This is the Mazda MX-5 Coupé NB that never left Japan

Turbo engines are taking over almost every sports car on the market, delivering more performance and lower consumption. But many petrol enthusiasts still prefer naturally aspirated engines, although today very few vehicles still offer this type of engine in their range. If we had to highlight one, it would undoubtedly be the Mazda MX-5, also known as the Miata.

The small Japanese sports car remains faithful to its philosophy, with rear-wheel drive together with a naturally aspirated engine, two key elements that are still present in today’s MX-5. But today we are not going to talk about the latest Miata, which we tested recently. Today we go back a few years, specifically to the late 90s, years in which the second-generation MX-5 was produced, colloquially called the NB.

The MX-5 NB was presented as the successor to the beloved NA. The main difference lies in the design of its front end, where it lost the characteristic headlights of the first MX-5 and instead adopted elongated, rounded lamps. The interior also featured slight improvements, both in quality and technology. Its engines remained faithful to naturally aspirated power, and the Japanese brand offered a range of engines with outputs between 110 and 146 CV.

But Japan, the Miata’s country of origin, wanted to treat itself. In this way a very little-known version of the MX-5 NB came to light, one that dispensed with its characteristic fabric roof in favour of a fastback body. This is how the MX-5 Coupé was born.

This Miata was sold exclusively on the Japanese market, so seeing one of these vehicles on our streets is going to be quite difficult. We can consider that today’s MX-5 RF stems from the idea of this NB Coupé.

The styling was very striking and gave the small Miata a more sporty and elegant essence. The front end remained unchanged, as did the rear, but the roofline dropping into a hatch-style tail recalls the design of some British sports cars. The engines of this very special MX-5 also differed from the standard NB. In Japan they offered a 1.6 engine producing 125 CV and a 1.8 delivering 160 CV and 154 CV, the latter being paired with an automatic gearbox.

Mazda created a very special version of the MX-5 that acquired a unique look. Fortunately, the Asian company decided to create a similar version, and the Mazda MX-5 RF is available in our market, offering a retractable hard top that is very reminiscent of the design of the NB Coupé.

Technical specifications of this car

RoadsterMazda MX-513 versions · from 32,550 €