Mazda MX-5 Le Mans Edition for sale
Just 24 examples of the turbocharged homage car were produced. Here's one we tried earlier...
PH has some history with this car. Not only have we featured it as a spotted before, but Dan T actually drove it back in the day (anything over ten years ago qualifies as the ‘day’, right?) for a PH Heroes feature. Whether or not the Le Mans Edition actually qualifies as a legitimate hero in the driving is probably a moot point - because, conceptually at least, it was surely right on the money.
For one thing, it was built to celebrate Mazda’s victory at Circuit de la Sarthe back in 1991, which is significant for a number of reasons. Yes, it was Mazda’s first win, but, more importantly, it was the first overall victory ever earned by a Japanese manufacturer at the world’s most renowned endurance race. There was also the manner of its triumph, coming as it did in the unfavored 787B with its 2.6-litre Wankel engine.
Fatefully, car No.55 was also made famous by its extravagant paint job, a marketing twist for a long-term sponsor of the team. It is that colour scheme which supplies the Le Mans Edition’s primary differentiator - one so noticeable that five buyers are said to have baulked at the prospect, and had their car resprayed a single shade.
Which brings us to exclusivity. As Dan noted in 2011, the model was always conceived as a collector’s item. Not only were there only ever going to be 24 examples - a infinitesimal speck in the NA’s long and hyper-successful production run - but unlike so many ‘special edition’ MX-5s, the Le Mans had the mechanical modifications necessary to distinguish it from standard.
Chief among them was the installation of an already popular BBR turbo kit, which increased power from 114hp to around 150hp - less than might’ve been extracted, but ideal for reliability and well-suited to the NA’s elfin kerbweight. Moreover, the low-pressure arrangement delivered 54lb ft in additional peak torque, which had a predictably enlivening effect on the car’s usability, not to mention its 0-60mph time, which dropped to a spritely 6.8 seconds. Elsewhere you got Tokico springs and dampers, OZ wheels and a host of other bespoke trim details to go with a certificate of authenticity signed by Johnny Herbert himself - the man unable to make the Le Mans podium back in ’91, thanks to exhaustion.
None of this came cheap at the time (it originally commanded a £5k premium) and, thanks to the wider market over 30 years later, not much has changed. Despite 91k and what would appear to be a significant period away from the road, it’s currently up for £24,995. Optimistic perhaps, given the NA’s wider reputation for affordability, but with just eight examples of the Le Mans currently licensed, there’s little chance of ever running into another one. Or having nothing to talk about when people want to discuss it.
I love the MK1 MX5 and I’m sure their values will go up and up. I’m a sucker for pop up headlights.
I’m not that keen on the colour scheme. My ideal would be a Sage green metallic for the body and a candy red leather interior. Sage green seatbelts and a black leather Momo wheel.
Which I guess means this particular car isn’t for me 😉
Forums | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff