Jeremy Why is it some people still think the MX-5 is a hairdresser’s car? I just told a male friend on the telephone that I was taking delivery of the Mazda today and his first response was ‘hairdresser’s car’. Just because he drives a butch 5 Series BMW – he’s probably never been in an MX-5 in his life.

The MX-5 is probably useless for hairstylists anyway. Drop the folding hard-top and all that coiffure is going to be blown away in an instant. I would imagine that hairdressers would much prefer a Fiat 500 cabriolet, or a Audi TT Roadster…

For me, the MX-5 is something of a legend. I owned one back in the 1990s and it just had that rare ability to always put a smile on my face. It loved being driven hard, especially around corners and along twisty backroads. It just set the benchmark for other convertibles to follow. Although nobody ever made anything quite so good for the same sort of money.

Our Roadster Coupe offers the best of both worlds. You can still buy an MX-5 with a soft top but the hard-top makes for quieter high-speed motoring and safer overnight parking.

Just what Mazda will do to improve the car when it is updated in 2014 remains to be seen. Let’s hope they don’t ruin a winning formula because this current version is still as good as it gets. More words tomorrow when I have had a proper drive…