To keep it all nice and professional, we roped in GTP competitor and Mitsubishi test-driver Steve Knight to hot-lap our fleet. Well, we thought we'd put theory to the test and rustled up an example from each generation to belt around Adelaide International Raceway. The two trunk shapes and configurations are broadly similar, though. This car fits you like a well-worn trainer, all its controls matched in effort and travel. Per Mazda’s official numbers, the NC’s trunk holds 5.3 cubic feet, a figure that decreases to 4.59 cubic feet for ND. Demolishing that speed is all part of the fun. But some reckon Mazda got it right first time and that the NA is yet to be outdone. A throwback to our 2005 first drive of the 2.0-litre MX-5. In that time, the car has gained kilowatts and kilograms, and undergone body and chassis tweaks, all in the name of progress. Lightweight, well-balanced and inexpensive, MX-5 immediately won a legion of fans who've stuck by it through three generations – NA (’89-’97), NB (’98-’04) and now NC (’05- ). Mazda took the best aspects of each of these iconic cars (even the Elan’s sweet exhaust note), and put them into one neat, reliable package. The bare-bones open-topper was the spiritual successor to British roadsters like the Triumph Spitfire, Austin-Healey Sprite, MG Midget, and Lotus Elan – only it was better than all of them. This feature was originally published in MOTOR’s December 2006 issue Since its introduction in 1989, more than 720,000 MX-5s have been snapped up, making it the best-selling sports car the world has ever known.
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