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1999 Mazda MX-5 Miata on Car and Driver `10 Best Cars' List

9 December 1997

1999 Mazda MX-5 Miata Named to Car and Driver `10 Best Cars' List; New Miata Goes on Sale in Early 1998

    IRVINE, Calif., Dec. 9 -- Mazda today announced that the MX-5
Miata roadster has been named to Car and Driver's 1998 "10 Best Cars" list.
The award marks the first major automotive award for the all-new 1999 model of
the popular roadster.  The awards appear in the January issue of the magazine,
which go on sale at newsstands this week.
    Few automobiles have received as many awards in their first nine years as
the resoundingly popular Mazda Miata roadster.  In selecting the Miata as a
"10 Best Cars" award winner, the editors of Car and Driver stated, "The Miata
feels as if you're wearing the car like a wet suit and controlling it through
a direct telepathic link from your brain to the tire treads, rather than
through mechanical controls.  With a price that remains at about $20,000, the
Miata is still the least expensive sports car on the market and a terrific
value for anyone whose idea of motoring entertainment consists of small size,
agile handling and an open roof."
    The 1999 Mazda Miata, which goes on sale in early 1998, was joined on this
year's "10 Best Cars" list by the Chevrolet Corvette and Porsche Boxster, two
of the most renowned sports cars.  The BMW Z3 2.8 and Mercedes-Benz SLK, two
other recent entries to the sports car ranks, were nominated for this year's
awards but did not make the final cut.
    The all-new 1999 Mazda Miata features a dramatically restyled body that is
more rigid, yet lighter in weight than that of its predecessor.  The new Miata
also features a more powerful 140-horsepower 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine
and a completely revised interior.
    Shortly after its introduction in 1989, Car and Driver selected the
original Miata as one of the "10 Best Cars" and Automobile Magazine named the
Miata its inaugural "Automobile of the Year."  Numerous other publications
have bestowed awards and accolades on the timeless roadster every year since.
    To date, Mazda has sold more than 450,000 Miatas around the world, of
which nearly half have been sold in the U.S., making it the best-selling two-
seat, lightweight, open sports car in the world.
    The Miata also boasts the largest single marquee car club in the U.S., the
30,000-member Miata Club of America.

SOURCE  Mazda