European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 21, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Thursday june 21. 1990 the stars and stripes a a a famous roadster now on military Market Miata lives Page 13 by now anyone with a Remote interest in cars has heard about the Mazda Miata convertible roadster a thoroughly modern Little sports car with a Sharp resemblance to the Lotus Elan sprint of the 1960s. The two seater Miata harks Back to this Era and that a the whole idea. The car appeals to those who drove the Gas Alfa Romeos healers and Lotus plans of that Day a All of whom May want to give it another go. And it also appeals to the younger enthusiasts who never had the Opportunity to drive sports cars of this Type. The Miata scored an instant Success upon its arrival in the United states last summer drawing endless Praise from every motor Magazine around. After its . Introduction it debuted at the Frankfurt Auto show last fall then went on the German Market recently to enjoy additional acclaim. With such fanfare Success has been instantaneous and demand has far exceeded Supply with Long waiting lists the Norm. There was even a report late last year that a buyer in California offered a Mazda dealer $25,000 Cash for a Miata and was turned Down. The car has a list Price of $13,800 base and $18,500 fully equipped. More a Miata madness examples abound but by now you can see Why we be been looking Forward to driving this car. And when Mazda military sales Auto Exchange offered one to Check out two weeks ago we quickly accepted. Buyer waiting time at Auto Exchange is not Overly Long with officials there saying a september october delivery time is possible if the Miata is ordered now. The Price is $18,026 delivered to Bremerhaven and that includes about everything except air conditioning. Home shipment is included in the Price. Those Are the Purchase details now lets look at the Miata we had on test. It would be easy to write a 20-Page report but As we have Only so much space Well do our Best to hit the highlights. First off the Miata is As Good As its owners and the enthusiast magazines claim and we enjoyed every minute that we spent behind the wheel. The Little red car Drew crowds everywhere and practically everyone asked a How fast will it go a the answer is 118 Mph a not bad a but top Speed is not what the Miata is All about. It has to do with Handlin Mormance nearly perfect a feeling of a a oneness with t Miata provides All that and on a Nice Day on the Back roads a and with the top Down a there a nothing that will touch it. Through the use of aluminium and High tensile steels the car weighs Only a bit Over 2,100 pounds. It has a Monoc Good per Ance and a tie car. The to a Start reputation with the top Down on a Summers Day the Mazda Miata mx-5 sports car assures driving fun. A amps photos Lea proof top integrated bumper headlights pop up. Rear window zips Down bumper styling is sleek. Plenty of room for two airbag in steering wheel. The i.6-Iiter, Multi valve 4-Cylinder engine. Petely watertight. The top is also quiet and without any a drumming a even at High speeds. In the a old Days for us the 1960s in Arizo Nawe owned an Mega and an Alfa Romeo Giulietta among others and those cars had four Speed gearboxes que Chassis that is extremely Strong and and non synchro first gears removable rigid and an Independent double wish Side screen windows and Leaky tops that Bone racing Type suspension one that provides a first rate ride and a lot of fun in the turns. The Miata is built on the classic British sports car concept with front engine and rear wheel drive along with a five were murder to put up so you can to compare the Miata to those cars except for appearance purposes. And even there the use of Modem materials allows integrated bumper design and other design treatments not pos Speed Gearbox that is always fun to use. Sible 30 years ago. The Low Slung Miata s throws Are Short and direct less than 2 styling is Brilliant with the rounded Inch Sand you can also Heel and toe Oval line concept supported by a a with ease. The Gas pedal like those on shapes in the form of front air intake racing and rally cars is drilled out to turn signal lights rear lights and rear prevent your foot from slipping. View mirrors. Even the third tiny Brake tha it. Light on the trunk lid is Oval shaped. 1 he Miata s cloth top can be put up or b Down in seconds As you re sitting in the the Power comes from a Peppy Luel Ltd. And it s fully Lea proof. We drove injected 1.6-liter twin Cam engine a the Miata Home one Day in a deluge and Multi valve four Cylinder unit it turns not one drop of water came in. With the out 116 horsepower at 6,500 pm and Power windows up the Interior is com 100 . Of torque at 5,500. The engine revs to the 7,000 Mark redline starts at 6,500 and you be got to keep it above the 3,500 rpm Mark to be brisk and above 5,000 for the genuine driving fun. But with the Short throw five Speed Gearbox exploiting those revs is a guaranteed pleasure. Our Zero-to-60 Mph time was 9 seconds Flat. Through the gears at redline it was 30 Mph first gear 55 second 75 third 100 fourth and 118 tops in overdrive fifth. While going through the gears the exhaust notes Are marvellously resonant just As in a the Good old  cruising is in the 80 to 100 Mph Range. The Power assist brakes discs All round were exceptionally Good and the same goes for the Power rack and Pinion steering. We did no to like the airbag equipped steering wheel however because it really belonged on a Mercedes. The Miata needs a classic Wood rimmed wheel to match its character but Modem safety rules dictate otherwise. The Windshield is Small. Though vision is not panoramic its Good enough even in heavy Rains. There a a two Speed intermittent wiper system that keeps everything Clear and the ventilation Blower system also works Well. Seating is comfortable for two people and even 6-footers had no problems either As passengers or Drivers. The test Miata was equipped with 14-Inch Alloy wheels and All the Power items and it had an am pm stereo with cassette compact disc player and had restraint speakers digital clock cruise control full Center console two dashboard mounted Interior lights and much More. Trunk space is limited of course but one suitcase or a Case of Beer will fit in. Our Overall fuel figure unleaded regular is used came to 24 Miles per gallon. The Epa puts it at 25 mpg City 30 mpg Highway. For Complete details on the Miata visit a Mazda Auto Exchange outlet or write Mazda military sales Auto  23, 6242 Kronborg West Germany. A Randy Barnett Auto columnist