Unveiled at the 1989 Chicago auto show, the car reinterpreted the formula for a lightweight two-seat sports car. When it arrived in 1989 the MX-5 redefined how much fun drivers could have, while still remaining eminently affordable.

It would go on to revolutionise and reinvigorate the sports car market – and as a result it would become the world's best-selling roadster. With more than a million Mazda MX-5s made so far, this is how it all came about: