This Vintage-Inspired 1990 Mazda Miata is Seriously Special
As detail-oriented as they come
Conner GoldenWriter
No matter the budget, no matter the vision - there's a Mazda Miata for everyone. From stripped-out, hunkered-down trackday weapons to bone-stock automatic cruisers, the first-generation NA Miata is a perfect blank canvas, as Matt Farah illustrates on the newest One Take episode.
It might not look like it, but David Woolery's green coupe began life as a 1990 Mazda Miata, which he bought new in 1989. Since then, the car has been a rolling project, evolving with Woolery's vision.
As it currently sits, there's not much to cue onlookers into the Miata origins. Woolery has gone to enormous lengths to backdate the Miata, creating a stylish semi-fixed-roof fastback coupe that looks very European at first glance. Per Woolery, no surface remains untouched - even the interior is swathed in high-quality quilted leather and metal surfaces.
It's not just another pretty face. The stock 1.6-liter is now 1.7-liters, packing a large turbo kit, boosting power to a very impressive 250 hp. It's no LS swap, but it's more than enough for this 1,900 pound two-seater.
The result of this 27 year project? Something very special. Farrah claims the '89 features some of the "finest detail work you'll see this side of a Singer 911." Farrah loves it, claiming it's one of the best, most well-sorted cars he's driven in quite a while.
Check out one of the most overbuilt Mazda Miatas around in the video below.