Mazda is in a giving mood this Thanksgiving and fans of the Mazda MX-5 Miata RF should be indebted to the company after it announced that the special edition MX-5 would arrive in the U.S. two months earlier than anticipated. Initially scheduled to hit dealerships on February 2017, the first wave of shipments are now expected to arrive in Tacoma, Washington by the first week of December, according to Mazda spokesman Jacob Brown.

Brown explained that a production shift in the company’s factory in Japan expedited the production of these models. Instead of waiting for the initial timetable, Mazda apparently decided to ship the cars to the U.S. earlier than expected. All told, a total of more than 500 MX-5 Miatas are expected to arrive in Tacoma in the coming days. Most of the models that will be arriving are Launch Edition models, but there are a handful of MX-5 Miata RFs that are also included, including some that are going to be delivered to customers in Canada.

There’s no timetable yet on when the cars will be delivered to their owners, but with the cars already in the US, it is expected to also happen much sooner than the initial schedule. That said, at least one owner has already taken delivery of his MX-5 RF. That owner is noted Miata collector David Putter, who received the keys to his Miata RF at the Los Angeles Auto Show after Mazda personally air-freighted his car all the way from Japan to Huntington Beach Mazda, making Putter the first ever paying customer to take delivery of the newest MX-5 Miata.

Soon enough, more owners will be handed the keys to their targa-style Miata RFs, which separates itself from all other MX-5 Miatas in existence because of its retractable roof panel and rear window. It still carries the same powertrain as all standard soft-top Miatas -- a 2.0-liter inline-four engine that produces 155 horsepower and 148 pound-feet of torque -- but its unique configuration is definitely unmistakable, and those who bought one can now enjoy being the proud owners of the new Miata RF much sooner than they expected.

Continue after the jump to read the full story.

Early presents for Mazda MX-5 Miata owners

Well, that was unexpected, wasn’t it? Make no mistake though, it’s a good kind of surprise that I imagine a lot of people, particularly those waiting for their Miata RFs, are excited about.

I don’t know the reason behind the accelerated timetable because Mazda didn’t specify it past saying that their was a “shift in production,” but I don’t think anybody’s going to complain now that their going to get their hands on their Miata RFs sooner than anticipated.

The question now is how long it’s going to take Mazda to finish all the paperwork necessary to clear these cars before delivering them to their owners. Traditionally, these transactions don’t take too long but with the holiday season coming up, there could be some delays in that because of the rush of shipments coming in and out of these ports at this time of the year.

Regardless, the fact that they’re already arriving two months ahead of schedule is something to get excited about and be thankful for. I’m not one of those people who bought a Miata RF, but I can imagine how exited they must be knowing that, at least for some of them, they’re getting their sports cars earlier than they anticipated. That in itself is reason to be thankful.

Read our full review on the 2017 Mazda MX-5 RF here.