First experience of open driving! Simply fun!

The Eunos Roadster has remained in the most original condition of all the old cars we have test-driven so far. How did the bare-bones 1.6-litre NA Roadster feel to the still teenage Rami?

“First of all, I was surprised at how light the steering was, as the old cars I had been allowed to drive were heavy steering. When I started driving, it was lighter than I had expected and left a strong first impression. I was also surprised at how comfortable the ride was. I thought it would give the impression of being more like a hard sports car, but I feel that this is a car that can be driven easily daily, or that anyone can drive it with little difficulty.”

She also experienced open drive, one of the Roadster’s distinctive points. She said that even though she had been using the NB for slide control practice, she had never driven in the open and this was her first experience of open driving.

“Open driving is simply fun! It’s a feeling I’ve never had before, so I got excited like a child. Also, at first, I didn’t know how to operate the air conditioning, so I felt cold. But once the photographer showed me how to use the heater, it was very comfortable. I could see why so many people said, “Open driving in winter is like an open-air bath!”

She ponders the evolution of the soft top

Rami was excited about her first convertible. But she also felt that there were difficulties in making it open.

“I found out later that this car is still original, so you have to open the vinyl rear screen and the top part separately. With today’s convertibles, the glass rear screen can be opened quickly and manually, but with the original NA soft top, I felt it was quite a hassle. When you think about it, soft tops have evolved too.”

It is rare to find an NA Roadster still fitted with the early vinyl rear screen. Most of them have been reupholstered and replaced with NB soft tops, or even NA soft tops with glass screens.

What would you do if you had an NA roadster as your car?

Compared to the older cars she had driven, she had the impression that the Eunos Roadster was modern and easy to drive without too much trouble, but she seemed surprised to hear that it was over 30 years old. We asked Rami, “If you had a car of your own, what would you want to do with it?”

“A comfortable ride is great, but I’d like to add dampers to give it a sharper impression! And looks are important too!”

translated by DeepL