Mazda MX-5 Miata 35th Anniversary Edition: This Is It

We were beginning to lose our patience with Mazda since the Zoom-Zoom company took its sweet time coming out with the 35^th Anniversary Edition of the Miata. The long-awaited debut took place over the weekend at the Fuji Speedway in Japan during the Mazda Fan Festa 2024. Full details about the sports car duo were not released but at least the convertibles were shown on stage.

Both the soft top and its RF sibling will be exclusively offered in Artisan Red, a triple-layer paint introduced a couple of years ago on the rear-wheel-drive SUVs. Mazda fits the hardtop with 17-inch wheels whereas the standard roadster with a fabric roof rides on smaller 16-inch alloys. Speaking of the manually folding top, it has a beige finish, much like the interior of both models. The red-over-tan interior reminds us of the NB Special Edition sold in the early 2000s. Looking further back, there was also a similar M-Edition of the NA in the mid-1990s.

The eye-catching paint job continues inside on the air vent bezels, the top part of the door cards, and even the key fob. Other tweaks include a 35^th Anniversary logo embroidered onto the headrests while the floor mats also denote this isn’t just any Miata. Mazda chose the regular seats instead of the Recaros fitted to the 30^th Anniversary model back in 2019.

The previous special edition also had front Brembo brakes and Bilstein dampers but that might not be the case here. It would appear the 35^th Anniversary version is geared toward comfort rather than sportiness. Whatever the case may be, production will be limited by time instead of the number of units.

Mazda will individually numbers these cars but won’t artificially cap production: “We don’t have a limited quantity because we want to deliver to everyone who wants it,” according to the Miata’s Program Manager Shigeki Saito. A special plaque placed ahead of the rear wheel on the right side will indicate the car’s position in the production sequence.

After the 35^th Anniversary was unveiled, Mazda officials took the stage to announce there’s still life left in the ND. That’s despite the fact the fourth generation has been around for a decade. Yes, it debuted in September 2014, but sales didn’t start until 2015. With that in mind, we wouldn’t rule out another special edition next year to mark 10 years of the ND.

In January, an MX-5 Miata RS was showcased at the Tokyo Auto Salon where Mazda said the car would go into production. It was the opposite of this special edition since it took the shape of a track-focused version with suspension and aerodynamic upgrades. The RS could be one of the “very cool special editions” promised about a year ago by Shigeki Saito.

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