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Mazda Heroes contest's 50 winners announced, will receive free Miatas

The Mazda Heroes program is finally announcing its winners. If you recall our original story back in October this year, Mazda said it was giving away 50 MX-5 Miata 100th Anniversary Special Edition models. Each car is destined for individuals who “tirelessly dedicated themselves to their communities throughout 2020” through “selfless acts, creative thinking and contributions to community.” The battle against Covid-19 has been long, and itÂ’s not over, but Mazda is trying to bring a little convertible happiness into an otherwise bleak year. One of the winners, Jason Erdreich, is featured in the video at the top of this post. He used his skills as a shop teacher and access to 3-D printers to print thousands of pieces of PPE for medical workers who were in dire need of it. He also appears to own an NA Miata, so heÂ’s no stranger to MazdaÂ’s roadster. Mazda Heroes winners: Miata View 4 Photos Five other winners were announced today: Triana Davis, Christie Purviance, Jennifer Williams, Leandro De Arauja Pessoa and Michael Star Thompson. Davis is a teacher who went above and beyond to keep her kids engaged and inspired during at-home school. She personally delivered custom work packets to studentÂ’s doors and crafted a huge number of items like medals and commemorative T-shirts. Purviance is an ICU nurse in Texas. SheÂ’s worked 15-hour shifts through the pandemic. Her coworkers say she goes beyond the normal standard of care, treating her patients like family throughout her grueling days on the frontlines. Williams is a school teacher in West Virginia. Throughout the pandemic she has put together and personally delivered packets of schoolwork and school supplies to her students to reduce the amount of travel parents must do for their kids. She's even adjusted her curriculum to teach students about cooking and other home-related necessities. On top of that, Williams has tried to keep children's spirits up by delivering special treats and prizes to doorsteps. Araujo Pessoa lost his job after the lockdown hit in March, but he ended up using all his extra time to become the leader of a food pantry run by a local church in Lansing, MI. He has devoted his time and much of his unemployment checks to the food pantry to keep it stocked with all the items necessary. Thompson lives in Georgetown, Kentucky. He volunteers often at a local homeless shelter where he runs a Bible study and cleans bathrooms.

2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata configurator fulfills your droptop dreams

The first batch of 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miatas are already at dealers, but Mazda is finally launching a configurator for its completely revised sports car. Even if pricing doesn't come as a surprise, you can still have some fun creating one to your own specific tastes. The major equipment changes on the Miata happen between the Sport, Club, and Grand Touring trims, and options are generally kept light. The real standout is the Brembo/BBS package for $3,400 that's exclusive to the Club version. It adds Gunmetal 17-inch BBS wheels, Brembo front brakes with red calipers, side sill extensions, a rear bumper skirt, and keyless entry. On the Sport and Grand Touring, $1,200 buys the Appearance Package with a front air dam, side sill extensions and rear bumper skirt. There's also keyless tech for $130 on them. Mazda also offers a few items to dress up the convertible's looks. There's a choice of a black or body color rear lip spoiler for $350, and Soul Red Metallic paint adds $300. For protection, clear film for the front and rear paint is $125, all-weather floor mats go for $90, and wheel locks cost $55. Finally, a cargo net is $50. We ticked every applicable box on the Club trim above to make its $28,600 base price leap to $33,790, after the $820 destination charge on all models. Happy building. Related Video:

Fiat reconsidering Mazda-based Alfa Romeo roadster? [w/poll]

Alfa giveth and Alfa taketh away. With apologies to Job (he has gone through a lot, after all), that's how things are looking at the Italian automaker - whether it's the promise of new products or its impending return to the North American market. But it's especially true when it comes to new roadsters.
While Alfa Romeo is expected to unveil the 4C Spider at the Geneva Motor Show this week, reports are now suggesting that its other roadster project is being called into question. That project is a joint venture between Fiat and Mazda, which was set to produce a version of its next MX-5 Miata as an Alfa Romeo, and was even changing the design to accommodate Alfa's requirements.
Now it appears, however, that the whole project in doubt. The problem seems to stem from Sergio Marchionne's pronouncements that, as long as he's in charge, there won't be an Alfa Romeo built outside of Italy.