The Mazda MX-5 has always had one feature that made it unique among its contemporaries. Aside from having two seats, a removable roof and being light weight, the Miata’s real ace lies underneath its aluminum and metal body.
Designed from the onset to be driven by its rear wheels, the little roadster preserved what was once a predominant engineering concept of car design well into the modern era.
By not abandoning the past, Mazda made the Miata a timeless piece of automotive history. It lets us normal blokes celebrate the past and enjoy the pureness of driving. And that feature is its rear-wheel drive layout.
Let’s see what makes the tiny Miata a modern-day driving gem.
Traditional yet unconventional
In today’s front-wheel drive dominated automotive landscape, the Mazda MX-5 and its rear-wheel drive layout is a breath of fresh air. Not only are its on-road dynamics different from a normal sedan, it also provides a more exciting experience that harks back to an era of sports cars defined by the exhilaration they afford.
Enjoying the limit
Because the driven wheels are at the back, a driver in his element can actually push more into bends and corners and still maintain his pace.
A front-wheel drive car when pushed beyond the tires’ adhesion, a phenomenon called understeer, will require the driver to back off the accelerator pedal to regain grip. And on a race track, that could mean adding precious hundredths or even tenths to your lap time.
When a rear-wheel drive car hints of understeer, the driver just needs to turn the steering wheel a bit more into the turn while maintaining a constant pressure on the accelerator. And that’s a more natural and instinctive reaction for a driver to do.
Once you get used to it, the resulting exhilaration of making a corner safely at speed will be priceless.
Heightens the senses
Driving the rear-wheel drive Mazda MX-5 can be daunting to the uninitiated, but rewarding to the enlightened. How?
Because the engine’s weight is at the front and the rear differential, along with the propeller shaft, adding weight towards the rear, Miata’s weight distribution is near 50:50.
This results in crisp, responsive handling that seems to be telepathically connected to the driver. Every minute steering or pedal movement translates instantly to motion and reaction with the Mazda MX-5.
This is what sports cars championed back in their heyday decades ago. That instant feel and connection as if you are one with the machine.
These are just some of the reasons why the Mazda MX-5 is the race car of choice of the Manila Sports Car Club. Who else would know and appreciate the fine nuances of sports car driving than these connoisseurs who live and breathe their prized possessions.
With the second season of the MSCC Miata Spec Series set to take off this April 15th at the Batangas Racing Circuit, we can expect more on the limit action as the drivers, all MSCC members, have now become attuned to the limits of their cars.
If only we could see the wide grins through their helmets.
