2006 Mazda MX-5

1965 Sunbeam Tiger

Okay, so perhaps that headline needs a bit of an explanation. But first…

It seemed appropriate, with summer actually upon us, to take a look at a “summer car”—you know, one which lets the wind muss up your hair; one which lets the sun burn your forehead to a crisp; one which lets the bugs get right in there between your teeth. Only a convertible really fills the bill here. So why not turn to the best-selling two-seat convertible ever—Mazda’s MX-5.

That’s quite a sales feat when you think about it. Consider how many different two-seat convertibles there have been over the years: Britain’s MG, Triumph, Jaguar and my favorite, the Sunbeam Alpine and Tiger; Volkswagen’s Karmann Ghia; and, of course, Chevrolet’s Corvette, which has been around for more than 50 years.

But Mazda seems to have struck a chord with the automotive-buying public when they launched the 1990 MX-5 Miata (Miata was dropped from the name with the 2006 model). Car buyers had been denied convertibles for the most part since the US government deemed them unsafe sometime in the mid 1970s. The automotive industry rolled up its sleeves and decided to change all that about a decade later, making convertibles much safer than they’d been before, and the buying public rewarded their efforts in a convertible-buying frenzy—even scooping up such pieces of crap as the Renault Alliance just because the top could drop.

Fast-forward to 2006 and the new MX-5. Although you may not be able to tell at first glance, it’s all new—not a single component is shared with the 2005 Miata. I guess you could say its exterior has been evolutionized; it looks similar to the previous design, but park them side-by-side and you can really see the difference. It’s a bit lighter, a bit more rigid and, according to Mazda, a bit more crash-worthy. Although barely noticeable, it’s slightly larger to increase interior room for taller occupants, and under the hood you’ll find a brand new two-liter engine.

So what does all of this have to do with “rider and horse as one,” you’re probably asking. That would be the English translation of the Japanese expression “jinba-ittai.” When designers were penning the new MX-5, this is what they kept in mind. Probably not something to which the Hummer design team gave much thought. (“Get the hell out of our way” seems more appropriate.) A small, two-seat convertible just seems like it should be fun, though. And something this small and nimble does become an extension of its driver—more so when you’ve got the top down on a twisty road and you’re working the stick shift for maximum fun/performance.

Helping to make the driving experience as fun as possible are the power-assisted rack-and-pinion steering; four-wheel disc brakes; 170-horsepower engine mounted almost half a foot farther back than the previous model for better front-to-rear weight distribution; and an available six-speed manual gearbox.

And yes, you shiftless types can get the Sport A/T automatic transmission. It comes with six different ratios which can be controlled via steering wheel paddles/buttons, which is not only a mouthful to try and say, but seems overly complicated compared to a floor-shifter. Oh well.

Prices for the MX-5 start at $20,435 for the Club Spec model, which I don’t think you need any more than. Maybe add a six-disc, in-dash CD changer for $500, and even with delivery you’ve got a great little bundle of fun for under 22 grand. Moving up a model will get you a/c, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and seven more color choices, all for a grand more.

At these prices, almost anyone can become one with one.

more info at: mazdausa.com