Mazda's new MX-5 joins the club

To those with a passion for their vehicle, car clubs seem like a natural fit. To the uninitiated, however, they're a little more than a strange group of people who all drive the same car and talk in code.

I've been in a few clubs myself over the years, and know what to expect. I've also long understood the enthusiasm for a particular arrangement of metal, glass and rubber – and how much it can form a part of your life – and therefore appreciate what it means to be a 'car club guy'.

Joining the MX-5 Club of Victoria & Tasmania as a guest last weekend, I had the opportunity to not only rekindle that connection with like-minded people, but to also see how they welcome a newcomer to the fold. No, I'm not talking about myself in the third person. I'm referring to the new ND-series MX-5 – the first new roadster from Mazda in a decade, and a return to form from the bloated, overpriced NC-series that preceded it.

And rather than listen to me wax lyrical with another vividly flattering review of a little car that, quite frankly, deserves the praise heaped upon it. We thought we'd hear from some club members about what makes the 'world's most popular roadster' so special.

The guys and girls we interviewed spoke of an enthusiasm that extends as much to their car as the people that drive it. We spoke to a guy who met his wife through the club, to a 25-year veteran, and to a couple who currently owned no fewer than four MX-5s. We also found a 'newbie' of the group, a kid whose second car delivered on its promise of being fun to drive, and that had drawn him into the 'car club world' with the promise of comradeship... and perhaps a little track time.

"I think it's a bit of freedom of expression,” said Murray Finlay, an MX-5 owner since 1989. “A lot of people, like me, are getting to the other end of the ball game and it's just great to be able to get out and enjoy a bit of time on the road – and time on your own – it's just fabulous.”

We asked Finlay what particular element of the MX-5 it was that drew people to it in such impressive numbers. Was it the price, the drive, the image, or the feeling on the wind in your hair?

"Predominantly, it's because it's so affordable; and the older it gets the more affordable it becomes," said Finlay. "I got one of the very first ones and, they weren't expensive, but they were sort of elite because they were hard to get. They're just so much fun, and give you an outlet by which to express yourself."

Finlay's late second-generation MX-5 SE was a clear favourite among his previous acquisitions, the turbocharged engine hitting the spot for club runs and track days alike.

"I've been in the club since day one, and I've got to say, my favourite is this one," said Finlay, gesturing to his mint NB-series SE. "It's got a small turbo, and it's [got] just the right amount of power for the job it's got to do. It has that extra bit of fun factor over the others."

The couple we next spoke to were also fans of the turbocharged MX-5, their red example collected only two days prior to the club meeting. Will and Coral Campbell joined the club in 1998 and say they’ve travelled the world with connections made through the club, and say that for them, the MX-5 is as much about the car as it is the people.

"We've actually got six Mazdas, but four MX-5s," said the Campbells. "The first one we brought while sitting in a coffee shop in Torquay, and that was the start of the dream. It's as much about the people you meet as the car. We've been to events in the US – there were over 250 cars at that event – the UK and we've also travelled to New Zealand."

The Campbells explained that, like Murray Finlay, the affordability of the MX-5 had made it particularly appealing, but that the array of social and motorsport events the club offered were also attractive.

"I think the fact that it's affordable is the main thing," they said. "The club promotes both the social side and the motorsport [side]. When we joined, the club had around five or six motorsport people in it, now it's around 50 or 60. When we first joined the club we participated a bit in motorsport. But the social events and the trips away are the highlight for us now."

Affordability seemed to have dictated the proportion of models on offer in the group. The Great Ocean Road was awash with second-gen NB-series MX-5s, the models clearly outnumbering NC and older NA variants. The normally-aspirated versions also clearly outnumbered the turbocharged models, including the example owned by club committee member and nine-time MX-5 owner Randy Stagno-Navarra.

"I've been in the club since 1999 and this one is number nine," said Stagno-Navarra pointing to his clean, deep green NB-series. "I think it's the best roadster you can get in terms of handling, performance and comfort, and the lifestyle, the club, the friends you meet and the opportunities I've gotten.

"I'm a massive motorsport buff and I've been able to put the car on the track – live my dreams so to speak – and it's just fun. You hop in the car, and it puts a smile on your face every single time you start it."

Stagno-Navarra, who incidentally met his lovely wife Andrea through the club, said the MX-5 made the transition from tarmac to track (and back again) with very little effort.

"It's brilliant. There's not much you've got to do it, other than things like tyres and brakes, just get out there and enjoy it. Drive it like you stole it," he laughed. "I've never had a trailer. I drive it there, change the tyre pressures, enjoy the day – do usually 40 to 50 laps – change the tyre pressures again and just drive it home, put it in the garage and she's all good. It's very affordable fun."

The MX-5 Club, though predominantly comprised of 'mature-aged' folk, also attracted its fair share of younger enthusiasts. A number of the club members wore P and even L plates to the Great Ocean Road run, including 18-year-old Spencer Leech and his original NA-series MX-5.

"I had a Subaru Outback to start off, it was a great car and it did everything, but it was just far too practical," said Leech. "The MX-5, due to its precise controls and lack of driver aids, encapsulates what I believe the pure driving experience should be, and that's why I bought it."

"Some motorkhana events are on the itinerary, but I'm just enjoying getting in it every day," he continued. "It never gets old, and I don't think it ever will."

When asked what he thought of the ND-series we'd taken along for the day, Leech looked longingly at the shining Ceramic Metallic roadster, pausing a moment before simply saying: "one day... hopefully."

And when it comes to the newest MX-5, Leech wasn't the only one keen to have one in the garage. Will and Coral Campbell said they came close to buying the latest and greatest, but were put off by the lack of storage space inside the cabin.

"I really love the shape," said Mr Campbell. "But it shows, a little, how they've cut costs; and there are small things, like the lack of a glovebox. Because we go away in the car we need all the space you can get."

Campbell said the continuation of his lineage of personalised number plates had also put a damper on the new model.

"Our other three MX-5s are labelled MX5NA, MX5NB and MX5NC – the number plates – and someone beat us to MX5ND. It might sound crazy, but that might have had an effect," he joked.

Murray Finlay was a little more optimistic, hinting that a test drive of the ND-series already had him considering the model, not least of all for its encapsulation of what made the original so great.

"I love it," beamed Finlay. "I think it's fantastic, and I think it captures the essence of the original – it takes you back to the very first days of the NA... It has that 'go-kart-with-a-stereo' ethos, and I think it'll be lots of fun."

We tend to agree.