1960’s Nostalgia For 2015
Thirst For Nostalgia
Our thirst for 1960s’ nostalgia is bottomless, so automakers keep remaking the classics. Ford will birth a brand new Mustang this fall as it chases GM’s own retro-rod, the Camaro. Alfa Romeo’s 4C is a dead ringer for the ’67 Alfa 33 Sradale, and Jaguar has followed the elegant E-Type with the ferocious F-Type.
Meanwhile, Mazda has cornered the market on wee English sports car nostalgia with the Miata.
Mazda has been so successful in preserving the golden era of Lotus Elans, MG Midgets and Bugeye Sprites that the Miata has become an icon unto itself, now celebrating its 25th year of production. Along the way, the Miata picked up the MX-5 badge to recognize it as a permanent member of the Mazda family, not just a passing salute to ’60s sports cars (and to make it sound more, ahem, macho). Indeed, the mass-produced cutie has far outlasted and outsold its Elan inspiration as the Lotus badge expired after nine years. The car has become such an icon that car fanatics have started to spend more than the car’s value on modifications such as Miata coilovers to make the Miata more enjoyable to drive.
Yet Mazda’s little roller-skate has stayed true to its roots: affordable, fuel efficient, and more fun than Monty Python’s Spamalot.
Compact and cramped, the MX-5 is even sized like a British crumpet. It is the tightest fit of any car that I’ve driven. A Fiat 500’s headroom is like the Sistine Chapel compared to this pillbox. Next to an MX-5, the compact Chevy Spark’s driver seat feels like a Vegas pool chair.
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