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Mazda MX5 Special Edition 026
Forever young: the Mazda MX5 is by far and away the world’s best-selling roadster - and with good reason
Forever young: the Mazda MX5 is by far and away the world’s best-selling roadster - and with good reason

Mazda MX-5: 'A winning recipe that will never go out of date'

This article is more than 5 years old

As Mazda’s record-breaking MX-5 turns 30 it is still as young and fun as it was in 1989 – only the price has slowed down

Mazda MX-5
Price
£18,735
0-62mph
8.3 seconds
Top speed
127mph
MPG
47.1
CO2
139g/km

It’s cold and it’s dark. It’s hardly soft-top weather. But there are few things that give you more of a buzz than going nocturnal in a convertible. Cloaked in the privacy of night, the sleeping city is yours for the taking. Music on, roads empty, buildings floodlit, bum warmed by a heated seat: it makes me feel as if I’m roaring through the opening sequence of some moody noir thriller. It isn’t always glamorous, of course. I mentioned my penchant for staying up with the top down to a friend and he told me that he’d once parked his cabriolet and watched aghast as a group of well-refreshed revellers wobbled across the pavement towards him and tipped the greasy remnants of their KFC family bucket into his lap…

I made a mental note not to slow down near any fast-food joints. Apart from anything it would have been a shame to spoil the pale leather seats of the lovely new MX-5 I was driving. The little sports car doesn’t need any introduction. It is by far and away the bestselling roadster of all time – and it’s unlikely any other model will ever break that record. It’s so freighted with awards it’s a wonder its chassis doesn’t bend, but this week is extra special as it is exactly 30 years since the car was first unveiled to the world at the Chicago Motor Show. Since then a voracious market of fun-loving, wind-in-the-hair motorists has gobbled up more than 1m of the dinky two-seaters – that’s almost 100 a day, every day for three decades!

Inside story: the interior of the all-new Mazda MX-5 will be instantly recognisable to anyone who is familiar with the brand

What makes this all the more remarkable is how little the car has changed since 1989. While other manufacturers constantly tweak and tamper their offerings to tempt new buyers, Mazda has pretty much just let its MX-5 get on with it. The winning recipe of affordable fun and basic mechanicals will never go out of date. The one thing that has changed radically is the price: when it first went on sale in the UK the car cost £14,925 – which would be closer to £35,000 at today’s prices – but now the entry model is just £18,735.

More sophisticated sports cars may have more precise handling, stiffer suspension and more raw power to call on, but the MX-5 somehow packs in enough elemental joie de vivre that it adds up to a lot more than the sum of its parts. This latest update does little to change what’s gone before – and quite right, too.

However, the engines are snappier and a package of benefits that Mazda calls its “SkyActiv” programme means that the 2-litre range is faster and more powerful than before. If you ask me, however, I wouldn’t bother. The smaller 1.5-litre unit offers all the thrills and spills you need for night cruises and day adventures. Other improvements include new tech: Apple CarPlay and safety stuff. Don’t buy the electric roof. Stick with the manual. It’s quick and satisfying. By the end of the week I could pop the top in under 3 seconds. If it starts raining chicken drumsticks you need to be quick.

Modern classics

Polished up: the London Classic Car Show

If you enjoy your classic motoring you will just have time to catch the final day of the London Classic Car Show at ExCeL (14-17 February 2019), with more than 700 mouth-watering machines coming together to impress collectors and enthusiasts. Some 80 of these will take to the show’s Grand Avenue, a live indoor ‘runway’ where you’ll get the chance to see, hear and smell these incredible classics in action.

Running to a different theme each edition, this year’s show will feature cars that mark ‘Firsts’ in the automotive industry. Among them will be a 1914 4-litre Prince Henry Vauxhall, considered to be the world’s first sports car, while the 1914 Bentley DFP 12/40hp 2-litre Tourist Trophy Speed Model will represent the first car built entirely to WO Bentley’s specification, acting as a stepping stone for Bentley’s position as a dealer to a manufacturer.

During the weekend, Coys will auction over 100 cars, including a 1977 Mark IV Mini 1000 owned by Cilla Black and a concourse-ready 1962 Aston Martin DB4, while a 1917 Austin Twenty EXP1 Prototype will be among the oldest models on show. A host of anniversaries will also be celebrated: 100 years of daring French automobile manufacturer Citroën, 60 years of the iconic Mini, and 50 years of legendary heist film, The Italian Job. Three original cars from the movie will be reunited in celebration of the cult film – its pair of Jaguar E-Types, the dark blue Fixed Head Coupe and red 3.8L Roadster, along with the Aston Martin DB4 Convertible. Actress Hazel Collinson, who appeared in the film and is the widow of its director Peter Collinson, will be a guest of honour.

British car designer Ian Callum will be honoured with the show’s Icon Award and an exhibit dedicated to his work, while presenter Edd China has curated an exhibit of exceptional aero engine machines.

Tickets start from £25 per adult, £20 per child (6-15) and £75 per family (two adults, two children). Entry for children under 6 is free. Find out more at thelondonclassiccarshow.co.uk.

Email Martin at martin.love@observer.co.uk or follow him on Twitter@MartinLove166

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