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Sunday 10 February marks the 30th anniversary of the world first seeing the new lightweight sports car known as the Miata in America, and MX-5 elsewhere.
Unveiled at the 1989 Chicago auto show, the car reinterpreted the formula for a lightweight two-seat sports car. When it arrived in 1989 the MX-5 redefined how much fun drivers could have, while still remaining eminently affordable.
It would go on to revolutionise and reinvigorate the sports car market – and as a result it would become the world's best-selling roadster. With more than a million Mazda MX-5s made so far, this is how it all came about:
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The MX-5 story begins
It was in February 1979 that American motoring journalist Bob Hall (inset) first suggested to Mazda's technical director Kenichi Yamamoto that the company should build an affordable two-seat sports car. Within a year Yamamoto tried a Triumph Spitfire and decided that an affordable sportster was the way forward, but there was a problem.
US sales of two-seat roadsters totalled just 2500 per year, but Mazda needed at least 10,000 for the investment to be viable. But it was quickly realised that it wasn't a lack of customers that limited sales; it was a lack of product.
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Three's company
Mazda had design studios in Tokyo and Hiroshima, then in May 1981 another was opened in California; three months later Bob Hall was recruited to work there. In May 1983 Kenichi Yamamoto was promoted to Managing Director of Mazda and within six months the teams at each of Mazda's three design studios were working on a two-seat roadster.
The Tokyo studio proposed a mid-engined, rear-wheel drive car whereas Hiroshima wanted a front-engined, front-wheel drive car (shown here).
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RWD is the way forward
The California studio's concept was least favoured because rear-wheel drive was seen as old fashioned, but it was this proposal that got the green light when all three teams converged in Tokyo in April 1984, to thrash out which was the best layout and design to develop.
The American market was crucial to the car's success, so a lot of attention was paid to what would make the new sportster a success in the US; a front engine and rear-wheel drive were seen as key.
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Three spirit
These are the three proposals alongside each other. On the left is the coupé proposed by the Tokyo team while in the middle is the front-engined, front-wheel drive suggestion from the Hiroshima studio. The California design – the only roadster – is on the right. It seems a no-brainer now…
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Benchmarking
To get the formula right, Mazda bought several two-seat sports cars including an MGB, Lotus Elan and a Triumph Spitfire, which were used for benchmarking an array of factors such as the new roadster's proportions, design and dynamics. All of these cars featured a front engine and rear-wheel drive, although a mid-engined Fiat X1/9 was also purchased for evaluation.
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Work starts in earnest
Mazda started to design the MX-5 in earnest in September 1985, in its Hiroshima development centre. Within two months British company International Automotive Design (IAD) had been commissioned to build a running prototype and here it is, photographed in August 1985.
On the left is the Director of the Mazda Technical Research Centre Itusho Ishida; on the right is IAD boss John Shute.
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The first running prototype
Here is that original running prototype alongside a very early non-running mock-up produced by the design studio…
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What you could have had
…and here's that non-running design study. This is one of the earliest three-dimensional visions of what the MX-5 could have looked like and we reckon it looks almost as good as the production car, albeit a little less delicate.
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The RX-7's smaller sibling
The MX-5 was supposed to be an encore to the RX-7, which in first-generation form sold well in the US. By the time the second prototype had been made, the second-generation RX-7 was on sale. Here, the two cars are shown side by side, although at this stage the prototype was a non-runner.
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Bulging with promise
The second prototype was very similar to the first, but instead of two small power bulges in the bonnet there was one bigger bulge.
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Early designs
One of the greatest things about the original MX-5's design is how delicate it looks from every angle. This early mock-up doesn't have that; in comparision to the production car this rear-end design looks rather clumsy.
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Coupé de grace
One of the earliest proposals put forward by the Tokyo studio was for a coupé. It's an idea that didn't go away and even as the production MX-5 drew ever nearer the idea of a fixed-head car was suggested again and this mock-up was built.
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A sporting cul de sac
At the 1987 Tokyo motor show Mazda unveiled this proposal for an affordable two-seater sports car. The Mazda MX-04 concept was fitted with a rotary engine and four-wheel drive, but it was never a serious suggestion of a production car.
