WASABI
02-10-2014, 11:46 AM
And there was a nice bit in Hemmings Daily:
http://images.hemmings.com/wp-content/uploads//2014/02/NAMiata_1500-700x557.jpg
First-generation Mazda Miata. Photo by Craig Fitzgerald.
Twenty-five years ago, a back-to-basics two-seat lightweight convertible sports car debuted at the Chicago Auto Show. With a small front-mounted engine powering the rear wheels and the essence of a European roadster, it could have come from any British carmaker, except for the fact that it came from Mazda. And in the quarter-century since then, the Miata has shown the motoring world how successful a minimalist sports car can be.
The idea of a compact, modestly powered roadster did not originate with the MX-5 or even Mazda. A body style nearly as old as the automobile itself, roadsters (traditionally defined as an open-top car with a temporary roof and removable side curtains, not roll-up windows, which really makes the Miata a convertible) were a common sight on U.S. roads though the early 1980s. As the decade came to a close, however, cars like the MGB, the Triumph TR7, the Fiat Spider, and the Lotus Elan were becoming less and less common on used car dealer lots. As for new lightweight roadsters, the Alfa Romeo Spider was one of the very few options available to new car buyers in 1988.
The original MX-5 Miata, or NA in Mazda-speak, borrowed heavily from the styling of the Lotus Elan, without being a direct copy. The Elan was a benchmark in the car’s suspension tuning as well, as were other lightweight sports roadsters like the Triumph Spitfire and the Alfa Romeo Spider. With the MX-5, Mazda was attempting to achieve “jinba ittai,” a Japanese concept that translates to “horse and rider as one,” a near-perfect way to describe how a well-built sports car should make a driver feel on a winding road.
http://images.hemmings.com/wp-content/uploads//2014/02/PRN6-MAZDA-MX-5-MIATA-2-1yHigh-700x458.jpg
The 10th Anniversary Edition of the Miata, an example of the second generation. Photo courtesy Mazda North American Operations.
Though official work on the MX-5 didn’t begin until 1986, the car’s roots can be traced back to 1976, when then-journalist (and later, Mazda employee) Bob Hall met with Mazda Research and Development employee Kenichi Yamamoto. When asked what kind of car Mazda should build in the future, Hall pointed out that the once-popular British roadster, simple in design and blessed with modest power and superior handling, had all but vanished from the American landscape. Five years later, Hall, by that time a Mazda employee, revisited this conversation with Yamamoto, then the chairman of Mazda Motors. In 1982, approval was given to research the idea, and over the next four years the automaker produced several lightweight sports roadster concepts before approving the final design in January of 1986. Its official debut took place on February 9, 1989, and it instantly racked up praise from journalists, consumers and rival automakers alike.
When the MX-5 Miata hit U.S. dealerships in May of 1989, it was powered by a 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine that produced a modest 116 horsepower and 100 pound-feet of torque. Thanks to a curb weight of just 2,116 pounds and a close-ratio five-speed manual transmission, the MX-5 could run from 0-60 MPH in under nine seconds, making it more than quick enough to be entertaining. As Hall himself once explained, “If you can’t go fast on 90 horsepower, 900 horsepower probably won’t help you.”
Thanks to the car’s light weight, double wishbone suspension in front and rear and four-wheel disc brakes (with vented front rotors), handling was superb, even in stock form. Praise from reviewers poured in before the car even hit dealerships, creating a consumer demand that drove prices far higher than Mazda’s suggested $13,800 retail price. Perhaps because of the car’s low base price, consumers didn’t seem to mind, and demand for the new two-seater outstripped supply until well into the car’s second year on the U.S. market.
http://images.hemmings.com/wp-content/uploads//2014/02/PRN7-MAZDA-MX-5-MIATA-3-1yHigh-700x465.jpg
The third-generation Miata, launched for the 2006 model year. Photo courtesy Mazda North American Operations.
