingham,
I am the world's biggest JC fan. He is the first amongst magnificent equals on Top Gear and the best writer in the history of the world. He must be brilliant, because I hardly agree with anything he says, but I am 100% behind the sentiment because I love the attitude. However, if I have learnt anything from JC, it's how to criticise, so here goes, the one little thing that serves to irritate: almost every article has a two word sentence, thus: "No, really". Check it out, there was one last week, I seem to recall and a thousand others dotted around. But I don't care - it only goes to make the big guy even better. Keep it up Jeremy!
Richard Anderson, Seaton, UK