Mazda MX-5 30th Anniversary Edition meets its fans

As carsales’ resident Mazda MX-5 enthusiast and the guy that broke the news of the Mazda MX-5 30th Anniversary Edition last December – as well as being a MX-5 Sprint Championship competitor – it seems strange that I haven’t yet had the opportunity to sit behind the wheel of this special little roadster.

Feeling a little disappointed to have missed out on the opportunity (I know, woe is me) so far, I called Mazda Australia and tagged myself on to one of the last press loans of the MX-5 30th Anniversary Edition.

Conveniently, it was available at the same time as the final round of the 2019 Mazda MX-5 Sprint Championship at Phillip Island...

Although Mazda put the kibosh on taking the 30AE on track, it was open to the idea of letting the fans meet the resplendent Racing Orange roadster at Victoria’s premier motor racing circuit.

If you’re a devotee of the world’s favourite roadster, then the MX-5 30th Anniversary Edition probably needs no introduction.

But in case you’re not, you should know that Mazda has a habit of releasing a special edition MX-5 every time there’s a milestone anniversary; and this, dear readers, is the latest of its kind.

Just 3000 examples of the MX-5 30th Anniversary Edition were released globally, with only 30 allocated to Australia. The orange-and-black-finished soft-top costs $49,990 (plus on-road costs) and was a sell-out as soon as it was announced.

The anniversary model is based on the high-spec MX-5 GT Roadster and on top of the high level of standard equipment found on that model, it adds Bilstein dampers, special RAYS forged alloy wheels and Racing Orange brake callipers to match the high-vis paint colour – Brembo at the front and Nissin at rear.

Inside, there are Recaro sports seats with Alcantara upholstery and orange stitching, plus 30th Anniversary badging.

Asking a $10K premium over the donor model is par for the course with special-edition MX-5s, even if the 30AE employs the same 2.0-litre powerplant as its derivative. Output is listed at 135kW/205Nm and the model is available with a six-speed manual transmission only.

We’ve detailed what it’s like to drive the 30AE previously, but the litmus test with any special-edition is knowing what the fans think of it.

It takes little more than parking a unique MX-5 at a club gathering to draw attention. Sure, the vivid orange paintwork isn’t what you’d call discreet, but the true appeal of the 30AE stretches beyond its lurid appearance.

For many fans it’s a chance to see the MX-5 as they believe it “should have been”. The motorsport contingent of the MX-5 Club has for a long time questioned why the optional parts seen on the 30AE aren’t available in Australian dealerships, and say they would have some or all of the parts listed above on their own cars if they were available here.

“If the choice was available, I would definitely go the Brembos if I was to buy another ND,” said David, who currently races an ND-series MX-5 in the MX-5 Sprint Championship.

“I’d probably option the Recaro seats too, absolutely.”

The fans we interviewed were highly complementary of the 30th Anniversary package, but it was a sentiment echoed by more than one competitor at Phillip Island.

“To be honest, I love it,” grinned Randy, who also races an ND-series MX5 in the current championship.

“It’s got all the good bits on it that all us owners who have a normal MX-5 would like to have as options, such as the Recaro seats, the Brembo brakes and the RAYS racing wheels – they’re phenomenal.

“Overall I love the package. It’s a terrific car and orange is my favourite colour,” he added.

It wasn’t just the blokes who thought the 30th Anniversary Edition’s extras should be offered to other buyers. Club member Vanessa was as enthusiastic about the Brembo brakes and Recaro seats as the car itself.

“I think those parts should be offered as options, absolutely!” enthused Vanessa. “I think they’d find there are a heap of motorsport enthusiasts who want to get out there and really enjoy their car, and if they can buy those through Mazda [then] that’d be brilliant.”

“It’s very impressive,” added Vanessa. “When I walked around the corner I thought ‘that looks brilliant’. I’d love one.”

For others, the MX-5 30th Anniversary Edition is a flagship model that simply creates desire. It’s the type of car you ‘might own one day’, perhaps as a used car and once depreciation has taken its toll.

“It’s very, very nice,” said Russell, who was competing with an older NB-series MX-5 in the current championship round. “I’d absolutely love to have one for myself, very much so.”

Indeed most fans agreed the styling and colour scheme is just right. The Racing Orange paint Mazda formulated specifically for the 30AE (believed to pay homage to its 1991 24 Hours of Le Mans winning 787B) is a particular highlight for at least one MX-5 owner, who said it should be a mainstream colour.

“I think it’s grown on a lot of people,” said Russell. “It was a little bright to start with, but now I think it’s actually a really nice colour.”

Russell’s sentiments were echoed by Vanessa, whose own tastefully presented MX-5 sat just metres away.

“I really like the colour, especially the callipers – the colour-matching – I love that. It just looks great,” said Vanessa.

But not everyone was a fan of the ‘witch’s hat’ orange paintwork, which left at least one fan on the fence.

“Ummmm, I think it works,” said an unconvinced David. “It wouldn't be my choice out of the dealership, but it looks good and matches the brake callipers nicely, I guess.

“I mean the interior is beautiful. I love the little orange highlights throughout the cabin and the Alcantara upholstery, it’s very nice. I’m just not sold on the paint.”

If you’re an MX-5 fan like me, then you’ll understand that the diminutive two-seat convertible isn’t all about performance. It’s a car that’s about enjoyment, agility and that wind-in-your-hair feeling.

It’s also about recalling a time when cars were simpler, smaller and more enjoyable. Fans get that.

To that end it’s hard to know if this is the ‘ultimate’ MX-5. If you take the line that enhancing a car to ride and handle as well as it can – without taking away from its purity – then it certainly is right up there. It’s a car that goes as well as it stops and, for a road car at least, corners beautifully.

But there are others who say Mazda’s earlier turbocharged MX-5 offerings (the NB-series MX-5 SE and MX-5 SP) stand tall as the ultimate examples of the kind.

“I think the SP will always be the ‘unicorn’ of the MX-5 range, due to the fact that is was Aussie-developed,” said Randy.

“That said, it was a car that needed a few chassis tweaks to make it better, and I think that all these years later, Mazda has finally got that part of the MX-5 formula sorted with the ND. It’s a good question,” he laughed.

“The 30th Anniversary Edition MX-5 has the best parts that Mazda has to offer, and the new 184hp engine is, in my view, the ultimate fit for any MX-5 yet. So, yeah, I guess it really is the ‘ultimate’ MX-5 when you put it that way.”

For me the Mazda MX-5 30th Anniversary Edition is as good as it gets. It’s the right size, has the expected levels of technology and equipment for the price, and has a unique look that distinguishes it as something special.

I also prefer the linear delivery of the naturally-aspirated engine and the way it makes you work for your reward. This tried and tested formula and the additions tied to the 30AE make it much more than a sticker-pack with a set of wheels.

In my opinion the Mazda MX-5 30th Anniversary Edition has just the right amount of accoutrements to honour the recipe that made the MX-5 so great in the first place.

To me, the MX-5 30th Anniversary Edition really is the ultimate MX-5. Long live the roadster!

How much does the 2019 Mazda MX-5 30th Anniversary Edition cost?
Price: $49,990 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol
Output: 135kW/205Nm
Transmission: Six-speed manual
Fuel: 6.8L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 162g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2016)