sackedagain's Miata Club Budget Rider

At the end of ‘70s, the roadster was dead in the United States. You
might see an MG or a TR7, but usually on blocks in someone’s driveway. These days,
you see roadsters everywhere—Z3s, TTs, Boxters. What happened?

In 1979, journalist Bob Hall begged Kenichi Yamamoto at Mazda to build
a roadster. Hall ended up changing careers. Over the next 10 years, at
Mazda Automotive North America in California, he was part of the team that
developed the MX-5 under Toshihiko Hirai.

In the US, the car has always been called the Miata. "Miata" is from
Old High German and means “reward.” In Japan, the car was called the Eunos to
avoid confusion with the bicycle company, Miyata. In Europe, I’m told that it
has always been an MX-5.

From 1989 to 1997, Mazda was scared to make major changes to the car.
It had had tremendous sales and enormous support from Miata clubs across the
world. Mazda upped the horse power in 1994, replacing the 1.6 with a 1.8 engine. But
that only compensated for extra weight.

After the 1997 model, Mazda finally retooled, with input from club
members. The second generation Miata carried on the look and feel of the original
roadster. The quickest difference to spot is the headlights. The first generation
had pop-ups, but by 1998 Mazda was able to use a smaller headlight to
achieve the same illumination. The badging also changed, with the new Mazda logo.

The third generation has stepped away from tradition. RX-8 fenders,
roomier interior. But enough said. Oh wait there is one more thing, ugghhh.

GT4 has nine models from the first and second generation. Forget the
second generation for now. For this BR, you have your pick of five cars, all
1st gen Miatas. You’ll need oil and a Viagra to restore the car to original
specs. Don’t tune it any further.

Now, I agree, it is a nice secretary’s car. But trust me, or check out
a Miata spec race sometime, the car is a riot to drive. Great handling with
50-50 weight distribution and has one of the best gear boxes ever made.

In GT4, the Ring replaces Mazda’s original test track: The Pacific
Coast Highway. Keep your revs high and avoid braking. For grippers, this is a
very forgiving drifter. Momentum at work. If you miss Bergwerk or Ex-Muhle
or Dottinger Hohe, all corners leading into hills, there is no recovery.
Your lap time may be off by 5 to 10 seconds.

You’ll find these cars in the used car and historic lots:

1. The original MX-5 from 1989. Steel wheels, 118 HP/6500 rpm and
torque at 100.97/5500. There is a god-awful blue that I wish I hadn’t bought.
Look for the silver.

2. The J-Limited from 1991. Who knows J-limited means? I’m assuming
it’s a Japanese model. All the cars are right-hand drive. Mazda always
releases a couple editions. In 1991, Mazda released a special edition but it was
available only in British Racing Green and that car is not in GT4. I do think the
GT4 car has the alloy wheels option available in 1991. Same engine and weight
as the 1989 model.

3. The J-Limited II from 1993. The weight grows to 980 kg and 1.6 is
replaced with the 1.8 engine. Oiled and refreshed, the car gets 130 hp at 6500
rpms. Torque is also up to 115.35 at a lower 4500 rpms. The redline moves
from 7500 to 7000 rpms. In 1993, the Limited Edition released in the states were
“Brilliant Black” with a red interior. They came with BBS wheels, Nardi shifters,
Bilstein shocks, a spoiler and a rear lower skirt. Only 1,500 sold here. That
car would be a real find.

4. VR-Limited from 1995. This car has a mixed interior, tan seats in a
black cockpit. Other than that, seems very much like the 1993 model.

5. And finally, the 1997 SR-Limited. I don’t see any major changes in
the GT4 1997 model.

I look forward to your reports and observations.