Miata Club of America Magazine

25 Years Ago – January 2001, Issue 1

Road Rage

– Lynn Vogel

If you noticed the title of this post was different, good eye. This is the point when the California folks wrested total control of the magazine from the Miata Club of America founders in Georgia. The word “Volume” was chopped from the magazine’s cover, replaced with the month & year.

Cars were slowing down all around, and the people inside were looking. Staring. Smiling. I was recently on the freeway, directly behind a Chrysler PT Cruiser. Since its recent showroom debut, the PT’s proven to be a winner, drawing crowds like you’d find at an ice cream stand on a hot summer day. So I knew that for as long as I drafted the silver stunner, I was going to witness people enjoying themselves in spite of themselves. I was going to be treated to a show. I knew, because the same thing happened to me back when I took an early trip in another example of an automotive triple-scoop.

Mazda’s Miata had only been on the market for a matter of weeks when I picked up a red B-package version from their North American headquarters in Irvine, California. I was to have use of it while making a couple of casual media appearances in Southern California. Lucky me? Yes.

I was no sooner on the I-5 heading south towards San Diego than it started. You’d have thought I was escorting Princess Diana to the prom. People were doing one of three things:

1 – Riding alongside and gawking. Everyone in the car. Teens, grannies, dogs. (By the way, doncha love when they hang out the window, tongues flapping in the wind?) (The dogs too.)

2 – Speeding up from some distance behind so that they could be (see 1 above).

3 – Passing by in some glazed-over, hours-at-the-wheel state and being jolted back to life by the defibrillator, they love shouting, “Honey, stop! Stop! STOP! What was THAT?!” when they were hazily daydreaming about the next rest stop. (The dogs too.)

Windows were rolling down, questions were being shouted, and I was certain that I was going to be the cause of the largest pile-up since Custer’s Last Haircut. At the very least I was in the eye of a hurricane and, as secret agent and Sunbeam Alpine driver Maxwell Smart would say, “loving it.” Oh, don’t think I didn’t enjoy it. Reflected glory and all that. Cool car? Must be a cool dude.

But I returned to warm after a few days (real ownership being about a year away). And though that brief time was certainly fun, my envy gave way to dread when I imagined what it must have been like for the true Miata owners, many of whom also had to pony up plenty o’ pennies just to be first on their block. It’s the kind of attention that makes one appreciate the existence suffered by movie stars or celebrity racecar drivers.

(Yikes! What must it be like for someone who’s both? Does Paul Newman ever wish he weren’t “Paul Newman”?) (Does Paul Newman race in the woods?) And yet, as stunning and shocking as the car was at first, once it became a more familiar sight, the non-owning public’s excitement largely dissipated.

Call it the phenomenon of phamiliarity: the unusual becomes usual as usual. It happens with technology, with human progress, and sadly sometimes, even affairs of the heart. With cars, we’ve seen this modern pattern as evidenced by the Miata repeated with Volkswagen’s New Beetle. To the horror of exterminators everywhere, people wanted bugs! Though I doubt, as the original ’50s and ’60s group of 2-seat sports cars now has a parallel in our modern roadster resurgence, that we’ll see other Beetle-ish cars in the future. Call me Cynical Stan, the Told-You-So Man, but I find it difficult to imagine that there is a new Corvair or Renault Dauphine in development at this time.

Once the PT Cruiser becomes as common as sliced bread, it’ll be hard for anyone to imagine that anyone was really that excited about it. Like sliced bread! It will inevitably follow along the path trod by the Miata and the New Beetle: cars that once captivated the public, won countless awards, didn’t require three nickels- worth of advertising, and then settled into happy and quiet lives amongst the Accamrys. Cars that once were all the rage.

My freeway exit appeared, and I banked away as the PT Cruiser continued on. I was never able to see the face of its driver. He was undoubtedly smiling, as was I; a relation born of shared experience. I couldn’t help but feel a pang of nostalgia for those early days of Miata craziness.

I drove along a suburban country road in the late-day warmth. Spotting a bustling soft-serve ice cream stand, I pulled in for a treat. I sat in the car, enjoying a cone and watching people come and go. And just as I was finishing up and getting set to leave, a mom and dad passed right in front of me with their little girl in tow. She must have been six or seven years old. And she couldn’t stop looking at the Miata.

