New Miata Races vs Old Miata and Mazda Miata Wins

When an old Mazda Miata races a new one, there’s only one sure bet – a Miata will win.

Mazda pitted a first-gen Miata against the current MX-5 Miata at a track in Spain, with pro drivers at the helm of both.

Given the power difference – 155 versus 116 – Mazda figured it was best to give the driver of the first-gen car a four-second head start.

Who Wins? Older Car Given Headstart

Was that enough to allow the first-gen car to hold off the newest MX-5 Miata, which has a more modern suspension system and better brakes but also weights around a couple hundred pounds more?

Spoiler alert: No. The increased power made up the difference, but it was tight (it’s unclear if modern safety systems, like traction control, were on or off).

It came down to almost the end, but the ND generation car walked off with the win. No surprise there, as modern metal will be beat old in most cases, even as cars have added weight over time.

Watch the Video

You can see an entertaining pictorial here or watch the whole video here.

If have one of the newer cars, you now have one more reason to brag. Still, we’d like to see how the two stack up without either car getting a head start.

Either way, it’s a win for Mazda.