Mazda Says MX-5 it’s the World’s Fastest Convertible - If It Starts To Rain…

No, Mazda isn’t adopting all-wheel drive for the MX-5 / Miata, but when I first watched the video I really didn’t know what to expect. It is a recently uploaded promo that showcases the swiftness of the car’s folding hardtop mechanism.

They put it up against some serious competition, including a Lamborghini Gallardo, a Ford Mustang V6 and a Porsche 911. However, they add a twist by making it rain (caused by water tanker in the background, not actual clouds, though). All cars must then raise their roof, and then set off.

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New Alfa Spider and Mazda MX-5 will Reportedly Get Different Engines

The marriage of Japanese technology and Italian design is a very fortunate one; the collaboration between Alfa Romeo and Mazda, for the creation of the new Spider and MX-5 is even more so. However, while we do expect the two cars to be quite competent, we’re curious to see how the manufacturers choose to differentiate them.

Now, while the styling will be predictably different, the cars will share the same platform and many mechanical bits. One thing they won’t share are reportedly the engines, which will be manufacturer-specific for each of the two offerings.

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This is What Happens to a Miata when it Gets Too Close to a Corvette

The good thing about race-prepped cars and track circuits is that drivers can hone their skills and push their limits much, much higher than what they would ever attempt to do on a public road, in a completely legal manner and in a far more safer and controlled environment for the themselves and other motorists. 

The bad thing is that all of the above can actually make some drivers be less careful and more spontaneous, which can, of course, lead to trouble…

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The CarScoop Diaries: Settling Down is Hard to Do

In the 2010 film The American, there is a scene where a catholic priest tells George Clooney “Journalism can’t make you rich”, hinting that he knows the latter is not the photographer he claims to be but something much more sinister.

Truer words have rarely been spoken, especially when it comes to the specialized sector that is motoring journalism. It won’t make you rich* but, on the other hand, you’ve turned your hobby into a job and that job does come with certain perks.

First and foremost, you get to drive nearly every new car and that includes some of the best. You also visit some amazing places, meet very interesting people and gain an insight about the inner workings of the automotive industry.

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Mazda and Fiat Sign Deal for New Alfa Romeo Spider, will be Made in Japan from 2015

Last May, the Fiat Group and Mazda revealed that they signed a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the joint development and production of a new roadster for the Alfa Romeo and Mazda brands.

Today, the two companies announced the signing of the Final Agreement, which stipulates that the Japanese carmaker will produce an open-top two-seater sports car at its Hiroshima plant from 2015.

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NAIAS 2013: Mazda6 Skyactiv-D Grand-Am Diesel-Powered Racer

When Audi wanted to showcase its TDI diesel technology, it chose to compete in the 2006 Le Mans 24-hour race with a diesel-powered prototype. It was a risky move, as the R10 TDI replaced the all-conquering gasoline-powered R8 that had five straight wins under its belt. The success of the R10, and later the R15, proved that Audi was right. Read more »

Unbreakable: These are the 10 Most Reliable Cars in the UK of the Last 15 Years

About a week ago, we posted a list of the 10 least reliable cars in the UK of the past 15 Years. This list was compiled by the Warranty Direct insurance company, which has been collecting data since 1997.

In the company’s own words, the 'Reliability Index' uses a “complex formula” that includes factors such as the number a car breaks down and its repair costs, for more than 450 models.

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Mazda Confirms UK Prices for Updated MX-5, Goes on Sale in December

The new model year versions of the Mazda MX-5 will hit dealerships in the in United Kingdom on 1 December, with on-road-prices (OTR) starting at £18,495 for the base 1.8-liter SE Roadster (soft-top) and topping out at £23,595 for the Roadster Coupe (retractable hardtop) PowerShift. Read more »

Mazda Launches Subtly Revamped MX-5 Roadster and Roadster Coupe in Europe [61 Photos]

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it; the MX-5, which is the world’s best-selling roadster, surely ain’t broke, but its third generation, code-named NC, has been in the market since 2005, so Mazda figured that a light facelift was in order.

The updated MX-5, which made its debut in September’s Paris Auto Show, goes on sale in Europe as of now. Available in both soft- and retractable hard-top versions named Roadster and Roadster Coupe respectively, it sports a more aggressively styled front bumper with a new grille and fog lamp bezels.

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New Mazda MX-5 Super25 Concept Designed as an Endurance Racer

You can never have too much of a good thing, so while Mazda never proceeded with last year's supercharged MX-5 Super20, the concept lives on in a slightly different form as the MX-5 Super25 that made its debut at the 2012 SEMA Show this week.

The Japanese carmaker tells us that the new study was "crafted with endurance racing in mind".

