It is not very often the roof comes off the Craigslist Miata to reveal the NA’s nature as a real roadster. Originally this top was bought because the original soft top came with the rare USDM drop-down “flow-through” rear glass, and it was full of holes. The car once wore a very fashionable shower cap, but a strong rainy season and an extended trip out of town meant that something had to be done. The only other time the roof came off was when the rollbar went in.
The roof accentuates the Miata’s lines, and that rear wraparound DLO is such an aesthetic improvement over the standard smaller rear window. The roof also acts to tie the chassis together, not saying that it adds considerable stiffness, but it nearly eliminates that pesky cowl shake when potholes jump out in front of you. However, the sun is shining and the weather reports show no signs of rain today, so let’s go for a drive.
As it turns out; that drive was up, down and around Angeles Crest as well as traversing one of the Tujungas. It was a nice sunny day on the more scenic side of California’s Route 2, and that is where the obstructions began. Cars were slowly creeping along the shoulder and slamming on the brakes in hopes of finding a place to park and let the family spend some time out of the house. However, once we passed the masses some fun was had with an EG hatch kept coming across a pair of classic 911s and even had a GT-R chasing me for a bit. As you can from the front wheels caked in brake dust.
