1995 Eunos Roadster - Four Months on Yahoo Japan and a Build Worth Every Minute

1995 Eunos Roadster Owner: Jay Wongsomnoek | @akana_kuronb Photography: Marvin Recinos | @mr2mivin

From Thailand to the Canyons of California

Jay Wongsomnoek grew up in Thailand with car toys scattered across every surface and a fascination with anything on four wheels that started before he could properly explain it. He was twelve when he first learned to drive. By his teens he was already deep enough into the scene to be running an E30 BMW with an SR20DET engine swap, a Skyline diff, and Skyline brakes underneath. Not exactly a subtle introduction to car culture.

Life moved on, the builds paused, and it wasn't until a 2007 Subaru WRX came and went - problems and all - that the itch came back properly. What followed was a sequence of events that feels almost inevitable in hindsight. First an NB Miata, then a 1991 NA in Silverstone Silver that Jay picked up as a daily driver for work. He put a couple of years on it, drove it every day, loved every minute of it.

The Miata had stuck.

"I think the Miata has stuck with me. I got an NB first and it's all great, but the feeling I got from the NA is not really the same when I drive the NB."

The Car That Started It All

Driving that silver 1991 NA to work and back every day wasn't glamorous, but it was the thing that locked in the direction. The lightweight chassis, the low seating position, the way it responds to every input - there's nothing quite like an NA Miata for putting you back in touch with why driving is actually enjoyable. Once you've felt it, everything else feels slightly padded by comparison.

When Jay sold the NB and started hunting for a proper NA Miata to build, it didn't take long to find the one. He stumbled across a 1995 Eunos Roadster - the Japanese domestic market variant of the NA, built with slightly different trim and badging details that make it a more interesting base for a JDM-flavoured build. His original intention was to leave it mostly alone.

Then he saw the car that changed everything.

"I accidentally saw @Tumi_cnx's old NA and fell in love instantly. So I started gathering parts for the Eunos."

One glance at someone else's vision was all it took. The sourcing began immediately.

Four Months on Yahoo Japan

What followed was four months of daily sessions on Yahoo Japan Auctions, hunting down specific parts for a build that was already fully formed in Jay's head. If you've ever spent time sourcing JDM parts from Japanese auction sites, you'll know the patience it requires - the time zone difference, the proxy services, the listings that disappear before you can act on them, the ones that arrive and don't quite match the description. Four months of that, every single day, to build a parts list for a car that wasn't going to compromise.

Once the parts were in place, Jay needed the right person to pull it all together. He found @hermes.performance, and the conversation that followed shaped the final direction of the build.

"I saw Hermes Performance and right away I knew I would have him paint it. We talked and shared my inspiration and he suggested a lot of the styling on the car. The result is what you're seeing here."

That collaboration between a clear owner vision and a builder who could both execute and contribute ideas is usually where the best builds come from. The result here proves that point.

@heartbeat.la handled the mechanical side, maintaining and tuning the car into what Jay describes as an excellent runner. The Eunos doesn't make headline power figures - it's stock under the bonnet in terms of the fundamentals - but a properly set up NA is a completely different thing to drive compared to one that hasn't been looked after, and Heartbeat LA clearly know their way around these cars.

The Exterior - A JDM Parts List Worth Studying

This is where the Yahoo Japan sessions pay off visibly. The exterior parts list on this Eunos Roadster reads like a study in period-correct Japanese aftermarket, sourced from names that the NA community will recognise immediately and that casual observers won't, which is exactly the point.

The nose is led by an S2 Racing 01-Kai front bumper - a clean, period piece that suits the NA's proportions without trying to modernise them. Cibié iodé 40 fog lights sit in place, a nod to classic rally-car specification that fits the Eunos character perfectly. The turn signal intakes are Jetstream units, and the fender flares are from Jubiride - wider than standard, but shaped to feel like they grew there rather than being bolted on as an afterthought.

Side details include Zoom Engineering turn signals and Zoom Engineering mirrors - both small touches, both exactly right. The Mazda NB J-Spec optional spoiler sits at the rear, a factory option that's hard to find and even harder to fit properly. Tail light treatment uses Mazda Porter units with a Daihatsu Midget II reverse lamp - the kind of cross-model sourcing that only happens when someone really knows the JDM parts world inside out.

Badging is all JDM - Eunos badge, Roadster badge, with a Zoom Engineering fuel lid and Zoom Engineering tombstone in the mix. The rear panels are Garage Vary items. Rear lips come from the Miata R Package. Every piece has been chosen, not just fitted.

The suspension is Tein Flex Z coilovers front and rear, with Carbing three-point front strut bar and Carbing rear strut bar adding chassis rigidity. The exhaust is a Racing Beat system - still the definitive choice for NA Miata exhaust after all these years, and on these cars the sound it produces is a genuine part of the driving experience.

