How2Day: 1990 Miata Specifications

The first-generation Miata offered exciting open-top motoring in an inexpensive package. rural road to the sky image by Julia Britvich from Fotolia.com
The 1990 MX-5 Miata was the first car to be sold under the Miata name, having gone on sale in the United States in summer of 1989 as a 1990 model. Critics and buyers instantly took to the small, lightweight two-seat roadster that recalled classic British roadsters of old like the Triumph Spitfire and MG MGB. Initially, the Miata was equipped with a small four-cylinder engine choice and only the most basic exterior and interior options. Designers successfully achieved low price and low weight, two factors that came to define the Miata line.

The 1990 Miata, called the Eunos Roadster in Japan, employs a fuel-injected 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine with dual overhead cams and four valves per cylinder. The engine outputs 116 horsepower (hp) at 6,500 rpm 100 lb-ft. torque at 5,500 rpm. Completely ignoring the idea that a good sports car needs lots of power, Mazda engineers made the Miata quick enough off the line by employing extensive weight savings. Fuel economy is an EPA-estimated 25 mpg in the city and 30 mpg on the highway.

Like the classic roadsters that spawned it, the 1990 MX-5 Miata uses a front engine, rear-wheel drive design. The standard transmission was a five-speed manual, with a four-speed automatic available as an option. Most buyers opted for the manual, which had the added benefit of an optional viscous limited slip differential not available on automatic transmission cars. With the automatic, horsepower was limited slightly, falling to 105. The Miata suspension employs a four-wheel independent double wishbone system with unequal length control arms front and rear. Gas shocks and anti-roll bars front and rear are an integral part of the system. Four-wheel disc brakes, ventilated in the front but lacking an anti-lock system, handle stopping power.

The Miata is diminutive by any standards, measuring just 155.4 inches long, 65.9 inches wide and 48.2 inches tall. The wheelbase is 89.2 inches, with curb weight a svelte 2,150 lbs. or so depending on options. To keep costs down, the base model lacked standard features such as air conditioning, a stereo, power steering and power windows. 14-inch steel wheels were standard with lightweight 14-inch alloy wheels a buyer option. A manual soft-top roof was standard with a hard top available through some dealers.

With its 8.9-second 0-to-60 mph time the 1990 MX-5 Miata was not particularly quick for its market. The quarter mile comes in 16.78 seconds at 81.9 mph. As for cornering, though, the Miata pulls a solid 0.91 g on the skidpad and is extremely responsive to subtle driver input because, in part, of its near-perfect weight distribution. Braking from 60-to-0 mph comes in 148 feet.

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