It won't have passed you by that 2019 is a very special year for the MX5 and that Mazda is celebrating in many and various ways, up to and including the spectacular 30th Anniversary Edition car.
Launched back in February at Chicago to coincide with the exact time and place the original car was first shown, 30th Anniversary Edition cars will soon be reaching owners and we got a chance to drive it alongside examples of the previous 10th and 25th Anniversary special editions.
What makes the 30th Anniversary Edition? Well, you'll have clocked the Racing Orange paint quickly enough and it looks absolutely stunning in the metal, likewise the special lightweight forged Rays wheels produced exclusively for this car. Behind them are colour coded brakes, the front calipers from Brembo for both improved stopping power and - Let's face it - a bit of designer-label cred. The interior gets Recaro seats and lots of Alcantara trim with orange stitching matched to the paintwork. we're all familiar with Mazda's love of special edition MX5s but this truly feels something out of the ordinary and owners are in for a treat, a total of 550 of the global production of 3,000 coming here to the UK, split across 370 soft-tops and 180 RFs.
For the launch event Mazda also brought along examples of the previous celebratory editions, including a Mk2 10th Anniversary Edition and the Soul Red 25th Anniversary Mk3, based on the run-out edition 2.0-litre with the Roadster Coupe folding hardtop.
These are all special cars, the Mk2's mirror finish wheels and luxuriously trimmed interior setting it apart. The blue suede inserts on the seats and matching leather on the Nardi wheel look great, the mechanical spec of the 1.8-litre engine, six-speed gearbox, Bilstein dampers and limited-slip diff meaning it drives as well as it looks.
One of just 749 brought to the UK and the very first built, the Soul Red Mk3 25th Anniversary is also a very special car, this colour an instant hit and apparently chosen by nearly a third of Mk4 buyers since it became Mazda's signature colour. With a contrasting black hardtop and pale leather seats, the 25th Anniversary Edition again feels something out of the ordinary, the Soul Red dash trim another nice touch.
Mechanically these cars are all as per the standard models they're based on, meaning some cynics might argue they're simply style over content. But an MX5 is a car you buy with your heart, not your head. And the unique vibe you get from driving any of these celebratory editions makes any premium well worth paying.
All image credits with thanks to Mazda UK
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