Mazda announces Miata 25th Anniversary details, preorder information

$32,205. That's how much you'll pay for the Mazda Miata 25th Anniversary Edition in America, if you're one of the scant 100 buyers who wishes to spring for the most expensive, most exclusive Miata yet.

What do you get for the expense? You get a soul red Miata that's top-of-the-line, with tan leather seats and a hand-painted dashboard. You get an MZR engine whose parts have been handpicked for a boost in performance. You get a numbered plaque and the tantalizing possibility of collector value. You get exclusive aluminum pedals. (Aluminum!) And you get a sweet wristwatch.

In addition to the car, Anniversary Edition buyers will receive a Tourneau watch, the in-house brand of the luxury watch retailer. A Swiss-made watch with Miata and 25th Anniversary logos, it is powered by a 25-jewel ETA 2824-2 movement, ETA's most common automatic, and includes a clear caseback to show off the damaskeening detail. The 42mm diameter watch is also held together by an Italian leather strap with red stitching. A winding box is included with the automatic watch to avoid the ignobility of setting it yourself.

This is the second time Mazda has included a watch with a very special Miata: back in 1999 the 10th Anniversary Miata came with his-and-hers Seikos, and the gift sets still pop up on eBay from time to time.

Back then, that 10th Anniversary went for the highest MSRP ever asked for a Miata: $26,875. Many of the 7,500 languished on dealer lots. With just 100 brought to America this time, Mazda might have learned its lesson in scarcity while still getting away with a suitably lofty MSRP. Or maybe the car is free and it's the watch that costs $32,205. (OK, probably not.)

For those of you who just want the car, Mazda also announced pricing for the 2015 Miata: it will start at $23,970 for the soft top and $28,665 for the Power Retractable Hard Top (PRHT). This represents a $250 increase in the former's MSRP, and the same price for the hardtop. (The anniversary Miata, in fact, is hardtop-only.)

If you would like your own watch that just so happens to come with a sports car, preorders are now being taken at Mazda's website. Preorders will start at precisely 10:25 a.m. PDT on Tuesday, May 20. Mazda will allow preorders to fill up to May 31, or 250 interested parties, whichever comes first. Mazda North America will contact them to determine actual interest. Deposits will be taken, garage space cleared out. The reward will be one of 100 special Miatas, which -- when compared to the nearly 1 million Miatas sold for the past 25 years, is not even a drop in a bucket. It's a grain of sand in the friggin' ocean.

Better hurry. Operators are standing by.

By Blake Z. Rong