1996½ Mazda MX-5 Miata M-Edition Test Drive

Small European convertibles so central to the glory days of sporty drives in search of open-air excitement left a lot of people nostalgic for a happy time that many believed to be gone forever. But they’d forgotten Mazda, which had the brilliant idea of reviving the concept with its Miata in 1989.

Since then the success of this small sports car had never faltered: buyers responded instantly and as was the case when the MG, Triumph and other Austin-Healy models were around, Miata owners club began popping up all over America. So nostalgia was what it used to be. but the beautiful British and Italian models that served as inspiration left more than wonderful memories behind them: comfort was an abstract notion aboard these cars and their fragile mechanical systems were legendary: you just stare at them too hard and they’d fall apart – and that was the smallest of exaggerations. But Mazda chased away those blues by developing a modern, reliable and civilized car while still giving the Miata the quintessential feel of its ancestors.