I'm a very pleased new owner of an '01 MX-5, verging on enthusiast. This is the only vehicle I've contemplated keeping in pristine condition until I no longer am. I suppose my kids will get it then. My sense is that the MX-5 incorporates some of the best elements of the Volkswagen Bug and a high -end Lotus simultaneously, which has resulted in it's amazing popularity. Where do you think the current design will rest in the automotive lexicon in 20 or 30 years? If you could design the next generation MX-5 what features would it have, how would it evolve? How did the emphasis on balance occur in the early design process. (It's so rare that any kind of "balance" is held in high value in a corporate environment by my experience.)

I find your column so entertaining plus it strongly contributed to my purchase decision (take note Mazda!).

Mark Rutherford, Oakland

A tough one, that. But inasmuch as I'm about as far out of the loop as anyone could be regarding the upcoming NC Miata, I may as well pontificate as to what I'd like the car to be.

I guess what I wouldn't want it to be would set the parameters. I don't think the car should be an S2000 or Z3. I'd disassociate it (or at least move it away from) the direction the current Miata is going, which strikes me as (at the least) a slow decline into irrelevance or (in the worst case) a genuine dead end. One that could be closer than many might think. Most importantly of all, I'd do whatever necessary - within reason - to reinforce the fact the Miata is a sports car, not the chrome-plated dinghy for some errant land yacht.

I'd spend a bit more time on the styling, if only to find some substitute for the 'state of the moment' cues which lack subtlety on the NB. But it wouldn't take a 'retro' angle or hark back excessively to the NA, no sir-ee. Personally I don't think the NB will be looked upon in a decade's time as well as the NB is 12 years on, if only because the styling will age more rapidly than the NA has. This is independent of the fact the NA was the 'first' model, as I'm speaking solely on the styling cues.

I'd also cap the car's position, and (as mentioned previously) worry less about taking on the likes of the Z3 and S2000 than I would cementing the car's position as the baseline which defines the marketplace. Yes, I'd still have a more potent version to chip away at the foundations of the S2000, but not as a head-to-head competitor. In terms of performance and price. A pair of engines would be part of the package, both fours. The 'base' car would be offered to package to a level slightly above to the old A-package (perhaps plus power windows), with the larger-engine model starting at that spec level (or a smidgen higher) and going up to a spec level commensurate with the car's higher price and competitive position. Perhaps look at a clutchless sequential box for the upper-spec and larger-engined car if the technology is mature enough to allow a quick-shifting one at a moderate price.

I'd wage a war with weight, especially as it's likely that the next car could weigh about 100 to 130kg more than the current model. But I would stay away from extensive use of aluminium components in the structure and suspension, purely because of the costs involved. There are other methods of weight savings using new lightweight steels which cost only a fraction of a similar aluminium components. Though it would be equally tricky, I'd work hard to keep the overall package as compact as possible. A bit more cabin length would be a priority so as to accommodate lankier occupants a bit better than the current car, though it'd have to be balanced with the desire to keep the car compactly packaged. After all, a larger size also means more weight.

But the chassis would get the lion's share of attention, with the car focused on balance and feel, not empirical performance data. Lot's of focus on the tactile response and impression of the car's steering, suspension, brakes and structure would be key to this. I'd look as single sourcing tires to optimize the chassis (even though that can get tire companies way out of sorts) as well as to put some pressure on to get a lightweight tire with good performance characteristics.

And I'd get some properly bright, high solid colors in the palette to replace that crap which looks like the bottom of a cappuccino cup. Albeit one with mica-encrusted grounds at the bottom.

bwob

Do you know if exist an electric top (for soft top) for MX-5 2001?

Carlo, Italy

There are none out there I am aware of as a ready-to-install item. However, if you're clever (and have a lot of money) you could always kludge one together yourself. Perhaps you might even find someone else who'd want to buy one as well.

