Having it tucked away round the corner in a lock-up does at least mean I'm not constantly reminded that the Eunos is there begging to be driven but I'm
not allowed to
. Still, it's not been totally stationary, Mrs T and new arrival Junior T occasionally making use of the Mazda for day trips and shopping runs. It's not really ideal, though the kiddy seat does just about fit and I take pride in the fact it's getting out and about and I like the idea of the noisy and slightly uncouth Mazda taking its place in the parent and child places alongside the Range Rover Sports and MPVs.
The Eunos, lurking and awaiting a bit of a blast
A two-seat roadster isn't exactly ideal sole transport for a three-member family, admittedly, but we're surviving with occasional requisitioning of the
PH Fleet Megane
. And walking. The battle for it remaining on the family fleet is made easier by the fact, financially speaking, it's not really worth selling (my excuse - kind of inverse man maths) and I face an easier task here than
a 911 owning pal
who's soon to be a dad and facing pressure to release the funds tied up in his Porsche. First world problems and all that.
Living on an unadopted road (not half as posh as it sounds) does mean I may have, on occasion, taken the opportunity to move it round from driveway to lock-up. You know, just to warm the fluids and all that. Given that the potholes created by, and only navigable with, the Unimog belonging to some tree surgeon neighbours made this near impossible. I've been hoping the grind of metal on ground was Performance 5 chassis rails and not bodywork or sump, while nervously checking the garage floor for ominous puddles or slicks.
Goal? To get it looking like this again please
A bit of neighbourly spirit has seen the street gang together to fill in the potholes, meaning I now have 200 yards of track I can potter up and down in first gear should I so wish. And, no, it's no substitute. I'm going to have to wait for one of my MX-5 owning brothers to visit so we can take the car out and I can vicariously supervise the cobwebs being blown out to my satisfaction. Especially now that the weather is actually encouraging of taking the thing out of the lock-up.
Meanwhile I'm in the process of accumulating wheels, friend of PH James Hayward and in-house MX-5 fixer promising four Daisy 14s from which I can hopefully accumulate a matching set to have refurbed and restore the Eunos to the state it was in after its refresh at Dent Wizard. The black-painted wheels seen here include one dinged one - I actually did this on the test drive - and I've got another couple but some have additional webbing on the back of the spokes and some don't. My OCD means I want a matching set of four and once Mr Hayward gets me them I'll have them powder coated in black, source a set of Yokohamas and get them fitted to de-bling the Eunos and, hopefully, strike a balance twixt grip and slip more accommodating of its modest power output. I'm sure Mrs and Junior T will be delighted to hear this.
Fact sheet:
Car: 1993 Eunos Roadster (JDM import model)
Run by: Dan Trent
Bought: January 2011
Purchase price: £1,250
Last month at a glance: Road building and wheel building and, yes, you can fit a kiddy seat in a Eunos