Dec

In the Autoblog carport: 2008 Mazda MX-5 Miata Retractable tough Top

Posted by Published in Convertibles

Filed under: In the Autoblog Garage, Convertibles, Mazda, First Drive

Click above for a high-res gallery of the 2008 Mazda MX-5.

Just as it presented that winter was finally drawing to shut here in Michigan, one of the definitive summertime cars turned up on our doorstep — the Mazda MX-5 Miata . Somewhere back in the middle part of the final century, small, lightweight, roadsters flourished with a variety of models available from mostly British manufacturers. Names like MG, Triumph, Austin-Healey and Lotus defined the genre. Unfortunately, a number of factors such as random intermittent windshield wipers, intermittent headlights, intermittent ignition, persistent oil leaks and predisposition for the bodies to convert to iron oxide soured the reputation of these and other car builders. that was followed by the consolidation of the most of the British car industry into British Leyland and thereupon the onset of safety and emissions regulations. By 1980, the classic British sports car had become all but extinct.

Then a strange thing happened. Mazda, always had a reputation as being slightly offbeat (witness its dedication

to the Wankel rotary, which exists to that day) introduced a new model dubbed the MX-5 Miata . that compact, rear-drive two-seat roadster bore a strong resemblance to a ’60s vintage Lotus Elan. However, unlike the Elan and its compatriots, the Miata started every moment you turned the key, didn’t leave you drenched when it rained, and didn’t leave puddles of oil on your carport floor. In other words, it was a classic British sports car that worked like a contemporary Japanese car. Read on after the jump to find out how the latest incarnation fares.

Gallery: Autoblog carport: 2008 Mazda MX-5 Hardtop