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Ryan Montgomery created Roadster Atlas, a free interactive 3D model based on his 2004 Mazdaspeed Miata and intended to represent the 1999–2005 NB generation. It displays 699 individual parts, including engine components, and includes exploded views and animations; Montgomery says other Miata generations are planned.
Ryan Montgomery, the person behind Miata-themed brand Roadster Republic, has created Roadster Atlas, a free interactive 3D model that lets users explore and virtually disassemble a Mazda MX-5 Miata from the 1999–2005 NB generation. Built from his own 2004 Mazdaspeed Miata, the model contains 699 individual parts and is available in a web browser without an account or software download.
Roadster Atlas presents the car in standard, body-off and exploded views, allowing users to rotate the model and inspect how components fit together. Its detail ranges from body panels to bolts, and the engine can be separated into individual components. The site also includes animations showing the engine rotating and views illustrating how changes to suspension settings affect geometry, according to The Drive’s report.
Montgomery’s car was the starting point, but the model is intended to represent the NB generation as a whole, not just that particular Mazdaspeed example. The report says its measurements draw on Mazda’s published specifications as well as information from media and Miata owners, including people whose cars have been disassembled. The model is viewable on mobile browsers, though Montgomery said in a Reddit post that a desktop is the better way to use it.
The project is free to view and does not require users to create an account or install a program. The Drive described it as a way to learn how the vehicle’s systems and parts fit together, while cautioning that it is not a replacement for a shop manual. It may help owners build familiarity before considering modifications, but the report does not establish it as a repair guide or provide evidence that its measurements should be used for workshop procedures.
A Visual Guide to Miata Components
The model offers owners, students and enthusiasts a way to examine vehicle systems that can be difficult to understand from photographs or a conventional parts diagram. Users can rotate the car, inspect how components relate to one another and watch selected mechanical behavior, making the project useful as an educational visualization rather than simply a static render.
Its free, browser-based format lowers the barrier to trying it: visitors do not need to buy specialist software or create an account. For owners planning aftermarket upgrades, seeing the arrangement of parts and the effect of suspension settings may help them frame questions before a project. That potential should be kept in proportion: the source describes the model as a way to understand how parts fit, not as an authoritative source for repair instructions or installation specifications.
The project also has value beyond one owner’s car because Montgomery says it is meant to represent the full 1999–2005 NB range. That makes its accuracy and coverage relevant to a broader group of Miata owners, although the reported use of published specifications and community information does not, on its own, establish that every part or variation has been independently verified.
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Built Around a 2004 Mazdaspeed
The NB was the second generation of Mazda’s MX-5 Miata and ran from 1999 through 2005, according to the source report. Montgomery used his own 2004 Mazdaspeed Miata as the reference for Roadster Atlas, while designing the model to stand for the generation rather than only that specific vehicle.
The Drive reported that the model includes 699 individual parts and features such as body-off views, exploded views and engine animation. Its account says the measurements come from Mazda specifications and supplementary material from media and owners. The project’s name, Roadster Atlas, is also the name used for Montgomery’s interactive model; Roadster Republic is the Miata-themed lifestyle brand associated with him.
Montgomery said other Miata generations would be rendered next, but the report gave no release dates or details about which generation would come first. The source also did not list a full compatibility guide or explain how users can compare year-specific differences within the NB run.
“The model is best viewed on a desktop.”
— Ryan Montgomery, in a Reddit post, as reported by The Drive
Limits of the Model’s Coverage
The report does not identify a formal verification process for the model or say whether every part has been checked against Mazda service documentation. Although the NB car is intended to represent the generation and draws on published specifications and community material, it is not clear how year-to-year or trim-specific differences are handled, or whether the model marks those differences for users.
It is also unclear whether Roadster Atlas will be updated as users identify errors, whether it covers every system in equal depth, or whether its dimensions are suitable for practical repair or fabrication work. The source explicitly says it is not a shop-manual replacement. Montgomery’s reported plans for other generations have no stated release dates, and no specific next model was confirmed.
More Miata Generations Planned
Montgomery has said that other Miata generations are planned for Roadster Atlas. The next model, its expected release date and the level of detail it will include have not been announced in the source report. For now, the available project is the NB-generation model, which readers can open in a browser without signing up or downloading software.
Any future release would also give Montgomery an opportunity to explain how the models distinguish changes across years and trims, and how the project handles corrections or additions. Until further details are published, users should treat the current model as an interactive visual reference and consult appropriate service documentation for repair work.
Key Questions
What is Roadster Atlas?
It is a free, interactive 3D model of the NB Mazda Miata that lets users rotate the car, view it in exploded or body-off form, and inspect individual components.
Which Miata generation does it cover?
The model is intended to represent the NB generation, spanning model years 1999–2005. Montgomery used his own 2004 Mazdaspeed Miata as the starting point.
Does the model cost anything or require a download?
No. The Drive reported that it is free to view in a browser and does not require an account or software download.
Can Roadster Atlas be used as a repair manual?
The report says the model is not intended to replace a shop manual. It can help users visualize how parts fit together, but the source does not establish it as a repair or installation guide.
Will other Miata generations be added?
Montgomery has said other generations are planned, but no release dates or specific next generation were reported.
Source: thedrive.com
