Chicago 2009: 20 years of the Mazda Miata/MX-5
by Damon Lavrinc on Feb 11th 2009 at 8:02PM 
Click above for a high-res gallery of 20 years of the Mazda Miata/MX-5
Twenty years ago, Mazda took the wraps off the first generation Miata/MX-5 in Chicago. Over the next two decades the lightweight roadster solidified its place in the enthusiast hierarchy and evolved with larger engines, more gears and extra amenities. Amazingly, it never lost its edge.
Mazda wanted to commemorate the Miata's milestone at this year's Chicago Auto Show, but rather than trot out a 20th Anniversary Edition with a few badges and a custom color, Mazda dusted off a handful of concepts, one-offs and notable MX-5s that defined the roadster and help create the Cult of Miata that a few Autoblog staffers continue to worship at to this day.
Check the gallery below for some of our favorite models, including a hardtop coupe concept that resulted in a JDM-only fixed-roof Miata and the Mono-Posto Roadster that had us seriously contemplating a late-night attack on our NA with a sawzall and some bondo.
Photos copyright ©2009 Drew Phillips / Weblogs, Inc.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
JDMlover 8:06PM (2/11/2009)
Sweet.
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Jason 8:09PM (2/11/2009)
I WANT AN NB COUPE.
20 Years of Miata at Laguna Seca
http://www.miatasatmrls.com/
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StickShift 8:13PM (2/11/2009)
Seconded!
http://www.miata.net/news/images/MiataCoupe2.jpg
Gomi 10:10AM (2/12/2009)
YES!
Mazda FTW! 8:14PM (2/11/2009)
A BIG thank you to this company that continues to make driver's cars which are also practical, good-looking and easy on the budget.
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michael pettibone 8:28PM (2/11/2009)
Like the JDM fixed roof model.How about bringing this here Mazda? with a new 2.5 duratec and say,200 hp? A boxter rival for less than half the cost!
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anthony 8:30PM (2/11/2009)
The Miata is such a great car. First day over 60º in NY and I couldn't wait to put the top down. I am convinced that if you give anyone a Miata to drive for a day they would become an "enthusiast", ditch their automatic transmissions and begin to see less really is more!
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Bubba 6:23PM (2/12/2009)
"I am convinced that if you give anyone a Miata to drive for a day they would become an 'enthusiast'..."
Pretty much what happened to me when my father-in-law slipped me the keys to his '00 SE. Except it only took me 2 stop-lights and a squirrelly back road. About a year later I had a '99 of my own.
Bloody fantastic automobile! The price makes it all that much easier.
Tim 8:50PM (2/11/2009)
It's simple: the Miata is one the best cars ever made.
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MajorGeek 8:50PM (2/11/2009)
One of my first "second" cars. I bought it used for 5k and could barely afford that. Park it anywhere, wash it in 5 minutes, fun little car.
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HotRodzNKustoms 9:04PM (2/11/2009)
I will never sell my first gen 1.8 miata. Best sports car ever made.
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f3rg 9:08PM (2/11/2009)
In St. Louis a couple weeks ago, all we got was one single Miata, the latest MX-5: http://tr.im/fuxj
That's it. Pathetic. Thanks for nothing, Mazda.
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Steve 9:41PM (2/11/2009)
What version is the lemon yellow one in the center of the first pic?
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ketel1 10:09PM (2/11/2009)
I'd like to know what edition that yellow one is as well. I really like the look of that, especially the headlights and wheels. Hopefully it has a turbo?
summazooma 7:02AM (2/12/2009)
Club Racer... designed in the Irvine studio by the guys that did the original Miata concept, it was an early concept done to show what a "butch" Miata could look like. It was a widebody (pretty subtly done) and, to my eyes, it toed the line between "factory" racer and street tuner pretty nicely.
The later NB-based monoposto was another take on a similar theme...
Unfortunately, the designers who did these cars (production NA and the various NA/ NB concepts) are apparently gone from Mazda, including a great designer & guy named Wu-Huang Chin, who gave the original NA it's characterful details and did the twin turbo RX7, as well. Check out his artwork (no affiliation with this site but a good one to look is: http://www.carartinc.com/products.aspx?x=2&f=artistID&v=1&t=i&ttl=artistName&tmp=2&menu=C1373 Make sure to check out the pictures of his artwork along the right.)
Great cars done by a great group...
summazooma 6:06PM (2/13/2009)
Rumor has it that Mazda's studio had lay-offs today, resulting (ironically) in even less of a link to it's past on display there in Chicago.
tomlori1 10:17PM (2/11/2009)
My blue 90 with 136,000 miles looks just like the one on the stand. Even has the little gap on the right headlight and hood. Took it for a ride yesterday when it hit 60 degrees and while it shakes and rattles a little more, it's just a blast to drive.
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Hugo 1:12AM (2/12/2009)
Ack, those gaps... you can very very very easily fix them. Pop the hood then gently pull up on the metal of the back of the headlight; drop the hood back down again and see whether you need to tweak it again.
If anyone leans on the lights, the metal gets bent down ever so slightly and it's just so easy to make it look perfect again.
Still got my '90 UK MX-5!
david 10:40PM (2/11/2009)
"ncluding the JDM-only fixed-roof Miata"
This is incorrect. They did in fact have a jdm miata coupe but it was based off the NB ('99-'04) chassis. The NA pictured was a concept that, sadly, never made it to production. http://www.auto-otaku.com/home/2008/02/new-mazda-mx5-c.html This article has a picture of the NB coupe as well as a rendering of the speculated NC coupe that is hopefully on its way in 2010.
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hhsohn 11:36AM (2/12/2009)
There's some more information on the Miata Coupe at Mazda's museum website.
Go go The Collection -> Concepts-> first on the top left.
http://www.mazdausa.com/MusaWeb/displayPage.action?pageParameter=mazdaMuseumMain