I'm quite sorry you must find raising the top so fatiguing. Perhaps I should ask my Mother to send you some pointers, as she has no problem raising and lowering a Miata top from the driver's seat while belted in. Admittedly, it takes her about ten to twelve seconds to get up and latched, but she is 76 years old and she can't drive a car with automatic transmission.

bwob

Bob some time ago I started to have a problem with cranking my Miata, it starting clicking every now and then, it is not a constant problem so I can't solve it. The problem started with a 1.6 motor I replaced the solenoid, battery cable (with larger cable +&-), added a ground strap to back starter bracket, ignition switch, clutch switch, starter, battery (gel cell larger cranking amps), added a Ford solenoid switch, and every thing I can think of and even asked Mazda master mechanic along with several automotive electrical shops. Replaced motor with 1.8 because of crank problem and used all components from that motor still having same problem.

billy austin, brandon,ms

While I might have checked many, if not indeed most, of the things you have (plus one or two others), before I started replacing every discrete component on the car I would have not merely talked to a master mechanic, but let he or she ply their trade. I've found if I cannot get a problem accurately identified by the second go, I step aside and let a professional at it. While this course of action may seem expensive, it has proven to be far, far cheaper than innumerable - and unsuccessful - 'fixes' I attempt for for problems I am unable to successfully diagnose. Considering the list of repairs you've attempted and components you've replaced, it's about time you let whatever it is in the way step aside so someone with a fresh eye can take a look. Sounds it could be almost as much a 'forest for the trees' problem as much as a mechanical or electrical one.

bwob

On my last trip to Japan, I saw a neat little roadster that was badged "Cappuccino"

I realize that it is probably too small to meet U.S. regs, but can you tell me a little more about it?

Richard Tanaka, Aromas, California

Waaay too small to clear US regulations. Nowhere enough real estate to handle the energy management in a front, rear or side impact. But enormously fun to drive.

The Cappuccino is a Suzuki front-engine, rear-drive two seater convertible which was built in the mid 1990s. Inspired by the Miata, the little thing was produced to sit in Japan's Kei Jidosha ultralight car tax category. This is a popular market class in Japan, where a number of regulations (limiting overall length, width, height, displacement and power output) have created a uniquely Japanese market segment.

The Cappuccino had a three-cylinder, 660cc turbocharged triple up front, driving the rear wheels through a five-speed manual gearbox. The engine was rated at 64hp (JIS) and the car weighed in at 700kg with half a tank of fuel. It had independent suspension and discs at each corner. Top speed was electronically limited to 140km/h, in accordance with another regulation for the class. Overall length of the Cappuccino was 3295mm, it was 1395mm wide and 1185mm tall (for comparison an NA series Miata is 3950mm long, 1675mm wide and 1230mm tall).

The car used a four-piece semi-retractable hardtop instead of a cloth top over a folding armature. the rear section (which included the glass rear window and extended up as far forward as the aft edge of the door window) swung down and stowed ahead of the trunk. The car could be driven with the rear window raised like that (with some astonishing wind buffeting), or could have three pieces mounted between the forward edge of the rear section and joined the windscreen header. There were two largish pieces in the outboard positions, with a center section about 125mm wide sitting between them. Rather than have a single targa panel (or two), Suzuki was forced into this arrangement by the astonishingly small trunk. With the three roof panels in the trunk, It's barely possible to fit a jacket stuffed around them. A Miata trunk looks like that of a 1957 Cadillac compared to the Cappuccino's.

The Cappuccino's been out of production for a few years now, as when the Japanese bubble economy imploded, a number of high-profile (but low-volume) got the chop, the Cappuccino among them.

Mazda offered its own Kei Jidosha sports car in Japan which used the same engine as the Cappuccino, but mounted amidships. The car was the Autozam AZ-1, a wacky looking gull-wing coupe which was developed by the program manager for the original NA Miata, Toshihiko Hirai.

Because of the dimensional limitations, the AZ-1 was within 5mm of the Cappuccino in almost every outside dimension (though it rode on a considerably longer wheelbase). Mazda sold the AZ-1 through its Autozam sales network, but because of agreements with Suzuki as mechanical component supplier for all of Mazda's offerings in the Kei Jidosha segment, there was a seldom-seen Suzuki-badged version as well called the 'Cara'.

Both the Cappuccino and AZ-1 were a delight to drive, but with very different characters. Because of this (and the cult status they've developed in Japan), they've held their resale value well in Japan, with tidy examples fetching prices in the 1,115,000 to 1,280,000 Yen range.

Because of the Cappuccino's front-engine, rear drive layout, the transmission's mass between the rear moves the seats well outboard. Enough so that Western-sized drivers (and passengers) will find their outside shoulders parked permanently against the door trim panel.

While the AZ-1/Cara's cabin is appreciably wider than that of the Cappuccino, the gull-wing doors mean that nobody taller than 5'11 need bother sitting inside or the door can't be closed.

