This is my 93 LE, the desirable black over red leather produced only as this limited edition in 1993. The car came standard with red boot cover, full red tonneau cover and special red floor mats. It also came with the first high end stereo stystem in a Miata, complete with not only headrest speakers but actual kickers installed in the seat backs. To protect the stereo, Mazda provided a snap-on stereo blanking plate. Most of these have been lost over the years and sometimes sell for more than the actual radio on ebay!

This car wasn't cheap even when new!

Mazda was really capitalizing on the success of the Miata by producing these special editions. Unlike the great American sports cars, bigger engines/drivetrains was never an option so they were distinguished by being limited or special editions. Each of the 1500 93 LE's were numbered, mine being number 114, and were accompanied by a letter from Mazda to the buyer.

In addition to the letter, a numbered key fob was included with the car. Many, if not most of these, have been lost over the years.

Mazda also included a very special book set with the car, chronicling the history of the Miata from conception to the final first generation 1.6 cars.

If you didn't like red, then this interior was not for the faint of heart!

This particular car came out of Ohio from the second owner. It was very professionally resprayed in 2001 because of a tree falling on the hood and the then owner opted to pay $3096.00 to repaint the whole car! It's an impressive job and the car is a head turner.

The car came with what is now known as the "R" package suspension which included stiffer springs and specially valved Bilstein shocks. While the ride is a bit harsh for long travel, it handles like it's on rails on all but rough surfaces.

Like all my Miatas, I will be keeping it completely stock to preserve whatever collector value there may some day be. It's got 78,000 on the ticker and my wife will put about 1,000 miles a year on it when she's in the mood for a little wind in her hair. It's kept company in a locked four car garage by the rest of the Miata family.

Update October 2007

Thanks to the member of the miata.net forum, I've been able to find a very clean, low mileage 93LE with hardtop to replace my existing car. It was previously owned by the President of the Indianapolis Miata Club and kept exactly like you would expect and enthusiast to keep one of these cars.

It also had many of the updates that I would have performed as well as some that I had not seen before including a red and black trunk mat with the matching Miata scrip.

It is very close to a show quality car and a couple weeks worth of work should get it there. Unfortunately, I've yet to find the special key fob that came with these cars stipulating the sequence number. This particular car is #214/1500.

Your comments are always welcome.

As of 10/08/2007 - My "old" car has now moved to Plano, Texas where it will be in the hands of another Miata enthusiast so keep an eye out for it.

Car with hardtop, which will rarely get used.

Window sticker showing hardtop

Update 04/07/2008 As luck would have it, the owner did locate the keychain and sent it off to me. This is one of the few remaining original keychains and will someday be necessary for a car to be truly complete. Many thanks to Bill Nickels, the former owner, for taking the time to find it, contact me and send it out. He sold this car eight years ago so I had no expectations he would someday uncover this little gem of an item.

Letter of authenticity