Those who’ve driven first-generation Miatas can attest to the car’s abilities, as well as its charm. Handling is sublime, and the chassis is forgiving of all but the most ham-handed mistakes behind the wheel. Throws of the short-throw shifter are precise and direct, but for buyers unskilled at working three pedals, Mazda offered the first-generation Miata with an optional four-speed automatic transmission as well. The tri-fold top can easily be dropped or raised by the driver with a single hand, and its vinyl rear window can be opened with a zipper for added ventilation on top-up drives. The 1.6-liter engine, aside from a crankshaft issue with early examples, has proven to be nearly bulletproof, as long as the owner carries out the prescribed maintenance. A testament to both the car’s robustness and its capabilities is an oft-quoted statistic from Mazda: On any given weekend, there are more Mazda MX-5s being raced than any other single model on the planet.
In the 25 years since the MX-5 Miata’s debut, Mazda has launched a second generation (sold from 1998 until 2005) and a third generation (which went on sale in 2005), but all have stayed true to Mazda’s initial concept of a simple, lightweight and affordable sports car. The various generations have appeared on Car and Driver’s “10 Best” list 14 times, and the Guinness Book of World Records recognizes the Miata as the “Best-Selling Two-Seater Sports Car” in the world, with more than 920,000 examples delivered through December of 2013.
As for the name “Miata,” its origin has traditionally been shrouded in a bit of mystery. Some say that it was based on Siata, the Italian sports car, while others insist the name was computer-generated, as is the case with other Japanese automobiles (such as the Toyota Camry). The best explanation, however, comes from Leon Dixon, a Mazda Motors of America (MMA) employee who contributed to the design of the original and second-generation MX-5s (and also wrote much of the Miata owner’s manual). Per Dixon, MMA marketing employee Rod Bymaster came up with the name “Miata,” which is said to be a derivation of the Old High German word for “reward.”
A new version of the Miata is due for 2015, and word is that Mazda will also use the platform to underpin the next Alfa Romeo Spider, which will wear entirely unique bodywork and carry a different, Fiat-Chrysler sourced engine. The Miata, then, has really come full circle in 25 years, to the point where it will now be supporting a legendary model that was once an essential part of its development.
Happy birthday, Mazda Miata, and here’s to 25 more.
Author’s note: Special thanks to Leon Dixon for his contributions to (and fact-checking of) this article.
- See more at: http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2014/02/10/mazdas-timeless-roadster-the-mx-5-miata-turns-25/#sthash.IZYvuzGO.dpuf
http://images.hemmings.com/wp-content/uploads//2014/02/NAMiata_1500-700x557.jpg
First-generation Mazda Miata. Photo by Craig Fitzgerald.
Twenty-five years ago, a back-to-basics two-seat lightweight convertible sports car debuted at the Chicago Auto Show. With a small front-mounted engine powering the rear wheels and the essence of a European roadster, it could have come from any British carmaker, except for the fact that it came from Mazda. And in the quarter-century since then, the Miata has shown the motoring world how successful a minimalist sports car can be.
The idea of a compact, modestly powered roadster did not originate with the MX-5 or even Mazda. A body style nearly as old as the automobile itself, roadsters (traditionally defined as an open-top car with a temporary roof and removable side curtains, not roll-up windows, which really makes the Miata a convertible) were a common sight on U.S. roads though the early 1980s. As the decade came to a close, however, cars like the MGB, the Triumph TR7, the Fiat Spider, and the Lotus Elan were becoming less and less common on used car dealer lots. As for new lightweight roadsters, the Alfa Romeo Spider was one of the very few options available to new car buyers in 1988.
The original MX-5 Miata, or NA in Mazda-speak, borrowed heavily from the styling of the Lotus Elan, without being a direct copy. The Elan was a benchmark in the car’s suspension tuning as well, as were other lightweight sports roadsters like the Triumph Spitfire and the Alfa Romeo Spider. With the MX-5, Mazda was attempting to achieve “jinba ittai,” a Japanese concept that translates to “horse and rider as one,” a near-perfect way to describe how a well-built sports car should make a driver feel on a winding road.
http://images.hemmings.com/wp-content/uploads//2014/02/PRN6-MAZDA-MX-5-MIATA-2-1yHigh-700x458.jpg
The 10th Anniversary Edition of the Miata, an example of the second generation. Photo courtesy Mazda North American Operations.
