Miatatude

33-04

That is the random number that was generated for my Japanese license plate. It has got a little squiggly in front and my class vehicle is 04, whatever they mean. I made a cardboard mock-up of the bracket tonight. Tomorrow I’ll see what I can do to have it made up.

The plate came via UPS yesterday, but writing about it was knocked off the front page by the exciting garage door spring incident. Total bill from Aiken Door Repair and Service to fix it today was $90.97. Cable $6, Spring $15, Pulley $3.50, Tax 1.47 and Labor $65. When the cable snapped and the spring contracted violently it got kind of mangled when it hit the backstop, so it needed to be replaced. The pulley bearing was worn out and they refused to say if it wobbling was the definitive cause of the cable rubbing and then breaking, but it could have been.

Started up, went down, still down.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/05: 16

Horrors!

The Emperor has been exiled from the Throne Room. After I got back from Rollerblading this evening I was standing in the garage taking off my wrist guards when a loud bang startled the heck out of me. One of the cables on the garage door snapped letting a big ol’ spring on one side contract rapidly and bang against it’s support. Fortunately Donna had driven the Miata over to the health club to go swimming because when one of those goes the garage door remains shut so tight only Superman could get it to move. Not having the proper equipment to even try and loosen the other spring, the Miata will spend the night in the driveway. I did go put the cockpit cover as best I could over the raised top in case any of the neighborhood cats decide to climb on the car tonight.

Started up, still up.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/05: 15

There’s A New One Coming

The next generation Miata is due out this year as a 2006 model. The excitement is palpable over on the Miata.net forums. There is even a whole section dedicated to the not yet released model where every rumor and speculation is discussed ad nauseam. It is filled with topics such as:

  1. “we are shooting for 180 hp”
  2. Stiring the pot, solstice
  3. Let’s talk about the interior
  4. New prototype pics Now up to 15 pages
  5. Geneva Auto Show (Updated web-site)
  6. Motor Trend News
  7. August?
  8. When to expect first magazine road test?

I have been keeping track of them even though I won’t be buying my next Miata until 2010. Heavily disguised prototype pictures surfaced in September. At least one person has seen the real deal, he works for Mazda, and another swears he saw a camouflaged one near Mazda’s HQ in Irvine, CA. There have been innumerable renditions floated from all sorts of magazines which always create a stir. The latest ones to pop up I hope are incorrect as I don’t like their look. Of course just as many like it as dislike it, so who knows. Here is my favorite so far:

New Miata

Started up, still up.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/05: 15

Almost

Today the weather turned positively normal and we almost put the top down for the ride home. Maybe next week when we get off at 4 o’clock and the sun is just a touch higher in the sky…

Started up, still up.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/05: 15

I’m Famous

Well, actually the Emperor is. Last fall when we were at the Rspeed Open House the folks from Grassroots Motorsports took a couple of pictures and wrote a little blurb about the event. It is in the current issue and one of the photos (right) features the very photogenic rear end of my car parked alongside Ron Kaufman’s 93LE.

Rspeed.jpg

Started up, still up.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/05: 15

Baby It’s Cold Outside

This morning’s low was in the twenties and the high was barely into the forties and it is supposed to be like that for a while now. I guess to average out those days of 10-15 degrees above normal temperatures we will now be subjected to 10-15 degrees below normal ones.

Started down, went up, still up.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/05: 15

Mod Fever

I’ve got a C note earmarked for Miata mods burning a hole in my pocket.

I started out going to buy some clear side markers for the front and some stealth turn signal bulbs. I would then pull off the yellow lamin-x fog light protectors, giving the front of the car a unified white light look.

Then I tossed around adding teeth again. I had some Alley Gator ones on the Laguna, so I would like something different this time. The only other one I really like is the Diablo, but in my travels along the Miata lane of the information superhighway this weekend I have come across two cars with those teeth installed, one of which is a Garnet Red! Are thet too popular or was this just a random happenstance.

My other thought is to go with something I saw on a car at the Rspeed Open House last year – A side mount for a front license plate with a Japanese tag on it. South Carolina doesn’t require a front tag, so if others can put a “GO COCKS!” tag on their cars…

Started up, went down, still down.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/05: 14