I have a 2006 Mazda MX-5 (Miata) that I drive mainly on weekends when the weather is nice. I bought the car from a
fellow my age who was marrying a younger woman with two small kids. He needed a more family friendly vehicle. He had had the car 9 months, and he was grieving about selling it. I gave him $19,000 for a car that listed for $27,000 before his hormones kicked in. It is the top trim line for this car, the Grand Touring edition. Hang on, hang on…. I have a reason for relating all of this and it is not bragging.
To give you an idea of the performance of this vehicle I quote from Car and Driver’s road test:
“First, this new model is the fastest ever Miata-we know, we know, Mazda wants to forget about that name. It scoots to 60 mph in 6.5 seconds, continues through the quarter in 15 seconds flat at 91 mph, and doesn’t stop accelerating until it hits 131 mph. With the exception of the 91-mph trap speed, which was equaled by the turbocharged last-generation Mazdaspeed model, each of those figures sets a record for showroom MX-5s. And this performance is hugely faster than that of the original 1990 model, which needed 16.8 seconds to cover the quarter-mile and topped out at 116 mph.”
It is not a muscle car, but a whole lot of fun to drive. It will hit 80 or 85 mph in 3rd gear (it has a 6 speed) before the car’s computer calls me stupid by shutting down the fuel flow before I blow a gasket. I’ve hit a 100 mph just because I was not paying attention. Fastest I ever had it was around 115 on the Oklahoma Turnpike late at night, but then part of me began to worry about the traffic ticket or worse. It has 150 on the speedometer, and I bet it will get close. Ask Robin how it handles in the curves. You will just see a big smile on her face. Hang on, hang on…. I have a reason for relating all of this and it is not bragging.
Sunday afternoon I leave the house to go hit twilight rates at my favorite golf course across the river in Illinois. As part of that exercise I need to make a right turn on the frontage road that leads to the Interstate. The on ramp is about a quarter mile or so down the frontage road. I have a yield sign that I roll up to glancing to my left. There are two lanes that turn left onto frontage. Typically the cars in the left lane go to the Interstate and the cars to right take another branch down into suburbia.
There is a white car in the left lane and a yellow car in the right. The light has just changed and the cars are just beginning to roll. Being very familiar with this exchange I know that I have more than enough time if I just proceed at a normal pace, but out of excessive politeness I goose it a little to ensure I am not in their way. As I do so I move over to the left lane of the one-way frontage road so I can enter the Interstate. I then notice that the yellow car is nearing at a much quicker pace than I anticipated. I speed up some, and as I do the vehicle switches from the right lane to left so that it is coming up behind me very quickly. I speed up some more. By this time I need to merge into traffic and I am paying more attention to what is in front of me and beside me than what is behind me. I merge, look in the mirror and the yellow car’s front end has disappeared as it is so close to my rear. I am fast approaching the back of a semi so I switch lanes. As I do so I look at the speedometer and I am doing a little better than 80. The speed limit on this heavily patrolled portion of road is 60 mph. The yellow car is still there. I can see in my mirror the grey hair of what looks like a middle-aged man. We rock along like this for a bit, and then he decides to pass me. He cuts in front of me so close I was worried about his back end clipping me. He then gooses it two or three times before deciding to exit the Interstate at much above the posted speed.
I am aware that there are very expensive sports cars out there, but outside of Porsches I really do not pay attention to them. The best I can figure from browsing da’ net the yellow car was a Ferrari 458 or possible a Ferrari F12Berlinetta. Both vehicles are way out of my zip code. The first car lists for $250,000 depending on how it is equipped. The second lists for $316,000. The 458 will go from 0 to 60 in 3.3 seconds with a top speed of 201 mph. The F12Berlinetta hits 60 mph from a standstill in 3.6 seconds and runs the quarter mile in 11.3 seconds at a screaming 131.7 mph. I refer you back to my MX-5 which takes a whopping 6.5 seconds to hit 60 mph.
Okay we have set the stage. You are driving a car that costs at least 10 times what my vehicle went for brand new. You unquestionably know that your car is at least twice as fast out of the gate as mine. You unquestionably know that your top speed is 50, 60 or 70 mph higher than mine. When I looked in the mirror I was expecting to see a teenager or possibly an overly testosteroned ball player from one of the three professional sports teams we have in St. Louis. What I saw instead was a middle-aged man who obviously had a huge pile of disposable income. I am not sure why you would show your ass to a little ole Mazda. Maybe you should take a lesson from those Corvette drivers who meander down the road about 10 or 15 miles below the limit knowing all the time they could smoke you 10 ways to Sunday.
Get a grip Dude!