Auto Express – August 07, 2019

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk 7August2019 33

MazdaMX-530thAnniversaryEdition NEWCARS

JamesBatchelor

[email protected]

@JRRBatchelor

Mazda

MX-5

FIRSTDRIVE

Mazda marksits

iconic sports car’s

30th birthdaywith

orange special

FEWcarshavehadasmanyspecial
editionsastheMazdaMX-5.Overthe
pastthreedecadestheUKalonehashad
morethan50specials,witheach being
highlyprizedbydiehardfansofthemodel.
Thelatestisthe30thAnniversary,which,
unsurprisingly,celebrates30yearsofthe
populartwo-seater.Unlikesomeofthe
specialsovertheyears,thisonewillbe
builtonalimitedrun,with3,000available
globally. Just550areearmarkedfortheUK:
370Roadstersand180RFmodels;thesoft-
topcosts£28,095andtheRF£29,895.
Youwon’tmistakethe30thforanyother
MX-5;allcarscomeinRacingOrange,and
there’stheobligatorynumberedplaqueon
thesidesill,alongsideasetofuniqueRAYS
17-inchforgedalloywheels.Behindthem
sitBrembobrakecalipersforthefrontand
Nissinsattherear,bothfinishedinorange.
Inside,thereareevenmoresplashesof
colour,includingpart-leather,part-Alcantara
Recarosportsseatswithcomplementary
piping.There’sAlcantaraonthegearlever
andpartsofthedashboard,too,orange
stitchingonthesteeringwheel,and‘30th
Anniversary’badgesonthecarpets.
Thecarispoweredbythesame181bhp
2.0-litreengineasinthestandardMX-5,
hookeduptothesamesix-speedmanual
gearbox.It’salsofittedwiththeBilstein
dampersfromtherange-toppingmodel,
alimited-slipdifferentialandastrutbrace.
Asalways,thesteering,brakes,gearbox
andchassisturnamundanedriveintoone
that’shugelyrewarding.Thecar’squick,too.
Itsnewsportsseatsaremostlygood,as
well–theypinchyourbottomslightly,but

Pe

te

Gi

bs

on

MAZDAlovesaspecial-editionMX-5,

andforthecar’s30thbirthdaythe

Japanesefirmhasbeenbusyonce

again.The30thAnniversarymodel

addsarangeofextraequipment

–butyouwillhavetolikeorange,

becausethat’stheonlycolourit

comesin.Whiletherewasroom

forthe30thtobeeversoslightly

morespecial,it’salmostsoldout,

meaningthatit’ssettobeasure-fire

collector’sitemamongMX-5fans.

★★★★★

Verdict

EQUIPMENTMX-5 30th Anniversary gets

unique 17-inch alloy wheels,with orange brake

caliperstomatch the body.Otherwise, it has the

same kit as SportNav+, including aBose stereo

ROOFFabric toponRoadstermodels folds

manually,but it’s easy to operate. The RF cars

get an electrically operated folding hardtop,but

you’ll pay rather handsomely forthe privilege

INTERIORCabin getsmoresupportive

sports seatsthat aretrimmed in orange to

match the 30th’s Racing Orange paintwork

Mazda MX-5

2.0184 30th

AnniversaryEdition

Price: £28,095

Engine: 2.0-litre4cylpetrol

Power/torque: 181bhp/205Nm

Transmission: Six-speedmanual,

rear-wheeldrive

0-62mph: 6.5seconds

Topspeed: 136mph

Economy: 40.9mpg

CO 2 : 156g/km

ONSALE Now

Essentials

“Asalways, the MX-5

turns amundane

driveintoone that’s

hugely rewarding”

havebetterthighandupperbodysupport.

Bizarrely,the30thfeelsslightlystifferthan

aSportNav+,whichisoddbecauseMazda

hasn’ttweakedthenewmodel.Yetoverall

there’sstillapliancytotheridethatmakes

theMX-5aneasy-goingsportscartodrive.

Alongsidethe30thAnniversary,thefirm

hasreleasedarangeofoptions.TheCup

Packlowersthecarby25mmandaddsan

exhaustsilencer,forexample.Byfittingthese

asstandard,Mazdawouldhavesharpenedup

thedriveandalsoenhancedtheexclusive

qualitythepaintworkshoutsabout.But

withnearlyall550carsspokenfor,perhaps

the30thisasspecialasitneedstobe.