Following the sad news of the passing of Tom Matano, designer of the legendary NA Mazda MX-5, we’ve had the little roadster he helped create on our minds all day. A car that’s been treated to perhaps more special editions than any other over its 36-year-and-counting history, and trying to list them all would take literal days of research.
Instead, we’ve picked out 10 standouts that have appeared in various markets over the years, the ones that show the MX-5 at its best and most fascinating. In no particular order, here are 10 of our favourite special editions of the MX-5, the Miata, the Roadster, or whatever else you care to call the best-selling sports car the world has ever seen.
NA Le Mans
Mazda MX-5 Le Mans
An early UK-market special edition, the Le Mans was built to celebrate Mazda’s victory at the French endurance classic with the howling rotary 787B in 1991 – and boy, didn’t it want you to know about it? It wore a, erm, distinctive green and orange paint scheme inspired by the race car, but the big change came under the bonnet – a turbo kit from British tuner BBR that bumped the 1.6-litre engine up to 150bhp.
Despite having an aftermarket turbo, the Le Mans was sold officially through Mazda dealers, although only 24 were built, making it one of the most sought-after editions of all.
NB SP
Mazda MX-5 SP
Launched in 2002, the SP was an Australian edition of the 1.8-litre NB MX-5 that saw a turbocharger strapped to the engine by Prodrive, of all companies, for a total of 201bhp. To make sure everything was ready for public consumption, a prototype was entered into the brutal Targa Tasmania, its driver under instruction to drive ‘as hard as possible’. To this day, it remains the most powerful MX-5 that’s ever been offered from the factory, and just 200 were made.
We’ve dived into the oft-overlooked SP in a longer feature here.
NB Coupe
Mazda Roadster Coupe
Certain corners of the MX-5 fanbase have been calling out for a coupe version to join the range for pretty much as long as the car has existed, but as you may well know by now, it has happened – just in tiny numbers, and only in Japan, where it was called the Roadster Coupe. Previewed by several NA concepts, it eventually hit production with the NB, in a process that was remarkably intensive for such a small-volume thing.
Available in three trim levels, two of which came with a questionable bodykit, production was always planned to be limited – but it ended up being even more limited than planned, a 2004 fire at the MX-5’s Hiroshima factory spelling an early end for the model after just 179 had been built.
ND Spirit Racing 12R
Mazda Roadster 12R
While we’ve looked at a couple of MX-5s that used turbocharging to get a bump in power, the new 12R – a Japanese special edition, and the first product from Mazda’s Spirit Racing division – goes down the route of good old-fashioned engine tuning instead. A new cylinder head, pistons, cams, intake and exhaust lift power from its naturally aspirated 2.0-litre engine from 181 to 197bhp, and it brings a host of chassis tweaks too. Mazda’s only building 200, all for its home market.
NB 10th Anniversary
Mazda MX-5 10th Anniversary
When a car stays on sale for 10 years, there’s a good chance it’ll get a commemorative special edition at some point, and that was very much the case for the MX-5. Launched in 1999, and based on the 1.8-litre NB, the 10th Anniversary MX-5 came only in Innocent Blue, and benefited from Bilstein shocks, a close-ratio gearbox and a Torsen LSD. 7500 were made in total.
NC 20th Anniversary
Mazda MX-5 20th Anniversary
When a car stays on sale for 20 years, a commemorative special edition is almost guaranteed, and that too was very much the case for the MX-5. Unveiled in 2010 to mark 20 years since the roadster went on sale in Europe, its basis was the 1.8-litre NC model. 2000 were built, and it didn’t get anything in the way of performance tweaks beyond a new strut brace, but we’d be remiss not to include it because of what’s next…
ND 30th Anniversary
Mazda MX-5 30th Anniversary
When a car stays on sale for 30 years… yeah, you get the point. The least surprising MX-5 special edition ever arrived in 2019. Based on the uprated 181bhp 2.0-litre version of the current ND MX-5, the 30th Anniversary had kit like an LSD, Bilstein dampers and a strut brace as standard, as well as a unique set of forged RAYS alloys. It was also very, very orange. 3000 were built worldwide.
NA Limited Edition
Yeah, just ‘Limited Edition’ – this was one of the very first, launched in 1991 for the UK market. Based on one of the very early 1.6-litre cars, it had no mechanical tweaks, but we’re including it because it’s cool as heck. British racing green over tan leather, delightful wood-trimmed steering wheel, gearknob and handbrake, and some fantastic little 15-inch OZ alloys, developed just for that model. Yes please. Just 250 were made.
NB Mazdaspeed
Mazda MX-5 Mazdaspeed
Another turbocharged version based on the 1.8-litre NB, the 2004 MX-5 Mazdaspeed, as it was known in North America, and the Roadster Turbo in Japan, wasn’t quite as gutsy as the Aussie SP, but it still had a healthy 178bhp. Other tweaks included uprated Bilstein shocks, a beefed-up gearbox and 17-inch Racing Hart wheels. A little over 6000 were made, in a production run cut short by the same fire that spelt an early end for the Coupe. And yes, even in the US, this particular model didn’t wear the Miata name.
NA RS
Mazda Eunos Roadster RS
One of the most desirable NA MX-5s of all, the Japanese-market Eunos Roadster 1.8 RS had a drool-worthy spec. There were the expected things like upgraded Bilstein dampers, an LSD and lightweight BBS alloys, but the RS went above and beyond with a lighter flywheel for extra throttle blippiness, a higher final drive for better acceleration, and even a pair of gorgeous carbon kevlar bucket seats from the RX-7. Only 500 were made, and despite their rarity, they’re not as painfully expensive as you might think – an admittedly high-mileage one sold at a UK auction in 2025 for £9740.
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