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The finished design
What got the green light was this design; a roadster with a removable hard top. This is a prototype made of plastic which features an early design of wheel which wouldn't see production.
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Testing, testing
In a bid to throw the press off the scent, Mazda created a disguise for the various MX-5 prototypes, so the new car looked like a small shooting brake rather than a roadster.
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Attention to detail
Mazda didn't skimp when it came to creating a world-class driver's car, with Jinba Ittai (car and driver as one) at the heart of everything. Weight and its distribution were a big focus and from the outset affordability was key. The original plan was to have a 1.4-litre four-cylinder engine but this wasn't powerful enough, so the first cars got a 1.6-litre powerplant instead.
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Nothing less than perfection
The twin-cam 1.6-litre engine was taken from the Mazda 323 but breathed on to produce 100lb ft of torque (at 5500rpm) and 114bhp at 6500rpm; this drove the rear wheels usually via a five-speed manual gearbox, but an automatic was offered in Japan and the US although it wasn't popular.
There was double-wishbone suspension front and rear and Bridgestone was commissioned to develop a special lightweight tyre for the 14-inch wheels that came on all initial production MX-5s.
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Ready to roll
In February 1988 Mazda built the first 12 pre-production prototypes which represent the finished car. Two months later, American journalists got to drive these for the first time. Here the team behind the MX-5 gathered to inspect their now production-ready baby.
Second from the right is Bob Hall, pictured almost a decade after he'd first suggested an affordable roadster to Mazda.
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The MX-5 takes a bow
The production MX-5 was launched at the Chicago auto show on 10 February 1989 – although because it was an American-spec car it was badged Mazda Miata. Seven months later, in September, the Mazda Eunos was launched in Japan. As soon as the car was unveiled in Chicago it went down a storm and it wasn't long before the MX-5 was racking up awards for its design as well as its driving experience.
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The MX-5 Club Sport
Porsche didn't have a monopoly on the Club Sport action; Mazda's Californian studio got in on the act with this concept which was displayed alongside the production car, at the 1989 Chicago Auto Show.
It hinted at what an MX-5 racer might look like and featured flared wheelarches to accommodate wider wheels and tyres. The interior was left standard but the pop-up headlights were swapped for faired-in items.
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The price is right
The entry-level Mazda MX-5 was supposed to sell for $8888 in America; this figure was chosen because eight is a lucky number in Japan. The car would have been profitable at that level too, but in customer focus groups everyone reckoned the car was worth around $17,000, so the price was set at around $13,000 for the launch. As a result the MX-5 was incredibly profitable for Mazda. The first cars went on sale in the US as a 1990 model year.
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Just can't get enough…
Mazda initially planned for 40,000 MX-5s sales a year, globally. In the event, the first year's production totalled 45,266 and by the time things calmed down 4000 cars each month were being delivered in the US and another 3000 per month in Japan.
Production for 1990 came to 95,640, 25,226 of which were sold in Japan where the car was marketed as the Eunos Roadster. Mazda had truly hit the jackpot.
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The MX-5 comes to Europe
Mazda's focus with the MX-5 was initially North America but in March 1990 the European press got to drive the new roadster in Mallorca. They reported favourably on the car and within a month left-hand drive cars started to be imported from the US, although official European imports started in May.
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Autocar's first drive
When Autocar first drove the MX-5 it was already obvious that this was a classic in the making. We wrote: “Mazda’s new MX-5 is what sports car driving is all about. It’s face-in-the-air fresh, in an immensely appealing two-seat roadster. The car is light, agile and quick, with a seat that supports, a wheel that commands, a gearchange that snaps, and an exhaust note of sheer exuberance”.
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Mazda's M2 division
In 1990 Mazda opened premises in Tokyo that allowed customers and potential customers to interact directly with the brand. Called M2, feedback was taken on board to improve Mazda's products, but M2 also created a series of hotted-up MX-5s, the best-known of which was this: the M2 1008.
