Kit car maker Westfield Sportscars has built a new car using components from an unusable Mazda MX-5. The development team has recycled as much of the car as possible and converted it into a Westfield.
The donor car would normally have been scrapped because of decayed bodywork.
The company said: "With the reliability and the vast availability of the Mazda components, we feel that this will help us increase kit car production with in the UK. Once a market is established, we will be looking to export the kit cars to our new dealer in the USA and an established dealer in Australia as just like the UK the Mazda MX5 is a popular car. We have already received publicity in the USA for this new project and interest is high."
The project was driven by today's heightened environmental awareness. And with government publicity on recycling and new end of life vehicle regulations coming into force in January 2006, Westfield reckoned that people are more aware of the importance of doing their bit.
The company said: "By encouraging people to recycle their own cars instead of the manufacturer, this will help towards the environment and will offer a unique selling point, not just in the kit car world but will help bring the idea of recycling cars to the mainstream increasing sales. If you already have a two-seater open top sports car that is beyond repair and servicing, why not recycle it in to another two-seater open-top sports car?"
Why this model? It's based on the popular 1600 Mazda MX-5, model years 1989-1995, chosen for its wide availability and long production span. According to Westfield, bodywork on older MX-5s is now decaying beyond repair so they are becoming scrap, and is not cost-effective to replace or repair even if the running gear is in fine working order.