Mazda MX-5

The Mazda MX-5 is a two-seat sports car manufactured in Japan by Mazda since 1989.

Debuting at the Chicago Auto Show in February 1989, the roadster revived global driver interest in affordable open-top motoring. Mazda developed the vehicle around a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout with a fifty-fifty front-to-rear balance.

Initial models featured pop-up headlights and a 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine producing 86 kW (116 hp). A larger 1.8-liter engine joined the line in 1993 to provide greater pulling force. A major redesign arrived in 1998, replacing the pop-up headlights with fixed lamps and offering an optional six-speed manual gearbox. Factory development added a turbocharged model in 2004, lifting engine output to 133 kW (178 hp). Across four distinct generations, the vehicle maintained its mechanical focus on lightweight components, responsive rack-and-pinion steering, and manual shifting.

Roof choices expanded in 2006 when Mazda introduced a power retractable hardtop variant alongside the traditional folding soft top. Showrooms welcomed a fourth generation for the 2016 model year, followed by a targa-style fastback with an electrically folding rear roof section named the RF. Guinness World Records officially recognized the MX-5 in May 2000 as the top-selling two-seat sports car, citing 531,890 units completed. Demand continued steadily past that milestone, leading the Hiroshima manufacturing plant to complete the one-millionth production vehicle in April 2016.

Automobile Magazine named the roadster its 1990 Automobile of the Year, and Japanese automotive journalists gave the third generation the 2005–2006 Car of the Year Japan award. Jurors at the New York International Auto Show voted the fourth generation both World Car of the Year and World Car Design of the Year in 2016. On circuit tracks, the Sports Car Club of America sanctioned the Spec Miata racing class in 1999 for amateur road racing. Professional drivers campaign the vehicle in the Mazda MX-5 Cup, contesting sanctioned sprint races at tracks including Daytona International Speedway and Laguna Seca.