1996 Mazda Miata - Driving The Rocky Mountains at 12,000 Feet (POV Binaural Audio) 

I’ve owned Miata’s for over 20 years and it’s honestly nice to have just a basically stock one in the stable.

Love NA Miatas but 12 years ago while driving just outside of Zion national park, an inpatient truck towing a fifth wheel coming from the opposite direction at 60+MPH decided to pass a car on a double yellow. They didn't see me coming right at them. Going 60 myself we were approaching one another at about 120MPH and I had only a couple seconds to run that Miata into a dirt pull-off which just happened to show up when I needed it. I kept that thing straight and managed to get it to a stop in the dirt just as that beast came whizzing by me, oncoming in my lane. What I cannot impress upon anyone in this writing is just how fast all this happened. It was about 3 seconds, 4 tops between seeing them come into my lane and reaching the point where we would have both hit. Had I not had a dirt pull-off, me and my passenger would have been pink misted and the Miata would have been crushed like an aluminum can. Moral of the story? Most drivers, especially in national parks are impatient, distracted idiots and if you're driving an NA Miata, you're more invisible than a motorcycle. FLIP THOSE HEADLIGHTS UP.

I just drove my 97 NA Miata 500 miles up to the Colorado Rockies, and let me tell you.. It was an experience!!

god damn colorado is amazing Amazing country, amazing car... Hope you americans just apreciate how lucky you are man :D Never forget how awesome you guys are Cheers from Brazil

Man I love my 96 miata, haven't taken it anywhere that crazy yet tho haha. Hoping to get out on the Blue Ridge Parkway soon!

Now you’re on my turf. Live at 9000 feet and did Pikes Peak last week.

I love my 1990 MX5. I’ll never sell her. Spent a lot more than she’s worth fixing her over the years, but it’s completely worth it to me.

you cant really be a true car enthusiast without having a soft spot for these cute little cars

Have been waiting for this video! Love it

Miata videos are and always will be my favorite!! 💯

I'm a simple man, i see tedward and i see miata, i just insta click the video

You two have got some great chemistry!

Tedward! Welcome to Colorado. Lots of nice drives in this state.

Such a beautiful drive! Great video!

Miata life! Ted i've taken inspiration from your videos and finally started making my own videos with my 1997 M Edition.

Those seats are awesome

I got so happy to see a Miata in the thumbnail

7:40 Had an Impala with the same transmission as that Buick. That alone, ignoring rust or whatever, makes it incredible to see that thing lol

Views on this drive are crazy! Thanks for the video.

What a beautiful minty Miata! Love it! And what a beautiful road! I'll be driving it in a few weeks!

Great video. I remember bringing my 97 Miata through the Rockies and loved every minute of it… though the motor was really starved for power at altitude.

My ears popped just watching this.

Aah I need one of these so bad, living the dream racing about in an adorable looking car and yet really just keeping up with the flow of traffic. Love it for pretty much the same reasons I love an AE86, but also at a more reasonably entry price

Where did he get the seat padding from? The plaid is amazing

Great road and excellent car choice! Hi from Switzerland 😍

Trail ridge is a fun road. One day I raced against a volvo from the top down to estes. We were keeping a consistent 65-70 through all the turns, what a rush.

You were mentioning Hybrids and Electric cars being a great fit for those conditions; youre absolutely right! I drive my 19 insight down to Colorado every other year. I go from having "meh" acceleration in MN to being able to Keep pace with some NA V8's at altitude. Sure, the gas engine might have to rev a bit more than what I'm used to, but the hybrid powertrain makes it so that there's no noticeable loss in power or throttle response. If you have some sort of forced induction or electrification, it really helps a ton at altitude.

If feels so special when you're driving and enjoying roads that I've driven on countless times in my home state! As far as public roads go, you're experiencing the pride of Colorado for sure but this is only such a small sample. The further you go west on I-70 and get off on back roads to go from say, Glenwood Springs to Carbondale or smaller rural mountain towns, the more majestic the Rockies start to become.

This video lets my Tibetan road trip memories flashed back. Gotta do it again but with my BRZ.

love u dude!

To be honestly the Miata's fame is so ubiquitous in the community I've actually overlooked it. That induction sound, driving view and I'm sure tight handling make me seriously want one.

HAHA i’m totally taking that “nature’s turbo” bit, that’s great.

