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MAZDA MX5 HISTORY
The idea of a low cost, simple, small but highly entertaining convertible seems like an obvious one. But it took 13 years, a new approach to car development and a drop of fate to achieve it. In 1976 US journalist Bob Hall put the idea to Kenichi Yamamoto, Head of Research & Development at Mazda. He suggested that to crack the US market Mazda needed to reinvent the classic British roadster of the 1960s - like the Lotus Elan, MGB and Austin Healey Sprite. Several years later in 1981 and now an employee of Mazda in product planning, Hall revisited the idea with Yamamoto who was now ran Mazda. Yamamoto gave the green light to developing the idea and through an innovative product development programme the project was given to competing teams in Japan and America. The brief was simple - create a low cost but highly rewarding roadster for the 1990s.
The American design team worked on a classic rear wheel drive, front engine layout while the Japanese team favoured a mid engined, rear wheel drive concept. Eventually the US version won the competition and in 1989 the Mazda MX-5 - as in Mazda eXperimental project number 5 - was launched. With input from British company International Automotive Design the finished Mazda MX5 car owed a lot to the seminal Lotus Elan of the 1960s. Like the Lotus, the Mazda was a low cost convertible with low weight, relatively low power and superb handling. It expressed the Mazda design philosophy 'rider and horse as one.'
The Mazda MX-5 was designed as a world car and launched globally as the Mazda MX5 (Europe), Miata (USA) and Eunos Roadster (Japan). Initially available with a 1600cc engine, a 1800cc engine was introduced in 1994. The original 'pop headlight' Mark 1 car (the Great Escape car) remained in production until 1998 by which time over 400,000 cars had been sold. Several special editions of the basic car were sold in different markets, including the Dakar, of which the Great Escape car is number 80 of 400 built. These cars featured standard mechanicals but improved trim.
The Mazda MX-5 Mk2 was launched in 1998 and looked essentially the same as the MK1 but swapped the characterful pop-up headlights for fixed items. It featured a more powerful engine but increased weight.
The Mazda MX5 Mark 2 was replaced in May 2005 by the Mark 3, which moved the game on considerably. Bigger, more powerful and generally more refined, the Mk 3 Mazda MX5 moved the car upmarket and met the latest safety regulations, but without sacrificing the basic principles of a small, low cost, fine handling roadster.
Since its launch in 1989 the Mazda MX5 has been consistantly feted by the motoring press. Longside its spiritual forebear the Lotus Elan the Mazda MX-5 is regularly rated as one of the best drivers' cars of all time.
