Mazda MX-5 and Miata 1989 - 1999

By: James Taylor .

It took courage as well as good business sense for Mazda to come up with the MX5. North American legislation and the fear that open cars would eventually be outlawed had led to the death of the traditional roadster by the end of the 1970s, and most of the world's car manufacturers began ton look for other ways of offering affordable driving excitement to their customers. But Mazda - thanks to the prompting of enthusiasts at its own North American branch - dared to revive the front-engine, rear-drive roadster in 1989. Refining the old concept, the MX-5 was the first of many similar cars which brought the fun back into motoring during the 1990s. As the figures in this book show, the initial worldwide surge of enthusiasm for the MX-5 reflected the pent-up demand of the 1980s. Sales settled down to more realistic levels pretty soon, but these were more than enough to sustain Mazda's new model.

The MX-5 has already taken over from the MGB as the world's fastest-selling sports car, and there can be little doubt that it will soon also take over from that model the title of the world's biggest-selling sports car.

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