Which has More Hype? Aston Martin DBS or Mazda MX-5?
One is a cheap, mass-produced sportscar, driven by fat middle-aged people. The other is a hand made, unaffordable supercar driven by James Bond. How can the MX-5 possibly compete on the hype stakes?
Actually, the MX-5’s Hype Resume is pretty impressive:
- Best selling sports car of all time
- Jeremy Clarkson Review: “Perfect”
- “Sports car of the Decade”
- Bulletproof reliability
- Single-handedly revived public interest in hedonistic motoring
But does the idea of the MX-5 set your pulse racing? Not nearly as much as the DBS?
This tells you ‘exclusivity’ and ‘unattainability’ are part of the nature of hype. You’ll never afford a DBS, so you’ll never have to know the pain of breakdowns when it’s hand made components eventually fall apart. You’ll never notice how over time the nose vents look garish and cheap. You’ll never have to shed a tear when you gouge a chunk out of your wheel against an unexpected curb.
No, to you, the DBS will remain hyped-up, unfettered perfection, like an impossible summer romance.
The MX-5 is the complete opposite. You can buy one for a song. They’re found on every suburban street, complete with fabric roofs that have faded to grey, paintwork covered in scrapes, and blown speaker cones. An appetising package, no?
Well yes, actually. Most people fail to see beyond the overcute styling to the insanely fun sports car hidden beneath. The MX-5 has a fever, and the only cure is more powerslides. Going around a corner, the car communicates when it’s at the limit of its grip. Jab the throttle just a little bit more, and the rear end will swing out, perfectly controlled, and you’ll experience the fun of going sideways.Then you’ll instinctively right the car, take a deep breath, pull over and take your heart medication. Then it’s time to do it again!
The short-throw gear-knob, light curb weight, and perfectly balanced front-rear weight distribution all come together to make a car that’s all about losing control, then bringing it back again. This car didn’t shift a million units by being just a pretty face; it’s a bonkers, proper sportscar!
Yes, the DBS wins the hype game. Whereas the MX-5 has lived up to every element of it’s hype over its twenty-year lifespan: bringing back the popularity of the sports car, delivering extreme thrills for a bargain price, and having incredible reliability. The MX-5 has outgrown hype, and transformed itself into the rarest of the rare:
A Hypeless Classic. 
Next time we’re going to look at another Hypeless Classic, this time one that was born in 2007 and is still going as strong as ever. Any guesses?
