Miata Paint Colors, Ranked

"AestheticsInMotion" (aestheticsinmotion) 10/23/2018 at 14:48 • Filed to: None

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Your complete guild to the best and worst paint jobs offered by Mazda on the NA Miata.

Full disclaimer: there are potentially a small number of Austrialian and Japanese specific colors that were left out, but it’s also very possible that those colors are just named differently in different markets and are in fact represented down below. Are you an expert in all things Miata? Feel free to drop a knowledge bomb in the comments below! Without any further ado, let’s get started!

Silverstone: An original first-year color, and objectively the worst one ever available for the NA. With the worst sales of all colors in each year silver was offered—by far—it’s surprising that Mazda kept it around for so long. Even a pristine, all original roadster does little to improve the viewing pleasure of this bland silver. Mazda later rectified this by offering multiple gorgeous greys on the NB, but for the NA, Silverstone should be avoided like the plague.

An effort was made to find the best photo for every color. Unfortunately there’s only so much one can do to paint Silverstone in a pleasing light.

Crystal White: almost as bad as Silverstone, Crystal White is a particularly unbecoming color for the 1st gen Miata. This and Mariner Blue—mentioned further down the list—are all but impossible to find in decent shape, and tend to look dramatically worse with a bit of wear and tear than the other colors on the list.

You’ll never see (an original) white this clean in the wild, which is a shame as the above Miata is almost palatable.

Brilliant Black: Despite the name, there’s very little brilliance to this paint job. Mazda was clearly putting it’s money into the sporting aspects of the car, and not the paint. That’s something that is very much apparent for the first half of this list. Over the years, Brilliant black has been offered with both tan and red interiors for the NA. While black over red sounds nice in theory... The low quality paint job coupled with Mazdas strangely colored red interior make for a tacky combo. The black and Tan however is quite handsome if well-maintained.

For the hairy-chested, gold chain wearing senior citizen who can’t quite swing payments for the ‘Vette.

Simple, understated and classy. One of the better paint choices if you desire a tan interior Miata.

Mariner Blue: Take Ford’s Grabber/Nitrous Blue, remove a bit of depth and a bit of saturation, and you’re left with Mariner Blue. No color so greatly depicts “$300 Maaco special” than Mariner Blue. Certainly not awful, but with the surprisingly wide array of blue’s Mazda has given us, this one should be at the bottom of your list.

It’s hard to describe just how terrible this color looks when faded. So instead we’re just going to again mention how nice the Black & Tan combo looks.

Classic Red: The quintessential Miata color, and by far the best seller. There’s a hint of depth and overall it responds quite well to a good detailing, but as far as red goes this particular paint is nothing special. Credit where credit is due, Modern-day Mazda sure knows how to make a gorgeous red.

Ducati, Ferrari... Miata? Just because they’re most well-known in red doesn’t mean that’s the correct choice to make. Live a little.

Laguna Blue: With a slight sheen almost reminiscent of a wrap, Laguna blue is just different enough to earn last place in the “good colors” side of things. Be warned, it starts looking a bit strange when faded.

Up close under direct sunlight, this color has a bit of a “matte chameleon” effect. There is quite literally no other color like it on the original NA, but weather that’s a good thing or a bad thing, I’ll leave for you to decide.

British Racing Green: entering the scene in 1991, the BRG Miata was the first special edition offered by Mazda. Hands-down the best color to showcase Mazda’s traditional flat paint, the lack of sheen suited this dark green so much better than the lighter colored offerings. That becomes even more true as the years and miles pile on, and UV exposure takes it’s toll on the clear coat of roadsters worldwide. Even faded, BRG somehow manages to stay quite handsome.

Not your grandfather’s roadster.

Montego Blue Mica: If ever a Miata would be mentionable in the same sentence as “premium”, it would be a Miata done up in Montego Blue Mica. While not *truly* chameleon in nature, MBM has a huge color pallette hidden within it’s inky depths. Dark blue to black with a healthy serving of green under most circumstances, purples and lighter blues find themselves swimming among the layered paint as well.

