This is the inaugural post for what we hope is a long-running series called “Our Cars”. We’re asking our friends in the world of motorsports to share information about one or more of their favorite personal cars. To get us started, Race Legends co-founder Christian Gurney shares details about a favorite car of his.
| Year | 1992 |
| Make | Mazda |
| Model | Miata |
| Color | Classic Red |
| Engine | 1.6 L |
| Transmission | 5-Speed Manual |
| Options | B Package, Hardtop, ABS |
When I moved to Iowa from Tennessee, I had hoped to get a convertible, something which the roasting temperatures in Memphis had made impractical. My father bought one of the original Miatas and drove it for something like 200,000 miles. Whenever I had a chance to visit, I definitely took that car for a spin.
I was finally able to trade in my 1989 Mustang 5.0 LX on the 1992 Classic Red Miata you see above. It had all the available options, including cruise control, air conditioning and a hardtop. Iowa is well-known for its harsh winters, so I obtained a set of snow tires and drove the car year around. A tonneau cover made it possible to drive with the top down far into November. The only change I made to the vehicle was to replace the headrest speakers with a set handmade by a guy out in Washington. I also added a wind deflector and custom storage bag for behind the seats.
Once when I took the car to Road America I had a chance to have the editor-in-chief Road & Track magazine, Thos L. Bryant, compare driving my Miata with the then-new Maxton Rollerskate, a limited edition car in the spirit of the Lotus Elan with a body designed by our artist colleague Michael Mate. The Maxton won the performance contest hands down, but the Miata topped the livability list.
My wife and I took a number of memorable trips including one all the way out to Gettysburg, PA via only secondary roads during an extraordinarily temperate and beautiful October. The Miata was new enough that we were often asked about our “Ferrari” as we stopped in small towns across Illinois, Indiana and Ohio. The best memories are from Ohio Amish country where the kids on the school playground and the farmers chopping corn behind their massive draft horses smiled and waved as we passed.
Our black Lab Campbell really enjoyed going for rides out in the countryside sitting up in the passenger seat to watch to world flying by. While Iowa roads are not particularly twisty, they are blessed with beautiful scenery and little traffic.
I eventually traded the Miata in for its more muscular sibling, a 1994 Mazda RX-7. Our family had a real affinity for the Miata; between my father, sister and my wife we’ve owned a total of seven of these amazingly reliable and throughly enjoyable sports cars through the years. My father still drives one to this day.
