Forever MX-5 Magazine

Fast lap in a Spec Miata

2008-05-13T14:35:46-07:00

We just added a new video featuring Geoff Cochran as he drives his Spec Miata around the newly repaved Portland International Raceway. This was part of a demo the local Spec racers put on for the Mazda Portland Grand Prix press preview.

The Mazda Grand Prix of Portland will feature drifting, Star Mazda, Time Attack, MX-5 cup and a lot more, the week of July 21st. Click the jump to watch.

We'll have a full video feature, including an interview with Geoff, posted next Tuesday on our sister-site, Driving Sports.

Preview: V6-Powered Miata

2008-05-08T14:23:59-07:00

Mark wanted a car that would show those RX-7s and Corvettes a thing or two on the Autocross course. His solution? A V6-powered Miata.

Where the V8-powered Miatas are simply ridiculous and an affront to the essence of what the Miata is supposed to be, Mark's creation is an inspired solution.

Watch the video, produced for our sister-site Driving Sports by clicking the jump. This car will also be featured in the Summer 2008 issue of Forever MX-5 Magazine, where we'll feature not just the final product, but how it came into being.

1990 Race Project Update

2008-04-20T08:28:06-07:00

It's been a while since posting an update on the 1990 Time Attack Miata Project, simply because there's been nothing to report.

Several weeks ago the head was removed (as described in Issue #1) and shipped to CustomImportHeads.us, to scrub it, grind it, make some custom cams and get it all ready for reassembly.

Halfway into the job we stopped by to get some details about the process of cleaning up a Miata head. Click the jump to see Rob working his magic in a short video -- you might just learn something.

Miata Market Report - Data Courtesy of www.AutoTrader.com

2008-03-28T20:32:33-07:00

As a regular benefit to our readers, we've arranged to get Miata market data from www.AutoTrader.com. In between printed issues, we'll post the data here for your Miata-buying and selling benefit.

Of course, we also recommend you surf over and check out www.AutoTrader.com.

Read on for the raw data. Click the chart or graph for a better view.

Looking strictly at Miatas by region in the US, the Mid-Atlantic states have overtaken the West in the last month. Probably due to improving weather in the West. But the South, Mid-Atlantic, and West remain the leading areas if you're shopping for a Miata. And the West is still the best buyer's market, with an average price of $13,754.

On the other hand, the Great Lakes region has the sparsest shopping, though not quite the highest prices.

Breaking down the numbers further by region, year, and price, the average price nationwide for a 1.6 NA (1990-93) car is $4,479, with the best deals in the West and South and the highest prices in the Northeast.

For 1.8 NA cars (1994-97), the trend holds, with the West and South leading in low prices and the Northeast and Midwest commanding the highest coin.

NB Miatas (1999-2005) see a handsome jump in price, to a national average of $12,292, and the numbers double for the newest NC MX-5 cars (2006-08) - with a national average of $23,710 and the highest prices in the Northwest and the lowest in the West.

Forever MX-5 and Mazda North American Operations Announce Portland Race Dates

2008-03-17T20:07:40-07:00

Attention all Forever MX-5 readers: mark your calendar now to join us July 26th & 27th in Portland, Oregon. While you may have heard that the demise of Champ Car meant the traditional Grand Prix of Portland would not happen in 2008, think again.

"The Grand Prix of Portland is important enough that Mazda felt the need to step up and help make the 25th anniversary race happen. We'll be bringing a Star Mazda doubleheader, a round of the Playboy MX-5 Cup and other races and motorsports activities that the Northwest race fans will enjoy. We have a lot of work ahead, but the team of Mazda and the Portland International Raceway are committed to making it happen," says Jim Jordan, Marketing Manager, Mazda North American Operations

With the combined efforts of Portland International Raceway, Mazda North American Operations, Forever MX-5 magazine, and others who will no doubt join us, the race will go on, but with a different flavor. Think younger and more grassroots, like us!

Among the many activities planned will be special car corrals for Mazda clubs and public street-legal drag racing in the evening. Forever MX-5 will have a substantial presence at this event.

“We’re pleased and excited to be coming to the famed Portland International Raceway as a headliner race for the big weekend in July,” says Gary Rodrigues, President of the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear. “Fans will get to see two exciting Star Mazda races, one on Saturday and another on Sunday. With standing starts, new to the Star Mazda series this year, I guarantee both events will be packed with tight, close, aggressive racing among a big field of the hottest young open-wheel talent from the U.S., Canada, Europe and South America. This is a tremendous opportunity for our rising stars to shine, and you can bet they’ll make the most of it.”

