> he also recommended as president that Mazda build the Miata, arguably the best two seater sports car ever made.
The BMW Z3 would like to have a word. (I was actually going to say the 911, but not being super familiar I had to look it up and it does have a rear seat. Who knew?)
But Mazda has always been a great innovator, especially for the cost. They are the last enthusiast car brand available for the average buyer.
I think the "best sports car ever made" title belongs to Porsche, but on the Cayman instead of the 911.
The Z3/Z4 is a different kind of sports car than the Miata/S2000 kind. It's heavier which required a stronger/heavier engine to maintain Miata-like power-to-weight. The suspension is softer and, due to the car's heavier weight, less nimble. It's closer to GT car than sports car.
I've driven both and I'll have to respectfully disagree here. The Z3 was plenty nimble and along with more get-up and go, it was tighter and less like a go-kart (not to knock go karts, I have an e30). Don't get me wrong, the Miata was great, I just don't think it was a Z3. Also, the Z3 M Coupe was the coolest looking car I've ever seen (Clownshoe!).
Interesting you would argue the Z3 was heavier when the Boxster (986) was only 100 kg lighter than the Z3 M roadster and the Z3 was basically the same as the Boxster. I've never driven a Boxster or Cayman, however, so I can't comment much further than that.
One of the nicer things to happen at Porsche in recent times was their realization that the Cayman could be more than the entry-level kid brother to the 911. Those racing Caymans are inspiring and what they've done with the fuel efficient four-cylinder engine in the production model is pretty great.
Not that there's anything wrong with the entry-level ones. It'd be incredibly fun to own a flat six Cayman, and they sell so cheaply used that I wonder why they aren't more popular.
Nobody is going to yell at you for calling the 911 a sports car (and they don't all have rear seats, I assure you). They'll regard you as an eccentric if your choice for best sports car has the engine in entirely the wrong place, however...
The Z3 is an interesting comparison. Inexpensiveness was part of the British formula that Mazda preserved, and it's not present with something like a Z3. I guess whether you regard that as important is a question of taste, or politics.
I'd watch yourself in certain parts of the Internet or certain meet-ups if you throw those words around about the 911.
I was responding mostly to the absolute statement "best two seater sports car ever made". I think the Miata is a great car, probably the best intro sports car if you are into grassroots racing or similar hobbyist activities, but I'd take the Z3 over it for most purposes.
You're a BMW enthusiast, though.. Of course you'd choose the Z3, haha.
But they really aren't in the same class. Z3's are tourers, not sports cars per se'. But then again, MX-5's are roadsters, not sports cars in the practical sense. They don't exist in the same market bracket and fulfil entirely different ownership purposes :)
My personal opinion however, after finally settling on a NA mx-5 for my weekend race car, is that the mx-5 is honestly one of the best bang-for-buck circuit cars you can get. With only ~$10k invested in mine, it happily outpaces cars 6-10x the value.
I have an air cooled 911, and I do try to have a sense of humor about them. It's true enough that people can be pretty sensitive/weird about cars.
The trouble with this sort of thing is, if you're going to remove practicality and low cost from the equation when making your "best sports car" assessment, you're competing against every sports car ever made by Ferrari, Porsche, Jaguar, etc. on their own terms. Pretty much all the reasons why you'd say a Z3 is a better sports car than, say, a Jaguar E-Type involve practicality and cost, I would think.
The BMW Z3 would like to have a word. (I was actually going to say the 911, but not being super familiar I had to look it up and it does have a rear seat. Who knew?)
But Mazda has always been a great innovator, especially for the cost. They are the last enthusiast car brand available for the average buyer.