At the entrance of the only Mazda theme hotel in the world, there are lingering incense filled with guilt. I am confident to tell you that this uncoordinated and suffocating fragrance is by no means from my brand-new 30th anniversary edition of MX-5, which is unique in Italy.
I don't know where the fragrance came from. It may be the natural smell emitted from the oven of hillside vineyards, or it may be the by-product of local people picking truffles. After all, the central part of Perugia, Italy is famous for exporting table wine and expensive dishes, but now there is another selling point in the local area-Miataland. This hotel not only gives you a chance to steal, take away one or two mini shampoos and slippers with trademarks as souvenirs, but also get car keys and have dinner with the most wonderful Mazda sports car series in the world.
The wonderful degree of this collection series is simply obvious. At this time, there is not only a Solero Orange MX-5 30th anniversary edition in the sun in the yard, but also various Miata brothers around. Damn, I thought that with the forbidden fruit numbered 0 136 in the output of 3000 pieces (authentic Japanese tangerines at first glance), going straight to the hotel would definitely make the owner envious, but the result was empty, because Hotelier? Andrea already has a commemorative edition numbered 0268 as her birthday present. However, he was still surprised. He strode across the gravel road and walked towards it for the first time. While holding up the camera of his mobile phone to take this immortal scene, he shouted: "One is already very rare, let alone two? It's incredible! "
In the next two days, Andrea's bright smile never left her face when she greeted photographer Li and me. He is wearing a T-shirt with Miatalan trademark embroidered with real Mazda font. When he waved us over, the same badge was clearly engraved on the glass window of the mansion, showing the attention to detail.
"Why MX-5?" Andrea has told countless stories, starting with a material desire caused by the appearance of the sports car 1989. However, it was not until the middle of 1990 that Andrea got a chance to drive the MX-5. At that time, he worked in a Ford car dealership. On an ordinary and boring day, a young lady suddenly walked into the exhibition hall to buy a Ka and suggested using her MkI? MX-5 compensates part of the car price. "I drove it home. It was a wonderful moment." He even burst into tears when he recalled it. Later, in order to raise money to buy MkII, he reluctantly sold the first generation MX-5 and began to indulge in collecting this sports car. Since then, he has never sold his MX-5.
Miataland itself took more than four years to complete. The main building is a foothill villa with a history of 200 years, from which you can enjoy the magnificent valley bathed in brilliant sunshine for a long time. When it was in disrepair, the real estate agent said that the 50-foot barn next to the property was the best place to raise horses. "Then she said she had to go first, so she gave me the key and locked the door when she let me go." Andrea explained. The next day, he came to the villa and opened the door himself. He explored alone and calculated how many small Japanese two-seater sports cars could be accommodated in that stable.
The number of people staying in this hotel completely exceeds the number of vehicles. There are only six rooms in the hotel, but each room is spacious and there are many decorations that make all Miata fans smile. For example, the beds are painted in the primary colors of the first generation MX-5, and the bedstead imitates the shape of the main beam of the Miata frame, with some triangular cuts on it to reduce the weight. Of course, the office chair is also the original boutique of MX-5, and even the tilt adjusting lever is original. Want to go swimming? Please put the key card in the ceramic MX-5 with beautiful outline on the wall. This kind of decoration should give people a vulgar impression of the emperor's home, but in fact it feels inexhaustible and feels at home.
Stroll through the lobby and down the spiral staircase, where there are 28 kinds of wood from 28 countries ... sharp, but you will be so picky about it. Below the stairs is the souvenir display area. Most people hide their guilty hobbies in extra rooms or private rooms, which is a paradise for big boys and emperors. But Mr Mancini likes to share his candied fruit with you at the entrance of the hall.
At the entrance of the lobby, several display cabinets are filled with unopened alloy toys. Of course, Mazda is indispensable in this dazzling series, but Andrea still made some room for Ferrari F40 and Ford GT40. There are also many documents in other places, among which Miata printed materials produced by Mazda over the years are available in English, Italian and Japanese. "I can't understand these prints at all, but I like to look at those pictures."
Andrea also likes the steering wheel. When he showed us around the memorial hall, he recalled that he had visited Nardi's shabby factory in a back alley on the outskirts of Milan. I asked them if they could let me buy this classic wooden steering wheel for exhibition, and they said, "Come back in half an hour". Is it necessary to spend time looking for ready-made products in the storage room? It turned out not to be. That half hour was actually used to make a brand-new steering wheel. The steering wheel was still hot when I paid the bill.
Then I came to the hut. Indeed, those old boards are obviously not closely arranged, and when I walked into the room, I could see a little sunshine between them, showing a scene I had never seen before. You are greeted by rows of neat and exquisite contours, all of which are covered with a large plastic tarpaulin and firmly fixed on the front fender with magnets. Andrea took off the first magnet and put it in her pocket without our urging, and then pulled open the tarpaulin. It felt like an MX-5 chronicle was slowly unveiled, and she began to explain the debut order and rarity of these collections with actions rather than words.
At first, I thought he had a large collection of MX-5s with different quality, but I guessed wrong. It turns out that Andrea doesn't take everything, but likes to search for those rare versions. For example, there is a Japanese version of Novo with a strange body width, and there is a modified version of American MegaMonster with a 5.0-liter supercharged Ford V8. At present, the latter will only refuel with low power, but Andrea claims that 430 horsepower is enough to kill third-gear tires. Seeing him dancing when he speaks, I am inclined to believe it is true. However, these two modified MX-5s are inevitably a little grumpy, so they are no longer in service.
