The Miata is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. And to really get the party started, Mazda dug some of their most impressive and significant Miatas out of storage and brought them to the show floor to create the finest display of Miatas ever assembled.
Mazda brought the history of the Miata to New York as a bridge to the special edition 25th anniversary Miata that there will only be 100 of in the USA as well as the future, which was represented in the form of the new SkyActiv chassis for the ND generation Miata.
They even brought Tom Matano and Bob Hall, the "two dads" of the first Miata, to celebrate the anniversary in style.
This is the history of the modern classic sports car in photos. And if you have a chance to visit the NY Auto Show, make sure to gawk at the Miatas. It's the only stand at the show worth visiting.
These are the three Miatas that were shown at the Chicago Auto Show in 1989, production numbers 14, 15, and 17. This is genesis.
If you always thought that there was no Miata built in 1998, you'd be wrong. There was one 1998 Miata, and it's this non-running design study. It was meant to bridge the gap between the NA and NB, and was the first time that fixed headlamps appeared. It also had bigger fender flares and a larger trunk.
This innocuous looking NB is the 500,000th Miata ever built. That sounds like a lot, but now there are more than 900,000 Miatas roaming the back roads of the world.
But what about the concept cars? Mazda brought out some of their all time greats. There's the loud yellow Club Racer. The loud orange M Speedster. Then there's the unbelievably gorgeous M Coupe, a fixed roof NA Miata that never made it to production but really should have. Every line of is pure sexual healing and perfection.
And finally, there's the Super 20, one of my all time favorite cars that I've ever driven. It's just the most fun, the ultimate expression of what an NC Miata can be.
Look at the pock marked front end. Mazda didn't repaint it. They want to show that this car has been used. That's the right way to do it. This is a real car, not a glorified concept.