In another nod to the classic status of Mazda’s NA Roadster, the Hiroshima carmaker is launching an official restoration and parts support program for the world’s most popular droptop. Starting next year, owners in Japan will be able to have their Eunos Roadsters brought back to the original state by the factory, a “classic center” type service enjoyed by many other vintage automobiles. Some hard-to-find genuine parts will also be made available.

The restoration program will entail a customized process tailored to the needs of each customer and car. To ensure quality of the restoration work, the program and facility will be certified by TÜV Rheinland, one of the largest technical inspection and certification organizations in the world. Application for the restoration service will begin later this year for restoration starting in 2018. You can check out some photos from a trial restoration at the Roadster Restore program website.

As for parts, Mazda, in corporation with original suppliers for the NA Roadster, will first release the original Bridgestone SF-325 tires, as well as Nardi steering wheel and shift knob, and the convertible soft top for public sale in 2018. We sincerely hope that additional genuine parts will be forthcoming, but suffice it to say that building a concours-quality NA will soon be that much easier.

We are incredibly excited by this. The Mazda Roadster (aka MX-5 Miata) is one of the most enduringly pure and joyful sports cars of all time. A car that’s hard not to love. The current ND generation is a marvel of engineering elegance and sports car driving dynamics, traditions that go back to the NA. In fact, the Classic Red ND that we reported on earlier this year was a subtle hint to the coming of this program.

The program will cover just the NA generation, at least initially. If you and your NA don’t live in Japan, you are so far out of luck, but since this is the factory official restoration, it actually may be slightly less than ludicrous to ship your MX-5 Miata to Japan for the job.

It seems that some Japanese automakers are beginning to see the value of officially supporting legacy models. Earlier this year, Nissan announced a similar program for the Skyline GT-R. We at JNC have always loved the NA Miata. To have a restoration and parts program supporting such a beloved and historically-important sports car is only fitting.

Photo credit Mazda.