Notice all that metal flake? The gold mica makes Montego Blue appear aqua-marine in direct sunlight.

Starlight Mica: if you think of Starlight Blue Mica as a Montego Blue Mica with the green pigments removed, you’d be correct. A bit darker with a deeper blues, this is a very rare color. It’s also quite tricky to distinguish from the other blue micas to the untrained eye.

In low light, the above combo is like a more lustrous version of Black & Tan. When the sun comes out, blues slowly start to peek out from their homes deep within the inky blackness.

Merlot Mica: The velvet robe to British Racing Green’s field jacket. With the Mica paintwork, Mazda finally decided to offer a higher quality paint job. With a bit of metal flake, and quite a bit of depth, the only factory purple Miata ever made is .quietly stunning. Vivid enough to be unashamedly purple, dark enough to be unquestionably formal, this is one hell of a color.

This is the one you want.

Excellent Green Mica: BRG is a flat single stage paint, whereas Mazda’s green Mica is a mettalic paint with an abundance of metal flake and pearl. Scroll back up to the BRG and the difference will be readily apparent.

Again, thanks to the gold mica this paint is absolutely radiant day or night.

Twilight Blue Mica: for Twilight Blue, the mica is silver, as apposed to the gold found in the other Mica Blues above. This gives it an absolutely stunning level of depth and saturation. Another rare color, it can easily be the star of the show, or a supporting member to a cast full of Miatafications.

Stock has never looked so good.

Sunburst yellow: stealing a place in our hearts since 1992, “the yellow Miata” perfectly embodies the charm of our favorite little roadster. With roughly 1500 examples ever created, a well-maintained example will now command a hefty premium.

LS swap for the ultimate sleeper. Don’t forget the mufflers!

And there you have it. A ranking of every NA Miata color from worst to best. Moral of the story? Unless you’re lucky enough to grab a Sunburst Yellow Miata, you want a Mica paint job.

Let me know what your dream color is, and come back next time where we’ll be tackling the 2nd generation... NB!

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > AestheticsInMotion 10/23/2018 at 15:03

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https://oppositelock.kinja.com/npocp-pretty-pink-miata-edition-488099375

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > AestheticsInMotion 10/23/2018 at 15:04

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#1

MM54 > AestheticsInMotion 10/23/2018 at 15:04

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Good listing, though I don’t know I agree with it 100%, I am mostly on-board (e.g. I’d have Merlot above Excellent Green) .

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a couple of these, particularly the twilight blue mica. I now know what color I’m painting an NA if I end up getting/painting one, though (and go with an OEM color).

Also, while I knew it existed, I still don’t think I’ve ever seen a silver NA in person .

Aremmes > AestheticsInMotion 10/23/2018 at 15:04

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Correct take is correct.

Aremmes > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 10/23/2018 at 15:07

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Not that you’ re wrong, but I’m quite certain this list appertains to NA colors only.

E90M3 > AestheticsInMotion 10/23/2018 at 15:08

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It’s probably due the quality of photos, but most of those cars look so flat.

marshknute > AestheticsInMotion 10/23/2018 at 15:14

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Former Montego owner here. Can confirm it s many different colors. Blue-green in harsh sunlight, dark blue in normal light, and blurple under yellow street lamps.

A lso surprisingly practical!

AestheticsInMotion > E90M3 10/23/2018 at 15:14

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The non-mica paint jobs are single stage, and quite flat. 

AestheticsInMotion > MM54 10/23/2018 at 15:16

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On second thought I'd probably put Merlot in 3rd place as well. That TBM is absolutely gorgeous. It's not screaming for attention, but it gets it. The silver is so bad. You're not missing anything. 

AestheticsInMotion > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 10/23/2018 at 15:16

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I like it, but it's not my favorite NB color

Aremmes > E90M3 10/23/2018 at 15:17

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It’s definitely the quality of the photos. Those mica colors definitely have a lot of depth in person. Twilight Blue Mica particularly has a characteristic hue shift depending on light source and view angle, enough so that people who approached me used to comment they liked the green paint on the TBM NB I used to have.

someassemblyrequired > AestheticsInMotion 10/23/2018 at 15:18

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Agree with this list, even though I have a Montego Blue - I like Excellent Green and Twilight Blue better. My favorite is the LeMans special edition paint though, but they only made a few hundred for RHD markets:

Here’s a neat chart of all MX-5 colors NA-ND:

https://www.mx5international.com/ressources/colors

That site also has a list of special editions as well:

https://www.mx5international.com/ressources/ssp

AestheticsInMotion > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 10/23/2018 at 15:18

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Oh man. Bringing back some history!

