When it first came out in November 1991, there were basically 3 choices multiplied by 2. There was the top of the line Type X, Type R and Type S at the bottom. All were offered in both 5 speed or automatic. The sunroof was an option available to all then, but which was kept alive only as an option for automatics after a few years. Type X offered cruise control and all the bells and whistles which included the Bose sound system that made the already cramped luggage space smaller.
Type R was in the middle, but also offered some of the bells and whistles as options. What set it apart was the front strut bar and twin oil coolers that were not available in the others no matter what. Keep in mind that although the grade names do become confusing, the R was the core most of us would be interested in. It occasionally existed as a plain R or sometimes 'cloaked' as an RS. RZ was basically the no-nonsense hardcore version that usually was offered as a limited edition while actually being on the catalog for a few years from 1996. The radio cassette player that would normally be included with the others was an option slapped on top of the premium one would have to pay for the much coveted version.
Naturally, the original Type S had the fewest 'things' and was supposed to be the most affordable. Looking back at the history of its pricing over the 11 years, the Type S was still almost $5K higher than the cheapest offered in latter years. Amazing! The car was designed during the 'Bubble' years, Mazda made damn sure they were making a product that was worth the money. Unfortunately and fortunately, the formidable market slump for sports cars let Mazda and other Japanese automakers realize they needed to cut the bottom price even further. That's where the R-II came into the picture.
The body colors Montego Blue and Competition Yellow Mica were phased out after a couple years (I think), and instead came Chaste White (I don't know where these color names come from). The other colors that were kept throughout were Brilliant Black and Vintage Red. Silverstone Metallic was changed to Satellite Silver around 1998. The same Sunburst Yellow that was for the Roadster (Miata) was used in the limited edition RS-R.
Sunburst Yellow was nice, but the now rare Competition Yellow Mica was quite special. At a glance, it was yellow, but at different angles and upon close examination, it was kind of metallic. There was nothing metallic about Sunburst Yellow. Innocent Blue Mica was introduced from v5, for the last 2 or 3 years. While checking around for this webpage, I found out that the final white was Pure White.
