FAQ: Clubman

[93_Clubman]

FAQ: Clubman - The Australian Mazda MX5 Clubman - Updated 28 April 2010

1993 Mazda MX-5 Clubman (taken Nov 93) ABU-04C was subject of Wheels Magazine article of Jan 94.jpg

To verify an MX5 Clubman as authentic, contact Mazda Australia by phone: 1800 034 411,
or email: <CustomerServiceEnq@mazda.com.au>, with the VIN from the firewall requesting verification, or otherwise, as a Clubman. Verification by email usually takes less than 24 hours, excluding weekends, & provides a written record for owners or potential owners.

1993 Clubman: 35
(2 Laguna Blue, 4 Silverstone, 6 Chaste White & 23 Classic Red) - (the first cars had build date of September 1993 & compliance date of October 1993)

1994 Clubman: 144
(4 Silverstone, 7 Brilliant Black, 12 Laguna Blue, 48 Chaste White & 73 Classic Red)

1995 Clubman: 7
(1 Brilliant Black, 1 Laguna Blue, 1 Classic Red & 4 Chaste White)

Total Clubmans: 186
(8 Brilliant Black, 8 Silverstone, 15 Laguna Blue, 58 Chaste White & 97 Classic Red)

According to Bullitt, the Clubman was available after 1995, however it was by irrevocable order only & none were delivered.

Clubmans did not come from the Mazda factory with any options - if fitted they were done locally by dealers.

According to Casey, the Clubman was not a special edition but an option:

QUOTE
You had three options when buying an MX5 between 1993 and 1996.

One was the regular model (std gearbox, std engine, std diff ratio, open diff, std suspension, & p/s).

Two was the Clubman (std gearbox, std engine, std diff ratio, TorSen diff, Bilstein dampers, thicker front anti-roll bar, & no p/s).

Three was the auto (auto gear box, derated engine [more low-down torque, less top end power], taller diff ratio, open diff, std suspension, & p/s).
UNQUOTE

The known differences between the Clubman & the standard NA8 are: Clubman sticker on passenger side of boot lid; when still present the drivers side door jam vehicle information sticker indicating "Suspension: Bilstein", "Grade: --------", & "Special Edition:" left blank; 20mm front anti-roll bar (versus 19mm on standard NA8); Bilstein dampers; & Torsen LSD.

Clubman Vehicle Information sticker drivers side B pillar-door jam-used 1992-2002 by Mazda Aust dealers when ordering parts-no rwc implications.JPG

Clubman sticker location.jpg

The location of the Clubman bootlid sticker varies slightly from car to car. On one example, the left edge of the sticker is vertically inline with the left edge of 'the silver MX-5' badge below it. The left bottom of the sticker is 8mm from bottom edge of the boot lid, while right the bottom of the sticker is 13mm from bottom edge of the boot lid. For reference this puts the left edge of the sticker 226mm from the left edge, just above the left corner, of the boot lid. On another example, it's 21cm from the left boot edge to the outer area of the 'C', & 5mm from the bottom of the boot edge to the outer edge of the 'C', & 6cm from the bottom boot edge to end of the tail edge of the 'N'.

Clubmans were not fitted with power steering, air conditioning, or hardtop from the factory. However, some were fitted with Mazda air conditioning by dealers, & a few have been fitted with air conditioning &/ or hardtop &/ or power steering by owners over the years. Otherwise, Clubmans are identical to the standard NA8, except it seems for a different pitman arm &, in some cases, hollow spoke or semi hollow spoke wheels, & a Bilstein logo sticker. When present, the Bilstein may be on the rear beaver panel, or front quarter panel under side indicators, or on the rear quarter panel between wheel arch & door jam.

Bilstein Logo sticker.jpg

Some Clubmans were fitted with hollow spoke (5kg) or semi hollow spoke (5.5kg) NA8 rims, as opposed to the standard NA8 solid spoke rim (6kg). Apart from some markings around the outside of the rim they appear identical until the inside of the rims are compared - for details see: < http://www.miata.net/garage/mx5wheels/index.html >. Some Clubmans also had a Bilstein logo sticker on their rear beaver, front quarter, or rear quarter panel.