Though official work on the MX-5 didn’t begin until 1986, the car’s roots can be traced back to 1976, when then-journalist (and later, Mazda employee) Bob Hall met with Mazda Research and Development employee Kenichi Yamamoto. When asked what kind of car Mazda should build in the future, Hall pointed out that the once-popular British roadster, simple in design and blessed with modest power and superior handling, had all but vanished from the American landscape. Five years later, Hall, by that time a Mazda employee, revisited this conversation with Yamamoto, then the chairman of Mazda Motors. In 1982, approval was given to research the idea, and over the next four years the automaker produced several lightweight sports roadster concepts before approving the final design in January of 1986. Its official debut took place on February 9, 1989, and it instantly racked up praise from journalists, consumers and rival automakers alike.
When the MX-5 Miata hit U.S. dealerships in May of 1989, it was powered by a 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine that produced a modest 116 horsepower and 100 pound-feet of torque. Thanks to a curb weight of just 2,116 pounds and a close-ratio five-speed manual transmission, the MX-5 could run from 0-60 MPH in under nine seconds, making it more than quick enough to be entertaining. As Hall himself once explained, “If you can’t go fast on 90 horsepower, 900 horsepower probably won’t help you.”
Thanks to the car’s light weight, double wishbone suspension in front and rear and four-wheel disc brakes (with vented front rotors), handling was superb, even in stock form. Praise from reviewers poured in before the car even hit dealerships, creating a consumer demand that drove prices far higher than Mazda’s suggested $13,800 retail price. Perhaps because of the car’s low base price, consumers didn’t seem to mind, and demand for the new two-seater outstripped supply until well into the car’s second year on the U.S. market.
http://images.hemmings.com/wp-content/uploads//2014/02/PRN7-MAZDA-MX-5-MIATA-3-1yHigh-700x465.jpg
The third-generation Miata, launched for the 2006 model year. Photo courtesy Mazda North American Operations.
Those who’ve driven first-generation Miatas can attest to the car’s abilities, as well as its charm. Handling is sublime, and the chassis is forgiving of all but the most ham-handed mistakes behind the wheel. Throws of the short-throw shifter are precise and direct, but for buyers unskilled at working three pedals, Mazda offered the first-generation Miata with an optional four-speed automatic transmission as well. The tri-fold top can easily be dropped or raised by the driver with a single hand, and its vinyl rear window can be opened with a zipper for added ventilation on top-up drives. The 1.6-liter engine, aside from a crankshaft issue with early examples, has proven to be nearly bulletproof, as long as the owner carries out the prescribed maintenance. A testament to both the car’s robustness and its capabilities is an oft-quoted statistic from Mazda: On any given weekend, there are more Mazda MX-5s being raced than any other single model on the planet.
In the 25 years since the MX-5 Miata’s debut, Mazda has launched a second generation (sold from 1998 until 2005) and a third generation (which went on sale in 2005), but all have stayed true to Mazda’s initial concept of a simple, lightweight and affordable sports car. The various generations have appeared on Car and Driver’s “10 Best” list 14 times, and the Guinness Book of World Records recognizes the Miata as the “Best-Selling Two-Seater Sports Car” in the world, with more than 920,000 examples delivered through December of 2013.
As for the name “Miata,” its origin has traditionally been shrouded in a bit of mystery. Some say that it was based on Siata, the Italian sports car, while others insist the name was computer-generated, as is the case with other Japanese automobiles (such as the Toyota Camry). The best explanation, however, comes from Leon Dixon, a Mazda Motors of America (MMA) employee who contributed to the design of the original and second-generation MX-5s (and also wrote much of the Miata owner’s manual). Per Dixon, MMA marketing employee Rod Bymaster came up with the name “Miata,” which is said to be a derivation of the Old High German word for “reward.”
A new version of the Miata is due for 2015, and word is that Mazda will also use the platform to underpin the next Alfa Romeo Spider, which will wear entirely unique bodywork and carry a different, Fiat-Chrysler sourced engine. The Miata, then, has really come full circle in 25 years, to the point where it will now be supporting a legendary model that was once an essential part of its development.
Happy birthday, Mazda Miata, and here’s to 25 more.
Author’s note: Special thanks to Leon Dixon for his contributions to (and fact-checking of) this article.
- See more at: http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2014/02/10/mazdas-timeless-roadster-the-mx-5-miata-turns-25/#sthash.IZYvuzGO.dpuf