One of the best post credit cuts in a while 😂

Oooh, Casa Bo-NI-ta!!!!! Hope you're doing well, dawg.

It sounds AMAZING

I did a road trip through western Colorado before my Miata got the LS. It got 36 mpg up there, driving 80 mph with the AC on. There's no air resistance up there, and my 1.8L engine was effectively about a 1.2. Great roads and scenery! Can confirm, car was slow AF. 🙂

‘Feels really fast downhill” ^^ i guess the best compliment a momentum car can get :)

THE ROCKY MONTAINS ROAD..............WHAT A DRIVE IN THIS LEGENDARY ////NATURAL TRACK////

Ah this is excellent! Alpine-like roads and the perfect car for it!

Got that Miata in its natural habitat!

I'm hoping to go to RMNP next summer. Can't wait!

Whiteface Mountain in the Adirondacks of NY is less than 5,000 ft., but as I was descending in my NB, I saw white smoke out of my exhaust! I thought I had blown a head gasket, but all was fine. The smoke went away as I descended, I can only conclude that I had formed a vapor trail. The car ran for tens of thousands of miles after until traded in with no issues.

such an awesome car

This video is just concrete evidence that driving Miatas is a great way to funnel the toxic energy away from your soul 🙏

Looks awesome and fun! im sure you arent itching to get back to massachusetts after seeing this landscape lmao (jk i love the mother country). have a blast bro

Was just there a few weeks ago, still made the joke about calling that sign at the beginning of the video "Dad House". Sadly not in my '79 Alfa Spider, which also enjoys life as a two figure horsepower momentum car up here at altitude.

Seriously thinking about getting a miata as a project car 👌

thats the kind of drive that Miata's were made for

God this road looks amazing to hammer it up/down

I have a ‘97 M-edition, and I love her! She had 40K on her clock 3 years ago, now 55K, and I don’t drive her in winter! She is, of course, everything I really want in a car. I remember when I got my first, a black ’94 with roll-up windows (drove her 120K miles), 22 years ago now. I was in heaven for a solid 6 mos., and have been elevated ever since! I had her 11 years, then I went 8 years without one, before I got the ‘97. I don’t intend to be without a Miata/MX-5 ever again! I have, BTW, driven the Million Dollar Highway (which I think you’re on here) as well as the California Coast Highway (and quite a few others!) in one Miata or the other!

Damn I drove up to Estes park the one and only time I’ve been to Colorado. What a beautiful part of the country. Being from upstate ny I was not used to the elevation. Hopefully one day I can go back and enjoy a drive like you did in a sports car!

Great video, finally a car i can identify with and up there it has even less power than my NB 1.6 down here. 😂

Tedawrd out here boosting Colorado's tourism income

No way you get to go to Casa Bonita right now! That is awesome! Haven't been able to get in since they reopened

I have a 2000 Miata, even though it lacks pop up headlights it shares the spirit of the NA. I love that car to death, and I really don't want to give her up. I might be too big, at 6'2" and ~260 pounds, but I don't care. I can still drive it. I've had many smiles and excited giggles while behind the wheel of that precious little car. I can hit redline all day and the little BP engine just comes back for more every time. Amazing how Mazda made a car so enjoyable with about as much horsepower as most economy cars.

Lol a Buick Century was my first car. What a trooper.

Bro’s livin’ my dream ☠️

In high school, two of my good friends both bought NA Miatas for roughly $4k, and this was 2018 so you could still do that. Even on 13 year old tires and worn suspension, they were still SO much fun to drive. I’ve had the unusual privilege of being able to drive a ton of other fun cars through work, but the NA Miata is still in my top five in terms is sheer fun.

Fabulous video...the drive I hope to take someday with my 99 10AE. Question: what is the brand of aftermarket seats and while they look great and surely hold; how do they feel for ride quality?

this is why i love my mazda 6. its very similar i can go through the gears flat out everywhere cause its so slow cause theres so much valve carbon buildup im probably only making 170 hp now lol. Im running 245s with some agressive all season performance tires on it now which is insane its way over kill and ive never even gotten close the grip limit cause no matter how fast i go into a corner it just sticks. its wild. I love the induction noise of the miata in this video. Im quieting down my mazda 6 soon cause i wanna her more induction noise and cause i hate how loud it is right now. If im going on a spirited drive i feel terrible cause its so loud im sure everyone hates me lol.