Babalouie believes the Clubman may have a different pitman arm on the steering knuckle to account for the different geometry at the Bilsteins lower ride height. The US Miata R Package, which also had Bilsteins, had a different pitman arm, so it would follow that the Clubman would also have it. The location of the Bilstein spring perch is about 1.5cm lower than the standard NA8, which results in the Clubman having about a 1cm lower ride height.

Benny spoke to the Bilstein importers about the mismatch between the spring and shock rates, and was advised Mazda reverted to the stock NA8 spring rate at the last moment without telling Bilstein about it. This resulted in a very firm ride and bounciness over uneven surfaces as the bilstiens don't have enough rebound damping.

Heasmans in Sydney < http://www.heasmans.com.au/bilstein/service/index.html>, or Quadrant Suspensions in Melbourne
< http://www.quadrantsuspensions.com.au/bilstein.htm >, & other Bilstein dealers around Australia, can revalve & rebuild Clubman Bilsteins with very good results < http://www.bilstein.com.au/ >.

There are a number of Clubmans with 13 months between their build & compliance dates, i.e. build date: October 1993, & compliance date: November 1994.

According to Col & cshaks, Budget Car Rentals in Melbourne had some Clubmans in its fleet around 1994-1995.

The only known Australian print media articles dedicated to the Clubman were in Wheels in January 1994, & in Sports & Classic Cars Australia June-August 1994. Sports Car International, #97 of August 1994, contains an article called 'Miata R Boy Racer', while Car & Driver magazine, October 1994, contains an article called 'Mazda Miata Specials' dedicated to the US R Package & M Edition.

The US Miata R Package was similar to the Clubman except for the addition of a boot lid spoiler, front & rear lower lip spoilers, & a 12mm rear anti-roll bar (versus 11mm on the Clubman).

The following quotes relating to the Australian Clubman, the US Miata R Package & the Japanese R Limited are from the book: 'Mazda MX-5 Miata' by Brian Long (2006 - 3rd Edition):

Australian Update (p69):
\"Australia had two 1.8 litre models - the standard MX-5 1.8 & the Clubman...\"

America in 1994 & 1995 (pp69-70):
\"The R Package option was available on the basic car priced at $1500. Stiffer springs, bushings & harder shock absorbers (sourced from Bilstein) gave the Miata R notably sharper handling but a somewhat choppier ride. With its alloy wheels, Torsen limited-slip differential & front & rear spoilers, the R was a pure sports car. Items such as power-assisted steering & ABS were not available - in fact a stripe (designed by Mark Jordan & listed at $230) & air conditioning were the only options. Car & Driver [October 1994] found the R quicker off the line, but more importantly it was much better in manoeuvrability & salom tests. It also recorded 0.86g on the skidpan against 0.83g for the M Edition. The magazine summed up the R with the comment: \"The suspension glows on the track\".\"

Japan's Limited Editions (p71):
\"In the following month [February 1995], the R Limited was introduced at 2,175,000 yen. Based on the S Special, the R Limited came in Satellite Blue Mica or Chaste White (of the 1000 built, the blue shade accounted for 894 sales) with a red leather interior, like the RS Limited, it featured a lightened flywheel, 4.3:1 final drive, BBS alloys & Potenza tyres, but this time had a wooden three spoke Nardi steering wheel & gearknob, as well as wood trim on the handbrake lever.\"

America in 1996 (pp77):
\"...while the $1500 R Package featured alloy wheels, a Torsen LSD, uprated suspension components (including Bilstein dampers), front & rear skirts, & a rear spoiler.\"

The American Scene (pp80-81):
\"The R Package (for manual cars only) incorporated uprated suspension with Bilstein shock absorbers, rear subframe performance rods, a Torsen LSD, front & rear spoilers, a rear skirt, & alloy wheels with locking wheelnuts.\"

Emails have been exchanged with Brian Long, who will include some detail about the Clubman in the 4th edition of his book.

[Tezzax5]

.

[Alfadog]

Great stuff!! Some of the info I have been looking for

Just one thing - are you sure Crystal White not Chaste White?

[Mactype]

Excellent article but i have make a correction..

