Last summer, Mazda announced that is was going to restore first generation (NA) Miatas back to their original factory condition. Unfortunately, the service was only available for owners in Japan and was limited to just 40 applicants. If you don't live in Japan or weren't one of the 40 lucky customers chosen for the restoration, Mazda will also sell all of the parts separately. So if you're a bit handy and want to bring your Miata back to factory fresh, Mazda will sell you original parts such as Bridgestone tires, NARDI wooden steering wheels, shift knobs, replacement soft tops, and much more.

Though only a few customers will have their cars restored by Mazda, we finally get to see the results of the restoration process for the very first customer car.

Nishimoto Keiji and his wife Marimi purchased their Miata in 1992 and recently retired to enjoy their roadster. They were chosen out of more than 40 applicants to have the first Miata restored by the factory. The car was brought to Mazda's Engineering & Technology Center in Hiroshima where the two-month restoration process took place. The engineers combed through the car to see what it needed, stripped and repainted it, and took apart the entire engine piece-by-piece.

We still don't know how much the process costs - likely more expensive than doing it yourself, but less expensive than restoring a vintage supercar. The results are astonishing, a Miata that looks like it just rolled off the assembly line in 1992 (if not a little bit nicer). We'd love to see Mazda open the restoration process to more markets, and have the utmost respect for Mazda who is supporting the Miata community by selling original parts to help keep these cars on the road and in good condition.