Photo of the day: the Mazda MX-5 is one million cars old

The Mazda MX-5 has long been the world’s best selling sports car. It has a Guinness world record to prove it, and everything.

But now it has a new badge to sew onto its scout jacket: one million of the things have been bought.

MX-5 #1,000,000 rolled off Mazda’s Hiroshima production line on 22 April 2016, to a presumably efficient fanfare that didn’t hinder #1,000,001 following it seconds later. The Japanese firm has promised a fuller, more glorious celebration at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in June.

Now, the party poopers may wish to point out that it’s taken the wee MX-5 four generations and 27 years to reach a landmark the Nissan Qashqai hit in under four years.

But sports cars simply aren’t mainstream prospects, even ones as affordable and liveable as the little Mazda. It's an achievement worth celebrating, so three cheers for TG’s Roadster of the Year!