A MAZDA WITH A DIFFERENCE

You could argue the MX-5 is a very successful product. In fact, if one were to park every MX-5 manufactured since production began in 1989 nose to tail along State Highway 1 starting at Cape Reinga, that line would stretch to Bluff, back to Cape Reinga, and south again as far as somewhere in the forest between Tokoroa and Taupo. At the rate it is still selling 30 years after its launch, the line would soon reach Taupo — quite some achievement for a car that almost wasn’t. No other manufacturer of any sports car has come anywhere close to that.

The car was inspired by the Lotus Elan, and by reliable estimates a credible 12,220 of those were produced. It’s interesting to note that Lotus’s official figures are somewhat below that number; you can invent your own reasons for that. The Elan was produced between 1962 and 1973, and Colin Chapman never intended it to be a racing car; instead, it was