25 Years Ago – Volume ?, Issue ?

This is the date that I would have normally reprinted an article from the bi-monthly Miata Club of America magazine, only there wasn’t one this time. There wasn’t one again in December either. This is what becomes the end of both the national club and the magazine.

Here is an excerpt from the Masters Miata Club’s October meeting that sort of explains the situation:
We held the General Discussion portion of the meeting while we ate. We generally talked about the state of affairs between the Miata Club of America (MCA) and Mediasource Publishing Group (MPG,) the publishers of Miata Magazine. Now that MCA has stopped sending money to MPG and is withholding the member database, MPG will not send the Miata Magazine to MCA members after this issue. The MCA has been promising that members would receive a different magazine from them. MPG then filed a restraining order against the MCA from publishing a competing magazine (something that is forbidden in the contract between them, when MCA sold the Miata Magazine to MPG several years ago.)

Here is another look at the Miata Magazine problems. It comes from the St. Louis area Miata Club’s newsletter:
Recently, Vince and Norm sold the magazine to Barbara Beach. She went into “hock” to buy it, and N & V agreed to give her $6 per year per member to support the venture. (What the other $23 per member per year goes for is your guess). Due to a dispute over her wanting to take the magazine to the newsstand, they have been refusing to pay even the $6 for some time. Barb has been using her own resources to continue to publish. She has been sending the magazine to the printer, and MCA has been sending the mailing list names to the printer, where they are merged. Now, N & V have an issue with some of the editorial content in the up-coming issue (remember, Barb OWNS the magazine) and they are refusing to send the mailing list to the printer.

25 Years Ago – Volume 11, Issue 4

The Story of EO

– Ken Freeze

I actually liked this color. I didn’t buy one for a couple reasons, 1) Donna didn’t like the color and 2) I was very happy where I was in the 1995 Laguna Blue car. If I hade bought one, it would have had a black interior, light colored cars with light colored interiors have a lack of contrast. For some reason I’m OK with dark cars with dark interiors, but with dark colored cars, I would still prefer a lighter colored interior.

In 1998 when the second-generation Miata was introduced, it also saw the introduction of a new and striking color. While I absent from the North American market, the new color was seen in ads, web sites and brochures around the world. The color carried different names like Copper Mica, Evolution Orange, Mélange Gold and Evolution Gold depending on where the Miata was being marketed.

2000 Evolution Orange Miata


 
For the 2000 model year, Mazda introduced the color into the North American market as Evolution Orange. And just as is had in other parts of the world, the color turned heads everywhere it was seen.

Then almost as suddenly as it appeared, it was discounted worldwide, creating what is by far the shortest color run in the entire history of the Miata. For 2000 only 644 Miatas were imported and just two 1999 models were shipped into the U.S. Worldwide, the number is not much greater. It is conceivable that worldwide there are less than 1,000 Evolution Orange Miatas total for both years. Numbers between 700 to 800 total have been voiced.

How could a color that was turning up seemly everywhere go out of production so soon? Simple – it was planned that way. “The intent was to only offer the color in the U.S. for one year.” said Product Marketing Plans Manager, Mazda North American Operations, Alan Childers. “Expectations were that although the color is an eye catcher, it never would be a big seller,” he said. “But it is a flashy color that really draws attention.” And, while the color may be a ‘head turner’ and get people into showrooms, in the end they generally bought a different color.

Childers said that the Evolution Orange was just a standard color with all the regular options and packages that could be ordered by dealers. The dealers placed their orders through their regional offices and the orders were sent to Japan for production. So, the end production number reflects the orders that were placed for it.

“In 1992, the Sunburst Yellow (of which only 1,519 were sold in the U.S.) had a planned production run of around 1,500 units from the beginning of the year, ” said Childers. The Sunburst Yellow Miatas were then sent to dealers along with all the other colors available that year.