Golden gate canyon road is a little off the beaten path and offers some really nice driving.

What seats are those. They're beautiful.

That induction noice 👌

Great video as usual. Sadly gone are the days of the affordable sports car with pop-up headlights a-la MR2, RX-7, Miata . . .

Wow, that burned out Kia is STILL up on Berthoud Pass, it's been there for like a month haha.

"gravity- nature's turbo" Gotta remember that one! 😂

I’ve also just bought a 91‘ miata! :D

What seats are those they’re beautiful

The soundtrack needs to be "Rocky Mountain High" by John Denver. The views and vistas are stunning.

Miata!

ive done some rockies driving and man its scary how some stretches have no guardrail.

What’s incredible, it seems to me, is that radios still have AM!

I love Estes park and the rmnp

All you need in Colorado as a rental car and some free time❤

Beautifull scenery! Have to say that i am deeply disappointed in most modern cars lacking almost all engine braking. (At least the "normal cars" here in europe.) It seems that manufacturers have engineered out engine braking in favor of coasting. (There are a few exceptions with bigger displacement, but all the 2L Turbodiesels and smaller ones we have here in most cars lost all engine braking in the last 10 years and it's irritating as hell going down steep mountain roads.) As for "not liking the MX-5": at a car show years back there was a Mazda stand and i went there and tried to sit in a MX-5. As soon as i opened the door and started insertig myself, i noticed from the corner of my eye that one of the sales guys started walking towards me. When i sat in it, the windscreen frame was at my nose height. I tried to get the seat further down, but all i managed was getting the frame at my eye height. I was able to see the mirror though, and in the mirror i saw the sales guy turning around acting like nothing had happened and he never wanted to come to the car...😂 Thing is, i am no Shaquile O'Neal. I am only 187cm tall. (But with disadvantageous proportions: i have short legs for my height and a long torso.) I don't fit, so i "don't like the MX-5" for that reason. Always hoped Mazda would make them so people like myself also would fit. A few years later on another car show i tried the Alfa 4C and the Alpine A110. The Alfa was even smaller than the MX-5 and i only saw part of the front of the car, but certainly not what would be the road. In the Alpine however i had plenty of headroom and saw the actual road. (And yet the seat was in the middle position. It was the bare minimum one where the seat height is adjusted with a spanner and 3 screws or so) Haven't had the nerve to buy the Alpine though as it costs 2 MX-5's here even used, and you can choose between bringing a passenger or using the passenger seat for cargo. As teh "bootspace" is rather minimal. (A Honda Goldwing either has equal or more cargo space!)

At 08:15 those wooden poles are there for snowplows, it gets that deep

First for the miata

I loved the drive. For mountain driving a turbo charged engine is good at climbing.

i'd imagine at 12k feet it's an absolute slug, but still awesome

"She feels really fast down hill!"

Best lil car EVER! #ZoomZoom

I'm trying to get the funds to rebuild my NB2 and keep it OEM+ because of the value a stock Miata has but installing necessary parts (i.e. FM's coolant reroute) to go on more roadtrips and make it a proper Grand Tourer - seemingly completely opposite to what the Miata community is doing on YT with track spec builds.

hello from Ukraine!

A shame the prices of these are through the roof (by me at least NY). Been keeping an eye out for a sub 8k one that doesn't have a hole though the rocker which is still too much imo. I've also been looking into Z3s but I really don't want a beemer lol. Not even Tedward has a non m Z3 on here and he drives everything!

No mention of the Shining intro on the same road

What is the name of those seats ?

I would like to see you pop them headlights though

Please take out the Fiesta ST!!

I want to buy a NA Miata, and basically it’ll a day two car, some nice wheels, better shocks, intake and exhaust and that’s about it. It’ll be a daily

MX5 s are Rad ! Any year model!

That vintage

Does anyone know what those seats are? I need them.

Even with a NC, I sure miss my NA…

I have to ask what seats are those lol I wanna change the stock ones on my Nb2

Ted, Million Dollar Highway, just saying.

Lol "there might be more horses (over there) than horsepower in this car"

What kind of seats are those🤔 asking for a friend 😂

Is the intake and exhaust stock?

Mans living the forza horizon 1 life

What seats are these?