Happy Birthday! The Miata Hits The Big 2-0, Is It Still A Legend?

One of the most iconic vehicles on the road today is not a Porsche, Ferrari or some sort of high-end exotica.

It is what you find down the block.

Happy birthday, Mazda Miata! It is officially 20 years old.

Although I have never piloted a Miata, because I don't fit being over six and a half feet tall, it has that mythical status about it. Kind of like the Loch Ness Monster or Bigfoot.

I have heard countless tales of enthusiasts driving them and being incredibly happy.

Sure, it is not powered by a V12 motor but that is not the essence of the Miata. It's about having a well-balanced, lightweight roadster.

We salute you, Miata.

What do the Spies make of the Miata's birthday? Have any good memories? Care to wish it another healthy 20 years?

Weigh in on the comments below...


Hard to believe, but the Mazda Miata is 20 years old. And Mazda didn't let the birthday pass without a party.

On July 17, parked in the inner courtyard of Mazda R&D in Irvine, Calif., were examples of every significant Miata and MX-5 Miata ever made. There were pristine first-, second- and third-generation cars as well as a number of racing Miatas and a couple of concept cars. The beautiful red Monoposto sat next to the gold, fixed-roof M Coupe, and that one was next to a 1995 M Speedster (the latter reminding us that there have been so many special- edition Miatas that the regular production cars should be worth more than the special editions when these things enter the collector-car market, though that may be unlikely given that most owners don't want to quit driving them).

Miata clubs from all over Southern California came, too, parking their Mazda roadsters in the lot outside R&D and setting up camp for a day of Mazda history. Mazda brought together the original Miata team for the occasion: product planner Bob Hall, designers Mark Jordan and Tom Matano, and engineer Norman Garrett, to name just a few. They all took the stage to relate how the iconic roadster came to be...