Mazda obviously saw the PR value of such a striking color. In 1999, when the 500,000th Miata rolled off the assembly line it was Evolution Orange and the 2000 press car from Mazda North America was an Evolution Orange. The press car was the Miata whose photo appeared in the 2000 Miata press kit and was the Miata loaned to just about every major auto publication in the U.S. As a result, from late 1999 through most of 2000 hardly a word was written about the Miata that didn’t also include a photo of an Evolution Orange Miata. As a result, it was easy to get the impression Evolution Orange Miatas were everywhere.

In a very real sense, there isn’t anything special about the EO’s except their color. Unlike the M-Editions or the recent 10th Anniversary model, they are not all equipped alike or include any special equipment not available on other models. They were available with a wide variety of options and packages, from stripped down base models to fully loaded LS models. But what that has done is create even rarer sub sets. For instance, the number of LS models with tan interior vs. base models with black interior. It is conceivable that there may be several one-of-a-kind Evolution Orange Miatas running around America.

Like many of the other limited and special edition Miatas, a registry has been set up on an Internet Web site to follow the Evolution Oranges and to help owners get in contact with one another. The site is http://www.allroadster.com/libs/EORegister.htm gone. Besides owners being able to register their EO Miata, the site also has facts and statistical information as well as an Evolution Orange screen saver from Mazda New Zealand.

What is in store for this rare color is anyone’s guess at this point. It’s closest counterpart, the 1992 Sunbursts Yellow, has taken on almost a cult following, with used models selling for well above the value of their used siblings from the same year.

Will models with different packages become even more sought after? Leather interior vs. black interior, suspension package vs. appearance. And, what about the Evolution Oranges with automatics? Rumor has it that very few were produced worldwide. Could this be the model most sought after by collectors and museums 50 years from now? Only time will tell.

Copyright 2000, Miata Magazine. Reprinted without permission.

 

25 Years Ago – Volume 11, Issue 3

The Four Truths Of Youth

– Barbara Beach

Having just returned from Chicago attending our daughters’ high school graduation and a friend’s 5Oth birthday party, I found myself in an introspective moment. Exhausted after flying into San Diego from Chicago via Minneapolis-St. Paul, I was elated at the prospect of climbing into my 1990 Miata for the 30-mile coastal ride back home. Even after a full decade, I never tire at the prospect of a topless-sun-in-my-face-wind-in-my-hair ride to anywhere. While so many things in my life have changed. (remember, I am feeling reflective and introspective at this moment), the one thing that has remained the same is the car that set the stage for the last decade of my life. Six Miatas, two RX7’s and eleven years later I have a husband of 10 years, 5 adult children, none of whom were adults when I purchased my first MX5, one is starting college, and another is finishing high school. The child of 9 who was known to steal my RX-7 is now 21, and doing autocross. The child of 11 who would wear pillow case veils on her head has now donned the real thing as a June 2000 bride. As for the older kids…well we now have 4 grandchildren and a baby of our own…Miata Magazine. It seems as though our Miatas and Miata friends are one of the few elements that have remained constant.

As I mused over the activities of my Chicago trip, especially the 50th birthday celebration, I reflected upon the many friends that attended this party. 1 thought to myself, (again, I am having an introspective moment) as I’m driving north on the coast highway. I ask myself the question: If I been walking down the street today, and encountered anyone of the folks who were my close friends 25 years ago, would I have recognized any of them? I concluded, all of them with the exception of myself had aged excessively. As a group they looked middle aged, bald, financially comfortable, and generally 50 plus. The parking area was filled with Lexus coupes, Mercedes SUV’s, and the occasional Ford Taurus. Once again, I pondered upon the phenomena of having maintained my own youthful appearance and perpetual good nature while everyone else at the party had so ungracefully aged, to put it politely. I concluded that it must have had something to do with my love of sports cars, and my intimate relationship with my Miatas.

I have clearly come to recognize over the course of time, that there are four primary truths associated with youth:

1. Youth is wasted on the young……but, we never realize it until it’s too late. Try to explain that to a twenty year old.

2. Youth is relative depending upon your age…..My Miata driving Mom and infamous back issue lady Gwen is almost 80 and thinks I am still an adolescent.

3. God is kind to us by not allowing us to see ourselves as we may appear to others when we attend long time reunions.

4. Youth is closely correlated to fun……sports cars are made for fun, and the Miata is the embodiment of freedom and joy that every modern sports car has tried to emulate.

