Mazda Announces Restoration Program for First-Generation Miatas

A trend is sweeping the world of classic cars, and Mazda is the latest company to jump on board. In much the same way that Land Rover and Jaguar rolled out similar programs earlier this year, Mazda announced they will begin accepting applications for restoration of the original NA MX-5 Miata, aka Eunos Roadster, styles immediately. The work, commencing in 2018, will be done at a “classic center” using genuine OEM parts assembled to factory specifications. Of course, each restoration will be customized to the client's request and for now, will only be offered to vehicles domiciled in Japan. Miata fans everywhere can hope that if the program succeeds, then it may someday be available in other countries as well.

Although pricing has not been announced, don't expect it to be cheap. If they follow a similar model as its predecessors, the final product will be quite expensive. Restored first-generation Range Rovers start at $170,000 while restored Jaguar Series 1 E-Types have a minimum cost of $355,000 for the base model.

These numbers are nothing to sneeze at considering the price of buying a new model off the lot begins at about $85,000 and $61,000 respectively. Still, this has potential to be a limited time opportunity that many collectors will not be able to pass up. In fact, there has been rumblings that Roadster enthusiasts all over the globe may choose to ship their vehicle into Japan in order to take advantage of this once in a lifetime chance.

Another boon for Miata enthusiasts is the announcement that Mazda will work with manufacturers in order to offer new parts built to exact original specifications. This bodes well with the collector who prefers to do restorations themselves or perhaps doesn't have the budget to order a complete ground-up custom restoration. Earlier this year, Nissan announced a similar parts restoration program for their R32 Skyline GT-R. This speaks volumes about each company's recognition of their classic fan base that they would be willing to go out on a limb to appease this niche market. Only time will tell if this flagship restoration and parts program will garner enough attention and popularity to justify Mazda making it available in countries outside of Japan.