Nobody, not even Mazda itself, could have realised the significance of February 9, 1989 and the debut of the original MX-5/Miata at the Chicago Auto Show.
Words Tim Nevinson Photos Quinn Hamill
By the 1980s the writing was on the wall for the traditional roadster. Convertibles had long been considered unsafe, too idiosyncratic, unreliable and too impractical to be driven every day in the modern world. Hot hatches had taken over; they were faster, better handling and more practical than sports cars, so why would anybody bother? Basically, most people had forgotten the feeling of fun from wind-in-the-hair motoring. It was unexpected that the Japanese would make any real headway with their new MX-5, pretty as it was, even though they had produced some great sports cars in the 240Z and RX-7.
Mazda had clearly chosen the Lotus Elan, probably the world’s best compact sports car in concept, as its model – Mazda’s new car took many ideals and styling cues from the Elan, even though it was significantly bigger than the Lotus. By updating the classic formula that had defined fun yet affordable two seat sports cars for decades, Mazda reinvented the concept of a lightweight roadster. When it was launched in 1989, the MX-5 was the first new lightweight, open two-seater to hit the volume market in a decade.
The dawn
When owners, and the press in particular, had driven and lived with the MX-5 for a week or two it dawned on everyone just how much Mazda had achieved – and just how much they were missing by driving cars with a roof. It seemed like a whole new world. Comfortable, easy to use, great handling, economical and, above all, beautifully put together. Convertible motoring could make sense after all. Mazda went to a huge amount of trouble to make the MX-5 look, handle and go like sports car buyers expected it to – with most of the evaluation and development achieved in California, the ultimate home of most European convertibles.
Its engineers worked hard on the handling, making sure the alloy wheels were the lightest possible to reduce unsprung weight; they found out why an MGB made a noise like it did, and how they could replicate it; and developed a folding roof that followed the lead set by the Alfa Romeo Spider, ending up with a system that still has yet to be bettered today.
What stood the MX-5 apart from anything else before or after was that it was designed and developed by a small team of real enthusiasts, a team which was
supported by a huge corporation prepared to turn their enthusiasm and expertise into an unspoiled yet viable quality product. The styling and handling of the MX-5 rekindled new passion amongst sports car enthusiasts, who bought the Mazda in droves. The ease of use opened Mazda’s doors to a completely new set of buyers, not car enthusiasts, but people who realised they could own a fun car without getting their nails dirty, and this was the key market that exploded the sales potential for a small sports car.
Later, Mazda replaced the original 1600cc twin-cam engine with an 1800cc unit – to pacify critics who said the car lacked power – and carried out stiffening in the chassis around the rear axle and transmission tunnel, as well as across the back of the passenger compartment. The original MX-5 was not bad in this respect; the team just found they could make it better.
Record breaker
Having updated the original with an 1800cc engine and a host of improvements in 1998, Mazda finally buckled to pressure to make a MkII version mainly due to changing vehicle legislation and market expectations. Bearing in mind which part of the market most MX-5 buyers were coming from, the designers added creature comforts and safety features, as well as updating the styling by losing the pop up lights and making the shape more bulbous. The changes met the market very well indeed, and sales of the MX-5, or Miata as it has always been known in the USA, continued unabated. The MX-5 was a stunning success. It became the core of club level motor sport in the US, and developed what became the world’s biggest one make owners club.
the best-selling two-seat convertible sports car in history
In May 2000, the Guinness Book of World Records recognized the Mazda MX-5 as the best-selling two-seat convertible sports car in history, with 531,890 units produced to that date. In April 2005, that was revised to 700,000. Whilst the MkII had more grip, a six-speed gearbox and 1800cc power in most markets, the fabulous ‘oneness’ between the car and an enthusiastic driver had mysteriously disappeared.
Sixteen years later, at the 2005 Salon International de l’Auto in Geneva, the MX-5’s latest iteration was released. Obviously aware of opinion amongst enthusiasts, Mazda’s design team had set about the MkIII development process applying the phrase Jinba Ittai – or ‘rider and horse as one’ in Western terms. The intention was to produce a car so nimble and fun to drive that the driver and car achieve true unity. They knew that in creating a car that was more spacious and included all the new safety requirements, it would naturally be bigger and heavier, so another driving force in the design process was to take every opportunity to lose weight without quality. They did this by making sure every drawing had the weight of the old part and the weight of the new part shown in big letters, and if it was clear that they had not succeeded in beating the old weight, they would try again. As a result, kerb weight for the new six-speed manual with air-conditioning is a svelte 1105kg, just 4kg more than the old model, despite being bigger in every dimension.
Generation three
MX-5 programme manager, Takao Kijima, not only looked ahead to understand how the motoring world’s needs have changed since the original MX-5 was launched, he also looked back to pinpoint what made this Mazda so special in the eyes and hands of car enthusiasts the world over. Key changes for the third-generation MX-5 were a body structure that uses new materials and technologies to trim weight, improve crashworthiness, and increase rigidity. A fresh, contemporary interior and exterior design that celebrated the original MX-5, but provides adequate room for tall occupants, improved their comfort, and enhanced safety were all required.
New from the wheels up – only the side repeater lamps have been carried over – the 2.0-litre, third generation roadster has more power and torque, plus a host of equipment upgrades that include a limited slip differential, 17-inch alloy wheels, cruise control, a six stack CD player, a cloth soft top and tilt adjustable steering. Standard safety features include ABS anti-lock brakes with Electronic Brake Force Distribution, dual front and front side airbags, seatbelt pretensioners and anti whiplash seats.