What: Grand Prix of Portland/MAZDASPEED Motorsports Festival

Races:                Star Mazda Championship Presented by Goodyear Doubleheader
                        SCCA Pro Racing Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup
                        Import Car Bracket Drag Racing
                        More races to be added

When: July 26-27

Where: Portland International Raceway

Stay tuned to this site for further details!

Forever MX-5 Ships Debut Issue

2008-03-17T09:33:36-07:00

Redmond, Wash. (PR WEB) March 17, 2008 – The first issue of Forever MX-5 Magazine is bundled up and in the hands of the United States Postal Service for delivery to subscribers across America and around the globe. The all-new independent MX-5 Miata enthusiast publication represents the long-awaited revival of Miata Magazine.

“We wanted the new title to reflect the reality that the most successful sports car of all time is now known by its internal product designation: MX-5. It speaks volumes that 18 years into the history of this sports car, it’s still got the same great personality it had when we saw the first one,” says Editor in Chief Jeff Zurschmeide.

The new magazine maintains the exclusive focus on the Miata and MX-5 that made the original title a favorite of Miata owners worldwide. “We want this title to be a mirror to the Miata enthusiast community. Miata owners want to know what others are doing to maintain, enhance, and enjoy their Miatas,” Zurschmeide says.

“The MX-5 Miata is a vibrant and vital brand. We know there’s a huge market for this title, and we hope Miata enthusiasts will support us in this project,” says Forever MX-5 publisher Ryan Douthit.

In addition to technical features, the magazine emphasizes the Miata lifestyle with a new travel section. “We’ll show you where and how people are enjoying their Miatas all over the world, and take you along on the best top-down drives anywhere,” says Lifestyle editor Scott Fisher.

Because the Miata is also the most-raced sports car in history, Forever MX-5 features extensive coverage of Miata motorsports in every issue. “Spec Miata is the biggest thing ever to come along in amateur racing, and the number of Miatas at any even from a local club autocross to professional racing proves that the car is more than just a fun convertible. It’s a serious competition car, and Miata owners enjoy their connection to the world of motorsports,” Zurschmeide says.

Additional features of the magazine include reports of Miata club events, profiles of reader’s personal cars, and a “State of the Miata Market” report in each issue, produced in partnership with AutoTrader.com. “AutoTrader.com has the largest database of new, used, and certified pre-owned cars listed online in the country, and we're excited to partner with Forever MX-5 to keep Miata owners up to date on the state of the market,” says Mark Scott, Senior Media Relations Manager at AutoTrader.com.

For information or to subscribe to Forever MX-5, see www.forevermx5.com.

About MediaSpigot LLC

Based in Redmond, Wash., MediaSpigot is one of the fastest growing, privately held producers of automotive-enthusiast media in the United States. Its print titles are available through major booksellers in the US, Canada, Singapore and Hong Kong. Online, MediaSpigot publishes blogs, videos and digital magazine editions that are enjoyed by millions of enthusiasts world-wide. Forever MX-5 Magazine is published by MediaSource International, a subsidiary of MediaSpigot LLC.

Our PRHT vs. Original Miata Video

2008-03-15T22:21:37-07:00

Before the magazine, we had a TV show that was broadcast in the Portland, Ore., market. I know many Miata owners have already seen this (50,000+ views on YouTube, after all) but I just had to add it to our new site for Forever MX-5. Isn't that guy a great host? Someone should put him on TV!

Click jump for the video.

USA Today Features Forever MX-5 Columnist

2008-03-14T15:20:31-07:00

National newspaper USA today has a great story about amateur racers in Mazdas, and chose to feature MazdaSport and Forever MX-5 Autocross columnist Jason Isley, saying: "Like any other working stiff, Jason Isley commutes to the office in his sporty coupe during the week.

But come Friday, he wrestles the baby carrier out of the back seat of the Mazda RX-8, wrenches on a set of extra-grippy tires and slaps some magnetic racing numbers on the sides. Plop on a helmet, and the transformation is complete: family man to top-performing race car driver."

[Read the whole story in USA Today]

Issue #1 Unboxing

2008-03-14T09:59:26-07:00

We just received our hot-off-the-press copies of Forever MX-5! By Monday, we'll have thousands of our subscriber copies packed and dropped off at the post office in Kentucky. After that, it's up to the postman to deliver to your door. We know everyone is excited to get this first issue in their hands, but please allow a few weeks for the post office to get them all delivered. From our experience, that is really how long it can take.

What would help, is if subscribers could post replies into this entry letting us know when they received them and what part of the country they are in. That way, other subscribers could see how the flow is moving across the country.

