TAKAO KIJIMA was a happy man that night in early 2010. He and I were talking at dinner, the evening before a race at Italy’s Adria circuit for a large posse of journalists from all over the world. We were to race stripped-out Mk3 Mazda MX-5s and he, in charge of the whole development programme for the Mk3, was to be racing among the journalists. Two decades earlier, he had directed the dynamics of the original MX-5 and designed its supremely entertaining suspension.
Why was he happy? Because the first MX-5 had done just what he had hoped it would do. ‘When we created that car,’ he said, ‘we wanted it to be a car that people would want to restore in 20 years’ time. And that is exactly what has…
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Octane (Digital) - 1 Issue, October 1, 2015