Mazda MX5

The Mazda MX5 is a lightweight two-seater roadster, of front-engine, rear-wheel drive layout, built by Mazda in Hiroshima, Japan. The model was introduced in 1989 at the Chicago Auto Show. The Mazda MX5 was conceived as a small roadster – with light weight and minimal mechanical complexity limited only by legal and safety requirements; technologically modern, but a philosophically direct descendant of the small British roadsters of the 1960s such as the Triumph Spitfire, Austin-Healey Sprite, MG MGB and mainly the Lotus Elan.

Mazda MX5

The second generation Mazda MX5 (NB) was launched in 1998 and the current (NC) model has been in production since 2006. It continues to be the best-selling two-seat convertible sports car in history and by February 2011, 900,000 Mazda MX5s have been built and sold around the world, with more than 100,000 still on the road in the UK as of June 2011.

Since the launch of the third generation Mazda MX5, Mazda consolidated worldwide marketing using the Mazda MX5 name, though enthusiasts in the US still refer to it as Miata, a name that means "reward" in Old High German, and the vehicle in 2011 was still marketed by Mazda in the US as the Mazda MX5 Miata in printed showroom brochures.

The Mazda MX5's first generation, the NA, sold over 400,000 units from 1989 to 1997 – with a 1.6 L (98 cu in) straight-4 engine to 1993, a 1.8 L (110 cu in) engine thereafter (with a de-tuned 1.6 as a budget option in some markets) – recognizable by its pop-up headlights. The second generation (NB) was introduced in 1998 with a slight increase in engine power; it can be recognized by the fixed headlights and the glass rear window. The third generation (NC) was introduced in 2005 with a 2.0 L (120 cu in) engine.

It was launched at a time when production of small roadsters had fallen into almost total disuse. The Alfa Romeo Spider was the only comparable volume model in production at the time of the Mazda MX5's launch. Just a decade earlier, a whole host of similar models - notably the MG B, Triumph TR7, Triumph Spitfire and Fiat Spider - had been available.

Mazda MX5

The body is a conventional, but light, unibody or monocoque construction, with (detachable) front and rear subframes. The Mazda MX5 also incorporates a truss marketed as the Powerplant Frame (PPF) which connects the engine to the differential, minimizing flex and contributing to responsive handling. Some Mazda MX5s feature limited slip differentials and anti-lock braking system. Traction control is an option available on NC models. The earlier cars weighed in at just over a ton, with engine power output usually 116 bhp (87 kW). The later cars were heavier, with higher power engines.

With an approximate 50:50 front/rear weight balance, the car has nearly neutral handling. Inducing oversteer is easy and very controllable, thus making the Mazda MX5 a popular choice for amateur and stock racing, including, in the US, the Sports Car Club of America's Solo2 autocross and Spec Miata race series and in the UK the Ma5da racing championship.

The Mazda MX5 has won many awards including Wheels Magazine 's Car of the Year for 1989 and 2005; Sports Car International's "best sports car of the 1990s" and "ten best sports cars of all time"; 2005-2006 Car of the Year Japan; and 2005 Australian Car of the Year. The Miata has also made Car and Driver magazine's annual Ten Best list 11 times. In their December 2009 issue, Grassroots Motorsports magazine named the Miata as the most important sports car built during the previous 25 years.

Mazda MX5 photos