For the first time the Mazda MX-5 is offered with a six-speed Activematic gearbox complete with steering wheel-mounted gear change paddles. Benefiting from
50:50 weight distribution achieved by moving the engine rearwards by 135mm, New Zealand MX-5s are powered by a 2.0-litre all-alloy engine (the 1.6 and 1.8 had iron blocks) with 118kW, a jump of more than 10 per cent over the superseded model and 188Nm of torque (up 11.9 per cent).
The rear suspension has now changed to a multi-link set-up rather than the previous wishbones. On the outside, the most notable departure from the previous exterior shape is the elimination of the classic Coke bottle shape of the contours, making the doors higher around the passengers.
Competition
The look to me is very successful, particularly the pronounced wheel arches to accommodate the substantially wider wheels – the car looks very athletic. Inside, the cabin offers more hip, shoulder and elbow room and plenty of storage compartments. The folding soft top features a Z-fold design with one centrally located latch handle, which means the top can, theoretically, be raised or lowered without moving from your seat and with one hand.
Crucially what Mazda has now that it didn’t have when it developed the first MX-5, is competitors. It’s a victim of its own success: naturally other volume manufacturers eventually woke up to Mazda’s formula, producing the MGF the Toyota MR-S and the new Pontiac Solstice among others in the same price bracket, and many new convertibles above and below the MX5’s market position which would probably never have appeared without the MX-5’s success. With buyers’ aspirations set on the BMW Z-series, Mazda’s design team had to take these cars into account rather than concentrating on the virtues of older sports cars.
Group test
We assembled a group of MX-5 enthusiasts with every previous model – and a few modified examples – to test the old against the new, and follow the way the car has developed, both to look at and to drive. I had been driving the latest model for a week and had already formed an opinion, having owned two S1 MX-5s myself, but I wanted to do a back-to-back test to check the car’s design progress. Compared to what else is on the new car market today, the new MX-5 is a great product, but has Mazda achieved the Jinba Ittai of the original?
The simple answer is – no! This is surprising, since the programme manager of this MkIII was the ride and handling chief of the original car. The 50:50 weight distribution hasn’t transposed into the great feel and chuckability of the MK1, just as the MkII gave more grip but less feel. The key to the MkIII’s lack of ‘oneness’ with the driver can be found in its steering. Tiny, light movements about the straight-ahead translate into unwanted yaw, making the car nervy and good lines through corners difficult to achieve in one sweep. Lines are similarly difficult to adjust because of the tiny movements required. It’s alright to drive around town, but unrewarding and tiresome on the open road.
The new roof is clever but not as fool-proof as the old one, and takes up a lot of room behind the seats, losing the airy feel and great visibility of the older car, an aspect exacerbated by the higher door sides. Compared to today’s volume cars, the 2006 MX-5 is still an exceptional package. These feelings were pretty much echoed by the other MX- Fivers there on the day, they liked it for what it was, but not as much as their own, older cars.
Judgement day
My favourite was easily Martin Harris’s red Mk1 NZ-new car, the original. Second was David Maughtin’s yellow supercharged Mk1 Eunos Roadster – the power delivery of this car is just what the original needed. There wasn’t much to choose between the power steering of the Red Eunos Mk1 and the original Red NZ-new MX-5 Mk1 – the ratio is quicker on the power-steered Eunos, making oversteer adjustments easier and allowing quicker driver response, but the feel and feedback aren’t as good as the original.
Mazdaspeed’s modifications on the yellow car are worthwhile for handling, but not such a good ride compromise.The orange turbocharged Mk1 car gave lunatic top-end performance but at the expense of refinement. The interior of the green MkII is the nicest, although I’m not convinced by its 1800cc engine. The performance improvement is definitely there, but at the expense of refinement and rev-ability.
As before Mazda has met the market well with the 2006 MX-5. A glance at the specifications show improvements in nearly every material specification, but the pureness and handling virtue of the original, the Jinba Ittai, is less apparent. My perfect MX-5? The latest lightweight 2.0-litre engine, supercharged, and a tan and wood interior all fitted into the original car – with AC from the Eunos and with an optional hardtop for winter.
Mazda MX-5 1989-2006
| 1989-1993 | 1993-1998 | 1998-2004 | 2005-2006 | |
| Engine | In-line four, dohc 16-valve | * | * | * |
| Capacity Max power Max torque |
1597cc 85kW 135Nm |
1939cc 98Kw 154Nm |
1839cc 116Kw 159Nm |
1999cc 118Kw 188Nm |
| Susp Fr | double wishbone, coil spring and anti roll bar | * | * | * |
| Susp Rear | double wishbone, coil spring and anti roll bar | * | * | * |
| Gearbox | Five-speed manual or four-speed auto (1989-’98) | Six-speed manual or four-speed auto (1998-’04) |
Six-speed manual or five-speed auto (2005-’06) |
Six-speed manual or auto |
| Brakes |
Ventilated disc/disc ventilated rear discs on 2006 model | * | * | * |
| Wheels | 14×5.5 | 14×6 | 15×6 | 17×7 |
| DIMENSIONS | ||||
| O/all length Width Height Wheelbase Track fr Track rr Weight* |
3948mm 1676mm 1224mm 2266mm 1410mm 1428mm 940-990kg |
3948mm 1676mm 1224mm 2266mm 1410mm 1428mm 1009-1060kg |
3955mm 1680mm 1235mm 2265mm 1405mm 1430mm 1000-1060kg |
3990mm 1720mm 1245mm 2330mm 1490mm 1495mm 1090-1107kg |
| PERFORMANCE | ||||
| 0-100kph Max Speed Price new |
8.6 secs 187kph $35,990 |
8.4 secs 196kph $42500 |
7.9 secs 203kph $43950 |
7.8 secs 209kph $44,950 |
* same as previous model
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