Pulling into my driveway, astounded that I had already arrived, I found my parking spot in-between our three other Miatas and reflected for just a moment more. I happily walked into my house feeling young again and again.

Copyright 2000, Miata Magazine. Reprinted without permission.

 

April Fools

Because I’ll be on the road June 1st I needed to set up a post with an article from the 3rd issue of the Miata Club of America magazine that I have doing doing on the first day of the even numbered months. When I reach on the top of the stack to get the June/July issue I came up with the April/May issue. Ooops, I forgot to do one on April Fools Day. What a fool I am.

I reached down and grabbed the June/July issue too. I picked an article from each, scanned the pages and went online to OCR the images. I formatted them both and I set the June/July post to publish on 6/1/25 and backdated the April/May post to have been published on 4/1/25. So go back and read it.

25 Years Ago – Volume 11, Issue 2

This issue marks the beginning of the end for the Miata Club of America and the Miata Magazine itself. I don’t know for sure, but I think that the founder of the Club, Norm Garrett, and the Club President, Vince Tidwell, who had been publishing the magazine at the Club headquarters in Georgia for the first ten years wanted a break from doing the magazine to focus on growing the Club, so when Barbara Beach and Alan Partridge wanted to start doing the magazine, they jumped at the chance. But almost instantly they came to regret the direction the California duo started to take. Barb and Alan also wanted to start another style Miata magazine that had nothing to do with the Miata Club of America. Anyway, the magazine shoulders on for another three years before it all collapses like house of cards.

A Work In Progress

– Alan Paradise

Imagine you have been asked to construct a sports car. You are handed a few basic guidelines, some of which have been severely and consistently criticized. Nevertheless, you accept the task because you have done this same job many times. More importantly, you accept the assignment because you love to build cars.

The first thing you need to accomplish is a set of designs or blueprints. Drawing upon your past experiences, you let prior success be your guide. Slowly, you begin to visualize the end result of your project. Consulting with others who may want to own your new automotive creation, you get a better sense of what features and materials you will integrate into this project.

Feeling confident, you step into your work area to begin. You have equipped yourself with the necessary tools to get the job done. There you are, ready to create. In front of you is an empty concrete slab. You have no drivetrain, no chassis, no body panels, and no interior. In other words, other than a few bits and pieces, you’re starting from ground zero. Oh yes, you have 60-days to make the entire vehicle roadworthy and ready for public viewing.

You now have a deadline to meet. As you get into the job, the elbows start raging, hair starts flying, and the adrenal gland goes into overdrive. It doesn’t take long to realize you’re going to need some assistance to meet the approaching deadline. A few phone calls enlist the helping hands of a few friends. They arrive with vital components for the project. However, the bulk of the construction rests squarely on your shoulders. Working day and night, burning the candle at ends you didn’t know existed, you start to show evidence of progress. Giving a few people a sneak peek, you are given the “thumbs up” and furiously continue.

Deadline day is quickly approaching. Shifting into high gear, your pace quickens. Soon you must open the garage door and roll the car into the sunlight. Unlike a prototype, such as the cars secured behind velvet ropes at the autoshows, panting drivers leap into your vehicle, turn the key, jack up the revs, and dump the clutch. After a quick test drive, some jump all over you because the fit and finish is not perfect, or a weld has not been completely ground down to a precisely smooth surface. Others comment on the spirit of construction and congratulate you on the thought process employed in bringing together a wide variety of components. Either way, you are thankful for the kind words and absorb the criticism, even when some bordered on abuse.

This is what it is like to create a publication such as Miata Magazine. The wonders of cyberspace allowed some readers to respond quickly to the first issue of the year. Others, seeing a more grounded picture, choose to respond with greater support.

However, unlike a prototype or first edition car, you can’t just pull a magazine back into the barn to refine it. No sir, you have to get it out there and start the next edition.

When Barbara Beach and Phil Wolfson asked me to consider taking the helm of Miata Magazine, I was more than prepared to help develop the publication into a newsstand magazine.