Wheels are Watanabe 15x8 at zero offset - a classic eight-spoke design that has been correct on Japanese sports cars since the 1970s and still looks exactly right on an NA. They're wrapped in Toyo R888 rubber at 225/50/15, which is a serious tyre choice for a road car and says something about how Jay actually uses this thing.

The Interior - Gauges, Details, and Everything in Its Place

Step inside the Eunos Roadster and the level of thought that went into the exterior continues without interruption. This is not a stripped-out track interior. It's a fully considered cabin built around period-correct Japanese accessories and driver-focused instrumentation.

The gauge setup is the centrepiece. RS Type M2 clusters replace the standard dials, and a bank of Omori 52mm supplementary gauges covers voltmeter, oil pressure, oil temperature, water temperature, and vacuum. A Smith's Clock sits alongside, as correct here as it would be on a classic British sports car. The gauge pods are Revlimiter RHD units - correct side, properly fitted.

Cabin details include Yorozuya air vent balls and Art Work Dewa air vent rings, a Zoom Engineering centre console and push start, and a Revlimiter window switch. The steering wheel is a Momo Formula 1 D-type - a short-reach wheel that transforms how connected the car feels through your hands. Gear selection goes through a Nielex Prospec joystick shifter paired with a Nielex ball-type shift knob. The RS Products Classic Switch Version RS-B and Dcuatro Twin Wave Bar complete a cabin that rewards closer inspection every time you sit in it.

Under the Bonnet

The engine remains stock in its fundamentals, and on a well-sorted NA that's not a limitation - it's a choice. The 1.6 in these cars makes modest power but it's naturally balanced, free-revving, and matched perfectly to the weight of the car. Jay has plans for Maruha itbs down the line, which will change the character considerably, but for now the focus has been on presentation and breathing.

The valve cover has been painted red by Charlie Moua - a clean contrast against the engine bay. A Maruha carbon cam gear cover and Maruha camgear exhaust gears sit alongside a Carbing three-point front strut bar and Carbing rear strut bar. An ARC intake chamber, Garuda see-through oil cap, and HKS cold air intake round out the engine bay work.

Engine

• B6-ZE engine - stock internals
• Valve cover painted red by Charlie Moua
• Maruha carbon cam gear cover
• Maruha camgear 2 exhaust gears
• ARC intake chamber
• HKS cold air intake
• Garuda see-through oil cap
• Carbing 3-point front strut bar
• Carbing rear strut bar

Exterior

• S2 Racing 01-Kai front bumper
• Jubiride fender flares
• Cibié iodé 40 fog lights
• Jetstream turn signal intakes
• Zoom Engineering side turn signals
• Zoom Engineering side mirrors
• Zoom Engineering fuel lid
• Zoom Engineering tombstone
• JDM Eunos badge
• JDM Roadster badge
• Mazda NB J-Spec optional spoiler
• Garage Vary rear panels
• Mazda Porter rear tail lights
• Daihatsu Midget II reverse lamp
• Miata R Package rear lips

Suspension and Wheels

• Tein Flex Z coilovers
• Carbing 3-point front strut bar
• Carbing rear strut bar
• Watanabe 15x8 zero offset wheels
• Toyo R888 225/50/15 tyres
• Racing Beat exhaust

Interior

• RS Type M2 gauge clusters
• Omori 52mm gauges: voltmeter, oil pressure, oil temp, water temp, vacuum
• Smith's Clock
• Revlimiter gauge pods RHD
• Revlimiter window switch
• Zoom Engineering Monaco rear view mirror
• Zoom Engineering centre console
• Zoom Engineering push start
• Yorozuya air vent balls
• Art Work Dewa air vent rings
• Momo Formula 1 D-type steering wheel
• Nielex Prospec joystick shifter
• Nielex ball-type shift knob
• RS Products Classic Switch Version RS-B
• Dcuatro Twin Wave Bar

What It Is to Drive It

Jay's words on this are the simplest and the most honest.

"Driving it is always a joy. I love taking it for a drive up the canyon or PCH. Absolute blast every time."

That's what a 1995 Eunos Roadster built right should feel like. The canyons above Los Angeles or a run down the Pacific Coast Highway with the roof down, a properly set up NA underneath you, Toyo R888s finding the road, Racing Beat note coming back off the scenery. There aren't many better ways to spend an afternoon.

"It's unique because I built it for me. The styling and the parts I have for this car, I picked each and every single piece myself."

That shows. This is a build that doesn't look like it was assembled from a popular parts list or built to impress a judge. It looks like someone who knew exactly what they wanted spent four months tracking down every single piece and then trusted the right people to put it together.

Future plans include a Maruha exhaust and OER individual throttle bodies - both of which will take the character of the engine in a very different direction. For now though, the Eunos is exactly where Jay wants it.

Enjoyed this build? Check out more carefully built Japanese classics and sports cars over at Stance Auto Magazine Featured, including the 1970 Datsun 240Z by California Datsun and the 1978 Honda Civic CVCC sleeper build.