‘R166 OEH’ is a bit unusual in that it started life as a UK-spec Mazda MX-5 and has been converted to a Japan-market Eunos Roadster.

You see, the seller loves the JDM look, which led him to buy a green Eunos with a tan interior.

Sadly, this turned out to be a bit of a dog and rather than invest a five-figure sum in restoring it and then owning a restored five-figure dog, he talked to The MX-5 Restorer who just happened to have their eye on a rather nice UK-spec MX-5 that was painted in the same shade of green.

A plan was hatched and money changed hands to execute it – and it was a LOT of money as it involved far more than just swapping the interior: As an enthusiast the seller knows the MX-5’s weaknesses better than most, so he paid to have it stripped down and have what little rust there was cut out and new metal welded in.

The photos online show how limited the corrosion was, but part of his cunning plan was to completely replace the chassis rails with 3mm thick steel versions fr...