When Mazda released its Eunos Roadster in 1989, it wasn’t breaking new ground. The Roadster wasn’t the first open top two seater on the market; it wasn’t the fastest or the most expensive. Mazda’s sleek lightweight convertible was, however, an embodiment of the sports car spirit that was forged by classic marques such as Lotus, Triumph and MG. Mazda’s design had repackaged the classic open top driving experience of the 1960s for the modern market, using the latest automotive technology to create a sexy sports car that was affordable, fun to drive and able to conform to the strict safety laws that had evolved since the carefree 60s. Instantly appealing, at once nostalgic and completely modern, the MX-5 reignited the dormant compact convertible market.
The development of the MX-5 Roadster began in 1982, when Mazda started researching the production of a lightweight sports car that would recall the raw, exuberant driving experience of the post-war British open top cars. To that end the credo for the Roadster became 人馬一体, jinba ittai, or a sense of rider and horse – driver and car – becoming one. Design began at Mazda’s Californian development center, before the project moved to Japan in 1986.
It took six years for Mazda’s engineers and designers to perfect the design and mechanics that produced the car that debuted at the Chicago Auto Show in 1989: a small, sleek, compact, lightweight open-top two-seater whose minimalist cockpit, understated lines and distinctive pop-up headlights evoked the original Lotus Elan. A front engine, rear wheel drive car, it was powered by a 1.6 liter, 4-cylinder, 16 valve DOHC engine producing 115 brake horsepower, with a 5-speed manual transmission and double wishbone suspension on all wheels. Initially released in Japan for 1.7 million yen as the Eunos Roadster – under the company’s nascent (but short-lived) upmarket marque – it was also marketed as the Mazda Miata in North America. It was also known as the Mazda Roadster, though the company eventually settled on the MX-5. Whatever, it was a phenomenal seller and critical success.
The MX-5 in its various versions has gone on to sell some 900,000 cars worldwide and has amassed a slew of awards along the way, including Time Magazine’s Best Design of the Decade, Road & Track magazine’s One of World’s Five Best Cars and Japan Car of the Year. It has undergone various refinements in body styling, engine power and performance and is currently in its third generation, a more muscular car sporting a standard 2.0 liter engine with dual overhead camshafts that produces 170 bhp and features dynamic stability control and an optional automatic retractable metal roof.
The next generation MX-5 is around the corner. According to Britain’s Autocar magazine, “Mazda’s design boss, Laurens van den Acker … started talking about the next MX-5, due in around 2012. He plans to make it much more dramatic and ‘give it some balls’. It will also be lighter and better to drive.” We can’t wait.
Top markets (as at Dec 2010): For enthusiasts happy to make a trip to Mazda’s home city of Hiroshima, the Mazda Museum located at the company’s headquarters gives visitors an insight into the brand’s history, technologies and manufacturing processes and future endeavors. Details can be found via the links below.
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