Customer Reviews

Mazda Miata MX5 Performance Portfolio, 1989-1997

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Like Miata's? Then your love to read all the assorted articals in this book. Test drives, comparisons, and after-market reviews from the worlds most respected plublications... Road'n'Track, Car and Driver, many European Articles. Miata vs. Alfa, BMW, and the Monster V8 Miata

The "Mazda Miata MX-5 Performance Portfolio" by Brooklands Books is a book you can well do with out in your selection of Miata information, updates and useful tech and practical hints. I purchased the book with the expectations that I would find useful and interesting and well described technical hints, updates and upgrades that I could do, or consider doing, for my '96 Miata. I purchased the car in March of 2010 as another in a series of imported rag top import sports cars. The prior two being early and mid-70s Fiat 124 Spiders.

This review is being written in mid August of 2010 at which time I have enjoyed the car for over 5,000 fun miles, done many upgrades and minor repairs, joined a Columbus, OH Miata club and collected an extensive library of technical and help items from the internet.

I found the book to be of poor quality in the manner of reproduction with poor looking, hazy, muddy, ill focused B&W pictures. Compared to the color help pictures on the internet that were clear, in focus and detailed with arrows, circles and indicators of what was being discussed.

The book has articles from USA and UK publications and articles over the years. All which pretty much cover the basic data of size, shape, speed, ratios and so on. OK, that is interesting to a point but tell me something interesting about the car that I can use to improve the looks, longevity or to prevent something from going wrong. Case in point would be an example of the rear rocker panel drain holes for the top. The ones that get plugged and the car rust. Other examples would be how to shorten/alter the gas pedal so at 6'2" I would be more comfortable, also how to shorten or move the parking brake lever to stop it from sticking me in the right knee.

If you like data and more of the same the book is OK. A waste of money to me and I'll stick to information from fellow Miata club members, things I develop myself and mostly the information available on the Internet.

A compilation of road tests from magazines around the world. Very interesting to read diverse takes on our favorite little sports car, the NA Miata. Could be indexed a little better, and the pictures show a surprising amount of generational detail loss, but all in all a great source of historical performance data.

Just a note of caution:
Notice that the title Amazon lists for this book is "Mazda Miata Mx-5: Performance Portfolio 1989-1996", but the cover reads "Mazda Miata Mx-5: Performance Portfolio 1989-1997" (the difference is in the dates that are covered). There are two editions of this book, and they do have slight, but significant, differences in the contents. Although both editions are the same size (by page count), the 1997 edition adds an article or two, and deletes others. I have the 1989-96 version, and I have enjoyed reading it, but I can't help but wonder what I have been missing!

If you have any interest at all in the Miata MX-5 / Miata at all, this is a must have item on your bookshelf. Buy it.