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Did you get your Mazda MX-5 RF invitation?

22 August, 2016

 

That’s right Miata fans, if you want one of the awesome-looking Mazda MX-5 Retractable Fastbacks (RF), you’re going to need to be on Mazda’s emailing list. Mazda displayed the RF-model MX-5 at various auto shows as a concept, and, as it received a great deal of praise, they’ve decided to produce 1000 of them to test the waters — but they’re only being offered to those ‘worthy’ of the ownership. 

For me, the RF model was the styling revamp that the MX-5 needed. I don’t like soft-tops, and the styling of the later MX-5s aren’t what I’d call ‘manly’. With the addition of the fastback, the MX-5 now has a new road presence worth talking about. With a lower ride height and a set of aggressive wheels, the MX-5 could out ‘manly’ a few muscle cars.

The RF will be offered in both a manual and automatic transmission. Still, the factory 1.5-litre and two-litre variants don’t produce any power worth mentioning. The RF model will only come in the Machine Gray with a black roof panel colour, as seen here in the images, and will feature Auburn Nappa leather on the inside. 

More to the point

6 March, 2026

This Daimler SP252 is so rare, few people know it exists. It’s one of a kind. It’s the only surviving, in fact the only SP252 ever completed; the would-be successor to the SP250 Daimler Dart. It is also the last sports car to have been designed by Jaguar’s legendary founder, Sir William Lyons.
Perhaps one of the original Dart’s biggest problems was it’s somewhat-divisive looks. It certainly went well enough to win fans, although Sir William wasn’t among them. It crushed the opposition in the Bathurst six-hour race, finishing five laps ahead of anyone else, and it was snapped up by police forces in Britain, Australia, and New Zealand, as it was the fastest thing on the road.
So you’d think a stunning new body with the magic Lyons touch would have been a surefire success. Why this car never made it into production is still something of a mystery, as the official explanations barely stack up.

Polishing to perfection

26 February, 2026

The secret to a show-stopping finish is colour sanding, no matter which paint system you use. Even a good painter, no matter how experienced or talented — like my mate Bruce Haye, CEO at Ace Panel and Paint in Whitianga — can’t shoot to a perfect mirror finish. To get that level of perfection, you need to colour sand.
It used to be called ‘rubbing out’ or ‘cutting’, and it was done with pastes that came in cans. They worked — sort of — but the compounds really just rounded off imperfections instead of eliminating them, and they removed a lot of paint in the process. But now your new finish can be made flawless, thanks to microfine sandpapers that come in 1000, 1500, 2000, and even 2500 grit ranges, and Farecla G3 polish — available from automotive paint suppliers.