Just as the entrance to Narnia was hidden in a humble wardrobe and Alice entered Wonderland through a hole under a tree, there’s no external hint of the treasures that lie within this innocuous cream-coloured warehouse in rural Victoria. 

Step through the door, however, and like in those fictional lands you’re treated to a special sight, with 13 examples of Mazda’s iconic MX-5 lined up in chronological order. All are in immaculate condition, gleaming under the bright floodlights, and all bar one are highly sought-after limited-run versions of the world’s best-selling sports car. 

Owner Alan Wilson grew up driving classic English roadsters like the MGB and Austin Healey Sprite, so when news reached his ears that Mazda was planning a new model inspired by these characterful convertibles it’s only natural his interest would be piqued.

“Wheels or one of those magazines did a story that there’s going to be a new sports car released into the world market,” he remembers. “I was driving Sprites at the time as my hobby car, so when [the story] came out, I remember at the car club meeting everyone saying ‘wow, look at this!’.” 

The MX-5 promised the lightweight, open-top driving thrills synonymous with those British roadsters of the 1960s and ’70s but built with modern production practices to ensure quality and reliability. Alan already had a relationship with Mazda, having first bought a 626 and a 929 in 1984, so he wasted no time in securing his spot before the MX-5 had even been launched. 

“Because I had an association with my local Mazda dealership, I went and put an order in and the only way you could get one in those days was to actually fill in an order with your salesman and pay a deposit. That order then had to be given to Mazda Australia as proof of the purchase.” Buying sight unseen was no small feat, when the MX-5's $29,550 price tag at launch is the equivalent of almost $80,000 in today’s money!  

This was in 1988 and Alan’s original car was in the very first batch to come to Australia, but such was the early demand vs supply equation the dealer asked to keep Alan’s car as a showroom demonstrator – a situation that repeated itself six times before delivery finally occurred in 1990. 

“I was one of the first members of the MX-5 Car Club,” says Alan. “That’s when the journey started. I should have kept that first one, but I got some other NAs, adding different cars, [but] it wasn’t until I got this one here that I thought ‘I might start collecting these’,” he explains, gesturing to the turbocharged NB-series SE beside him. 

This is an appropriate spot to start introducing the collection itself and Alan wanted to start at the very beginning. “I couldn’t find my old car at that point, so we went to Mazda and there’s a program in Japan where you can restore these NAs, so I said, ‘Can I get one and send it across to Japan?’.” 

Mazda replied “certainly” but there was the small issue of the hundreds of cars already in the queue to be restored. Happily, HQ had a solution. “They said to me, ‘we know where there’s one you can buy that’s only done 8000km’. He was in the car club, so I went and bought that.” 

This is the red NA6 that greets visitors as they enter the collection with an NA6 Limited Edition sitting alongside it. One of 300 cars offered in Australia, all were painted in a unique shade of Neo Green with a tan interior, colour-coded removable hard top, air conditioning, CD player, speakers in the headrests and a numbered Momo wooden gear knob. 

Next in line is a facelifted NA8 Clubman, which along with the larger 1.8-litre engine that increased outputs from 85kW/130Nm to 98kW/155Nm, added a Torsen limited-slip differential, Bilstein dampers and deleted the power steering for a true back-to-basics driver’s car. 

The second-generation NB arrived in 1997, further increasing outputs to 106kW/165Nm and adding a four-speed automatic option. To celebrate a decade of MX-5s the 10^th Anniversary was released – dubbed 10AE – using a unique blue for the paintwork, suede inserts of the leather seats and various bits of interior trim. 

Once again, a Torsen LSD and Bilstein dampers were installed along with a six-speed manual gearbox (the standard car retaining a five-speed), front suspension strut brace, 15-inch polished alloy wheels and a Nardi steering wheel and gear knob. Just 7500 were offered worldwide, owners also receiving his and hers watches, a scale model of the car and a 10AE key ring.  

A year later, the Heritage Edition appeared as the most luxurious MX-5 yet. The deep Art Vin Red Mica paintwork was teamed with a tan leather interior and soft top, Nardi wooden steering wheel and shift knob, white-faced instrument dials and the six-speed manual gearbox appeared again.  

Just 100 were made available and it’s Alan’s favourite. “I really like it,” he grins. “It’s just got that nice feel to it.” There’s a lovely symmetry between the Heritage Edition and the latest addition to Alan’s collection, the Mazda 35^th Anniversary – “I think they’ve done that deliberately”.

