By Robby DeGraff
Our favorite beloved two-seat roadster turns 30 this year and to commemorate the MX-5 Miata’s three decades of success a new 30th-Anniversary Edition joins the lineup. And there’s more than just some flashy appearance goodies that make this a worthy addition to one’s garage. The MX-5 Miata made its first public appearance here in Chicago way back in 1989, a year before yours truly was born, so what better place to pay tribute to it than here again in the Windy City.
An exclusive Racing Orange paint perfectly compliments the MX-5 Miata’s piano-black mirrors, and A-pillars, and inside a pair of suede-like Recaro seats have orange piping and stitching. A few mechanical upgrades set this 30th-Anniversary Edition model apart from your common MX-5 Miata. When equipped with the six-speed manual-transmission, specially tuned Bilstein dampers tag along, and all models have standard Brembo brakes hiding behind black, forged 17-inch Rays aluminum wheels.
Every single 30th-Anniversary Edition MX-5 Miata was claimed within hours of its announcement.
Only 3,000 of these limited tributes will be built, both in soft-top and retractable hardtop RF form, and according to Mazda’s preordering website, all of them, including the 500 set to arrive here in the United States sold out just hours after the news broke this morning about its release. Thankfully, if you’re still hungry for an orange, there’s a waitlist.
But to cheer us up, Mazda put the icing on the cake with three other landmark MX-5 Miatas parked nearby: A 1990 model year, a 10th-Anniversary Edition 1999 model, and a bronze third-generation NC.
Ross Ballot
I’m sure it’s not to everyone’s tastes, but that orange paint is flat-out gorgeous.
Papaya, McLaren racing orange, picked so that other drivers could clearly see him approaching in their rearview mirrors.
https://www.ultimatecarpage.com/images/car/314/McLaren-M8A-Chevrolet-66369.jpg
The answer is still Miata, the orange paint is striking but I’d like to see a french blue option since that was so common on early NA Miatas. I’m also curious what it looks like in Soul Red metallic since that is the signature color of modern Mazdas.
I know I should like the new Miatas but they keep getting bigger and uglier and more complicated compared to the simpler and more tasteful first and second gen Miatas. Nice color, though.
I agree. The NA remains my favorite.
Dear Mazda,
Look how fantastic your Miata looks in that bold 30th anniversary orange. How about more dramatic colors like this, please? B&W shades are nice but we don’t need 4 of them, especially if there are only 5 choices.
Thanks.
The cars I tend to like aren’t flashy (usually wagons, sedans, or old pickups), but if I ever find myself succumbing to the purchase of a cheap NA Miata, I’m absolutely painting it this color. Only sports cars and convertibles can get away with such bold hues, but I like it!
The Volvo 850 wagon, BMW M3 and Audi S3 would like to respectfully disagree. 😀
https://res.cloudinary.com/carsguide/image/upload/f_auto,fl_lossy,q_auto,t_cg_hero_large/v1/editorial/Volvo-850-sedan-and-wagon-1991-1996-%284%29.jpg
https://cdn.bmwblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Fire-Orange-BMW-M3-2.jpg
https://www.quattrodaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Audi-S3-Sedan-with-Glut-Orange-paint-4.jpg
Factory colors, true, and an option if you want what looks like a clown car. Likewise, I’m not fond of Volvo Polestar blue, Ford Focus RS blue, Dodge Challenger Hellcat green, any of the historic “Big Bad” colors (AMC), Ford “Grabber” colors, or Mopar Plum Crazy. And yellow shouldn’t be put on anything.
Sign me up for a clown car, then. 😀 I love bright colors on almost anything.
Ha! Perhaps I’m just boring. I usually prefer earth tones.
How much highway do you do? I think they still cruise at roughly 3500rpm at 120ish, which can get a bit wearing over time. Other than that, they’re supposed to be decent enough with the right set of tires.
The Ikea bit is easy, top goes down, boxes go in;
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3411/3606587033_ca1c11cd93.jpg?v=0
Finding space for your folks might be a little more difficult unless we can make the rumble seat come back.
http://mgaguru.com/mgtech/accessories/pics/rumble2.jpg
I Love My 2016 ND Miata 6-Speed in Ceramic Metallic, But Damn That Orange Paint Is Hot!!!
[…] If I look back at the cars that have come through for review over the last fourteen plus years, just about every other year, a Miata/MX-5 makes its way onto the schedule. While that is never a bad thing, at this point, what new is there to say about the MX-5? […]
[…] If I look back at the cars that have come through for review over the last fourteen plus years, just about every other year, a Miata/MX-5 makes its way onto the schedule. While that is never a bad thing, at this point, what new is there to say about the MX-5? […]