As if the idea of buying a brand new Mazda Miata in 1990 and putting just 1,500 miles (2,400 km) on the clock in the following 32 years isn’t weird enough, imagine doing every one of those 1,500 miles with the roof up.
Crazy as that scenario sounds, it appears to be true for an incredible time-capsule Miata that’s the subject of a comprehensive detail job by Ammo NYC on YouTube. And if you think there wouldn’t much point in detailing a 1,500 miles car, just wail til you see the finished result.
The car is being prepped for sale by the executors of the estate of the late owner, the same guy who’d bough it back in 1990. And at the start of the video it already looks fantastic. As you’d expect given the mileage, the bodywork is rust-free, the upholstery is perfect, and it looks exactly as it would have done the day it arrived on the boat from Japan aside from rear arch spats and the front and rear spoilers which were available from Mazda dealers during the early 1990s.
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Lending credence to the claim that the hood has never been down, the canvas top looks immaculate, and the under-hood area and floor also looks beautifully preserved. But as Ammo’s Larry Kosilla points out, the exterior paint could still benefit from some love, and the engine bay had a light build up of grime that just took the edge off that as-new perception.
However, after a full coating of foam, and several hours of careful brushing, rinsing and polishing, the Miata really does look like a million bucks. And though it won’t make quite that amount of money when it’s eventually offered for sale, NA Miatas have become very collectable and you can bet that the next custodian will have to pay handsomely to take this genuine one-owner, 1,500-mile car home.
Kosilla makes an interesting point that the job of detailing a car like this is actually harder than it looks. Because while it was already in excellent condition the expectations are much higher with these kind of ultra-low-mileage cars, and it’s much more difficult to make big improvements on an already tidy car than on a scruffy barn-find.
What would you pay to get your hands on this box-fresh Mazda?
