That’s not a Japanese specification belt. All the Roadsters I have owned over the year (1991, 1992, 2x1993, 1996) all have had white labels as illustrated. This includes a VIN-matched JDM belt ordered through Mazda UK, which was a special order through Mazda Japan. The E4 numbers and orange tag gives it away as a belt intended for the European market. Look carefully at this new UK spec belt sold by MX5parts:
Someone has swapped out the seatbelts in your car.
This is the spreadsheet I created many moons ago, and spread to many websites. Its based on registration dates of cars imported by Autolinkuk, and an analysis of reported Roadster sales numbers from miata.net.
You can find it here (Geoff’s website):
http://verithingeoff.com/VW%20Images/Roadster_vins.xls
This is the tag used on a 2000 Mazda Roadster JDM model:
I can’t remember where this came from but… 
Hi all, with regard to SAZ9961s post showing the seat belts from MX5 Parts " curiouser and curiouser said Alice "
I’ve just been and checked the passenger side as well, and they are both have the orange label.
Given the cost of these items ( £130ish a side )I wouldn’t have thought anyone would change them for fun.
So it would seem we have answered one question, ie my car was probably made in October 1994, but posed another one, why have the seat belts been replaced.
Ah well, sometimes, as they say, knowledge is a burden.
Many thanks again to everyone for there help with this thread.
D.
It can be something as daft as a mouse getting in the car and eating through the original seatbelts or in my case our dog chewed through them.
If the car was less than 10 years old when imported, or if it was imported into the Republic of Ireland (not sure about the NCT, though I know a lot of Roadsters struggled to pass when implemented), someone may have made the owner fit E-marked seatbelts (more stringent requirements, or someone might have misunderstood the SVA process). Are the headlight also now E-marked? Originals won’t be. Also, how is the fog light fitted.
The other alternative is that the seatbelts were damaged (following an accident), or that there is something fishy about the identity of the car; check that the stamped number behind the engine matches up to the chassis plate. And, although it might be obvious; check the paint code on the chassis plate matches the car. I have seen an imported RS Limited (which is blue-green) with a plate indicating it was silver…
Finally; the car when imported might have been missing its seatbelts. Cars did get robbed of bits while sitting at the docks in Yokohama or Dublin. Or someone in Japan removed the belts and replaced them with harnesses. Lift the carpets and check for additional holes or bolts in the floor pan, right behind the seats. There was an importer in Banbridge who seemed to make a speciality in bringing over tired ex-track cars from Japan; the second one I tried out had a full cage covered in ducktape, and no carpet. Depending when the car was imported, sourcing used parts might have been difficult.
Ah, the European regulations might explained it. The guy I bought it from was trying to get it registered in France and had loads of trouble with EU conformance issues to the point he finally gave up, so may well have fitted these as part of that process.
just came across this from the guy I bought it from documenting his woes.
" I had already ensured that all the glass, seat belts, and lighting had the relevant CE marks. "
so that would seem to explain it.
This has been confirmed, the seat belts were changed as part of the import requirements.
Just another quick update. I took the electric aerial out yesterday and it has a manufactured date of September 1994, so that would seem to confirm the car was made around October 1994.
Many thanks to everyone.
Hi Dave
I totally forgot about the seat belts. I have changed them as part of the registration process here in France. I meant to put the originals in the box of goodies I brought you…durr
However, I have just dug them out of the garage, and heres a pic of the label ( 1994 )
If I get over to my mates house in Reading in the near future I will drop them off.
cheers
richard
Here’s and update after 4 years of looking.
My car was built on 20th September 1994. This seems to fit the spreadsheet above.
A contact in Japan asked Mazda there.
Might be of some help.
Dave.