NEWS: Mazda to unveil 30th Anniversary Miata next month

It’s really hard to believe, but the Mazda Miata turns 30 years old next month. The original NA generation of debuted at the Chicago Auto Show in February 1989 and single-handedly revived the roadster, which was at that point a dying breed in the automotive kingdom. The rest is history, and to celebrate that history Mazda plans to release a 30th anniversary model of the 2019 Miata later this year.

Precious little has been revealed, other than a blurry photo of what appears to be a MX5 RF. However, if the photo is correct it appears that the car is not finished in Mazda’s trademark Soul Red color that adorns most modern Miatas. Instead, it appears to be Classic Red, one of the colors offered on the original 1989 Miata. This would not be unprecedented, as Mazda created a Classic Red soft-top ND that debuted at the Tokyo Auto Salon two years ago.

“The iconic model has become a symbol of Mazda’s car-making philosophy and tireless pursuit of driving pleasure,” the company said in a press release. “The 30th-anniversary special edition was created as an expression of appreciation for the customers all over the world who have supported the success of the model over the last 30 years.”

We won’t know exactly what that entails until we draw a little bit closer to the debut. It seems like only yesterday that the Miata celebrated its 25th anniversary, but that was five years ago and the automotive landscape looks very different now as automakers pursue more digitization. But until they pry the steering wheel from our cold, dead hands, the little carmaker from Hiroshima reassures us that “now and into the future, Mazda remains committed to the idea behind the original Mazda MX-5 in 1989: a car that makes everyone happy.”