Mazda Eunos 1.8 VR-Ltd 1996
The VR-Ltd is another of my favourite Eunos limited editions, simply because the specification and colour scheme is so nice. This Eunos 1.8 VR-Ltd Combination B was produced in a limited run of just 800 cars, finished in Excellent Green Metallic with black leather seats, lightened flywheel, later ECU, Bilstein suspension, extra chassis bracing and a Torsen lsd with shorter dif ratios. As result they are brilliant to drive and this particular car drives really, really well, despite having covered of the best Eunos I have driven for a while, despite having covered 136,000 miles.
Registered in Japan in 1997, it had been owned by a local lady since 2015. I then bought it and sold it on to a chap in Edinburgh who has owned it for the last 3 years. I have now bought it back and have just gone carried out a whole pile of jobs so that I can ensure that someone can enjoy this one again for many more years. The bodywork, both the bits you can see and the bits you can’t, are all in good sound condition with no rust in the usual places: wings, sills, wheel arches etc. Its just had some minor sill repairs and bodywork is very good indeed. The paintwork is smart and presentable though not perfect with the odd stone chip here and there but no dents or bad scratches. Its a very good looking car, helped by the black mohair soft top. It has its original 15” Enkei alloy wheels fitted with a set of new-ish matching tyres.
Inside, the black leather seats show some signs of age (quite a few creases) but no bad wear or splits. I have just treated these again with leather balm which has restored some suppleness to the leather. It has its original leather-rimmed Momo steering wheel along with a matching chrome Momo gear knob. A decent Sony stereo CD player is fitted complete with headrest speakers (great when you’re driving with the top down). everything - except the air conditioning - seems to work as it should. Door locks and electric windows have been cleaned and lubricated.
Mechanically, its in quite standard condition and is all the better for that. The engine feels incredibly strong – much quicker than most MX5s I get to drive – with lovely torque. In fact it will pull from 1000rpm in fifth gear and sit happily at motorway+ speeds all day long. I have just completed a huge list of jobs that needed attending to: these included a replacement front crank oil seal, new cam belt and tensioners, new water pump, new auxiliary belts, a coolant change, new spark plugs, new oil and filter and air filter, new CAS 'O' ring seal, timing advanced to 14 degrees and its just had a new MOT, valid to May 2026. There are no oil leaks or odd noises and its just brilliant to drive. I have driven many Mazdas with substantially less miles that are nowhere near as nice to drive as this one. The gearbox and clutch are just right as are the brakes. One area that is about to receive attention is suspension: this still has its original Bilstein shock absorbers and springs and while its OK, it feels a bit tired and is quite harsh. I'm about to replace the lot with suspension from a Mk2, slightly modified so it sits at the correct height and I know from experience, this will give the car a much better ride quality while retaining its ability to handle like a good MX5 should.
I should also mention that the photos here are those I took when I sold the car last time round in 2022 but it looks exactly the same now. I will of course update these with more recent ones as soon as the car is ready.
There is a good collection of paperwork including lots of old MOT certificates, tax discs, receipts and it has the original owners handbook (handily in Japanese). Any prospective buyer needs to drive this one to see how a good a decent Eunos can be. Price is £5000.
STATUS: Available Now and a deposit secures it.
Registered in Japan in 1997, it had been owned by a local lady since 2015. I then bought it and sold it on to a chap in Edinburgh who has owned it for the last 3 years. I have now bought it back and have just gone carried out a whole pile of jobs so that I can ensure that someone can enjoy this one again for many more years. The bodywork, both the bits you can see and the bits you can’t, are all in good sound condition with no rust in the usual places: wings, sills, wheel arches etc. Its just had some minor sill repairs and bodywork is very good indeed. The paintwork is smart and presentable though not perfect with the odd stone chip here and there but no dents or bad scratches. Its a very good looking car, helped by the black mohair soft top. It has its original 15” Enkei alloy wheels fitted with a set of new-ish matching tyres.
Inside, the black leather seats show some signs of age (quite a few creases) but no bad wear or splits. I have just treated these again with leather balm which has restored some suppleness to the leather. It has its original leather-rimmed Momo steering wheel along with a matching chrome Momo gear knob. A decent Sony stereo CD player is fitted complete with headrest speakers (great when you’re driving with the top down). everything - except the air conditioning - seems to work as it should. Door locks and electric windows have been cleaned and lubricated.
Mechanically, its in quite standard condition and is all the better for that. The engine feels incredibly strong – much quicker than most MX5s I get to drive – with lovely torque. In fact it will pull from 1000rpm in fifth gear and sit happily at motorway+ speeds all day long. I have just completed a huge list of jobs that needed attending to: these included a replacement front crank oil seal, new cam belt and tensioners, new water pump, new auxiliary belts, a coolant change, new spark plugs, new oil and filter and air filter, new CAS 'O' ring seal, timing advanced to 14 degrees and its just had a new MOT, valid to May 2026. There are no oil leaks or odd noises and its just brilliant to drive. I have driven many Mazdas with substantially less miles that are nowhere near as nice to drive as this one. The gearbox and clutch are just right as are the brakes. One area that is about to receive attention is suspension: this still has its original Bilstein shock absorbers and springs and while its OK, it feels a bit tired and is quite harsh. I'm about to replace the lot with suspension from a Mk2, slightly modified so it sits at the correct height and I know from experience, this will give the car a much better ride quality while retaining its ability to handle like a good MX5 should.
I should also mention that the photos here are those I took when I sold the car last time round in 2022 but it looks exactly the same now. I will of course update these with more recent ones as soon as the car is ready.
There is a good collection of paperwork including lots of old MOT certificates, tax discs, receipts and it has the original owners handbook (handily in Japanese). Any prospective buyer needs to drive this one to see how a good a decent Eunos can be. Price is £5000.
STATUS: Available Now and a deposit secures it.
