This is a 1995 Mazda Miata R-package I purchased last year. R-package was a factory race package car produced for '94-97. Most people didn't care for them back in the day and in '95 there were only 465 of them produced. Today they seem to be achieving a sort of a cult status among Miata enthusiasts as purest NA Miatas. So in today's market they seem to command a premium owning to this as well as to their initial and present-day rarity since many were modified, abused at the racetrack or simply driven into the ground. Nevertheless, when I was purchasing mine, the seller had no idea it was a rare R-package. Due to the lack of power options she was thought it was just a base car.

Intended as a showroom racer it has no power options: it has manual windows, steering and (this part I do actually miss) no cruise control. It was only offered with manual transmission and Torsen LSD. Part of the R-package is upgraded suspension which consists on Bilstein yellow shocks (which suck on Boston roads due to stiffness), stiffer springs and thicker antiroll bar. These cars also have a full aero kit from factory: front air dam, rear valance and trunk lip spoiler. Most R-packages are red and white (both of which I dislike) which leaves the rest to some black and very scarce Laguna Blue. My particular car is triple-black (exterior/interior/top).

My car came from NH where it mostly sat in the garage. I bought it in fall of 2008 with 31K original miles on it. The previous owner, an older lady put about 7K on it in last 10 years. It figures because the car isn't an easy one to drive. Not only does it lack convenience features, several controls and suspension were very stiff and tight from sitting in garage all this time.

For various reasons I ended up with some spare time this summer so I fixed it up in a few minor places. I'll just highlight some of the mods and fixes I made so far:

1. Dead factory tape player was replaced with Alpine MP3/CD player from my old Miata

2. Replaced speakers with Clearwaters, one of the original ones was dead anyway

3. Replaced the narrow stock 14x6 wheels with 15x7 Enkei RPF1 wheels (10lbs/apiece!) for better look, handling and acceleration

4. Got OEM mudflaps to hide those wider wheels a bit

5. Replaced worn out bumpstops with FCM 36/46 a friend of mine gave me for my b-day

6. NOS seat covers went on cloth seats for protection from the elements

7. Shock-tower brace came from old Miata before I sold it

8. Removed baby teeth and put in a Moss grille to cover her mouth

9. Smoked front bumper lights that blend in for a smoother look

Oh, and of course lithium white grease lube all around. Thus far that's mostly it.

I never owned a black car before and realized too late how bad it is. While many other colors hide dirt and scratches well, this one does not! You can see anything and everything about 20 mins after the wash. And of course I had some general bad luck too. Several weeks ago I got into a hail storm and got small dents all over her and some jerk broke the driver's window for no apparent reason last week. Thankfully insurance came out on top so I was able to fix her both times but hoping that's it for mishaps.

She's been a great ride so far, especially after loosening up a bit from sitting too long. The suspension feels a little more roadable thanks in part new bumpstops and some run-in. She seems easier to control after after usage and greasing too. At one point I got 33mpg on the highway, which is not bad for a 14-year-old sports car. Looking forward to continuing driving her as long as weather permits and maybe even taking her to autoX sometime!