Swarms of popular sports car converge on county
Fontana Dam – Undeterred by waves of heavy rain and a power outage spread over several days, Mazda Miata enthusiasts converged on Graham County for an annual four-day weekend of thrilling drives, camaraderie and opportunities to buy parts for their fiercely-loved, compact sports cars.
The Miatas at the Gap event has been held in Graham County for nearly as long as there have been Miatas, thanks to the county’s scenic and challenging highways. This year, a strong summer storm on Aug. 4 knocked out power at Fontana Village, the base of operations where many participants were staying.
It barely made a dent in attendance.
The 26th edition of the annual event brought all kinds of Miatas to Graham County, which raises two questions.
First, why Graham County? The group describes Graham County as “in the middle of Miata driving paradise” and the center of “driving bliss.”
The second question is, what is it about Miatas?
Dave Crouch of Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada, drove for three days to make it to Fontana Village, which was still without power by Saturday morning.
As he explained, you can buy a used Miata for $2,000 (in Canadian dollars) and from there, the opportunities are nearly endless.
Keep the stock engine or replace it, because the engine compartment is big enough for just about anything you can imagine.
Too tall? Cut a hole in the hood or, as some at the weekend event had done, get rid of the hood entirely.
Tune the suspension for road racing or go all in and add racing suspension. The only limits are imagination and budget.
Crouch’s 2011 Miata is sparkling white and includes a matching removable hardtop that was not available in the United States. It’s his second Miata; he got it in trade for a first generation model that he inherited from his father.
This is the fourth time he has made the long drive to the Miatas at the Gap event.
Hundreds of Miatas – and thousands of Miata fans – showed up to Fontana Village to commune, and to look for deals from among dozens of vendors selling used parts and aftermarket accessories.
Natasha Landon found a pleasant surprise on Saturday.
Visiting from Tampa, Fla., she found a vendor with a used hardtop perfectly matching her Montego Blue Mica Miata, and traded her old Classic Red hardtop for it (plus some cash).
People were carrying wheels, engine parts and other goodies that they had just bought, while others brought their own spare parts they hoped to sell or trade.
But the longest line was at a table selling Miata Hot Wheels.
There is no fixed demographic among Miata owners, Crouch said.
For a car described as “aimed at hairdressers,” the weekend crowd included young and old, men and women, people with unlimited budgets and people who may one day get around to that new paint job and upholstery.
Crouch said his problem Saturday morning was figuring out where to eat, since the restaurant at Fontana Village Resort was without power.
Miatas swarmed up Hellbender 28, with a few approaching from the Cherohala Skyway and Tail of the Dragon from Tennessee and some via Topton through Robbinsville.
The breakfast crowd was brisk at Tapoco Lodge – which had power Saturday morning – and at Deals Gap, cars crowded around the fuel pumps before embarking on the Tail of the Dragon in Tennessee.