One of just 50 that will come to Australia, all manual soft tops, the 35^th Anniversary mimics its Heritage forebear with triple-layer Takuminaru Artisan Red paint, a beige soft top and Tan Nappa leather upholstery along with bespoke 17-inch alloys. Just when I thought that Alan’s 35^th Anniversary couldn’t get any more special,  I unearth the fact that his particular example is build number one for the world.

The NB facelift in late-2000 added variable valve timing to the 1.8-litre engine for even more performance – 113kW/181Nm – and the six-speed ’box became standard. Limited to 100 units, the Classic built upon this with Cerrion Silver paint and a blue soft stop, leather interior, six-stack CD player, 16-inch alloys in a unique design and a two-tone steering wheel and shift knob. 

Undoubtedly a lovely car, but slightly overshadowed by the extraordinarily rare Lightning Yellow machine next to it. Only 179 Roadster Coupes were made across four variants before a factory fire stopped NB MX-5 production early, Alan’s being one of just 40 Type As. 

A base 1.6-litre was initially purchased in Japan, the only market to officially receive the Roadster Coupe, but as it was not eligible for import into Australia, Alan had to sell it on to a buyer in New Zealand. The silver lining to this cloud was the vendor who sourced the original car found the sportier Type A in a museum and a deal was negotiated.  

And so to the SE, the car that started this adventure. Bought new for Alan’s wife Deb, it’s another favourite in absolutely showroom condition, though it does beg the question: where’s the SP? The Australian-fettled turbo hot-rod would be right at home in this collection, but Alan informs me it’s a matter of finding the right car. 

“I’ve looked at a couple of SPs, but the quality of them haven’t been there. The guy I got the Heritage Edition from has got one and I’d buy his, because I know the quality, but he won’t sell it.” In other words, stay tuned. 

The third-generation NC MX-5 is represented by a Limited, the 250 offered in Australia featuring chrome windscreen, fog lamp and grille surrounds, unique 17-inch wheels, Bilstein dampers, red and black leather seats, red Maztex door trims and brushed aluminium instrument and dash panels, and the 25^th Anniversary. 

Only 40 examples were offered in Australia, Alan’s one of the 24 manuals with another 16 automatics, with chrome exhaust tips, black A-pillars, door mirrors and roof, a strut tower brace, Bilstein dampers (manual only), beige leather seats with red stitching, drilled aluminium pedals and matching his and hers watches. This example was delivered straight from the dealer and has just 20km on the odometer. 

Another highlight in a room full of highlights is the ND2 30^th Anniversary, limited to 3000 examples worldwide with only 30 of those for Australia, all manual soft tops. These were for the true enthusiast driver with everything in Mazda’s performance arsenal, including Bilstein dampers, Brembo front brakes and Rays alloy wheels along with Recaro seats to keep the occupants in place, though the searing orange paint – with matching highlights inside – is an obvious aesthetic enhancement. 

Last, but not least, the ND 100^th Anniversary – as the name suggests – celebrates the 100^th anniversary of Mazda with Snowflake White Pearl Mica paint and a burgundy interior and soft top. In total, 700 cars were brought into Australia for the centenary celebrations across Mazda’s entire range, but only 20 of those were MX-5s with half again soft tops.  

Alan’s love of cars stretches well beyond Mazda sports cars, the adjacent room holding everything from a time-warp Holden EH Special to a Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet to a Rolls-Royce Phantom, with a number of his beloved British roadsters off being restored, but it’s the MX-5s that have pride of place. 

Alan and Deb even created the ‘Miata Bar’, stocked with fine Japanese spirits, for friends to come and relax and perhaps peruse some of the memorabilia stationed around the room. The giant Mazda signs, secured by scouring EBay, give the room a feel closer to that of a museum than a mere hobby. 

Despite their condition, rarity and, in some cases, mileage, all bar the 25^th Anniversary are driven regularly – after all, that’s what the MX-5 was designed to do. “These I think are great value for any young person that wants to get into a sports car. They’re safe, they’ve got air bags, they’re reliable, there’s no drip trays under any of these, these are great cars.” 

Alan’s collection stands as a tribute to the enduring appeal of the lightweight, driver-focused roadster; after all, more than 1.25 million customers can’t be wrong.