Buying an early model Mazda MX-5 is the best and cheapest way to get yourself into a classic two-seater sportscar, according to diehard owner and enthusiast Bob Judd.
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The 64-year-old former public servant from Fraser is the proud owner of one of the more than 30 MX-5s expected to turnout for Wheels, Canberra's annual get together of ACT car clubs, on Sunday.
The little sports cars, voiced by Lindsey Collins and Elissa Knight in Disney's 2006 film Cars, have outsold every other roadster in history and were regarded as instant classics on their release 25 years ago.
This, coupled with sales approaching a million vehicles, is why they have been chosen as Wheels' 2015 feature car.
Organisers expect the event, to be held at Kings Park on the Russell side of the Kings Avenue Bridge, to attract hundreds of cars and thousands of spectators. Each club has its own show space and makes are grouped together by nationality.
Mr Judd had always been a car tragic and dreamt of owning a nifty two-seater for decades.
"But when you've got three kids and you're paying off a house a two-seater car just doesn't work," he said.
That all changed when the family grew up and moved out.
"I was originally looking at getting an MG-A [a 1950s open sportscar produced by MG]," he said. "But they are a rough little beast without any wind-up windows and very average weather protection.
"I knew there was just no way I was going to get my wife, Bricet, into it. Any drives I did would have been lonely affairs."
He had always been drawn to the MX-5 and realised its combination of modern comfort, reliability and safety with classic good looks was the answer.
"I had always thought they would be too expensive [for me]," he said. "But when I started looking I found that had changed. Today you can buy a sound project car for about $4000 and more and more people are starting to do them up."
Mr Judd spotted another enthusiast's "pride and joy" for sale at Canberra's Marques In The Park about nine years ago and snapped it up.
"The previous owner had had it for 14 years and done a lot of things I would have done anyway," he said.
The bright red machine is an NA model, the first one released which had Lotus Elan-inspired styling including pop up headlights.
He and Bricet have covered many thousands of trouble-free kilometres, including trips to Tasmania and Queensland.
"It has been totally reliable," he said. "It has done 270,000 kilometres on the original engine and is still going strong."
Entry to Wheels is by gold coin donation. Public welcome after 10am.
