It’s hard to believe the MX-5 is approaching middle age, but a first-year Miata is now as old as an MGA was when the Miata went on sale in 1990. It’s enjoyed an uncharacteristically long lineage considering the capriciousness of the sports car market, and to celebrate its latest birthday, a small number of MX-5s are trading the party ball for an IPA. Mazda just revealed the MX-5 35th Anniversary Edition at Daytona International Speedway, and it’s making us feel all warm and fuzzy, even if it’s not the most boisterous roadster Mazda’s ever offered.
Instead of basing the 35th Anniversary Edition on the Club trim with the BBS wheels, Recaro seats, and Brembo brakes-containing Sport package, Mazda’s gone a little softer by going up the range to the Grand Touring trim. This means it gets nice touches like a frameless auto-dimming rearview mirror to fight glare from modern headlights, GPS navigation for exploring backroads with patchy cellular service, adaptive headlights so you can see into dark corners better, and leather upholstery.
Specifically, the MX-5 35th Anniversary Edition gets what Mazda calls tan leather, but it’s really more of a beige. Hang on, don’t change the channel yet — over the past few years, the de facto light interior color for most cars has become grey, and do you really want that? Compared to grey, beige is warm, and the matching convertible top feels charmingly old-school.
You know what paint color goes well with beige leather? Green, sure, but also darker red, such as the Artisan Red seen on the Mazda CX-90. In the ’90s, this color would’ve been named after a wine, and you can’t help but get a sense of accuracy in that age-old convention. It’s a full-bodied sort of red that contrasts a lighter interior and top nicely.
Speaking of contrast, the MX-5 35th Anniversary Edition also sports something sorely missed from the greater automotive landscape: Silver wheels! The automotive industry’s been tormenting us with diamond-cut wheels for what feels like ages, so it’s nice to see a simple single-tone finish that stands out from the asphalt and fills the wheel wells nicely.
Perhaps best of all, the MX-5 35th Anniversary Edition still keeps most of the performance parts you really want on a Miata, from the limited-slip differential to the track mode to relax the stability control. In fact, this mixture of colors and amenities seems incredibly familiar.
Ah yes, that’s where I’ve seen this color scheme before. The 1995 Mazda Miata M Edition, like this one that sold last year on Cars & Bids, featured Merlot paint over a tan interior with a tan top, and Artisan Red is conceptually an evolved version of Merlot. The big difference here is that Mazda made 3,000 M Edition 1995 Miatas, while only 300 MX-5 35th Anniversary Editions are coming stateside.
Still, with a price tag of $37,435 including freight, or $1,620 more than a regular MX-5 Grand Touring, the Mazda MX-5 35th Anniversary Edition feels worth the premium, especially since you can’t get an MX-5 professionally wrapped in a non-factory color for less than this delta. Sure, Artisan Red is not Mariner Blue or the awesome orange that came on the 30th Anniversary MX-5, but there’s something wonderfully mature about the MX-5 35th Anniversary Edition. It’s grown up in all the right ways, sanding down the spikiness and volatility of youth without losing a childlike sense of wonder. Happy 35th, Miata. Thanks for keeping the dream of an affordable sports car alive.
Photo credits: Mazda, Cars & Bids
Top graphic: Mazda, Hanna-Barbera
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I’m looking for a new car at the moment, and I’ve got a pretty small budget, and only room for a single car, and long story short, I’m now looking at NC MX-5s. Turns out Miata is always the answer.
(Related; what potential problems should I check on a second-hand NC? Or what resources would you lovely people recommend?)
If I was in the market it would be a hard call between this and a new RF. I love the idea of the hardtop-ish RF for the highway, winter, general commuting, etc. but still mostly open air motoring with the push of a button.
But that color combo might sway me.
Of course I’m broke so nevermind.
I though the mX5 went on sale in 1989, and so does Wikipedia.
Came close to pulling the trigger on a used NB Miata once or twice when they were still dirt cheap. It may be something to revisit now that we are empty nest.
I bought a ’99 NB about 5 years ago and it was one of the best purchases I’ve ever made. Nothing beats throwing the top back and going for a drive on a nice day. Fortunately for me, NBs were still pretty cheap back then. They are still cheaper than NAs but the prices are definitely rising. Even after putting 40k on the clock, I could probably still sell mine for at least 2k more than I paid for it.
As a ’95M owner, I JUMPED when I saw this thing. Whether it was intentional or not they definitely nailed the look.
Never really thought of the Miata as beautiful until now, only cute. Great red color, and many thanks to Mazda for some non-black wheels. Tan soft top + tan interior is also very fitting for a pint-sized sporting tourer.
Reminds me of my 2000 Special Edition. Chrome wheels, tan interior, Mahogany Mica paint. It’s got a touch more purple, though. Honestly, I hate the colour, but it’s too rare for me to repaint.
I think this might look closer to the NB 2000 SE (Special Edition) Miata. It had a lighter beige interior and top with a very similar purple. I’ve had the fortune of owning both a 95 M edition, and a 2000 SE, would love to own one of these 35th anniversary editions in the future.
…why is the top graphic attributed to Mazda and Hanna-Barbera? What am I missing here?
Whenever the Miata has an anniversary edition I feel old since we were born in the same year, haha. My dads had an nb since I was 10, will always love Miata’s.
35 years….
I remember when the damn things were launched. They were so sought after and in limited supply (in Oz) so some people were ordering, purchasing and on selling the things for a mighty profit.
I wanted one, of course. Fortunately, post university wages were low, the recession we had to have was biting and I very quickly found out that I didn’t fit in one. So moved on to the next bright, shiny and unattainable thing…
Yes, I recall the miata went for msrp while my mom bought her explorer 1st gen for far less.