Fun stuff, but unlikely to ever be seen stateside.

bwob

Hi! My new 2001 Miata (Color Grace Green Mica) was rear-ended by a mini-van while I stopped at the red-light. Needless to say, I was & still am upset. I got it for only a month.

Anyway, the rear bumper will be replaced by a Mazda dealer but I was told the new bumper comes in primer (no color)...I wonder will the color be matched to the rest of the car. Can I order the factory-painted bumper from Japan. I was told "No" by the dealer even I am willing the pay the extra (insurance covers the repair). Why? I understand they use color-coded formula to paint the new bumper but still, I see a lot of bad examples from the past so I am very very worry...I know it will never match factory paint regardless what they say and my Miata is new.

Terence Cheong, Toronto/Ontario/Canada

The only bumper skins which get painted are the ones going onto car at the factory. The supplier ships all bumper skins to Mazda unpainted, with the ones being used in the assembly plant the only ones getting painted. Since the paint line is keyed to the body line, there are no 'extras' painted. Only enough to match the body count, which is part of the concept of 'lean production'. So you could go to Japan, or Spain or Namibia and you couldn't buy a factory-painted bumper skin unless you purchased it with the rest of a car attached. Which you don't need to leave Canada to do.

As for whether the paint will match the car on the replacement bumper skin, well, that depends upon the skill of the person doing the colour matching and mixing as well as the skill of the individual applying the paint. There are some very talented individuals who can do such a good job that you'd be totally unaware that the car had ever been painted after it left the factory a week or a few years afterwards. There are also some real dim bulbs out there who couldn't match solid black with a thousand attempts, so you have to shop very carefully for a good painter. Rather like tracking down a good dentist; not something you really look forward to, but essential when needed.

bwob

Dear Bob, thank you for your contribution to the development of the Miata. It is an outstanding car, and you should be proud. Bob, was there ever any consideration given to wrapping the Miata in a fiberglass body? The advantage of weight savings is obvious. I'm sure there are negatives (structural rigidity, perhaps). But, not being an engineer, I'm a bit in the dark. Any information you might share would interest me. Thanks, again!

Larry Richardson, Panama City, FL

None whatsoever. When the 'go' button was pressed, we had the choice of building the car within Mazda's facilities and manufacturing processes or not at all. To keep a cap on costs, it had to share the space on an existing assembly line, which meant we couldn't go through the expense of a dedicated body line. So once the car became a real project, it had use the same manufacturing protocols as the rest of the Mazda line-up it shared facilities with.

Part of the pre-approval studies had the Technical Research Division looking at a number of alternative body structures, but glass fibre went out the window pretty quick. Even though the US dynamic side impact Safety Standard was not in effect when the car was launched, it was in the proposal stage when the car was being developed so we had to design the car to broadly accommodate the standard. The energy management this standard demands would have required so much metal underneath the skin that a small car like the Miata would gain no weight benefit from using glass fibre skin. Since Mazda has no manufacturing (and importantly, painting) facilities suitable for glass fibre, that route would have required additional capital investment for facilities. And we wanted to spend the money on the car, not factories. So glass fibre had no friends with the team developing the Miata.

At least glass fibre was better than a steel spaceframe with unstressed RIM or SMC panels; going that route would have resulted in a car at least 115kg heavier than the original 1990 Miata's weight. Not much of a choice, really.

bwob

There has been much hullaballoo going on lately about the experimental V6 Ford-engine powered Miata. Many enthusiasts are exited about the prospect of this car possibly, however remotely, making it into production. Others feel that if the Miata were actually to go this direction in the future, our roadster may go the way of the dearly departed RX-7. Do you think there is a chance, however small, that the hopped-up Miata will make it to production anytime soon? How do you personally feel about this project? (Being an avid follower of your installments, I think I know the answer to the latter! ) )

Tina Csomo, Florida, USA

Much ado about nothing, actually. It's a study program and a worthwhile investigation Tina, if only to provide a fire under the gang doing the FE RX-7.