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The M2 1008
The first M2 product was the 1001, a sportier MX-5 of which 300 were made for the home market only. The 1002 was a touring version of the 1001 while the 1006 was a Eunos Roadster with a 3.0 V6. All of these cars were roadsters, but the one-off 1008 was a fixed-head coupé with faired-in headlights. By 1995 Mazda was struggling and its M2 division was closed down.
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A raft of specials
Mazda has released a bewildering array of special edition MX-5s over the years. The first came in 1991, with the Racing Green limited to 500 units. Soon after, the UK got the imaginatively named Special Edition and later there would be the Gleneagles, the Merlot (pictured here), the California, Monza, Dakar, Berkeley, Monaco and Harvard.
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A very special special
The most outrageous, rarest and by far the most collectible of all the special edition MX-5s is the Le Mans. Built to celebrate Mazda winning the 1991 24 Hours of Le Mans race, just 24 of these roadsters were built, each with a turbocharged 150bhp 1.6-litre engine. The suspension was overhauled and each car came with a certificate of authenticity signed by Johnny Herbert, who drove the Mazda 787B race car to victory at Le Mans.
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That's blown it
Within a year of going on sale, Brodie Britain Racing introduced an officially sanctioned turbocharger conversion to raise power to 150bhp while torque was boosted to 154lb ft.
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It's electric!
Mazda teamed up with Chugoku Electric Power to build a trio of electric MX-5s which were unveiled in 1993. Each car was fitted with 16 nickel-cadmium batteries which provided a range of 111 miles but the performance was decidely unsporting thanks to a kerb weight of 1410kg (3102 lb), which was almost 50% more than the petrol-powered MX-5.
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The hydrogen MX-5
Soon after the electric MX-5 was unveiled, Mazda took the wraps off another experimental car. This one was powered by hydrogen which was burned in a rotary engine to give 0-62mph in around 13 seconds.
It was quicker than the electric MX-5 but not quick enough, and it was badly compromised because of the fuel storage canisters that had to be accommodated – they filled the entire luggage compartment.
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Mazda raises the bar
In 1994 the 1.6-litre engine was replaced by a 1.8-litre unit rated at 130bhp, with buyers able to choose between a standard edition and a high-spec 1.8iS. Within a year the MX-5 would be available with a 1.6-litre engine once more though. This new entry-level model could muster just 88bhp but it was still great fun to drive, if rather slow.
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The Miata M Speedster
When Mazda unveiled the Miata M Speedster in 1995 it was inundated with requests to put it into production, but the car remained a one-off. The changes were radical, with a cut-down windscreen, massive driving lamps set into the front spoiler while 15-inch alloys were fitted. The door mirrors were flipped upside down and mounted on the truncated windscreen pillars.
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Inside job
To emphasise the Speedster's sporting aspirations the standard seats were dumped and these figure-hugging bucket seats were installed instead.
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A shapely rear
To complete things the Speedster got wider wings front and rear, a lip rear spoiler and a pair of very neat fairings behind each of the two seats. Power came from a supercharged 1.8-litre engine rated at 200bhp and 165lb ft of torque.
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The Miata M Coupé
Even before the first mock-ups had been built, Mazda was considering building an MX-5 coupé. So far it has never offered a fixed-head coupé as it's stuck with a coupé-cabriolet format instead, but in 1996 the Miata M Coupé was unveiled at the New York Auto Show. The car was only ever intended as a styling exercise though, so production was never seriously considered.
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Secrets of the M Coupé
Things were left more or less standard under the bonnet, although the 1.8-litre engine was tuned to give 133bhp – although this didn't boost performance as such. Instead the extra power helped to offset the weight gain from the heavier body. The wheels were 16-inch items and inside was standard MX-5 aside from the seats being trimmed in Alcantara.
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Improving on perfection?
The original Mazda MX-5 had been codenamed the NA; in 1998 a heavily facelifted car hit the streets, known as the NB and with fixed headlights instead of pop-up items. The new arrival was heavily based on the original, but the nose was stiffened significantly for better crash protection.
