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Mazda creates reproduction parts program for North American MX-5 Miata

In 2017 Mazda announced a restoration program for the MX-5 Miata in Japan. The good news was that owners of Miatas that looked like they'd been thoroughly enjoyed for decades could get their convertibles returned to as-new condition. The bad news is that the program was a trial for "quality verification," and only open to the Japanese market. At the time, Mazda Japan said it was "considering re-supply of parts that became discontinued" for the first-gen NA series produced from 1989 to 1997. In February this year, the carmaker's then-CEO revealed that "Our fans can be reassured that additional parts, identified by owners and specialty shops, will become available by June of this year." The time has come, Mazda North America announcing a reproduction parts program for first-gen Miatas with a catalog of more than 1,100 new and legacy components.  The automaker says it spoke to Miata clubs and shops to determine which parts were needed most. Among this first salvo will be a fabric soft top using the same rear screen material from the NA series, roller mechanism for the side windows, brake calipers, and a set of aluminum Enkei wheels in the original design that are lighter and boast a better finish. Perhaps even better are the arcane OEM parts that can be desperately hard to source for era-appropriate restorations, like grommets, bolts, gas shocks and the "Roadster" badge that's an eBay go-to (called a "Mascot" on the parts list). Each piece has been redeveloped to take advantage of modern materials and build techniques while maintaining the look of the period-correct original.  The parts list PDF runs to 42 pages. Anyone with a TLC-starved Miata in the garage, the love your jinba ittai droptop has been waiting for is here.   

Sunday Drive: Tracking Tokyo's top performers

The big news of the week mostly came from Tokyo. All of Japan's biggest automakers made waves at the Motor Show, but the winner of the event has to be Mazda. The big Vision Coupe and little Kai Concept stole the show, won our hearts, and earned a ton of attention for the automaker. We can't wait to see how these two concepts impact the design, engineering, and technology of future production models. Take a look at our mega image gallery post below to see everything in high-resolution glory. Interestingly, the single biggest click-magnet of the 2017 Tokyo Motor Show was the BMW X2. We shouldn't be surprised. Crossovers of all shapes and sizes dominate the American marketplace, and the X2 is clearly the most attractive of BMW's even-numbered, coupe-influenced X models. Plus, it's headed for production, with sales starting in the spring of 2018. Moving past the Tokyo Motor Show, Autoblog readers are apparently very interested in the 2019 Chevy Camaro. Spy shots of just about every iteration of Chevy's muscle car lit up the 'net last week, leaving us very interested in seeing what's hiding behind all that camouflage. As always, tune in to Autoblog next week for a front-row seat to all the happenings worth following in the automotive industry. 2017 Tokyo Motor Show | Mega Gallery Mazda Vision Coupe | Tokyo Motor Show's big, sensuous 4-door Mazda Kai concept hints at a more muscular, refined Mazda3 2018 BMW X2 crossover revealed, adorned in gold and silver 2019 Chevrolet Camaro: 1LT, SS, ZL1 all spied with updated styling

Evo pits Toyota GT86 vs. Mazda MX-5 Miata

The latest Deadly Rivals episode from Evo gets the Mazda MX-5 Miata and Toyota GT86 (our Scion FR-S) on track for a shakedown and a whole lot of drifting with Dan Prosser behind the wheel. The UK-spec coupes have slightly different power ratings than ours, but it's all close enough to be comparable. Their Miata has 158 horsepower (ours has 155), 148 pound-feet of torque, takes 7.3 seconds to run from naught to 60 62, and costs 22,695 pounds. The GT86, on the other hand, lists a 7.6-second dash to 60 62, and a base price of 25,000 pounds. The GT86 also weighs 400 pounds more than the Mazda. That's true in the States, too – curb weight for our MX-5 is 2,332 pounds, whereas the Scion FR-S comes in at 2,758 pounds. Both cars lauded for excellent shifting, but one of them has a better front end, a sweeter engine note, more controllable cornering behavior, and is faster by a tenth of a second around the test track. And Prosser doesn't mention it, but one has a lot more body roll. But it takes more than all that to make a winner, so check out the video above to see which is which. News Source: Evo via YouTube Mazda Scion Toyota Convertible Coupe Performance Videos toyota gt86 evo