It might have worn Miata badges in the US and used the Eunos brand in Japan, but Hiroshima’s little roadster – known to us as the MX-5 – rekindled the world’s love for rear-wheel drive sports cars, a sector that had seen numerous aged designs phased out by the early ’80s. With the MGB and TR7 dead, Reliant soldiered on with its SS1 series; other than that, one had to travel to Blackpool for a V6- or V8-engined TVR (or pay a lot more for a Rover- or Ford-engined Morgan 4/4) to get a traditional two-seater sports car.
By the end of the same decade, in a world populated with uninsurable hot hatches and a growing world of lifestyle-orientated off-roaders, the debut of the MX-5 offered a welcome tonic. A skilful blend of Elan, MGB and Spitfire, its story can be traced back to 1976, when then journalist, Bob Hall, was asked what sort of a car Mazda should build to capture a new share of the market. It wasn’t an idle chat, either: speaking to Hall
