When Mazda started drawing up plans for its new roadster in 1990, it didn’t start with a blank page. It began with a page from the history books. And on that page was the Lotus Elan. The formula: a two-seat, front-engine, rear-wheel drive convertible. The Elan was an excellent starting point, emulating the British marque’s values of low weight, balance, and supreme responsiveness, but without the infamously unreliable electricals. This sports car would always start, always stop, and always get you there on time. The MX-5 was born.

The MX-5 sparked a revival of the two-seat sports car genre. Fans of the BMW Z3, Mercedes-Benz SLK, and Porsche Boxster should breathe a prayer of thanks to the MX-5; those cars wouldn’t exist if not for the Mazda’s success. Lotus itself underwent a revival with its Elise. With more than 700,000 units sold, the MX-5 has gone on to become the best-selling sports car in the world.

As two decades of success begat numerous competition, the MX-5 now faced a host of rivals. It thus needed to extend its appeal, and faced a crossroads. Since its inception, the MX-5 has been about light weight and simplicity. Its soft top could be pulled up or dropped back single-handedly. A power retractable hardtop would add to the car’s all-weather security, but Mazda resisted the urge to install one, as this would rob the car of already-limited trunk space. Engineers had sweated out every gram of weight on the car, including the redesigning the rearview mirror to save 84 grams. Lightweight aluminum is also used for the hood, rear deck, engine, and suspension. They were not about to be satisfied with adding a bulky, heavy hardtop.

The solution is uniquely Mazda. The MX-5’s metal hardtop is divided into three sections that nest into one another. The rear window drops down, and the two metal sections pivot rearward to hide in a tiny space behind the seats. Trunk space is unchanged; it’s still enough for a weekend’s worth of luggage. The use of lightweight but sturdy composite materials adds “only” 36 kg to the roadster’s weight. Computers and electric motors coordinate the metallic origami. Taking twelve seconds to transform from coupe to roadster, it’s the fastest retractable hardtop around.

Just as important, the new roof cuts a handsome profile. The roadster’s styling follows an ovoid theme, from the car’s lozenge shape to its grille and headlamps. It’s not the most masculine of driving machines, but it’s friendly and accessible. There are a few hard edges, such as the bumper and the bulging wheel wells, to add a bit of character. 

The interior has been enlarged with each successive generation (this is the third), but it remains characteristically snug. Form follows function in this cabin. A large center console houses the driveshaft to the rear wheels and separates driver from passenger. Huge, no nonsense gauges feature clear white markings on a black background. Providing a touch of Japanese luxury are the piano black accents on the dash. Primary controls—steering wheel and gearshift—are perfectly positioned.

The MX-5 proves that 2 liters is perfectly adequate if the car beneath is sufficiently light. The dohc four-cylinder unit provides 166 hp, enough to power the car to 200 km/h. More important than top speed is its delightful and direct response at nearly any speed. The weight is distributed 50-50 front-rear, resulting in neutral handling—the car goes exactly where it’s pointed. Thanks to the ideal weight distribution and sophisticated suspension at all corners, the MX-5 is uncannily agile.

All power is channeled to the rear wheels, freeing up the fronts for steering duty only. The result is a purity of response that even decently-handling cars such as the Mazda3 can only dream of. Turning the steering wheel is like pulling directly on the tierods.

The six-speed manual transmission has such short throws that a mere flick of the wrist engages the desired gear. The ride from the 17-inch is firm but stops short of rearranging your internal organs.

The main benefits of dropping the hardtop are of course the panoramic view, and increasing your headroom to infinity. Another is listening to the sharp bark of the engine, a rich, meaty growl that deepens as the revs build. After going through 59 other exhaust configurations, the engineers have apparently found the right note.

Even if the car has gone through a stringent weight-reduction program, it retains a full complement of safety features. The MX-5 has front and side airbags, four-wheel discs with ABS. It has a stability control system to help keep it upright, and a pair of roll hoops in case even that fails.

The driving spirit of the MX-5 has been Jinba Ittai: horse and rider as one. The MX-5 has lived and prospered by that philosophy. It has resisted gaining size and weight with each new iteration, being all the sports car that anyone should need. Now that the iron horse has gained its very own roof, the rider has ever more reason to be pleased.

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