The best thing about automakers hitting major anniversaries is that instead of asking for gifts, they usually offer up some sort of limited-edition vehicle for sale. On the occasion of Mazda’s 100th birthday, which officially happened back in January, the Japanese company announced this week they’d be selling not one, but eight special releases.
The lineup pays homage to the 1960 R360 Coupe, Mazda’s first passenger vehicle, and is built from upper-trim editions of current vehicles. According to Autoblog, that includes the CX-3, CX-30, CX-5 and CX-8 SUVs and crossovers; the Mazda2, Mazda3 and Mazda6 cars; and, of course, hard- and soft-topped MX-5 Miatas.
Officially christened the 100th Anniversary Special Edition models, these won’t immediately call to mind the lil’ pipsqueak that is the R360, but the beauty is in the details. All will feature a coat of Snowflake White Pearl Mica paint, red leather seats and red carpet, as well tasteful badging on the fender, wheel caps and elsewhere.
How fast are these going to sell out? For context, Autoblog notes that “500 examples of the head-turning Miata 30th Anniversary introduced in 2019 were spoken for so quickly that the company allocated 143 additional units to our market, so we wouldn’t be surprised to see the newest special-edition models land in showrooms in the near future.”
The “near future” might be optimistic in our current state. While preorders for the vehicles are already open in Japan, Mazda USA clarified that a date for U.S. availability has not yet been set because of the pandemic.
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