Bilstein sticker was located left front fender under indicator light.

Happy to provide pics if required

Terry S

Mines not, its on the rear L/H 1/4 panel

[Tezzax5]

..

[EKIMYRF]

My old 94 Clubman didnt have the Bilstein sticker just the Clubman one on the rear, also I didnt realise it was that rare !

Wish I had kept it now

[93_Clubman]

Updated with attachments & accompanying text.

[mxfive95]

'Quote' Some Clubmans were fitted with hollow spoke (5kg) or semi hollow spoke (5.5kg) NA8 rims, as opposed to the standard NA8 solid spoke rim (6kg). Apart from some markings around the outside of the rim they appear identical until the inside of the rims are compared - for details see: <http://www.miata.net/garage/mx5wheels/index.html>. Some Clubmans also had a Bilstein logo sticker on their rear beaver, front quarter, or rear quarter panel. 'Unquote'

I have a standard NA8 and it came factory with hollow spoke rims and D-Mag has a clubman that came with solid spoke as standard so im assuming they must have been an option.

[93_Clubman]

In reading posts going back to the beginning of the forum in late April '03, there was no reference by original owners, or others, to hollow-spoke or semi hollow-spoke rims being offered as an option. While I wasn't the original owner of my Clubman, I purchased it from the original owner, & the Clubman was simply offered as is at least by Canterbury Mazda (NSW) in late '93.

As mxv93c observes, while there were a number of constants among Clubmans, it appears that they were fitted with any one of the three types of NA8 rims, & even sometimes possibly a mixture, although that could be a legacy of the passage of time & a requirement for a replacement rim/s.

[93_Clubman]

The US R Package (the US equivalent of the Australian Clubman) had different tie rod ends fitted from the factory to take into account the lower spring perch of the Bilsteins. This seems likely to have translated to the Australian Clubman - for discussion see following:
viewtopic.php?f=30&t=43382

It also possible that the original source for the pitman arm reference in the above FAQ was referring to tie rod ends, given the term is occasionally interchangeable in the US.

[93_Clubman]

A variation of the Bilstein logo sticker mentioned in the OP, in terms of location & type, is the following thin metal plate on the driver side of the boot lid. The vehicle it's on has been confirmed as a Clubman by Mazda Australia:

CIMG0342.JPG

CIMG0343.JPG

[93_Clubman]

Further to OP, there are also some Clubmans with 11 months between their build & compliance dates, i.e. Oct 1993 & Sep 1994.

[93_Clubman]

MX5 Bilstein damper lower bush:

"Bush, Mazda MX-5 mk1 Bilstein shock absorber mount
At last, we now have in stock replacement bushes for the lower mount of Bilstein shocks as fitted to S-Special Eunos Roadsters.

Are you getting annoying squeaks from the front suspension of your S-Special, S-Limited, R-Limited or RS-Limited Roadster? Chances are the rubber bushes have failed in the lower shock mount (see the pictures). Instead of spending hundreds on new shocks you can just replace the old bushes with these quality polyurethane bushings.

Sold individually. Colours may vary from the picture, sometimes we have red ones.

Note that these will only fit Bilstein (yellow) shock absorbers fitted to mk1 MX-5's (up to 1997), they will NOT fit standard dampers or mk2 Bilstein shocks (1998 on).

NM00617."
GBP &15.32 + &4.23 shipping to Australia as at April 2011
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll ... K:MEWAX:IT

32af_12.jpg

3262_12.jpg

The seller:
http://shop.ebay.com.au/boundville/m.ht ... ksid=p3686

Their ebay store:
http://stores.ebay.com.au/Autolink-UK-L ... 4340.l2563

[93_Clubman]

Ref MX5 Bilstein damper lower bush above:

Just for future reference:

Hi, they don't squeak in my experience and I've fitted about 50 sets now. They don't need re-greasing once in.
Regards, Andrew
- boundville

viewtopic.php?f=30&t=48651&start=15

[93_Clubman]

For reference: Clubman Bilstein front shocks are numbered N02334700C on the shock tube, while Clubman Bilstein rear shocks are numbered N02328700A on the shock tube.