A great MX5 history book

my2cta · Post by **my2cta** » Mon Mar 11, 2002 9:23 pm

A colleague at work told me he'd seen a book with an MX5 on the cover in
the second-hand book dealer just down the road from where I work. I went to
have a look and found an immaculate copy of "Miata Mazda MX-5" by Jack
Yamaguchi and Jonathan Thompson. The dealer only wanted $18 - I parted with
my cash like a shot. The same book in dealers in the USA goes for around
US$40 (this copy is a US First Edition, published in 1989).

I don't think the book had ever been read, but it has now. Fascinating
stuff, heaps of photos of the engineering drawings and development
sketches, early prototypes and the original clay models, plus photos of the
many men who helped make the MX-5 a reality. The first seeds were sown in
1979. I also now know that it was the Mazda guys in the US who wanted the
front engine, rear drive configuration, whereas the Japanese designers were
promoting either a front wheel drive or mid-engined layout and neither was
a convertible. Glad the US won!

If you ever get a chance to read this book, do so. I'm happy to lend it to
club members locally (I live in Upper Hutt and work in Wellington), so long
as they take great care of it!

The same authors also wrote an equivalent book published in 1999 that tells
the story of the first 10 years of developments. I haven't seen a copy, but
hope I can find a copy one of these days. It is out of print now.

Tim Dutton
MY2CTA

carl.halvorsen · Post by **carl.halvorsen** » Tue Mar 12, 2002 8:02 pm

Tim I'll give you $20 for it

Carl

carl.halvorsen · Post by **carl.halvorsen** » Tue Mar 12, 2002 8:02 pm

Tim I'll give you $20 for it

Carl

carl.halvorsen · Post by **carl.halvorsen** » Tue Mar 12, 2002 8:05 pm

Tim,
The book you speak of was actually one of a two book set in a flash pouch.
The second book was a photo study of the MX5. Ask the dealer where the other
book is?Anyway you got a good buy.

carl

carl.halvorsen · Post by **carl.halvorsen** » Tue Mar 12, 2002 8:05 pm

Tim,
The book you speak of was actually one of a two book set in a flash pouch.
The second book was a photo study of the MX5. Ask the dealer where the other
book is?Anyway you got a good buy.

carl

Geoff Watkins · Post by **Geoff Watkins** » Tue Mar 12, 2002 8:14 pm

Hi All
I have a Book called Miata Mazda MX-5 purchased from Canterbury Mazda for
NZ$50 Authors Jack .Yamaguchi and John Dinkel Photos Essay by Kohmel Hanaoka
that gives the History and development of the MX5 up to the New Model for
those that are interested.

Kind Regards
Geoff
MX5 98

Geoff Watkins · Post by **Geoff Watkins** » Tue Mar 12, 2002 8:14 pm

Hi All
I have a Book called Miata Mazda MX-5 purchased from Canterbury Mazda for
NZ$50 Authors Jack .Yamaguchi and John Dinkel Photos Essay by Kohmel Hanaoka
that gives the History and development of the MX5 up to the New Model for
those that are interested.

Kind Regards
Geoff
MX5 98

Post by **zorruno** » Tue Mar 12, 2002 10:24 pm

Definitely a good buy Tim!

There were two books in a pouch as you say - one was a photo study and the
other a history (brownish colour). The photo one is a bit weird - it has
some surreal Japanese poetry to go with it! There is also the 1999 book
(blue colour), so 3 in total (all by the same authors) None are available
any more as far as I know - they used to be given away by Mazda to new car
buyers.

The club has just happened across a number of copies of the 1999 book (and a
few copies of the earlier one were given away last year). These will
apparently be given away over the course of the next few months, probably
distributed among local groups. There'll hopefully be a Top down mag
competition to win one as well, so everyone gets a chance to win.

The brown one is really hard to come across now though - so you did well -
but it is even harder to find a pouched set - I'm not sure why they were
separated.

cheers H

[...]

Post by **zorruno** » Tue Mar 12, 2002 10:24 pm

Definitely a good buy Tim!

There were two books in a pouch as you say - one was a photo study and the
other a history (brownish colour). The photo one is a bit weird - it has
some surreal Japanese poetry to go with it! There is also the 1999 book
(blue colour), so 3 in total (all by the same authors) None are available
any more as far as I know - they used to be given away by Mazda to new car
buyers.

The club has just happened across a number of copies of the 1999 book (and a
few copies of the earlier one were given away last year). These will
apparently be given away over the course of the next few months, probably
distributed among local groups. There'll hopefully be a Top down mag
competition to win one as well, so everyone gets a chance to win.

The brown one is really hard to come across now though - so you did well -
but it is even harder to find a pouched set - I'm not sure why they were
separated.

cheers H

[...]

my2cta · Post by **my2cta** » Tue Mar 12, 2002 11:01 pm

$US?

)

Tim Dutton
MY2CTA

my2cta · Post by **my2cta** » Wed Mar 13, 2002 7:33 am

We'll have to catch up again. Won't be at this weekend's run though as we are away for the weekend.

Tim

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