MX5 MK2 1.8/1.8S aesthetic differences

[Trackside Junior]

Hi,

I know all of the technical differences, but I was wondering if there were actually any aesthetic differences between the 1.8i and the 1.8 Sport?

Thanks in advance,

A

[MX-5 Lazza]

Leather seats? 15" wheels?

[GC8]

If youre asking about the 1999 Sport, as opposed to the 1.8iS: Side sills, front lip and rear wing, along with front fog lamps. Usually red with balck leather and they have a walnut trimmed dashboard. Ive heard that they were available in blue too, but Ive never seen one.

[snotrag]

Theres 3 models mentioned here -

1.8i
1.8is
1.8 Sport

All 98-2000 Mk2 cars.

Most of them are 1.8is from what I can see.

That gets you, IIRC - Nardi 3 spoke wheel, 15" Alloys instead of 14, Electric Mirrors. Main difference in my eyes is the steering wheel - the base model 4 spoke is a horrid plastic thing, the 3 spoker is much nicer.

I think Leather was probably an option but not a lot of early Mk2's seem to have it.

The bona fide 'sport' models are quite rare, and I think a lot of people think/claim they have a 'sport' when they actually have an 'is'.

I think the 10AE was based on the Sport too.

[JonnyFive]

Yep, I'd agree with everything Snotrag has said

[GC8]

They built 300 Red Sports and there were supposed to be 300 blues too, but I have heard that only 100 were produced.

Ive listed the differences over and above the iS that they were based on. I think that the red cars had mats and the blue cars had different door cards to match the seat trim, which the red cars didnt.

[GC8]

Trackside Junior said:

Hi,

I know all of the technical differences, but I was wondering if there were actually any aesthetic differences between the 1.8i and the 1.8 Sport?

Thanks in advance,

A

I suspect that youre confusing the Mk2 1.8iS with a Sport (given the contradiction between the title and the text). The Sport was a limited edition 1998/1999 car which was based on the 1.8iS.

A Mazda MX-5 1.8iS isnt a 'Sport' though.

[Trackside Junior]

I was getting confused with the 1998 ish 1.8/1.8iS and the 2001 onwards 1.8 S-VT.

I'm looking at getting a T-X reg one, but I was looking at the 1.8iS models thinking that they were the S-VT. (I've been driving my mums 05 plate 1.8 S-VT Sport round and have fallen in love with it.)

Feeling a bit silly now!

Thanks anyway everyone!