With 707 cars, the MX-5 Rally of Records, held on September 18th 2022, at the Modena Circuit, broke the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title for largest parade of Mazda cars in the world. It beats the Dutch record set in 2013, which, with 683 cars, had held the record for almost a decade.
The parade brought together all four generations of the iconic MX-5. It winded its way around the famous circuit under the watchful eye of the Guinness World Records adjudicator, who at 6pm made the record official to the delight of thousands of MX-5 fans from all over Italy and Europe. The unique rally gave the team at Mazda Italy the chance to rewrite an important chapter in the history of the world’s best-selling roadster.
During the record-breaking event, the public had the chance to take part in many other Mazda activities, like the ‘Fun to drive will never die’ presentation, with the Japanese engineer Nobuhiro Yamamoto, programme manager of the third and fourth generation of the Mazda MX-5, Elisa Artioli, car enthusiast and granddaughter of Romano Artioli, the former patron of Lotus, and Andrea Levy, president MI.Mo Milano Monza Motor Show. The speakers presented different stories to explain what triggers their passion for the car and the driving pleasure, known in Mazda as “Jinba Ittai”, which is the intuitive connection between a Mazda and its driver.
In another presentation, “Mazda MX-5 – Stories of an icon”, Nobuhiro Yamamoto, Andrea Mancini, owner of “Miataland”, a luxury resort located in the Umbrian hills where he keeps his MX-5 collection, David Giudici, director of Ruoteclassiche, Youngtimer and AutoItaliana and other guest speakers discussed their love for the MX-5 through the stories of those who designed it, who own it, who have collected it and those who drive it every day.
There are cars that span the decades, evolving from generation to generation while always remaining true to themselves. Such is the MX-5, a timeless icon and the ultimate expression of ‘Jinba Ittai’ driving pleasure, not surprisingly, the best-selling roadster ever.