Click the jump to see more photos of the unboxing! As you can see, Forever MX-5 Editor, Jeff Zurschmeide, is really excited to finally see the first issue in print!

If you want to subscribe today, you will still receive issue #1 as your first issue on subscription. We are going to do a second postal drop on April 11, 2008. Subscriptions that come in after that will automatically start with issue #2.

It's a lot like Christmas!

Look at all these great stories!

Road Trips

2008-03-08T13:47:42-08:00

I had an odd experience on a recent Miata trip between Portland, Oregon and San Francisco, California.

Nothing went wrong.

No, let me explain. Since the early 1980s I've had open two-seat roadsters, mostly British and Italian, all well-used and some slightly abused before I found them. And part of the process of ownership of an old M.G. or Alfa Romeo was to go through it, solving all the previous-owner problems I could find and making the car not only a little better, but a little more "mine" than it was before I started the work.

The proof of the pudding, so the saying goes, is in the eating; for my M.G.s and Alfas, even though I regularly used them for the daily commute, the proof was always in some long drive. There's something deep in the psyche that a long drive calls to, a sense of seeing things and being places that take you outside your daily routine. And while while I've never made a road trip as long or as fraught with potential danger as editor Zurschmeide's recent completion of the Alcan 5000 Rally, a 1700-mile round trip in a 12-year-old sports car is more involved than a decision to stop for donuts on the way home from the library.

You'll be reading more about the reason for this trip in a future issue of FOREVER MX-5, but for our purposes, let it be said that the top went down at 9:30 AM in San Francisco, at the corner of Van Ness and Lombard (sadly, the straight part of Lombard, not the famously twisty downhill section), and only went up at dusk. Which probably contributed to the punch line of this story... but let's not get ahead of ourselves.

The Miata was...well, you all know what it was like. So far the work I've done to this '96 Brilliant Black NA has been limited to a nice new set of rims and tires, putting previous-owner hacks right (replaced the leaking radiator, fixed the broken clutch hydraulics), and doing a bit of what I used to call "pre-emptive maintenance" in the days of using the M.G.s or the Alfas for long-haul driving (in the Miata's case, replacing the timing belt and thermostat a few miles early, just to be safe). This worked, mostly; the only on-road failures I've ever had in seven years of making this trip regularly were with German cars, not British or Italian.

And yet with the other old cars I used to drive between Portland and San Francisco (some of which I still own), there was always the sense, in the back of my mind, that something I hadn't foreseen could break, seize up, wear out, or just plain fall off somewhere on the trip. And one night several years ago, near the Oregon-California border, I got a flicker of what the real consequences of such a failure might be: my headlights swept past a large, tan shape standing on all fours near the center median of the highway. I thought, "I really don't want to hit a deer," and I immediately I tucked the car to the right to give the animal some room. I eyed the creature carefully so I could avoid it if it made a panicked leap in some unexpected direction (all the while thinking of my old SCCA racing instructor's advice to aim for the spinning car, and wondering how it applied to hooved quadrupeds).

So I was shocked when the "deer" turned to face me, flicked its long tail, tucked its ears back and bared its fangs at me. It wasn't a deer: it was a puma, the largest American predatory cat.

And about a half-mile later I realized that if my fuel pump had failed or the injection belt snapped and I had to get out of the car and walk to the next town, I might have a lot more than sore feet to worry about.

But that was then, and this was now. As I pointed the Miata northwards towards home, thinking of the 12-year-old drivetrain and chassis with 115,000 miles on it, I wondered about the long, desolate stretches of the coast that awaited me. I was prepared, bringing my usual emergency kit with me: a few tools, waterproof/snowproof shoes, extra layers of jackets and my Thinsulate-lined leather gloves if we got stuck in the snow, plus a few liters of drinking water and an energy bar or two, in case I had to wait for emergency equipment. I didn't; the worst problem I had was that my windshield-washer nozzles are too plugged up to spray an effective pattern for getting rid of road grime kicked up by passing cars on the occasional damp spots on the highway.

And as I pulled into my own driveway about 10:30 that night, I realized that what defined this trip was that nothing went wrong with the car. Nothing. Not a hiccup; not a misfire; not a loose suspension bushing or starter motor connection or alternator diode failing at the edge of the Pacific. Oh, sure, the car was dirtier than it was when I hit the road in the City By The Bay, but after 770 miles, that was to be expected.

I, however, was sick as a dog. Turns out half the people at the conference that I attended in California called in with the death flu the following week. So I can't blame my body aches, sinus pain and unshakable cough on driving for seven hours with the top down. At the edge of the Pacific. In February.

But it WAS the first time in memory that I'd made one of these trips where the driver came home in worse shape than the car.