| After several years' absence from the world automotive market, the basic, affordable 2-seat softtop roadster makes a strong comeback in the 1989 Mazda MX-5 Miata. Judging by the previous extremely accurate identification of the specialized 2-seat GT market for the company's rotary powered RX-7 coupé, the entry-level sports car market has been reborn, and other makers may follow Mazda's lead. For those who are long-time sports car fans or those who are new enthusiasts, the MX-5 stirs up old and new feelings. This book's purpose, besides presenting the MX-5 in great detail, is to examine the sports car tradition, both in concept and in specific examples from earlier eras. The concept, once identified clearly (not as easy a task as one might imagine), was examined carefully by Mazda's product planners and engineers as the design took shape – sketches, models, running prototypes, production engineering, detail solutions. These are all presented in full – not only the facts, but also the emotions that inspired each member of the project. Accompanying the exhaustive, thoroughly-researched text is a volume of photographs, – in color and in black and white, and drawings, showing both the technical and the romantic side of this great project. Mazda MX-5 Miata, The Rebirth of the Sports Car in the new Mazda MX-5 Miata is an ideal presentation of the creative process that must stimulate all great works, especially in the complex, highly-regulated world o0f the automobile. |
