1999 Mazda MX5 Miata Test Drive

Working the stubby shift lever through its short crisp throws as you saw at the wheel through a mountain pass on a sunny summer afternoon, the Mazda Miata just seems to tap into some hidden genetic sports car memory built into all of us. With the 1999 Miata that appeared in 1998, Mazda gave it a more contemporary look without sacrificing its miata–ness. Or compromising its basic elemental feel. Stronger structurally, the new Miata still weighed about the same as before, and it actually picked up a few horsepower thanks to a new cylinder head.