What Does RF Stand For On A Mazda MX-5 Miata?

It's impossible to overlook the humble Mazda MX-5 Miata when having a conversation about iconic sports cars. The diminutive Japanese drop-top takes inspiration from some of the greatest British sports cars, such as the original Lotus Elan, and combines that timeless appeal with modern technology and genuinely dependable drivetrains.

The first iteration of this simple yet brilliant Mazda appeared at the very tail end of the 1980s, with a rev-happy inline-four under the hood, available with a capacity of either 1.6 or 1.8 liters. Since then, three more generations have followed, and yet Mazda has remained faithful to the ethos of the original car, which is to keep things simple. High power outputs, luxury interiors, large, swanky wheels, and other such trimmings are all well and good, but they have no place in the Miata's world.

However, one model has mixed up the original recipe somewhat: the Mazda MX-5 Miata RF. This sporty little two-seater boasts a fixed roof and coupe silhouette, which was totally fresh to the Miata's bloodline when it first appeared in 2016. Having been around for almost a decade now, most are familiar with the model, yet how many actually know what the "RF" in this Mazda's name actually stands for? The car is the clue here — this particular MX-5 boasts a retractable hardtop instead of a fabric folding roof, and therein lies the meaning of its name, as "RF" simply denotes the style of roof fitted: retractable fastback.

Fans of the brand will surely be quick to point out that this ND-generation Miata is not the first to have been equipped with a hardtop roof, as the previous NC MX-5 was similarly available with a folding metal roof. The key difference here, though, is that the ND-gen RF's roof is in a fastback style, whereas the older NC-gen Miata sported a hardtop roof that was similar in style to that of a typical soft-top model. 

Interestingly, fastback-style MX5 models have been experimented with in the past. Back in the early 2000s, when the MX5 was still in its second NB-generation, Mazda sold 179 examples with a sleek coupe roofline, exclusively for the Japanese market. While these models did indeed sport a fastback silhouette, the roof was fixed, and not retractable, so the RF was still very much the first of its kind when introduced back in 2016.

It could be argued that the RF isn't a "proper" Miata, as surely the point of this low-slung sports car is to embody a traditional soft-top roadster? Well, when we drove the MX-5 Miata RF back in 2024, that's certainly not the conclusion we came to — the manual transmission proved easy to use and heaps of fun, plus the plucky inline-four delivered just the right amount of power. Furthermore, the retractable fastback roof looked great in the flesh and actually added to the car's usability, chiefly by reducing wind and road noise, so in some ways, the RF could genuinely be considered the better all-around car.

For those tempted by Mazda's playful sports car, the RF is still available at the time of writing, and kicks off with an MSRP of $37,550 (plus destination and fees). That's significantly more expensive than the bare-bones roadster, which is still available with a pre-fees destination price south of $30,000, but it's in keeping with prices asked of other two-door sports cars on the market, such as the GR86 and Subaru BRZ.