The 2019 Mazda MX-5 Miata 30th Anniversary Edition in Photos

The year 2019 marks the 30th anniversary of the brilliant Mazda MX-5 Miata sports car, and Mazda is celebrating with the reveal of a zesty special edition at the Chicago auto show. In fact, the original Miata made its global debut at the 1989 Chicago show, making the launch of this new version at this year's show even more poignant. Mazda says the car represents "30 years of endless gratitude" to the enthusiastic fans of the Miata and "commemorates all the milestones and important people" from the car's "special journey." You could say that the special edition is for fans that feel like they have been friends forever with the Miata.

Aptly named the MX-5 Miata 30th Anniversary Edition, it features one of the only things that Miata fans across the world have been clamoring for since the introduction of the current ND generation: more color.

The new Racing Orange paint was developed specifically for the 30th Anniversary Miata, and Mazda says it "represents sunrise and anticipation" and "evokes the breaking dawn of an exciting new day."

In addition to their searing new orange hue, the 30th Anniversary models get unique Rays wheels, orange accents throughout their interiors, and some special badges. Of the 3000 being made, just 500 will make their way to the United States-and all of them have been sold already.

Like the original Acura NSX, the original Mazda MX-5 Miata made its debut 30 years ago at the 1989 Chicago auto show. To commemorate the anniversary, Mazda has revealed a limited run of MX-5 Miata 30th Anniversary Editions. They're easy to spot: Every single one will be painted in an exclusive Racing Orange color.

New Alcantara trim is applied to the door panels, dashboard, and Recaro seats in place of leather.

Also, each 30th Anniversary Miata will get a badge on the driver's side quarter panel ahead of the rear wheel that denotes the serial number of the car.

Mazda made no mechanical changes to the Miata for this special edition, and that's fine with us.

The Miata already is one of our favorite cars on sale, and it was made even better for the 2019 model year with the addition of a new, higher-revving engine.

The 30th Anniversary model is based on the sporty Club trim level (specifically, the Club with the BBS/Brembo/Recaro package), which adds performance features like Bilstein dampers and a limited-slip diff.

Curiously, the 30th Anniversary also gets Apple CarPlay and Android Auto functionality, something absent from standard 2019 Miatas.

The 30th Anniversary softtop starts at $35,915, with the hardtop RF carrying a $2600 premium at $38,515.

Coming full circle, Mazda unveils a limited run of 30th Anniversary Edition MX-5 Miatas at the 2019 Chicago auto show-30 years after debuting the original Miata at the very same show. Available in both roadster and RF forms, the special Miata wears a zesty Racing Orange paint job, Rays 17-inch wheels, orange-colored interior accents, and a numbered plaque denoting its place in the 3000-car production run. Mazda slates only 500 of the Anniversary Edition cars for the U.S. market, and they sell out immediately.