The Mazda MX-5 Miata is the best-selling roadster of all time. It’s a light, nimble little two-seater that puts emphasis on handling rather than power. It has a devoted following with clubs, forums, and even their own racing organizations. And most impressively, when a manufacturer looks at a project that might not work but has merit, shrugs their shoulders, and says, “Ah, what the hell, let’s give it a shot”, that the reward might justify the risk. The Miata is all of those things. And of course, before one of y’all says it, it has a reputation of being a chick car. And admittedly, the first-gen Miata was cutesy, as it was a Japanese imagining of some of the lost roadsters of the past. You can see a lot of Lotus Elan in the first gem’s design. Over the years, the Miata lost the pop-up headlights, got a little wider, a little meaner, but it never strayed from it’s go-kart-handling first mantra that brought in the legion of fans.

Tonight the fourth-generation MX-5 Miata was unveiled. After twenty-five years on the market it’s amazing this car exists at all, so if nothing else, a little respect is deserved for that feat. Let’s pick it apart: Up front, Mazda’s current styling theme (“mischievously grinning catfish?”) has taken place, giving the car a raked nose, sharply creased headlights, and a hugely open mouth. Jalopnik‘s Jason Torchinsky has already mentioned that if you put a white license plate on the front end of the car it appears, as he put it, like a cartoon rabbit. I don’t know about that, but buck-toothed is certainly in the cards. New Miata owners: Mount your license plate low and off to the side somewhere, or better yet, don’t mount one and keep your Miata from looking like a happy gap-toothed redneck. The whole nose seems sloped in the pictures, which gives me just a hint of Lotus 7. The air ducts for the front brakes are just fillers here.

The back end is updated Miata. The taillights are still dots with a separate turn signal, but now they are razor edged instead of just there. The same duct feature from the front is here, but it’s used for the taillights…it’s a nice touch, but I think incorporating a new shape and exhaust outlets would’ve been better. Notice the blacked out lower part of the rear bumper: this design feature allows manufacturers to hide just how big the car’s ass is getting.

The side profile is the best angle of the new MX-5. Though there are hints of other shapes (I’m personally seeing BMW Z3), it looks good. The roll bars behind the seats is always a nice touch. If that fuel filler cap is any indication of the physical size of the car it’s close to what it’s always been, and that’s a good thing. Mazda claims to have shaved over 220 lbs. off compared to the current-gen car, which was sitting at 2,500-ish lbs.

So there you have it: one opinion of the new Miata’s styling. There isn’t much known about the rest of the car, except you can bet on four-cylinder, six speed manual with available auto and ready for sale next year. What’s even better are the rumor mills over the unknown details: turbos, engine size, potential for a Miata coupe, rotary power, and don’t try to bring up the relationship with Chrysler-Fiat. Yes, Mazda hedged their bets and the Miata is set to debut a twin, either an Alfa Romeo or a Fiat, shortly after the Miata goes on sale. Considering the sales success the Miata has been for Mazda, count it as a smart move for the company.

(Images: Mazda, retouched (shadows removed) by Jalopnik)