Miatas at MRLS 2009

Miatas at MRLS, a two-day event that ran on March 21-22nd, 2009 was held at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca as a 20th birthday party for the Miata.

Chicago 2009: Twenty Years of the Miata

Mazda celebrates the 20th anniversary of the legendary MX-5.

Chicago Auto Show - 2009

To commemorate the Miata’s 20th anniversary, Mazda held a small celebration at the 2009 Chicago Auto Show, where the sports car made its debut in 1989.

With a touch of nostalgia, Mazda displays a legendary concept along with its new car exhibit during the ’09 Chicago Auto Show. The Miata M Speedster is the raciest MX-5-derived concept built to date. The Miata M Speedster was originally unveiled at the 1994 Monterey Historic Races at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

Key design and engineering cues, including a low-cut, pillar-less windshield, modified suspension and lowered ride height, modified rear wing and spoiler, sculpted rockers, and flared fenders. Large fog lights are integrated into the front fascia. Sculpted, hard tonneau-style headrests, with storage for two body-colored racing helmets, complete the exterior design. Modifications include upgraded brakes, 15-in. wheels and a supercharger that boosts power to over 200 hp.

Valve Cover Gasket Replaced

Went through the following steps...

1. Disconnect the negative terminal from the battery in the trunk.

2. Remove the PCV Valve and the breather hoses.

3. Remove the spark plug wires completely. Label the wires in advance for maintaining the proper firing order when you reconnect them.

4. Remove the bolts securing the valve cover.

5. Remove the cover carefully.

6. Remove the existing gasket and sealants that may stick to the cover or the top of the crankcase.

7. Clean the cover with the utmost care and completeness.

8. Install the gasket into the cover.

9. Apply high temperature silicone sealant to the corners where the cam bearing caps and crank angle sensor cap meet the cylinder head.

10. Put the Valve cover back onto the crankcase. Hand tighten the head cover bolts.

11. Using a torque wrench, tighten the bolts in the order shown. Torque bolts to 43 - 78 inch-lbs.

12. Reconnect all electrical wiring and battery.

13. Run the engine and check for any possible leaks.

Tom Matano Autograph

Autographed by Tom Matano, a designer of the first generation Miata (NA).

As a Chief Designer at Mazda North America, Mr. Matano created the original design of the NA Miata and FD3S RX-7. He later became Vice President of the Design Division and Executive Vice President of Western Operations for Mazda R&D North America, and Executive Designer & Director of Mazda's North American Operations.

Mr. Matano is a committed educator, and uses his immense knowledge and experience to enhance the Industrial Design program at college. He is now Executive Director of Industrial Design at Academy of Art University in San Francisco, California.

431,544

This is the number of the first generation MX-5 Miata / Eunos Roadster (NA) manufactured in Hiroshima, Japan. I am fortunate to get one here in San Francisco Bay Area.

NA8C Miata Specs

E-NA8C

BP-ZE
1839cc DOHC
83mm bore and 85mm stroke
Horsepower: 128 hp @ 6500 rpm
Torque: 110 ft-lbs. @ 5000 rpm
Turning circle: 189 in. (4.8m)

Gear Ratio
1st gear 3.136
2nd gear 1.888
3rd gear 1.330
4th gear 1.000
5th gear 0.814
Reverse 3.758
Final gear 4.100

Width: 65.9 in. (1675mm)
Height: 48.2 in. (1235mm)
Length: 155.4 in. (3955mm)

Curb weight: 2293 lbs. (1040kg)
Wheel base: 89.2 in. (2265mm)
Fuel tank capacity: 12.7 gal. (48L)