American motoring journalist Bob Hall is credited with dreaming up the original MX-5 concept, a compact, lightweight, affordable sports car that hit the road in May 1989. He joined the design department of Mazda North America in 1981 and developed a sketch of an affordable, lightweight sports car in 1982.

When considering the design direction for the Mazda MX-5, three designs were proposed for the idea of a two-seat roadster, each with a different layout — front-engined, front-drive; mid-engined, rear-drive; and a front-engined, rear-drive submitted by Hall. 

All three were developed independently at various Mazda studios worldwide and brought to Japan so one could be chosen for production. When Hall’s front-engined, rear-drive proposal was unveiled, everyone, even the head of the front-engined, front-drive design, pointed to it and shouted, “Build that one!”

Despite the vital role Bob Hall played in convincing Kenichi Yamamoto to build the Miata and the fact that he has been christened “Father of the MX-5”, he remains humble about his role. Instead, Bob Hall gives credit to chief engineer Toshihiko Hirai, who oversaw the project to its conclusion, battling numerous issues that threatened to derail the project along the way. From the body to the exhaust note that the top had to be simple enough to be operated one-handed, Hirai made sure the vision of a fun-to-drive roadster remained undiluted.