NC 3rd Generation Limited

[wasp47]

Greetings
I have just bought a 2005 NC 1698/3500 3rd Generation Limited
Question
How does this differ from an "ordinary" NC
Cheers
Steven

[taminga16]

Some images might help.

[93_Clubman]

Great NC1 details from Luke, including some NC2 info:

Somewhere in 06 all MX-5's got DSC as standard. Before that not available at all.
DSC is debatable in NC1's. NC2's are much better.
Personally I found the NC1 DSC to be the most unrefined system in any car I have dríven.
I really question how well Mazda calibrated it.
In normal on mode I find it activates under normal driving conditions with little to no provocation and pulls hard or kills off the power when it does. It doesn't always do what you hope it would.
The first stage off mode is better. Its more like a race mode though. It would allow a little bit of sliding.
It needed something in between for the normal mode.
Full off is awesome. It is actually off.
There are track guys that aim to make sure they got early cars without it at all. So 05's and early 06's.

Also, I gather you are looking at a soft top and not the hardtop roadster coupe???

There is actually 4 soft-top models from 05 to 09 for original NC1's.
You have the 2 normal ones worked out. Base = Cloth Trim. Top = Leather. The Touring name was introduced from late 06 to better distinguish the leather clad model. It may also be the same time they introduced that ugly brown interior option as well.
There is also 2 LE soft tops that were only sold as Manuals.
05 Release LE which had a lot of Shiny internal and external bits. Unique wheels. Only colours were Velocity Red or Brilliant Black with Red Leather Interior. Individually numbered out of 3500 worldwide. No DSC.
07 LE. Only in Three colours. Radiant Ebony(Unique to this model in Aus), Highland Green and Stormy Blue. Sand Beige Interior. Bilstein Shocks. BBS Forged Wheels. Unique Full Chrome headlights, blinkers and centre stop light. Only 110 sold here. Definitely has DSC. This model was sort of missed by the media as they were more interested in the hardtops fancy folding roof.

There is only 1 hardtop model for NC1's. Roadster Coupe, which is essentially a Soft top touring spec car with the hardtop roof.

You have to keep a keen eye to see LE soft top's for sale.
A lot of people either don't know they have a LE and list them as a normal MX-5 or list their normal MX-5 as a LE.
This applies to any model. A lot of hardtops are listed as soft-tops and visa versa.

The other good soft top choice is trying to find a NC2 base or Touring. These are hard to come by as most bought Hardtops by this point in time. They were sold from 09 to 11 before being dropped due to poor sales.
The most annoying this Mazda did was not offering the NC2 soft top with the Recaro Seats and BBS rims like they did for the Hardtops.

viewtopic.php?f=76&t=31669&start=15

General NC1 info here: viewtopic.php?f=76&t=31669

And this was interesting ref shocks: viewtopic.php?f=44&t=77871&hilit=2005+limited+edition