Irony of fate. Having one of the most driving oriented cars in my garage, the Mazda MX-5 , at a time when confinement is mandatory.
I confess that in order not to fall into temptation, I anticipated the return. I delivered it before this weekend started, if I didn't feel like driving louder. This at a time when other values are imposed. And it was precisely on the way to another delivery — and delivering a Mazda MX-5 is always a less happy moment than its lifting — that I started to think about the importance of what was happening.
the importance of driving
Someone once said that “life is too short to drive boring cars”. The name of the author of the sentence has since been lost, but the sentence has not.
In fact it's true. Life is too short to drive boring cars. Even more so at a time when the possibilities to do so are increasingly scarce. I remember that, by now, it is almost a year since these limitations on our freedom of movement began.
I am 35 years old and throughout my adult life I always took it for granted that when I wanted to drive I could do so. Get your car keys, leave the house and go wherever you want. Or even leaving home not knowing where to go! It does not matter. This is the kind of freedom the car has to offer us: total freedom.
The Mazda MX-5 Secret
The Mazda MX-5 was originally launched in 1989. However, more than two decades have passed, the world has changed (a lot), and the formula for the small Japanese roadster remains as current as ever.
The Mazda MX-5 remains a bastion of freedom and driving pleasure.
I offer a reason for this: simplicity. In an increasingly complex and intricate world, Mazda continues to bet on an uncomplicated car. Two seats, manual top, manual gearbox, atmospheric engine, rear-wheel drive and half a dozen other things we haven't given up on (air conditioning, central locking, infotainment system, etc.).
This simplicity is rooted in a key feature for the MX-5's success: you don't need a driving course to catch your eye. All it takes is a little patience and some daring. Or is not even necessary. Even slowly and with the top down, you can enjoy the freedom of driving in the open.
In other words, the Mazda MX-5 is a concentrate of everything the car stands for: freedom. And luckily the Mazda MX-5 is not unique in the automotive industry. This has been an industry that has managed to stoically withstand all the attacks that have been directed at it in recent years.
Attacking the car is attacking our freedom. But we can rest easy. While brands like Mazda celebrate the importance of driving with special models like this Mazda MX-5 — and which marks the Japanese brand's 100th anniversary — we are sure that in the future there will be a place on our roads for the pleasure of driving and traveling.
When this is over, let's take a walk. Combined?