Man tries to bring forgotten 1990 Mazda Miata back to life after it sat completely neglected and abandoned for nearly 20 years
Published on Apr 18, 2026 at 6:38 PM (UTC+4)
by Henry Kelsall
Last updated on Apr 18, 2026 at 6:38 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Emma Matthews
If you found a 1990 Mazda Miata sports car that had stood neglected and abandoned for nearly 20 years, you may not expect it to ever run again.
Well, nobody told Michael Elsea that from Elsea’s World on YouTube, as he discovered an example of the Japanese sports car that had been standing for 18 years, and hadn’t run for a very long time.
Despite the poor condition, he decided to rescue the car and get it back up and running, although he was mindful it wouldn’t be an easy task.
As you might expect, his video showed that it wouldn’t be as easy as just turning the key and getting it going.
Why this 1990 Mazda Miata had sat for over 18 years
Elsea, of course, was fascinated as to why this car had not moved for so long.
He told Supercar Blondie how he came to find the Japanese sports car.
“My friend had a neighbor with a red Honda S2000 that had been sitting for a while as well, so I ended up fixing up the S2000 on YouTube in a previous video,” he said.
“When I arrived, there was this Miata in front of the S2000 hidden under some bushes.
It looked very rough, even for my standards.”
It appeared it had simply been abandoned by the previous owner, after they had decided they’d had their fun with it
What had the Miata been doing before it was abandoned?
Closer inspection revealed the 1990 Miata to have had a racing past.
The steering wheel had been modified from the original, and the car wore a racing livery.
“When I came back out, I noticed stickers that said ‘Alabama racing scene.net,” said Elsea.
“We spoke about the history of the car, and it turns out this was heavily involved in our local car community many years ago,” he added.
“The previous owner did lots of racing and had apparently had a few different engines and turbochargers on it.”
Inside, there were also bucket seats plus a roll-cage, firmly indicating its track use.
Under the hood was kind of a mess, though, with clear signs that animals had been living inside it.
Just cleaning up this Miata would be a mammoth task, let alone getting it going again.
Did the YouTuber get the sports car running again?
A destroyed fuel tank and clutch issues did not help Elsea’s quest.
“I really like to challenge myself, and whenever someone says something can’t be done, I like to attempt to prove them wrong,” he told us.
Electrical issues, poor oil, and problems with the ECU also did not aid his endeavours.
“I tried everything I could; this Miata was on life support, and it wouldn’t even sputter,” Elsea added.
“I ran out of ideas after trying many things, so I went home to think it over and decided the next day I would dig into the engine.”
Elsea told us that the engine timing was seriously off, thanks to a loose belt.
About 10 minutes into the video, Elsea got the engine in the 1990 Mazda Miata to crank.
“I believe it jumped the timing, so I reset the timing, and it finally cranked up!” he said.
The YouTuber somehow got the 1990 Mazda to run again
Further tweaking followed, and somehow, the Mazda Miata roared back into life.
“It was timing this whole time!” Elsea exclaimed in the video after it finally fired up.
“Cars can be very complicated, but I now think I might be able to drive this,” he added.
Elsea still had to replace the clutch cylinder, fix the fuel delivery, and conduct more repairs.
But after all that, the 1990 Miata actually moved again.
“This thing drives, this is great!” he shouted at the end of the video.
We look forward to seeing what lies in store next for this amazing rescue.
What is next for this 1990 Mazda Miata?
Elsea told us he has plenty of plans for this car now that it’s running again.
“We are in talks, and I expressed that I would like to purchase it, so hopefully the owner will sell,” he said.
“I want to clean it up and get it running tip top again since it has a lot of racing pedigree!” added Elsea.
It sounds like this car may have a very bright future ahead of it.
Hopefully, one day it will be roaring around the race track once again.
Mazda Miata timeline
February 1989: The original Mazda MX-5 Miata (NA) makes its global debut at the Chicago Auto Show
October 1997: The second generation (NB) is unveiled in Tokyo, notably losing the pop-up headlights to meet safety regulations
May 2000: Guinness World Records officially recognizes the MX-5 as the best-selling two-seater sports car in history
February 2005: The third generation (NC) debuts with a completely redesigned chassis and an available power-retractable hardtop
September 2014: The fourth generation (ND) is revealed globally, returning to the lighter weight philosophy of the original model
April 2016: Total global production of the MX-5 reaches a massive milestone by officially surpassing one million units
April 2020: Mazda celebrates its company centenary by releasing a 100th Anniversary Special Edition MX-5 featuring a heritage-inspired white and burgundy color scheme
February 2024: The ND model receives a significant refresh, gaining updated LED lighting, a modern infotainment system, and a new asymmetric limited-slip differential
January 2025: Mazda announces the highly exclusive 35th Anniversary Edition, finishing the roadster in a bespoke Artisan Red Metallic paint over a classic tan interior
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Henry joined the Supercar Blondie team in February 2025, and since then has covered a wide array of topics ranging from EVs, American barn finds, and the odd Cold War jet. He’s combined his passion for cars with his keen interest in motorsport and his side hustle as a volunteer steam locomotive fireman at a heritage steam railway.
