Watch the original Mazda Miata race the all-new Mazda Miata

There's a new Mazda MX-5, known more colloquially as the "Miata," on the block. The latest generation of the beloved roadster is set to arrive in the third quarter of this year.

A quarter-century after its introduction, the frisky little drop-top has been steadily improved. It's gotten bigger and faster. But how much faster?

Mazda decided to find out, pitting a first-generation MX-5 against the latest model and filming the excitement. A pair of endurance racers were recruited: Jade Paveley to pilot the 1990 Miata; and Owen Mildenhall to helm the new MX-5.

The earliest Miata managed only 116 horsepower. With a larger engine, the new MX-5 cranks out 155. At a race track in Spain, Mazda's thinking was that such a power differential translates into 4 seconds, so that's how much of a head start Paveley got.

Would she be able to hold her lead?