Check out the original Mazda Miata take on the new Miata in a race

There's a new Mazda MX-5, known more colloquially as the "Miata," on the block. The latest generation of the beloved roadster arrive in late 2015.

We reviewed the car and were smitten. But that wasn't surprising. I owned a first-gen Miata for several years in Los Angeles.

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 horsepower. 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?