Small roadsters are dead in terms of sales but one manufacturer refuses to let the little terrier that it is die. Mazda has been producing the Miata since it was launched late in the 1989 model year, all the way through present day. Plain and simple– it is one of the best cars ever made and has a following so large that it shows.

After the 1970’s, nearly every single small roadster was plucked off of the market leaving a gaping black hole in their place. Only obscure cars remained in circulation like the hideously unreliable Alfa Romeo Spider, and the Fiat X 1/9, that would crumble to ashes if a minuscule droplet of water landed on the ever fragile paper thin sheet metal. Throughout the end of the 1970’s and early 1980’s the small roadster essentially died with the Alfa Romeo being the only one still on the market.

Bob Hall, a journalist at Motor Trend at the time, presented the idea of creating another small roadster to Mazda after Kenichi Yamamoto “president of Mazda at the time,” and Gai Arai, who was high up on the corporate ladder, questioned Hall on what kind of car that he would like to see produced again. He replied that a small British-like roadster, where you can get bugs in your teeth and zip around corners, would be an ideal new product.  

Fast forward to a few years later, Hall started work at Mazda of North America and once again fatefully met Yamamoto. At the time, he was working on developing a redesigned “B series” pickup truck for later in the decade. Yamamoto walked into his Southern California office and tapped Hall on the shoulder asking him what he was working on, to which Hall replied, the B series pickup truck. Yamamoto then questioned Hall about the long forgotten small roadster project he presented a few years before and told him that he should work on developing that, rather than the pickup.  

The project then took off with Hall as the engineer and Tom Matano as the designer. Using inspiration from the late and great Lotus Elan of the 1960’s, Hall and Matano worked hard using styling cues and a similar suspension design to replicate the magic that the Elan created. Everything on the car was meant to be in the same flavor as other legendary affordable sports cars before it, including a fantastic close ratio 5-speed stick shift transmission that would go into every gear with a satisfying and positive click. Engineers paid such a great deal of attention to this car that they even had the exhaust note acoustically tuned while in development to make it sound like a true sports car. After battling with Mazda’s other design studios with what layout the car should be, the mid engine rear wheel drive and front engine front wheel drive models got canned while Hall’s original front engine rear wheel drive model triumphed into Mazda factories late in 1988.

The little Miata was a screaming success. Dealers couldn’t keep up the insane demand consumers pressed on them, and Mazda couldn’t produce cars fast enough to meet the cries of joy from car nuts alike for the first reliable sports car produced in years. Almost every car magazine at the time praised the Miata for being the fun and entertaining car that mazda promised. Enthusiasts would no longer have to deal with the dreadful reliability of past British roadsters or the shoddy build quality of workers on strike.

Tragically though, throughout the years the Miata has gained a reputation as a “girls car” with basic bros and “Merican muscle car meatheads” ganging up on the little roadster while it still out handles pretty much everything on the road to date. With its near perfect 50/50 weight distribution, slick 5-speed transmission (assuming that it’s a manual) and free revving screaming little inline four cylinder engine, the Miata is one phenomenal car anyone can hop in and blast down a back road.

Young people have always been attracted to the Miata as it is an ideal first car for any young car enthusiast. It’s light as it only weighs 2,200 lbs, has an air bag as if anyone actually cared about that, is rear wheel drive and offers almost no safety features on early models. When you’re driving a Miata your destiny is truly up to you and your driving capability as there is nothing like traction control or anti lock brakes to save you in an emergency situation. The dangers that come with driving the Miata are part of its charm and are flat out fun.

For broke high school students, the Miata is one of the best options for a first car that looks cool and one that is fun to drive. Austin Nidea, Class of 2017, always loved the idea of owning a Miata, and knew when he had enough money saved he would purchase one. Finally that time came and he drove home victoriously from Joliet with a 1994 Mazda Miata in “Brilliant black”. Since the purchase he hasn’t looked back as the car is everything and more than he expected it to be. 

“I love the car because it’s really basic. You can make it into anything and it’s fun because of the rear wheel drive,” Nidea said. “The car is fantastic; it turns heads and is amazing around the corners, it’s a small car that handles amazing!”  

I’m going to have to admit it but I actually sold my beloved BMW E30 and purchased a 1992 1.6 liter Miata and can attest to everything good that people rave about when discussing the car. Plain and simple, I’ve never driven a bone stock car that’s twenty five years old that drives as fresh or fun as a Miata. With barely any steering input the car dances right into every corner with very little body roll. The tiny 1.6 liter four cylinder engine is very willing and happy to rev up and down all day long making the Miata one of the best slow cars that you can drive on the ragged edge all the time. Since the car has 50/50 weight distribution it’s no surprise that the little terrier loves to be thrown through corners with the engine giving off its signature nostrily scream. 

For anyone looking to better themselves as a driver, looking for a first car that can be both fun and reliable, or just wants a fun weekend toy, there is one sentence to remember–Miata is always the answer.