who likes the MX-5 anyway???

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Famine
Well... we both went for an NA 1.6 first and an NB 1.8 second :D I just picked a 1.6 turbo special edition first, while we both had an NB 1.8 special edition second. Without discussion either :D

Pretty close, I'd say.
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Putting it like that I can see the similarity. đź‘Ť
They have never really appealed to me, but I certainly can appreciate the appeal. A couple of people at work own MX-5's and for all the mocking, they certainly enjoy driving them.
 
People that mock them just don't have a clue.
 
I agree, there is no need for a Miata and a Eunos of the same year. But it is a bit annoying that they are missing the Mazdaspeed Miata as well as the RM Miata used for SCCA spec racing.

Spec_Miata_Start_MEATHEAD_Racing_Summit_Point.png


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A livery editor would be nice too :/
 
Fields of Miatas racing like that all over this country almost every weekend. :)

And yes, livery editor would be nice.... :indiff:
 
Damn, I am currently looking to buy a Miata...just need to find one in good cond. and at my budget.

Preferrably a '94 to '97 NA with the 1.8, or a '90 to '93 in Mariner Blue, :dopey:
 
I like it. A true all-time classic sports car deliberately designed to be similar to the exceptionally performing Lotus Elan - except it starts when you turn the key!

I commuted for 5+ years with an '89, a special one with leather seats and all the options, including a hard top.

In GT5, I'm currently obsessed with tuning and racing an 1800 RS '00 with very black oil.

Respectfully submitted,
Steve
 
Dotini
I like it. A true all-time classic sports car deliberately designed to be similar to the exceptionally performing Lotus Elan - except it starts when you turn the key!
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I was told it was designed after the MG B. :confused: Famine, R1600?
 
They're great fun, which is the whole point in that car. Nothing more to say other than it does what it's supposed to do and is a fantastic little car.

The car is extremely popular worldwide, sold and still sells in huge numbers and this is probably why PD implemented so many models (albeit too much for a video game).
 
If there's an FR in GT5 that's quicker at around the 375 PP level, I'd sincerely like to know about it.

Thanks,
Steve
 
question answered. Please proclaim your undying love for the car somewhere else.
 
They both look good in red? :p
 
It certainly owes a lot to both cars - along with the TR3, Spitfire, Sprite and even the FIAT Spider. Allegedly the original's exhaust was tuned to make the same sound as an MGB...

But yes, the California team that made the prototype that ultimately went to production used cues from the Elan primarily.
 
Mazda made this retro-looking (more retro-Italian than Japanese or British) coupe-version based on the second series (won't go into all subtle differences because I simply don't know) in 2005, think it remained a concept.

mazda-mx-5-coupe-photo-165912-s-429x262.jpg


In 2003 they went retro-futuristic with this Ibuki concept which borrows clues from the original Miata itself, it's rumoured it might be used as a reference point for the next gen.

mazda_ibuki_frontangle_mfr_430.jpg


Personally I prefer the current one over the original, it looks more mature and confidently Japanese instead of slightly, excuse me, pastiche or retro European.
Don't like the second series much lookswise, and to be honest, I've only driven MX-5's in GT-games.
I enjoy driving all Premium MX-5's in GT5 though, with the lovely TC version included there's only 4 of them so I wouldn't mind a few more actually, like these concepts for example.

Concept-of-Mazda-MX-5-Spyder2.jpg


2009-mazda-mx-5-superlight-concept_100228454_m.jpg
 
Hey I love concept cars, that would be great with me. If they put some MX-5 concepts in GT6 you'll probably find me driving one.
 
Much thanks to Famine and R1600turbo for clearing the air as to the reason behind the number of Miatas in GT5. I'm inspired to dig into the Standard garage and give these fine automobiles a second look.
 
I actually like the Mazda Roadster, it is quite fun to drive. And, honestly, I wish there were more Premium versions too.
 
Not that much of a fan but they are nice little cars
 
I like the Miata. It's been a regular for me in the lower PP races. A great car to race and a very fun car to go cruising down the Ring in.
 
Just out of interest, what do people think of the comments I've heard before that the MX5 isn't a true 'sports' car because it's FR, and true 'sports' cars should be MR or RR?

