Shunji Tanaka, key designer of the original Mazda Miata, dead at 75

Shunji Tanaka, a essential designer of the iconic Mazda Miata, has died. He was 75.

Tanaka led the exterior and interior structure of the Mazda MX-5 Miata, a lightweight Japanese roadster inspired by postwar-period British sports activities vehicles. The auto went on sale in the U.S. in May 1989 with a beginning price tag of $13,800 and a 1.6-liter 4-cylinder engine with 116 hp.

The roadster, which featured a lightweight aluminum hood, weighed a feathery two,116 kilos and could hit sixty mph in fewer than 9 seconds.

U.S. product sales peaked in 1990, the car’s second yr on the current market, at 35,944. The 1 millionth Miata rolled off the line in 2016.

While yearly U.S. product sales have declined as convertibles have fallen out of favor with people, the auto continues to be a essential section of Mazda’s identity. In 2019, Mazda celebrated the MX-5’s heritage with a thirtieth anniversary specific version.

Next his stint at Mazda, Tanaka joined Kawasaki, exactly where he created motorcycles.