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Putting on weight
In a bid to add strength for better rigidity and improved crash protection, the NB weighed more than the NA but it was still fabulous to drive. Power came from the same 1.8-litre engine as before, the interior was overhauled and the rear window was now glass instead of plastic.
More planted and more predictable in corners, the NB was more grown up to drive than the NA, if a little less exciting.
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The Autocar verdict
When we put the MX-5 Mk2 through its paces in 1998 we reckoned Mazda had done a terrific job of updating its roadster while retaining the most important aspects of a budget sports car. We wrote: “Mazda has done it: replaced the irreplaceable. And with a car that is even better to drive than its forebear. That’s some achievement”.
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Return of the specials
As with the NA, there was a raft of limited-run NBs produced. The first was the 10th Anniversary which arrived in 1999 and pictured here; later there would be the Isola, California, Icon and Jasper Conran.
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Record breaker
In May 2000 the Mazda MX-5 broke the Guinness World Record for being the best-selling two-seater roadster of all time. By 5 March 2004 Mazda had built 700,000 examples of the MX-5; the 800,000 barrier was broken in January 2007, then in February 2011 the 900,000th Mazda MX-5 was made.
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The Miata Mono-Posto concept
The annual SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) trade show has a high profile now, but in 2000 few people had heard of it. Mazda did its bit to raise SEMA's profile by building this Miata-based Mono-Posto concept, inspired by the single-seat endurance racers of the 1950s.
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The Mono-Posto laid bare
The Mono-Posto featured an aero screen in place of a windscreen and just one seat (hence the name). The bodywork was cleaned up although the bonnet incorporated a single scoop to help feed the 190bhp 1.8-litre engine with air.
At the rear there was a single exhaust with a silver-painted diffuser and to finish things off there were 18-inch alloys, behind which sat beefed-up brakes and suspension.
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The MX-5 goes under the knife
The MX-5 Mk2 got a mid-life refresh in 2001 which brought a more prominent front bumper with faired-in lights along with range-wide standard anti-lock brakes. These refreshed cars are known as Mk2.5s.
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The MX-5 Take Three
Mazda took the wraps off the third-generation MX-5 in 2005, the NC. Now based on a version of the RX-8's platform, the MX-5 Mk3 looked much smarter than its predecessor and came with 1.8 or 2.0-litre engines. There was more boot space than before and a stiffer bodyshell plus extra standard kit including four cupholders, but kerb weight rose by just 10kg (22 lb) thanks to the use of clever design and aluminium along with high-tensile steels.
The arrival of the NC model saw the car adopt the official name MX-5 for the first time in the North American markets. The Miata name was never officially used outside those markets, however. Later on, Mazda realised the Miata name still had brand resonance, so the company compromised and it became the MX-5 Miata in North America, a name it carries to this day.
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The Autocar verdict
Our cover line ran "Half the price of a Boxster. Twice the fun". Inside, Richard Bremner delivered his verdict: "It's simply a brilliant sports car, a car that completely delivers on its promise. It's affordable, comfortable and convenient, leaving you free to enjoy its supreme verve. And it's great to look at too. Once again, Mazda has made one of the most desirable cars on the planet".
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Top stuff
Previous MX-5s had been available with a removable hard top, but the folding roof had always been made of cloth. For the MX-5 Mk3 Mazda decided to do things differently and a year after the soft-top arrived a coupé-cabriolet was unveiled.
Superbly engineered, the roof was made of plastic for lightness with rigidity, and while the soft top was brilliantly easy to use, the coupé-cabriolet offered year-round usability with better security.
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The MX-5 Superlight
Created in the same mould as the previous Mono-Posto, but now featuring two seats, the MX-5 Superlight was unveiled at the 2009 Frankfurt motor show. Created to mark 20 years of MX-5 production, a road-going Superlight was never on the cards although the show car was fully driveable. Power came from a 124bhp 1.8-litre engine.