It makes no odds to me, but I'm curious to see what others think.
 
A true "sportscar" should be a front engine, rear wheel drive, lightweight convertible (or "drophead coupe") with either 2 seats or 2+2. The MX-5 is just about essence of sportscar.

In fact it's just about essence of car - it's "car" reduced to its simplest, with everything you need and nothing added that you don't need and practically just an extension of the driver (though since the design ethos was Jinba ittai [horse and rider as one], that's not an accident) rather than a metal overcoat you need to work at.


That's not to say that non FR cars can't be sportscars - few would argue that the Mk1 and Mk3 MR2 (MR) aren't sportscars, nor the Porsche Boxster (MR) or FIAT Barchetta (FF). Fixed-head coupes can be sportscars too. It's not really a set definition, but the sporting "feel" and lightweightness are important to the concept - I wouldn't define my car (Mazda MX-3) as "a sportscar" (maybe a sports car), but it's a lightweight, 2+2 (actually it's 4 full seats, it just looks 2+2) coupe (hnng... technically it's a coupe-styled hatchback, but with no B-pillar it's certainly planted in coupe territory) and that would lead some, including Mazda and my insurance company, to call it a sportscar.

Definitions are tricky things, particularly as manufacturers continually blur lines.
 
Traditional British style sports cars were always FR. MG Midget, MGB, Triumph Spitfire, Jaguar E Type etc. etc. etc. All FR. MR is more a Super Car layout and RR is for VW Beetle clones like all the Porsches.


Runs for cover. ;-)
 
byegad
Traditional British style sports cars were always FR. MG Midget, MGB, Triumph Spitfire, Jaguar E Type etc. etc. etc. All FR. MR is more a Super Car layout and RR is for VW Beetle clones like all the Porsches.


Runs for cover. ;-)
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The placement of the engine should affect how the car drives. If the engine is placed at the front, there is more weight placed on the front which means in theory, more oversteer. Having it in the middle will have a weight balance closer to 50-50 which is more ideal for supercars. Having it in the rear will have more understeer and don't ask me why Porsche put the engines at the back :nervous: .
 
It's not just PD, it's the entire world. Wikipedia:

With an approximate 50:50 front/rear weight balance, the car has nearly neutral handling. Inducing oversteer is easy and very controllable, thus making the MX-5 a popular choice for amateur and stock racing, including, in the US, the Sports Car Club of America's Solo2 autocross and Spec Miata race series and in the UK the Ma5da racing championship.

The MX-5 has won many awards including Wheels Magazine 's Car of the Year for 1989 and 2005; Sports Car International's "best sports car of the 1990s" and "ten best sports cars of all time"; 2005–2006 Car of the Year Japan; and 2005 Australian Car of the Year. The Miata has also made Car and Driver magazine's annual Ten Best list 11 times. In their December 2009 issue, Grassroots Motorsports magazine named the Miata as the most important sports car built during the previous 25 years.

In 2009, English Automotive critic Jeremy Clarkson wrote:

“The fact is that if you want a sports car, the MX-5 is perfect. Nothing on the road will give you better value. Nothing will give you so much fun. The only reason I’m giving it five stars is because I can’t give it 14.[4]”

The car remains popular in the UK, with over 100,000 MX-5s registered as of June 2011.[5]
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In 2000, the Guinness Book of World Records declared the MX-5 the best-selling two-seat convertible sports car in history.[1] The 250,000th MX-5 rolled out of the factory on November 9, 1992; the 500,000th, on February 8, 1999; the 750,000th, in March 2004; the 800,000th in January 2007, and 900,000th in February 2011.[2]
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eran0004
It's not just PD, it's the entire world. Wikipedia:
Wikipedia
In 2000, the Guinness Book of World Records declared the MX-5 the best-selling two-seat convertible sports car in history.[1] The 250,000th MX-5 rolled out of the factory on November 9, 1992; the 500,000th, on February 8, 1999; the 750,000th, in March 2004; the 800,000th in January 2007, and 900,000th in February 2011.
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I was unaware that the MX-5 was selling that fast. I would imagine that the 1,000,000th model has been produced from a long time ago :nervous: .
 
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