Name: Robert & Bunny McElwee
Bob's Web Site: Lightweight Miata
Tell us a little bit about yourself:
Robert moved from Parkersburg, WV in 1986 on the suggestion of his parents to get out of the cold weather.
He works in the chemical field and has been employed by Symrise (formerly Haarmann & Reimer, formerly Bayer
, formerly Miles, formerly Verona) since 1989. He met Bunny in 1988 and finally convinced her to marry him in 1991.
Bunny is a Charleston native who spends 30% of her time being a homemaker, 30% of her time working on her Miata, 30%
of her time being the Event Coordinator of the LowCountry Miata Club and 30% of her time taking care of Robert. She knows
that
adds up to 120% but no one ever said being a stay at home wife is easy.
They both owned and operated an Internet business, Carolina Chat (think of a smaller AOL and you'll know what they did), from 1991 to 1999 and are the original "dot com millionaires" (but without the $millions$).
They do not have any kids but do have 1 cat, and 13 computers (Bob is a little bit of a geek). Bob's hobbies are working on computers and working on cars. He cannot really stand to do either but with so many of them around he is kind of forced into the position. Bunny enjoys bird watching and cooking. She is exceptionally good at cooking and says Bob has gained 60 lbs since they got married.
Bob bought his first Miata in 1999 as a present to himself after selling the internet business and he and Bunny attended Deals Gap that year. He started coming to club meetings and events shortly after that and Bunny followed a few months later.
Bob has served in the past as the club's Newsletter Editor, Web Master, and "unofficial photographer". He is currently the Club Historian but admits that he really isn't sure what that is or what he is supposed to be doing.
Bunny is currently the club's Event Coordinator and is very enthusiastic over the job (you can see Bob's weight dropping).
Year/color/options of your Miata?
They have owned a total of six Miatae and currently own three and a half.
"Kiki" is a Lava Orange 2005 Mazdaspeed Miata with 5K miles. Bob and Bunny spent a grueling 20 hours on the road to pick it up in May 2008. It is in stock configuration with the exception of a hard dog roll bar. It was built on the first day of production and is probably one of the earliest known examples of the rare Lava MSM. You can see more details on Bunny's Website: Kiki
Bunny's M2.5 named "Kiki"
"Blue Flash" is a Smurf Blue 1991 with 110K miles that was originally purchased by Bob to replace "Daisy" (see below). However, after the previous years trip to the Gap and ONE drive on HWY 28 near Fontana Dam, Bunny immediately went home, sold her 1984 Corvette, and quickly claimed "BlueFlash" as her own. It DID have a 9 PSI Jackson Racing SuperCharger, Link ECU, suspension upgrades, and lots of chrome. After Bunny purchased "Kiki" in 2008 she gave back Bob's car. He plans on converting it to a "high MPG" Miata. You can see his progress here: www.lightweightmiata.com/mpg.htm
Robert's 91 Mariner Blue, "BlueFlash"
"Red Beast" is a Red 1991 with 220K miles that was purchased just to get on Bunny's nerves (at least that's what she says). It has a T25 Turbo and has been stripped of its windows, top, AC, carpet padding, windshield wiper system, passenger seat, etc. Bob says this is to make it light and fast. Bunny says this is to make it so ugly that no one will steal it. You can see a very extensive history of the progress here: www.lightweightmiata.com
Robert's Red M1 named "Red Beast"
"The Beer Cooler" was a Crystal White 1991 with 130K miles that was purchased in September 2007 to be converted to a trailer. You can see details on the progress here: Trailer Project
Robert's Custom Trailer named "Beer Cooler"
"Red" was a red 1992 with 40K miles that was also purchased to replace "Daisy" (Bob got to keep this one). It had an upgraded suspension and a Jackson Racing SuperCharger which Bob destroyed within 30 minutes of getting it setup "correctly". Bob thinks that Red was the most beautiful Miata he has ever seen and is still looking for a replacement years after her death (Red was totaled in 2004).
Robert's Red M1 named "Red"
Gone but not forgotten
"Daisy" was the original Crystal White 1991 with 115K miles that Bob purchased after selling the business in 1999. It had JR CAI, upgraded suspension, and ground effects. The car was wrecked in 2001 and sold in 2002 after sitting up on blocks for so long the County made him get rid of it. You can still see if driving around Summerville and has been owned by three members of the club - so far.
Robert's first Miata "Daisy"
Gone but not forgotten
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