Also, heavy CP

AestheticsInMotion > someassemblyrequired 10/23/2018 at 15:20

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That is gorgeous. I've somehow never heard of it

AestheticsInMotion > marshknute 10/23/2018 at 15:22

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My man! Such a nice color. And yes they certainly are practical! 

Zaxbys > AestheticsInMotion 10/23/2018 at 15:26

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Mariner Blue Miata is Best Miata. Sorry, not sorry.

MM54 > AestheticsInMotion 10/23/2018 at 15:27

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Now that I think about it, the NA6 I looked at in LA was (poorly) re-painted to something close to the Montego Blue Mica but where it was flaking off it might have been silver underneath. I forget if it was that or white, may have to dig through my pictures. I remember thinking it was black in the pictures on craigslist, then saw it in person and it turned out to be a dirty sun-scorched matte/flaking deep metallic blue.

EDIT: found my picture of the door tag, it’s “3L” which comes back silver, so I guess technically I have seen (and driven) one. It just had some other paint on top.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > AestheticsInMotion 10/23/2018 at 15:27

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More purple than the one you posted.

AestheticsInMotion > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 10/23/2018 at 15:31

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That's a good color too, but it's no Merlot Mica

Aremmes > Zaxbys 10/23/2018 at 15:33

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Go sit in the corner on a seat full of rusty tacks.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > AestheticsInMotion 10/23/2018 at 15:39

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This list is wrong.

1. Laguna

2. Mariner

3. Everything else except yellow

4-999. ???

1,000th worst: yellow

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > AestheticsInMotion 10/23/2018 at 15:46

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https://spokane.craigslist.org/cto/d/2001-mazda-miata/6690388010.html

Aremmes > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 10/23/2018 at 15:47

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Mahogany Mica is a weird color - not burgundy, not brown, not red, not purple, but a strange midway between all of those with a mild metallic substrate. I believe Mazda should have made the 2000 Special Edition in Evolution Orange Mica instead.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > AestheticsInMotion 10/23/2018 at 15:47

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Oh.My.God.

*saws off legs so he can fit in miata*

https://kalispell.craigslist.org/cto/d/1993-mazda-miata-le/6702244034.html

promoted by the color red > AestheticsInMotion 10/23/2018 at 15:53

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My top three:

1) BRG

2.) Excellent Green

3.) Classic red. Terrible color. What idiot would ever buy a red Miata?

Just Jeepin' > AMGtech - now with more recalls! 10/23/2018 at 15:58

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I love yellow, but this isn’t my favorite shade, and I passionately feel the hard top needs to be black.

Just Jeepin' > AestheticsInMotion 10/23/2018 at 15:58

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Hot take: I think that BRG looks hideous.

AestheticsInMotion > promoted by the color red 10/23/2018 at 16:02

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Someone who makes really poor choices

AestheticsInMotion > Just Jeepin' 10/23/2018 at 16:03

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I had it closer to the top, then I kept moving it down one ranking at a time as I compared it to the others. Not my favorite, but not too bad

AestheticsInMotion > AMGtech - now with more recalls! 10/23/2018 at 16:09

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I'm mailing you a box of bees. Pre-shook

AestheticsInMotion > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 10/23/2018 at 16:12

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Hmm. Not a bad deal for a good condition special edition with low miles.

I just can't make myself like that red..... 

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Just Jeepin' 10/23/2018 at 16:12

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#banyellowcars

Although, circa 2000, my dream car was a C5 Z06 in yellow 

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > AestheticsInMotion 10/23/2018 at 16:12

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Yay! Fresh honey!