I am also a Miata owner and enthusiast. In 1989, I was lucky enough to be one of the first automotive journalists to drive and report on the Miata. I, like you, was hooked from the first time my hands touched the steering wheel. I am now on my third Miata.

At the time of my appointment, one detail was made clear; not to expect any existing files or archives from the past. No electronic layouts, no past editorials, no photos and no correspondence. I was starting from ground zero.

Thankfully, a handful of good people stepped up to offer support in the form of materials. Lyn Vogel, Rob Ebersol, and Austin Dash submitted great material. Vince and Norm, did their parts as did Barb who added her profound enlightenment of Miataland.

For those who have taken the time to send words of support and encouragement, I thank you. To the ones who have roasted the past issue, defying human nature, I thank you for your comments and suggestions. To those who have chosen to be abusive, I’ll say a prayer for you as I try and maintain a Christian outlook on life.

As I reviewed the comments from the past issue, a message from a Sunday sermon kept ringing in my ears. “Anything that will have a lasting effect cannot be governed or dictated by the fickleness of the masses. Rather, everything that has a lasting effect is achieved by the faithfulness of the few.”

As you read and enjoy this issue, celebrate being one of the few and keep the faith.

Copyright 2000, Miata Magazine. Reprinted without permission.

 

25 Years Ago – Volume 11, Issue 1

Yesterday when I realized I hadn’t posted the Miata Magazine Blast from the Past, I looked through the first magazine of 2000 I found just the article I would use because I actually attended that event with other members of the Masters Miata Club. But I hadn’t written about it on the blog previously, so I dug up my old Club newsletter from that time and published it yesterday,

Jacks or Better

MCA Poker Run a Resounding Success

On a sunny fall Saturday, the national office of the Miata Club of America held its largest and most successful event thus far. Beginning at their offices north of Atlanta, Georgia, over 100 Miatas and their owners invaded the parking lot and offices this past October 23, 1999. The hardy souls braved the blustery and chilly weather for a great day of top-down Miata fun.

Groups from the Peachtree, CAMS, Florida Panhandle, Masters, and Foothills chapters joined local enthusiasts for a fun-filled day. Old friends from as far away as Ohio and Michigan made the long trip. An adventurous couple from New York used the event as an excuse for a road trip in their new 10AE. The couple drove down to enjoy a weekend in Atlanta.

The afternoon began with a leisurely 80-mile drive through the colorful north Georgia countryside. MCA President, Vince Tidwell, did the honors of manning the starting line. Miata owners were seen motoring by horse farms, browsing at country stores, shopping for mountain property and admiring the sailboats on a nearby lake. The hungry travelers were welcomed back to headquarters with plenty of food including barbecue sandwiches, coleslaw, baked beans, and the now famous “Miata Club” cookies. Those who chose not to drive had ample time to shop and converse with the aftermarket vendors in attendance – including R-Speed, Autocentric, Top Notch Accessories, and Liberty Mutual Insurance.

After all had driven, eaten and shopped until they were satisfied, it was time for the awards and prizes. Awards were given for the highest poker hand – a straight flush from Sonny and Vickie Seamon of CAMS, and the second highest poker hand – three of a kind from Eric and April Holtzclaw of Acworth, GA. In addition, plaques were awarded to honor the following: Furthest distance traveled, presented to Joe and Joyce Lamphere, from Vestal, New York. Charles Taylor of Conyers, GA easily won for the highest mileage with his Candy Apple Red ’90 Miata that showed over 364,000 miles on the odometer. The Lowest VIN number award was presented to Carolyn Sharpless of Austell, GA for her Miata built in April 1989. After the awards, a bounty of raffle prizes were given away. Everyone went home a winner as all participants were given a commemorative deck of Miata Club of America playing cards as a keepsake of the event.

The Miata Club of America wishes to thank the Peachtree Miata club and all the hard-working volunteers who helped make this a successful event. They are a great bunch of people and were of invaluable service. The Poker Run would not have happened without this group of dedicated Miata owners.

Keep watching Miata Magazine for future events, as at least two more are in the works for next year. Without a doubt, one of these events will be the Second Annual Poker Run and Barbecue.

Copyright 2000, Miata Magazine. Reprinted without permission.