As alluded to above, Mazda has a new FE RX-7 waiting in the wings (no, not the RX-8 and not a Miata with a rotary although there's component sharing between the upcoming NC Miata and these other two), so if anyone bothered to give the situation any thought - obviously thinking isn't too popular in some quarters based on what I've read about the V6 - even Ray Charles could see that there would be insufficient price stratification between a 210-230hp Miata and a 250-280hp FE RX-7. While that's before any consideration of performance of taken into account, in the marketplace pricing is the only segmentation that the public pays any attention to. Bear in mind that such a Miata would probably be priced in the $31,000 to $35,000 range (if not a smidgen more - I'm being conservative here) when all was said and done. What if the Miata V6 price was held to, say, an impossible $27,000? In that case who would bother with an RX-7 nearly $10,000 more costly? Mazda is not in the business of competing with itself to make a handful of noisy screamers from the peanut gallery happy. Development of the FE RX-7 is likely to cost more than $450,000,000. Does it make sense to toss that investment down the toilet by robbing sales from it with the introduction of a another car of your produce? It sure doesn't to me, but then I'm a bit of a simpleton. Mazda got into a helluva lot of trouble in the late 1980s and early 1990s by cutting its own pie into many increasingly smaller pieces instead of trying to steal somebody else's. Nobody there in Hiroshima or in Dearborn is dumb enough to make the same mistake twice. Please don't forget that we're not talking GM here.

Just for drill, what do you think the V6 Miata's chances would be if Porsche decided to adjust the Boxster's price down by three to five percent? Porsche has plenty of cushion in the margins to do that and swat a potential competitor like a fly if it so desired.

There's a direct correlation to price and volume; as the former goes up, the latter goes down. The fact the Miata is sitting below things like the Z3 and S2000 (as well as Boxster) is its trump card. History has shown that when you control the entry-level spot of any market segment, you control the whole segment. If Mazda walks away from this position of power, somebody else will step in and the Miata will become just an also ran. Development lead times ensure this wouldn't happen overnight, but it could happen quickly enough that there would be no need for an ND Miata.

A hopped-up 'MPS' Miata appeared at the Frankfurt Motor Show last month, with a 200 hp 1.9 litre four (normally aspirated) underhood. Mazda is going to make a short un of the cars, said to be 200 to 500, for the Japanese market. The small production run reflects the fact that the car is expensive to produce (insiders have hinted at a price starting in the 3,000,000 to 3,500,000 Yen range). But with the NC Miata (which will forsake the B-series engine family used in all Miatas - including the MPS - up to this point in time) only a couple of years down the road, setting up the MPS for volume production is not a sensible place to make the sort of major tooling investment needed to reduce the piece costs of things like the unique nose, fenders and engine components through higher production volume. In 1999 it might have made sense, but not at this late point in time.

As you said, enthusiasts are excited about the prospects of a V6 (or more powerful) Miata. But don't lose sight of the fact the Miata is a car for enthusiasts which also must have mass appeal. If it gets focused too much towards the enthusiast marketplace it will go the way of the RX-7 in the 'States. And subsidizing the desires of a few for more power (as well as the additional chassis, tires and brakes to go with the added power) will disenfranchise the mass market which has adopted the Miata and makes it a viable business proposition. And in time that means no Miata.

To my way of thinking, a real enthusiast doesn't bitch about a car he or she likes not having enough power. They do something about it. If they haven't got the gumption, creativity and/or enthusiasm to do something themselves or take the initiative to have something done rather than complain, they aren't enthusiasts. That mob's just a bunch of crybabies who haven't got a milligram of creativity or enthusiasm for anything but bragging rights. Or worse, they're the lot who equate horsepower to penis size. If you haven't guessed, I haven't any time for either.

With the depth of the aftermarket supporting the Miata, the possibilities are virtually unlimited. What other car has solutions available like one of Corky Bell's turbo set-ups, or a Toda Racing stroker kit, Project-mu brakes, Racing Beat or Jackson Racing suspension or whatever as well as a lot more. So anyone who says the Miata 'hasn't got enough power' is utterly lacking in creativity, cannot read or is monumentally lazy. There are plenty of ways out there to pump a Miata to hyper-steroidal levels, but they require lifting a finger to take the initiative, rather than lifting a finger to bitch about it in some Internet chat room or pontificating about Lincoln-badged Miatas.

So while I think the V6 is a great project, I'm not convinced it would be a great Miata. Especially if adopting it caused the car to drift from the mother lode it currently owns. Mazda's sold more than 609,218 Miatas (the count through July) and not because the vast majority of those people thought it was underpowered.

bwob