We Got Badges

Product Placement

I’m really proud of this shot. It has a lot going on that you can’t immediately see in the photo. A lot of meaning, to me. I’ll try to explain.

The MX-5 logo is from the first Sharka. Sarah bought it for me for Christmas a few years ago from a UK website. I’ve always been proud of it and I think it looks much nicer than the stock US Miata badge or the JDM Roadster piece. When the car was destroyed on the freeway, I lost the badge. I assumed it “went away” like the tail lights did and most of the trunk. But nope, I was never able to find any evidence of the badge. The MAZDA badge on the other side of the rear panel shattered into a half dozen pieces, most of which I found inside the trunk. The finish panel (plastic) that both badges were stuck to broke and was also easily found in the trunk wreckage. The MX-5 badge was oddly missing.

When I got the car back, I took the trunk apart and tossed the bad panels. I worked on the rest of the car. I healed. Time passed. I forgot about the MX-5 badge until about 3 weeks after the wreck. I was sitting, watching TV, and I was suddenly struck with the unstoppable desire to find it- or at least a piece of it. I went out to the car and stuck my hand into the wreckage. I felt around. I pulled the badge out as you see here, untouched and just waiting for me. It was sitting a few inches away from a hole, just waiting to fall out. How it survived the two to the tow yard, then to the salvage yard, then back to my house, I’ll never know. But there it was. Untouched. The mounting tape popped right off and sent the badge into the middle of the trunk. I sat on the cold concrete, looking at the badge in my hand.

I was almost moved to tears. Now, I like to think of myself as at least a little manly. I mean, I play with my toys and drive my girlie car, and shoot sensitive arty stuff with my camera. But…. at least a little manly. It felt like Sharka gave me a gift – an actual gift that I could hold in my hand. I’m clearly a little too attached to the car, but pulling the badge out was one of those moments I’ll remember for a while. And putting it back on the rear panel, on montego blue paint, felt good. It felt right, like things were going back to how they should be.

And then there’s the gorgeous blue Mazda badge from the 1960-75 time frame. That came from the infamous Blue Potato‘s secret stash of parts. I’m incredibly pleased at how it looks back there. It looks right. It looks like it’s always been there. Thanks Peter!

Finally, there’s my paint and my sky.

Like I said, I’m pretty darn proud of this photo. It means a lot to me.

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  • Koich says:

    Hey there. Got to your website via Flickr’s Miata photos.
    I’m a fellow Miata (NA8) nut. Had one in Japan for 10 years, bought another one here in San Jose CA.

    Great blog and good tips. I’m going to subscribe! 🙂

    • revlimiter says:

      Thanks!

      does my blog have a subscribe feature? hahaha! I never thought to look. I am incredibly clueless about it despite hosting and setting it up myself. lol I’m still trying to get the archive page to work.

  • spindiscs says:

    Is this photoshopped much. I love the photo but think you added in the clouds.

    Very lucky finding the badge.

    • revlimiter says:

      Nope. I think I cropped it a bit (this was taken nearly 3 years ago) but nothing more. I remember shooting it. I used my 55mm f/2.8 macro. Trying to get everything somewhat in focus was difficult. If I just focused the badges, the cloud reflections blurred out way too much.

      They look a bit surreal due to the paint on that old rear panel. It had a bit of orange peel to it from the factory.

      http://www.flickr.com/photos/revlimit/sets/72157600653103100/
      Check that out. We have an amazing sky here in New Mexico.

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