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The MX-5 Superlight's design
The focus of the Superlight, as its name suggests, was to reduce weight to a minimum, with 1000kg (2200 lb) the target. To this end there was no windscreen, no side windows, no roof and just a single rear-view mirror. The racing bucket seats were made of carbon fibre while the dashboard and its frame were made of lightweight plastic.
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The MX-5 GT Concept
Within months of the original MX-5 going on sale there was a race series for it and even now Mazda's budget sportster provides an ideal basis for low-cost motor sport. To underline this fact, in 2012 Mazda revealed the MX-5 GT concept at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
Featuring a 205bhp naturally aspirated 2.0-litre engine and built by Jota Sport, the GT featured uprated suspension, some carbon fibre parts to cut weight, Recaro seats and a sports exhaust.
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Mazda MX-5 Mk4 arrives
The big news for 2014 was an all-new fourth-generation MX-5, using Mazda's KODO (Soul of Motion) design language. Weighing 100kg (220 lb) less than its predecessor and with a lower centre of gravity, the new MX-5 was fitted with 1.5 or 2.0-litre engines featuring Mazda's Skyactiv fuel-saving tech.
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The Autocar verdict
In our 2 September 2015 issue we wrote: "There isn't a single area in which this new Mazda MX-5 fails to surpass its predecessor. It's shorter, lighter, more spacious and better laid out. It's sharper-looking but still disarming and distinctive. It's faster, more frugal and even more vibrant and engaging to drive.
All that and yet the MX-5 is still every inch the same zesty and inimitable car that it was. So just pay your money, take your choice and enjoy a far better driver's car than you'd believe a modest sum of money could secure".
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The MX-5 Spyder
Mazda had clearly been ogling Porsche's brochures because at the 2015 SEMA show an MX-5 Spyder made its debut. Featuring a 'bikini top', lightweight 17-inch wheels and leather trim the Spyder looked the part but there were never any plans for production. Sadly.
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The MX-5 Speedster
We'd previously had the Mono-Posto and Lightweight; for the 2015 SEMA show Mazda came up with the MX-5 Speedster. As with the Lightweight, the Speedster was lighter than the regular production car; it tipped the scales at just 943kg (2075 lb) and once again the windscreen had been dispensed with, the doors were made of carbon fibre and the ride height was dropped by 30mm (1.2in).
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A new coupé-cabriolet
The previous MX-5 coupé-cabrio had proved a huge success for Mazda, so it was a no-brainer to create a follow up with the Mk4. This time the car was called the RF (Retractable Fastback), but it was more of a targa than a convertible. While the same engines were offered as in the convertible, the RF got its own six-speed automatic transmission.
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A million MX-5s
Mazda smashed through the one million barrier in April 2016, 27 years after the first MX-5 had been built. The car was a standard production model, but to mark the milestone Mazda undertook a world tour with MX-5 #1,000,000.
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The MX-5 Speedster evolves
Mazda returned to the 2016 SEMA show with the MX-5 Speedster Evolution, which wasn't much more radical than the car unveiled the previous year. But Mazda's tech team had focused on cutting weight even further, by swapping the regular instruments for a digital display, while the 11kg (25 lb) battery was out and a 2kg (4.5 lb) lithium battery was in. Ultimately 159kg (350lb) was slashed from the regular MX-5's kerb weight, with this one-off weighing just 900kg (1980lb).
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A mid-life refresh
Four years after it was first unveiled, the MX-5 Mk4 was updated, with extra safety kit and an overhauled cabin. There was also a higher-revving 2.0-litre engine that developed 181bhp instead of the previous 158bhp. At the heart of the new powerplant was a set of redesigned pistons and con-rods, while there were also changes to the fuel injectors, throttle valve and air intake.
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MX-5 marks 30 years
Mazda never misses the opportunity to launch a special edition and on 7 February at the 2019 Chicago Auto Show the wraps were taken off the 30th Anniversary edition. Offered only in Racing Orange and featuring RAYS forged aluminium wheels, Recaro seats, Bilstein suspension and Brembo front brakes, the car didn't offer any extra power because it doesn't need any.
As Mazda has found countless times, there's no need to mess with a successful formula. Here's to the next 30 years.
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