Mazda's defining lightweight sports car has sure come a long way since 1989. Inside Line has heard that behind the scenes, early prototypes for the next generation due around 2012 have already turned wheels in anger.
Some celebrating has begun already in Japan, but the headliner is undoubtedly going to be the special 20th-anniversary bash that Mazda will throw at its Miyoshi proving ground in Hiroshima on Sunday, September 20.
This homecoming, organized by Mazda with the Roadster Club of Japan, will set out to replicate the fantastic party that happened exactly 10 years earlier, when Mazda marked the Miata's first decade with a massive festival at Miyoshi.
At that time, thousands of Roadsters turned up, and the highlight was the cars all lined up in rows around the high-speed bowl for a parade. It was a spectacular testament to the appeal of the groundbreaking two-seater that was created both in Los Angeles and Hiroshima.
Considering the third-generation model, launched in 2005, will be added to this year's festivities — and that production of the Miata has climbed ever higher — attendance records should be broken at this anniversary gathering. It's not too much to expect that this could mark the greatest gathering of Roadsters/Miatas/MX-5s all together in one place.
The day will bring together many members of the Miata development team, past and present, and, as in 1999, there will be a special-anniversary Miata on show that attendees can sign.
Inside Line says: Here's to many more years for the instant-classic Miata. — Peter Nunn, Correspondent
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