Future legend!

This past weekend I got the pleasure to drive an old Mazda MX-5. It was my first driving experience in a low riding two-seater and it was an absolute joy. So I thought that I'd write about it. The car not my driving.

As you all know the Mazda MX-5, or Mazda Miata as it's known in the States, is one of the most if not the most iconic sports car of all time. It was introduced in 1989 and Mazda wanted it to have the feel of a British sports car but with Japanese reliability. A small light weight rear-wheel drive sports car with a 1.6 litre engine putting out a modest 115 hp was the recipe Mazda went with and not surprisingly it worked. It was fast, nimble, good looking and best of all - as in a British sports car - it was a convertible.

The one I drove was with the more powerful 1.8 litre engine that came along in 1994. It has 130 hp but the acceleration from 0-100 kph stays about the same as in the 1.6 litre version at 8.7 seconds. But when that engine came along the people at Mazda decided that the gap between the 1.6 and the 1.8 was to small so they detuned the 1.6 litre engine to only develope 90 hp. Which - as you may imagine - was not a success.

But all in all the Mazda MX-5 has been a success story. Mazda have made over 900 000 of the MX-5 and they haven't stopped yet. It has changed appearance somewhat over the years but the recipe is still the same.  The Mazda MX-5 Miata will go down to the car hall of fame, no question about it.

Oh, and keeping in the theme of future classics, this is certainly a car that belongs there. But the annual special editions or otherwise called M Editions are the ones to look for.

Yes, the roof down in just above freezing temperature

And it has the coolest things ever fitted on a car, pop-up headlights.

In the cockpit there's nothing to distract you from the road.

This example was not in the best of shapes, but still huge fun.

All the generations of the iconic Mazda MX-5 Miata.

Future classics (in my mind) part III

As we already have listed two spiced up family cars let's have a third one. But this one is a little bit different as it was meant to go to rallying to the World Rally Championship but never made it. 

The car in question is the Mazda Familia GTR or known as well as Mazda 323 GT-R. I don't know much about this car. I only found out it existed late last year and was astounded by the lengths that Mazda went to only to not become a part of the WRC line up. But anyhow, what we got out of it was 2500 pieces of Japanese top techonology and precision in the early 90's, which is never a bad thing. Because it was meant to go rallying it has a sophisticated four-wheel drive system and a unique 210 hp 1.8 litre turbocharged engine instead of the standard 2.0 litre turbo found on the other road going rally cars from that period. And of course being a sort of car that it is, it is hard to find one that is not modified. But be assured, if you find one that is untouched by eager tuning fingers you'll be in for a profitable buy.

The Familia GTR also has a more hardcore version the GT-Ae. It is lighter than the GTR and there were only 300 made. You can also go for the budget version, the GTX. It also has 4WD and the same engine but with 185 hp. Inside the biggest difference between the GTR and the GTX is that the GTR has leather seats and the GTX doesn't. The GT-Ae doesn't have leather seats either, but that is to save weight.

Now we've reached the point where you can choose between an original Subaru Impreza WRX or Mitsubishi Evo 1. Or then you could choose a unique rally car for the road with a tragic history of never being able to show it's true potential to the world.

All of that four-wheel drive goodness.

This is how it looks from behind. Sorry for the bad picture.

Mazda6, 2013 edition

The competition for the mid-ranged saloon of the year has gotten off to a great start with the new 3rd generation Mazda 6.  It’s a bit, taller, wider and longer than the outgoing Mazda 6, but most importantly it has been fitted with many non-interesting electrical gizmos. The new Mazda 6 has something called SkyActive technology which increases all the important things i.e. fuel economy and engine power and torque. It’s also fitted with i-ELOOP which harnesses energy that is created while braking. I don’t know how it works but at least the name is fun to say, i-ELOOP. Of course the new Mazda 6 has plenty to offer in safety as well, Mazda Radar Cruise Control (MRCC) for instance. As for the choice of engines there are petrol and diesels of which the top of the range model is a 2.5 litre petrol developing 189 HP.

 

What about the styling? In a not so distance past (in 2011 in fact) Mazda revealed the Takeri concept and said; this is going to be the next Mazda 6. I thought; Wow! Yeah, right”. And look at it now. It looks pretty much the same as the stunning Takeri concept which makes it still stunning. It’s one of the first cars I’ve seen that looks the same as the sneak peak concept. Mazda obviously has styled it to have the presence of a Japanese fighting fish, with sporty, aggressive and smooth good looks. Many cars from this D-segment have become good looking but I think this is the best looking of them all.  

Mazda 6 estate

Mazda 6 interior

Mazda 6 saloon

Mazda Takeri concept for comparison