Then look at Pitcrew. The appearance of this old Japanese car is modeled after the classic British sports car. At first glance, it is obviously a yellow MkI, but the front is a bit like Frogeye. Sprite, nostalgic, pleasing to the eye. There is even a set to turn MX-5 into Ferrari 250? GTO's British body parts are ignited with traditional car keys. After the engine is started, it will maintain a fiery and impatient idle reaction for a period of time, and then it can be bathed in the afternoon sunshine leisurely.
M2 is next? Never heard of triplets? I really don't know. So Andrea explained the ins and outs of this combination by revealing the case point by point in the TV series. "Mazda witnessed the success of Acura and Lexus in the 1990s, so it didn't want to fall behind. The goal is not to focus on the luxury market, but to launch works with stronger performance but low output. Three hundred is enough. " Andrea rolled up another tarpaulin, folded it lovingly and put it in the suitcase.
"The first M2? MX-5 pays attention to lightness, but these magnesium alloy rims violate the street car regulations because they are fragile, but who knows that they are really so fragile? " The Italian mentality really won my heart. "Each seat weighs 4.2kg instead of the original 12kg. There is no power steering, but there are new camshafts and exhaust pipes, and there are new differentials. "
He didn't prevaricate at all during the breath. "Each car is twice as expensive as the original MX-5, in other words, the price is equivalent to the new Honda NSX!" "Despite this, Mazda still received 584 orders with a deposit of $5,000. I think if it was Ferrari, it might have made 584 cars with good advice, but Mazda kept its promise and only made 300 cars. " Finally, Mazda arranged a lucky draw, and 284 disappointed potential buyers received an apology letter from the manufacturer and a MX-5 car model in addition to recovering the deposit. Later, M2 made 184 ultra-luxury MX-5 from Yamaha piano grade wood, which was more powerful than the previous version. 1999, M2 announced a mountain closure and made a special edition of Andrea. For Miata fans, it's like the Holy Grail. It also collects all the matching packages and knives and forks, which are actually used for eating.
Andrea didn't hesitate to let the guests drive his car. Fortunately, before the American MX-5 owners' club invaded this place, TG was able to stay in this hotel in a quiet atmosphere, and only a couple of Swedish MX-5 owners' clubs might be disturbed by us. Bjorn just used Yamamoto? Signature special edition went for a ride in the mountains and opened a circle. This ND? The MX-5 signature commemorative edition was made by Mazda to thank Mr. Hiroyuki Yamamoto, the chief engineer of MX-5 (retired). There are only four cars in the world, but one here is equipped with a semi-bald tire, and the shiny black paint is covered with dust.
I suspect that it is the culprit that makes handbags smell at the entrance of the hotel. "No, it was done by an Oman guest earlier. He likes Miata very much and spent a lot of money to transport them back to his hometown, but when he came here, he remembered that he would not use a manual gearbox. " Andrea temporarily put away her bright smile, rolled her eyes and pretended to be sarcastic when explaining.
Facing the morning sunshine, I think I can confess one thing-I didn't drive the first generation MX-5, nor did the later generations. So when Andrea asked me which MX-5 I was going to try at the test site, I was really embarrassed. After thinking about it, I chose the rising sun yellow 199 1 year j? Limited? No, I'm in Granturiso? I don't know how many times it has been opened. Only Mazda is sold in the United States and Australia. Speed? NB is also the only original MX-5 with turbocharger.
This NB is one of Andrea's favorites, and it is a lesson for me to see how big the turbo lag space is. The engine didn't start until 5000 rpm, and then the boosting power suddenly failed and the speed went straight to the speed limiter-6500 rpm limit. Besides, this car is too big for me to sit on. Mirror rims (do you remember these rims? It's really the smell of 2003) and it's obviously more suitable for going for a ride in little Italy than taking the lead, so I quickly changed to NA, and I got some inspiration from it. This MX-5 has been criticized a lot, but please ask yourself, on the one hand, it is an honest convertible without driving mode, fake air intake and high-tech fancy gestures, on the other hand, it is laughed at by some sissy people. Which side do you think is more pretentious
MX-5 is one of the most successful entry points in automobile history, which has exposed many people to the peach blossom source of hood, rear drive, natural desire and excellent gear shifting. This Huang Na has run 60,000 kilometers so far, but its response is light, cheerful and naughty. When it passes through the potholes and patches on the asphalt pavement, it looks carefree. If we engage in Rambo world here, it will definitely not work. This winding, narrow road, poor vision and ups and downs is simply a paradise for MX-5.
On the way back to the base camp, I chased Andrea's 199 1 NA and drove a brand-new 30th anniversary edition. Of course, I had to play two Italian tricks in the process. This latest version has radial forged rims, Billstam shock absorbers, and Brembo brakes. It drives like a 2.0 liter MX-5. This pair of engines and the 7500-rpm genius gearbox are already big stars, so there is no further modification. The size of the new version is not much bigger. Although the steering is relatively inferior in detail, the speed of controlling the stability of the car body is twice as fast after flying to the ground, and the frame has no abnormal sound.
So this is another masterpiece of MX-5. When Mazda is under the pressure of electric SUV, it can no longer manufacture a two-seater sports car with gasoline engine and manual gearbox. You and I can at least say that there is an activation museum in the hinterland of Italy, a refuge that can provide you with the rarest Miata, provided that you can use the manual gearbox.
This article comes from car home, the author of the car manufacturer, and does not represent car home's position.