Just Jeepin' > AMGtech - now with more recalls! 10/23/2018 at 16:18

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#banyellowcars

No.

And if you object because my Jeep is not a car, which would be absolutely correct, I’ll throw you a random S2000 photo as my second counter-example.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Just Jeepin' 10/23/2018 at 16:25

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 personal preference. Much as I dislike yellow in general, drive what you want!

mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/ > AestheticsInMotion 10/23/2018 at 16:28

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You didn’t give much love to your own color choice haha. I like your red. Classic, obvious sports car choice, but even so it is for a reason. As for mine, one of the distinctive traits is that hint of purple in the right lighting. Prominent during sun up and sun down.

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > AestheticsInMotion 10/23/2018 at 17:23

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Mariner Blue is ranked much too low. It deserves to be number #1 in my opinion.

Classic Red should be #2.

BRG should be #3

Sunburst yellow should be #4.

Then all the variations of black or some dark colour not too far from black are #5

And silverstone and white should be tied for last place.

And my opinion is the correct one.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > AestheticsInMotion 10/23/2018 at 18:39

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The 1995 M with its Merlot paint and BBS wheels is arguably the best looking factory Miata ever.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > AMGtech - now with more recalls! 10/23/2018 at 18:55

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#banyellowcars

Tristan > AestheticsInMotion 10/23/2018 at 19:02

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I owned a Silverstone Miata. It’s such a forgettable color I had to scroll to the top of your post twice to remember the name. It was 100% beat to shit and I paid $75 for it with a shot slave cylinder. After repairing that, it ran and drove flawlessly, but man it was ugly.

AestheticsInMotion > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles 10/23/2018 at 19:13

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I will at least agree that's it's in the running

The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock > AestheticsInMotion 10/23/2018 at 19:21

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Slap done white steelies on a white Miata & it be fire. 

AestheticsInMotion > Tristan 10/23/2018 at 20:30

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Boggles the mind. The SE grey offered on the NB's is one of my all-time favorite Miata colors, yet somehow the similar Silverstone is Soooo much worse

Jason Spears > AestheticsInMotion 10/23/2018 at 21:18

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I’m not polarized by the colors, really, but I’m noticing a strange affinity for the hardtop. I ding people points for having the top up anytime it’s even close to nice weather, but (looks-wise anyway) I think the hardtops on these would be just fine.

pip bip - choose Corrour > AestheticsInMotion 10/24/2018 at 04:34

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green or white would be my picks

AestheticsInMotion > mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/ 10/24/2018 at 14:31

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I like my red NA, but I wouldn’t get red again if I had the choice. Yellow, purple, a nice blue..... Oh man.

You've got Montego right? 

AestheticsInMotion > Manwich - now Keto-Friendly 10/24/2018 at 14:31

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Your opinions about Silverstone and white are correct.

That is all

AestheticsInMotion > Jason Spears 10/24/2018 at 14:32

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A color matched hardtop really makes these cars look good. Otherwise top-down is the only way to live

mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/ > AestheticsInMotion 10/24/2018 at 16:55

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Naw... Starlight Blue Mica. I love it,  but if I had to pick another color it would be br g, green mica, red, or the 93 le black/red interior combo. My neighbor had one. Was so cool. Though I could see the red interior getting old to live with on a daily basis lol.

AestheticsInMotion > mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/ 10/24/2018 at 17:21

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I normally really like red interiors, but the shade Mazda used just doesn’t work in my eyes...

Black interior and hardtop? Looking good. Have you done any work to the yata lately? 

mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/ > AestheticsInMotion 10/24/2018 at 18:22

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Nothing much. I washed her on one of the last nice days before winter if that counts lol.

I a m planning on having my a/c removed the right way by a somewhat local shop the races spec Miatas. Just gotta set up an appointment. And I still need to remove pass air bag and considering removing or fixing the radio (cause the volume doesn’t work). Then on to suspension and brakes. Then POWER!

You? You ever get a new seat? I saw you got a Volvo! Congrats it looks dope.  I imagine that’s been taking up most of your time.

LuisV > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 08/18/2019 at 20:26

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THIS is my favorite..