BLUE SKY ΤΗINKING

Blending sporting pedigree with boulevard cruising appeal, Mazda's FC RX-7 and Porsche's 944 S2 offer plentiful posing power with a high-performance twist

- AARON MCKAY

Even on a chilly Monday morning, Southend-on-Sea's two-mile-long promenade is a place where attentions are snap-quick and show-offs wildly competitive. Palm trees meet chippies and quaint, multi-coloured beach huts sit next to the Modernist water features that represent the latest of this Essex seaside town's amusements. Vying for the attention of Southenders and off-season tourists, our two brightly-coloured convertibles join a surprising number of classic cars cruising down the strip.

A Guards Red Porsche cabriolet still might not yet be the sort of image a coin-pushing slot-gamer would appreciate. Its £39,000 list price back in 1989, some £5000 more than an already pricey 944 S2, has stubborn connotations of flashy wealth that, even with a decade behind it in the budget section of the classified ads, it hasn't shaken off entirely. Still, it glides along with utter self-assurance and, against the white SUVs and wheelieing 'bikers, carries an elegance that is increasingly endearing.

The Mazda RX-7 burbles along with an overt attitude, more ready to take on rivalling distractions. Its piercing white paintwork is difficult to miss, and, while some might be double-checking if the 944 is a Porsche, many others will be wondering what on earth this other 1980s whizz-bang is at all. Costing £24,000 in 1989, the RX-7 Turbo II convertible wasn't so eye-wateringly expensive, but today it's a much rarer sight than its German rival and carries with it a sort of prestige of curiosity not to mention today's blossoming appeal of the Japanese modern classic.