The rescue of the convertible - Mazda MX-5 - between nostalgia and innovation

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The rescue of the convertible - Mazda MX-5 - between nostalgia and innovation

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Created on August 7, 2014

Text:

Bruno von Rotz

Photos:

Daniel Reinhard

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Mazda MX-5 (1991) - many MX-5 drivers were faced with the question of where best to mount the license plate

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Mazda MX-5 (1991) - the first generation MX-5 weighed a good 950 kg

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Mazda MX-5 (1991) - a balanced 50:50 weight distribution gives the car agile handling

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Mazda MX-5 (1991) - this car is missing the Mazda sticker on the bumper

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Mazda MX-5 (1991) - only the later models had ABS

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Mazda MX-5 (1991) - the rear-view mirrors are intended to ensure particularly pleasant airflow conditions in the interior

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Mazda MX-5 (1991) - he opens his eyes wide

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Mazda MX-5 (1991) - the first models were delivered with alloy wheels as standard

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Mazda MX-5 (1991) - crisp rear end with hinted single lamps

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Mazda MX-5 (1991) - the headrests cannot be adjusted and sit a little low

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Mazda MX-5 (1991) - the trunk is a little too compact at around 100 liters

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Mazda MX-5 (1991) - the windshield frame is somewhat more massive in favor of the rollover protection

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Mazda MX-5 (1991) - the most fun open-top

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Mazda MX-5 (1991) - the headlights must remain open when daytime running lights are mandatory

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Mazda MX-5 (1991) - very compact by today's standards at less than 4 meters long and not quite 1.7 meters wide

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Mazda MX-5 (1991) - consumes between 7 and 8 liters per 100 km in today's traffic

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Mazda MX-5 (1991) - the Mazda only reaches its top speed of 185 km/h with the roof closed

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Mazda MX-5 (1991) - then as now a dream - the open Mazda in the countryside

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Mazda MX-5 (1991) - ideal for winding country roads

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Mazda MX-5 (1991) - by no means all MX-5s have escaped contemporary tuning efforts

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Mazda MX-5 (1991) - Folding headlights enabled a flat front end

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Mazda MX-5 (1991) - Room for two and no more

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Mazda MX-5 (1991) - the rear fog light is not exactly harmoniously integrated, high-mounted brake lights were not yet available at that time

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Mazda MX-5 (1991) - pretty front with shark mouth

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Mazda MX-5 (1991) - crisp rear, small trunk, which also houses the spare wheel and battery

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Mazda MX-5 (1991) - short and crisp, that's how a convertible should be

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Mazda MX-5 (1991) - no other car connects you with nature like a convertible

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Mazda MX-5 (1991) - comfortable sports seats, bearable even on long journeys

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Mazda MX-5 (1991) - Steering wheel and gearshift are perfectly positioned

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Mazda MX-5 (1991) - sporty cockpit, but lots of plastic

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Mazda MX-5 (1991) - beautifully designed round instruments

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Mazda MX-5 (1991) - Cockpit with original plastic steering wheel without airbag - this is how the first cars were delivered in Europe

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Mazda MX-5 (1991) - Center console with contemporary radio

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Mazda MX-5 (1991) - classic shift pattern for the five-speed gearbox - sporty short shift travel

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Mazda MX-5 (1991) - the four-cylinder engine has a nostalgic design

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Mazda MX-5 (1991) - classic double-rocker

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Mazda MX-5 (1991) - two overhead camshafts control four valves per cylinder

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Mazda MX-5 (1991) - Type plate with chassis number

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Mazda MX-5 (1991) - the blinker and parking light are concealed behind the glass

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Mazda MX-5 (1991) - the headlights fold out electrically

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Mazda MX-5 (1991) - beautifully shaped rear-view mirrors, the adjustment is of course done by hand

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Mazda MX-5 (1991) - attachment for the hardtop, the fuel filler cap is on the right and must be unlocked from the inside

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Mazda MX-5 (1991) - in America the model name was "Miata", in Europe "MX-5"

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Mazda MX-5 (1991) - beautifully designed rear lights

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Mazda MX-5 (1991) - the type lettering at the rear

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The Lotus Elan was a design model for the Mazda MX-5

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However, the idea of the Mazda MX-5 is based more on the MG Midgets that were available after the war, for example as the TC ...

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... and later as an Austin-Healey derivative ...

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Mazda MX 5 (1990) - was at the beginning of the convertible boom of the nineties

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Mazda MX-5 (1989) - with a pinch of retro design

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Mazda MX-5 (1990) - V-Special - "vely blitish"

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Mazda MX-5 (1993) - S Limited - in black

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Mazda MX-5 (1989) - Computer drawing of the chassis

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Mazda MX-5 (1989) - Transparency drawing

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Mazda MX-5 (1996) - noble VR Limited Version

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Mazda MX-5 Mk I (1991) - in British Racing Green - at the Geneva Motor Show 2014

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Mazda MX-5 Mk I (1991) - already a classic today - at the Geneva Motor Show 2014

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Mazda MX-5 Mk I (1991) - with fine Nardi steering wheel in the interior - at the Geneva Motor Show 2014

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Mazda MX-5 Mk III (2011) - Anniversary model with its predecessors

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Mazda MX-5 Mk II (2001) - MV Limited in gray

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Mazda MX-5 Mk II (1999) - rounded and without folding headlights - at the Geneva Motor Show 2014

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Mazda MX-5 Mk III (2005) - in English green

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Mazda MX-5 (1991) - the pretty aluminum wheels also feature nostalgic styling

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Summary

In February 1989, Mazda presented the Miata/MX-5 open-top sports car in Chicago, triggering a new convertible boom. 25 years later, the "roadster" modeled on the Lotus Elan has long since become a classic. This vehicle report portrays an early Mazda MX-5 in detail, tells its story and shows the first generation in historical pictures and the original brochure.

This article contains the following chapters

No Lotus Elan
Conventional, but efficient
Underestimated demand
Simple and inexpensive
Success story
Almost an old-timer
Between tradition and modernity
More information

Estimated reading time: 6min

Preview (beginning of the article)

By the end of the 1980s, the convertible was almost extinct, with only a few manufacturers, such as Mercedes-Benz, Alfa Romeo or exotic cars like Morgan and Rolls-Royce, still offering fully open cars. Then, in February 1989, the Japanese presented the small Mazda MX-5 sports car at the Chicago Auto Show and triggered a storm of enthusiasm, with the car almost being snatched out of their hands. The Mazda MX-5 is often compared to the Lotus Elan, and rightly so. The Mazda's design is an ode to the Lotus Elan, which MX-5 inspirer Robert L. Hall counted among his favorite cars. The draughtsmen at the American Mazda Design Center had taken a close look at the lightweight sports car with its plastic body when they defined the lines of the MX-5.

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