The little white MX-5 is frozen solid this morning – ironic as I’m about to fly to sunny Oman for an adventure with Harley-Davidson.

I did manage to drop the hood yesterday for the first time. It’s joyously simple to use, even though the operation is manual. This saves weight and is faster than a powered hood.

I may be a gentleman of a certain age now but I can’t imagine living with the Mazda on a year-round basis, as good as it is.

That said, there really is nothing out there for £20k that comes anywhere near the MX-5 package.

A folding hard-top version will surely come soon – and then there’s the Fiat sister model coming next year.

For now,the Mazda is still the most fun you can have with your top down . Period.