MAZDA PH’s big boss Steven Tan (in red shirt) with the new owners of the MX-5 Miata 25th Anniversary Edition roadster. Photos by Eugene Araneta
THE NEWEST addition to the family poses for posterity.
Don’t be taken in by appearances. There may not have been lavish song-and-dance numbers, flashy celebrities, nor scene-stealing VIPs and blinding fireworks. But with simple gestures and sincere words, the brilliance of the day’s event all happened in the heart.
On the early afternoon of Aug. 20, at the Mazda storage depot in Batino, Calamba City in Laguna province, 15 units of the much-awaited MX-5 Miata 25th anniversary edition roadster were turned over to the first 15 owners, all members of the solid Miata Club of the Philippines.
The 15 MX-5 units, more popularly known as the Miata, represented the first wave of an extremely limited number of MX-5s allocated by Mazda to the Philippines. Worldwide, only 1,000 of these anniversary edition, individually numbered convertible sports cars have been produced. Of this number, 25 have been earmarked for the Philippines, all of which have already been sold out.
Thus, it was with visible pride and gratitude that Berjaya Auto Philippines (Mazda Philippines), the exclusive distributor of Mazda vehicles in the country, ceremoniously turned over the 15 MX-5 keys to their owners who, in turn, were accompanied by their families and friends.
LAVARO loves his one-in-a-million (or a thousand) Miata.
The fateful journey of the 25 MX-5 units to the country was made possible largely because of the strong bond between the car club and Mazda Philippines. “This is the first time I’ve seen a turnover prepared in such a way,” quipped Miata Club of the Philippines president Allan Lavarro. “It’s a great honor that Mazda Philippines partnered with us in this event. Steven Tan (Mazda Philippines president and CEO) has been working with us ever since this idea (of bringing in the anniversary edition MX-5) was conceptualized. Come April, May and every single month after that, he was always attending our meeting. Because he has been supporting us, we made him an honorary member.”
Tan, a car enthusiast himself, led the official handover of the keys to the first owners of the MX-5 Miata, which only comes in Soul Red, along with a host of special modifications such as Brilliant Black body trims, white leather seats, special Bilstein shock absorbers, 17-inch 10-spoke gunmetal wheels, and a 25th Anniversary Edition badge with the vehicle’s production number mounted on the driver’s side fender.
For his part, Tan praised the loyalty of Miata Club to the brand. “The (car) club is the soul of the brand. I, and my colleagues in the company, are the arms, legs, the ears, the mind, the people who bring the car and build the brand. We’re the custodians,” he declared, as he related the challenges that had to be met for the Philippines to be allocated 25 units, already considered a sizeable number when compared to the 100 allocated to the United States (which were sold out in 10 minutes), 700 to Europe, 50 to Japan, and the rest to Australia, South Africa, and Taiwan.
Tan said that the handover event would also be a celebration of the 25th birthday of Miata.
SOUL Red is the fiery passion of Miata Club members.
He added that apart from his contingent, a large group of Miata club members from the Philippines would be heading to Monterey in California in September to join the global celebration of Miata’s 25th anniversary.
You see the simulator there? That’s the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.
Some of the club members will be practicing on the simulator. That’s the only place where you can drink and race,” he said in jest.
Tan put the significance of owning an MX-5 25th Anniversary edition in perspective when he revealed that almost a million MX-5 Miatas had been produced since 1989, making it “the best-selling two-seater sports car in history.”
“It’s debatable whether the (Volkswagen) Beetle or the Miata inspires the most passion on the planet. But to me, the Miata is the one that most inspires love. Look at all of us in this room. If this isn’t love, then I don’t know what is,” Tan stressed.
ONE OF the most active car clubs in the world deserves its fair share of recognition, Tan asserts.
“Today is an emotional event for me and my colleagues. We feel like parents looking at the 25 babies who are going out now to another home. And they’re going to meet the rest of the siblings who are now here,” Tan said, as he gazed at several older Miata models (with generational codes NA, NB) brought by the club members and parked alongside the MX-5.
Tan also remarked that the Miata Club of the Philippines has been recognized as among the most active car clubs in the world.
In amazement, he told the motoring media in attendance of how the club, without any external organizational support, was able to organize a trip to the Mazda-owned Miyoshi Proving Ground in Hiroshima for the roadster’s 20th anniversary celebration.
For Lavarro, such devotion is just natural for an organization built solely around one sports car.
Established in 1997 with just five owners, Miata Club of the Philippines has grown steadily through the years. “We meet religiously every second Sunday of the month at the Manila Polo Club, rain or shine, typhoon or no typhoon,” asserted Lavarro. Lavarro narrated that during one particularly nasty typhoon, 40 of the 80 club members still attended.
“It just goes to show the kind of passion our membership has with the car. And more than just the car is the brotherhood and the extended family we are enjoying with the club,” said Lavarro.
And that is why Soul Red is the perfect color for the MX-5 25th Anniversary Edition in the Philippines. No torrential rain can douse that kind of fiery passion.
Disclaimer: The comments uploaded on this site do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of management and owner of Cebudailynews. We reserve the right to exclude comments that we deem to be inconsistent with our editorial standards.
