To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the iconic MX-5 in New Zealand, Mazda together with the MX-5 Club held a national convoy which culminated in a rally in Nelson over Labour Weekend.

Around 150 people in 80 vehicles took part, including two special edition MX-5 models which were shipped from Japan especially for the event.

Two convoys, one starting in Auckland and the other in Invercargill, wound their way through the country from 18 October picking up members of the Mazda MX-5 Club along the way. Each convoy will be led by a 2009 MX-5 and a special edition model in Sunflower Yellow, each with retro-themed branding.

A host of activities were lined up for the weekend in Nelson, including a drive through the Motueka Valley and a 20th anniversary dinner.

This is not the first time Mazda has partnered with the Mazda MX-5 Club. In October 2005, Mazda set a new Guinness World Record for the largest parade of MX-5 cars when 249 Mazda MX-5 enthusiasts formed a 4km parade to celebrate the launch of the third generation model.

The Mazda MX-5 was first revealed to the world at the Chicago Auto Show in February 1989. In March 2009, Mazda launched the latest version of the sports car with improved design and performance features while retaining the fun-to-drive factor that makes the vehicle so popular.

The MX-5 has won more than 170 awards around the world to date, including the New Zealand Car of the Year in 1990 and again in 2005 for the third generation model.

Click the link to see more photos from the 20th Anniversary MX-5 convoy. http://www.mazda.co.nz/models/mx-5/gallery.aspx