[Auto] Mazda Honoring Local Heroes by Giving Them 100th-Anniversary Miatas

[THē-GHōST]

 

As the year comes to a close, one way Mazda is celebrating its 100th anniversary is by honoring 50 people who have helped their communities through this challenging year. Those individuals are being given 100th Anniversary Special Edition MX-5 Miatas as a thank-you gift. The special Miatas are normally priced starting at $33,615. The winners, chosen after a call for nominations this fall, include health-care workers, teachers, small business owners, and people who have done various good deeds. New Jersey middle-school shop teacher Jason Erdreich is one such winner. Erdreich organized a team of people with 3-D printers to manufacture 12,000 pieces of personal protection equipment (PPE) and also came up with innovative ways to conduct STEM classes remotely. Christie Purviance, an ICU nurse in Texas, is another. While Purviance cared for COVID-19 patients, she went above and beyond in helping connect them with their families through video chatting and photos.
 

 

Of course, it's not just electrification that sets Tesla apart. Its Autopilot system is an integral part of the vehicles—not to mention a source of additional income, with Tesla owners paying upward of $10,000 for the yet-to-be-released Full Self-Driving feature that CEO Elon Musk says will bring actual autonomous driving to Tesla's vehicles. That system would also power a fleet of robo taxis that Tesla is expected to put on the roads once it perfects the autonomous-driving setup.

The 100th Anniversary Edition has many nods to Mazda’s first vehicle, the R360 coupe, including its Snowflake White Pearl Mica paint job, red interior, and red soft top. This special edition Miata is based on the 2020 MX-5 Miata Grand Touring model. It wears Mazda’s 100th Anniversary logo on the leather headrests and floor.Erdreich's 100th Anniversary Edition Miata will be the second in his garage: he already has a first-generation Miata. So it's safe to assume that he'll have his 2020 Miata diving into corners on back roads in no time—an experience which he and the other 49 winners richly deserve.