Corns Eunos Roadster
Unlike the tuckin 99 N2 car, which was bog standard this car was modified while in Japan. The photo taken here is while the car was in Japan at a car meet. This car was imported in the early part of 2007 into the UK from Japan. The car was bought by a MX5Nutz Club Member and I always liked the stance and look of the car. Whilst the looks were iconic and the sound to die for it was a bit of a dog by the time it reached my ownership (shagged coilovers, worn out diff, broken gearbox, poor paint) and I did wonder why I had it bought it. Therefore during the period of ownership it has been about adding some classic JDM parts to the car plus bringing it up again to a high standard.
Classic Sounding Roadster
The car having been worked on in Japan had weber twin 45 carbs. Together with the performance manifold, decat and RS*R exhaust it creates a totally different sound and feel of driving compared to a normally aspirated MX5.
Changes and Updates to Begin with
Shortly after buying the car I managed to get hold of a carbon fibre stout of japan type r vented bonnet. I also picked up black hard top for the car and changed the interior a little bit as got hold of some red leather S1 Lotus Elise seats.
Respray
The car although rust free has suffered from having paintwork that was worn, scratched and badly faded. In order to give it a fresher look I got the car fully resprayed and while that was being done also got a YSCC ducktail boot spoiler fitted and a Trap front lip fitted. At this point the exterior of the car looked 100% better then then before where the car always looked good (but only from a distance or in photos!!)
Meet with Crazy About Chicken
At the end of January 2010 the Corns car took a journey to the sleepy Cotswold countryside in England to have some hot JDM parts fitted. With the help of Rik who has a great JDM'd Turbo'd MX5 I got som RS Active Low Pro Lights fitted on the Corns Car. The black roadster owned by Rik, is one of my favourite mx5s. Rik has spent a lot of time and money buying the right parts to create a awesome looking roadster.
Spring Updates 2010, Garage Vary Parts.
Spring 2010 has seen the car have some updates. This includes some new Gaz Gold Pro Coilovers, Garage Vary Front Lip Spoiler and a unusual Garage Vary Rear Bumper. Whilst the car has a heritage of being in Japan and some tuning history with Corns the unfortunate aspect is that has meant the car has been well ragged before I got it!!!! The new coilovers have sorted some previous problems with the car and later in 2010 I will iron out some other mechanical issues to get the car up to a high standard. The Garage Vary Rear bumper is very different and creates alot of talk and is very much love it or hate it. I think the true spirit of the car is its track heritage and in adding quality parts from firms like Garage Vary, which add to the track look only furthers the car's track appeal. The Garage Vary front lip would not have been my first choice as I love the look of the Trap lip on the car. However the Trap lip was too low and with it fitted the car could not come on or off my drive way. For this reason it had to be changed to something more sensible.
Wide Watanabes!!
At the start of May 2010 I got a new set of wheels for the Corns Car. They are a set of custom order 15x8.5 & 15x8 Watanabes. They are the same design as the wider versions I have on my Silver MX5. To many MX5 enthusiasts the Watanabes are the best wheels for the MX5 with their classic design harking back to the old Minilite wheels of the past. The story behind these wheels were they were imported in 2008 by a chap in Kent, England who was going to put them on his car with jubiride arches. They were never fitted and sat brand new until Rik James got the wheels for his great black turbo'd mx5. They briefly covered a few hundred miles before Rik decided to go in another direction so I now have a second set of custom Watanabes. I will be keeping the SSR MK1s for the car too but for the track the Watanabes will probably be better.
RS Watanabe Wheels are very popular among japanese nostalgic car fanatics. While a lot of people might have the impression that used JDM wheels are heavily priced due to the 'JDM tax,' I don't think that is true when it comes to the original classic JDM wheels. Unlike more modern wheels and copies, the old school models continue to be popular and they will only grow more valuable as the years go on. The classic car scene in Japan is booming and strong demand for these wheels has kept prices relatively high. This is also reflected in the prices for these wheels either in the United States or England.
More Mechanical Work done End of May 2010
Well at the end of May 2010 It is nearly a year since I owned this car and as part of the continual work on the car I sent it to Andrew and his team at AutolinkUK. Their website is www.autolinkuk.co.uk . Autolink is based in deep hampshire countryside just north of Southampton. I would recommend them if you are looking for parts for you mx5, mechanical and servicing work or even if you want to get a car imported from Japan. They have a wealth of experience when it comes to working on mx5s and for this reason I felt it was the best place to send the Corns car to get a number of parts brought up to scratch. The work done included, fitment of the tougher 1.8 torsen LSD, fitment of a 5 speed box from a MK2 mx5, new 1.8 clutch mated to a light weight flywheel (already one the car!!), new radiator, new thermostat, new water pump, camblet change, new passenger side window regulator (now it works nicely) while some niggly jobs light fitting a new Momo team 300mm steering wheel. I guess the big question was did the upgrades make a difference? Certainly it now has a lot tighter gearbox, which feels alot fresher while the diff now no longer whines and pick up with the new clutch, etc all seems good.
T- House Clubman GT Front Bumper, Trap Lip, Shorty Rear Bumper
Towards the end of 2010 I have made some further changes to the car. I have always liked the retro look of MK1 MX5s and the Corns tuned car has moved more this way. I bought and got fitted a rare Clubman GT Front Bumper and also a shorty rear bumper. On its way from Japan is a Trap Front Lip, which will complete the look. Also done earlier in the the year where the slashed front wings similar to some of the eunos roadsters in Japan, which I like.
Winter 2010
For the winter it is unlikely the car will see much work done and instead will be parked up, etc to avoid the cold weather. Items I would like to do is to get a full set of carbon recaro seats or a set of brides. I did get some mazdaspeed seats for the car but with the roll bar they would not fit in and give me enough leg room. With the more retro look of the car I will also try the SSR MK1s back on the car to see what wheels look best.
The Corns Eunos Roadster Returns Home End of 2012!
Well although the rest of thread does not show it. I sold this car towards the end of 2011 to fund a ongoing project to create a RE Amemiya Wide Arch RX7. I regretted selling the car and had a gentlemans agreement that the new owner would give me first option to buy it back should he sell it. Luckily for me the new owner honoured this agreement and in late 2012 I bought this car back. In its year away the modifications remained the same but good work was done on engine tuning, chassis bracing, full set of kelvar recaro's, etc. Also by this point the Watanabe Wheels had been sold and the car now resides back on the SSR MK1s!