Mind the idiots bought the 1.6 for msrp while she didn’t even have to argue for $500 over cost. At 7k ft altitude I think I know which was more sporty too. The 1.8 was rare there.
When the Miata debuted I went to a dealer to see one. They were getting $5k over sticker. I told them to call me as soon as they would sell me a red A package with hard top and LSD at MSRP. In April I got the call, picked up the car, and have enjoyed 200,000 miles since, and counting.
I had a 95 M Edition briefly, which in my opinion is the best combo of colors and wheels. Fun fact, those BBS wheels were the lightest that ever came on an NA Miata, and you could really feel it when taking them off! I would love to get one of these on the used market in 10 years, but with such a small run that probably won’t be possible.
I almost bought a 1993 SE, black with a blood red leather interior, matching hardtop and a bunch of extra interior trim pieces. I passed and bought a 94 to get the 1.8 engine – still have it! Mine has been driven hard and put away wet, the way God intended. You’re not supposed to preserve these things in the garage, you’re supposed to wear them out.
Absolutely beautiful! Long live the Miata!
Gorgeous
The 30th anniversary exclusive orange color looks nicer I think.
Agreed, and the tan interior in the M-edition Merlot Mica was more of a natural color. This looks like the beige that used to come in 90s Lexus.
I genuinely wonder how cheap Mazda could make the current gen Miata if they wanted to. Steel wheels, mechanical top, cloth seats, etc. Seems like the cheap convertible is long forgotten by manufacturers…
The only one of those items not on the base Miata are the steel wheels, which were very rare even on 90s Miatas. All the cloth top Miatas are manual tops, and only the Grand Touring gets leather. I think the only way they could make the current one cheaper is if they sold in higher volumes. A pure hatchback coupe version might help, but not much.
Besides they’re really no more expensive adjusted for inflation than the original. When they first came out, they used so many off the shelf parts that Mazda originally targeted a $10k base price. When they saw the demand they then came out around $13k, but there were so many dealer markups that with a year or two they were more like $17k.
I have heard, but cannot confirm, that the margins on the NA and NB Miata were so high, that they basically kept Mazda in business in the mid/late 90s.
Refering to current gen Miatas. Pretty sure they got electric tops now.
Only the RF. Normal Miatas are manual top.
Nice then
My ’95M would have stickered for about $24k in 1995. Adjusted for inflation (which is always a bit dicey) that comes out to roughly $49000 in 2025. Makes this one’s $37435 MSRP look like a bit of a bargain by comparison!
Precisely. Plus some extra scoot without extra weight, what’s not to love?
I like the 1995 M Edition, there was a blue M Edition too that was great. I like this one too. Limited production, so no chance of getting one these days unless you want to spend more, even if I could justify spending $40k on a two-seater.
All of the M-editions were great. I think the 94 was Montego Blue (a fantastic color in person that doesn’t photograph well as it was one of those color shift paints popular at the time.) 96 got Laguna Blue, a brighter color, and 97 had an olive green whose name I forget, which is my personal favorite.
Marina Green. I’m partial to Merlot Mica, but that green is a close second for me.
I like the wheels and I love the color! My car has boring black wheels, and I’ve been thinking about changing them out for something better, but I don’t know if it’s worth the $1000 or whatever that would cost.
If they’re the 8-spoke black wheels, I’d just get them coated in the color you want. I think their design is fantastic.
Say, I hadn’t ever thought of that. That would be much more cost-effective, and yeah they’re not ugly, they’re just boring.
I think they’d look great by machining the hubs and the facets on the spokes that twist from perpendicular to parallel with the face of the wheel, as well as the rim, while painting the rest black, but that would be complicated and expensive. The whole thing machined would look good too.
Personally, I’d get them painted a nice deep bronze with a bit of a pearl or matte finish, but I’m picturing it on a Soul Red Miata and I don’t know what color yours is.
I’m a huge fan of the Artisan red. We’re currently on the hunt for a CX-90 in Artisan red with BLACK (hard to find) interior.
Miata Special Editions and M Editions have always been based on the top of the line versions – unless they inspired the top-of-the-line packages…
In fact, the NA’s C Package was based on the 1991 Special Edition and 1992 Black Miata
It’s the R Package cars that were based on lesser/Club models.
Nice to see Mazda sharing paint colors from other Mazda’s with the venerable but excellent MX-5. From the Zircon Sand from the CX-50 now to the Artisan Red from the CX-90. Very nice.
Still want the Cypress Green (which admittedly is a Toyota color) from the CX-50 available across the range.
Zircon sand? You mean baby poop brown?
Thankfully it looks better in person. Not a color I’d have chosen to put into production, but looks decent.
Now if only they’d put Cypress Green on the CX-50 Meridian, and give it a HUD and the 360° surround-view camera system, I might have a brand new Mazda on my driveway.
I wish they’d do a run of retro colors. BRG, Merlot, Starlight Blue, Montego, Sunburst Yellow…
Maybe if it was a coupe, otherwise meh.
Miata is love. Miata is life. Purple cars rule. This is excellent and if I could convince the wife to let me drop $37,435 on a toy I’d love to buy one.
With only 300 available, you better get in line and be willing to pay the ADM tax.
I wanted one of the 500 US orange 30th anniversary models.
There are only 500 USDM orange Miatas?! I was being tailed by one yesterday and was thinking, ‘huh, that’s a cool color, wonder why I don’t see more of ’em in that’.
They actually did a lottery for the 30th. I was in it, lost, bought something else and then they told me I can buy one because people who won backed out. Too late for that!
Yeah I’d probably pay new Miata money for a 30AE – the color and interior trim are fantastic. I’m sure the new asymmetrical diff swaps into that.