Being a car enthusiast isn't all about old Fords and Holdens or the rarest wooden spoked vintage car with a crank handle.
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There's a lot to be said for the modern day automobile and car owners can be just as excited about their brand new daily driver as they are about their classic.
One such enthusiast is Richard Eggleston from the Parkes-based Central West Car Club.
"This is my 2021 Mazda 3 G25 Evolve hatchback and I bought it brand new this year," said Richard.
The G25 has a 2.5 litre fuel-injected 4 cylinder engine and while the Evolve is in the mid range of specifications it's still loaded with plenty of mod cons.
There's Radar Cruise Control, Lane Keeper, Brake Assist, Reverse Cameras and Sensors, Heads-up Display and Automatic Stop/Start - the list goes on and on!
Richard's is a 6-speed automatic with steering wheel paddle shifts so you can simply drive it like a manual without a clutch.
"I've certainly had my best driving experience in this car, with 120 kilometres of paddle shifting goodness along the Alpine Way from Khancoban to Jindabyne earlier this year," Richard laughed.
"And for those who are interested, there's more power than a 253 V8 Holden and the 0-100km/hr is similar to an XU1 Torana."
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The eye-catching colour is Soul Red Crystal which Richard admits is 'a bugger to keep clean' but when it's polished and the sun hits it, the colour just glows.
The wheels are factory fitted 18 inch alloys in gunmetal grey, which further adds to the sports styling of the Mazda.
After deliberating over a couple of different makes and models, the decision on the Mazda eventually came down to what was in stock at the time, and thankfully it was the Soul Red that caught his eye having previously owned two other Mazda 3's of the same colour.
"In a modern car, I'm always after something state of the art with cutting edge features, innovative design and an engaging driving experience - and the Mazda certainly ticked all the boxes," said Richard.
This is in fact Richard's fifth Mazda 3 having previously owned the 2006, 2008, 2015 and 2020 models.
To complete the picture, Richard decided he needed a name for his car, and so using the letters YKY from the registration plate he went in search of a Japanese name to reflect the make.
He came up with 'Yukiyo' which he says means driven snow, so if you happen to see a Soul Red YKY around the streets, be sure to think of Yukiyo and give them a wave.
You can find more about the Central West Car Club at www.centralwestcarclub.com or on Facebook at https://m.facebook.com/centralwest.carclub/.