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BBR Launches New Supercharger Conversions for Mazda MX-5 Mk3 Increasing Output Up To 258HP

Mazda aficionados, especially those interested in tuning upgrades, are more than likely aware of BBR (Brodie Britain Racing), which has been tinkering MX-5 roadsters for quite some time now.

The UK-based company has added two new versions for the 2005-onwards MX-5s, aka Mk3/3.5, with 1.8- and 2.0-liter engines.

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Fiat and Mazda Partnership Could Blossom and Even Include SkyActiv Technologies

It’s been about four months since Fiat and Mazda announced that they would share the next generation’s MX-5/Miata platform. Each company would develop its own version of the rear-wheel drive roadster, using its own powertrains and distinctive design.

After the announcement, Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne said that he is open to discussions for a much deeper collaboration with the Hiroshima-based manufacturer, as his company “will continue to look at bilateral arrangements”.

Only a few days later, Fiat Chairman John Elkann said the Italian carmaker has no plans to buy a stake in Mazda during a shareholders meeting.

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Catfish Speedster is the Mazda MX-5 You Always Wanted to Have and It's Coming to SEMA

Bauer Limited Production is a new company formed by Cord Bauer’s Bauer Limited Production, Ron Hemphill’s Diversified Products, Tony Woodford’s AWR Racing and Dave Green’s DG Motorsports, with the purpose of using their expertise to design and develop a custom sports car named the Catfish.

The donor vehicle that the Catfish is based on is none other than the Mazda MX-5, also known as Miata and Roadster (only 1st/NA and 2nd/NB generation models from 1989 to 2005 can be used for its construction). The Japanese carmaker's open top, two-seater model was chosen because of its perfect 50:50 weight distribution, simple and light yet effective construction and affordability.

Being on the Guinness Book of Records as the best-selling two-seat sports car ever means that there are many used and reasonably priced examples to choose from: the Miata / MX-5 that was used for the first Catfish prototype cost a mere US$800 (€610).

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Mazda Tuner BBR Announces “Super 180” Performance Upgrade for Third-Gen MX-5

Brodie Britain Racing, or BBR as it is commonly known, is a UK-based tuning company that specializes on Mazda models. Some of you may recall the 150HP turbocharged Mk1 (NA) MX-5/Miata, among them a special edition launched in celebration of the 787B winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1991.

More than two decades after the last rotary win in La Sarthe, the MX-5 is currently in its third generation (NC) and BBR is still producing tuning packages for the world’s best-selling two-seater car in history.

BBR has now announced a new, normally aspirated package for the third generation MX-5, which was produced from 2005 onwards.

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Next-Gen Mazda MX-5 Said to Offer More Personalization Options and a 1.3-liter Turbo

Following in the footsteps of the Fiat 500 and the infamously adorable Mini Cooper, Mazda is looking to get in on all the personalization quirkiness associated with premium cars for the next-generation of the MX-5.

In a recent interview with UK magazine What Car?, Mazda designer Akira Tamatani told of more upcoming available options for the newest roadster in order “to help a customer’s relationship with the car.”

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Mazda Debuts 320bhp MX-5 GT4 Racecar for Private Customers, Priced from £125,000

Everyone’s favorite little roadster, the Mazda MX-5, is now available with an all new race-spec model as a customer car for the base price of GBP 125,000 (€157,800 or US$198,300).

The MX-5 GT4 is the track only version of the standard MX-5. Developed in partnership with Jota Sport, the special edition pays homage to the overall success of the GT4 racer in the Avon Tyres British GT Championship.

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Track Test Duel: Scion FR-S vs. Hyundai Genesis Coupe 2.0T vs. Mazda MX-5

Not surprisingly, the more or less identical Subaru BRZ and Scion FR-S (marketed under the Toyota 86 or GT 86 nameplates outside North America) sports coupes are all the talk these days.

Adding to the many comparisons made by all sorts of online and print publications from all four corners of the world over the past few months is a new review by Jack Baruth from The Truth About Cars.

This time, it’s a track test duel between the 200hp Scion FR-S, the more potent but heavier 274hp Hyundai Genesis 2.0 Turbo and the less powerful but lighter 167hp Mazda MX-5.

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Monster Miata, the Makers of the V8-Powered MX-5, Revisited

In the latest episode of Automobile Magazine's "The Downshift", the crew revisits the Monster Miata tuning shop in San Marcos, California, and interviews the company's founder Martin Wilson.

In the video, Wilson talks about the past, the present and the future of the company that became famous for stuffing a Ford Mustang-sourced 5.0-liter V8 into the engine compartment of the Mazda MX-5 roadster (see another V8 powered Miata here).

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Watch the Mazda MX-5 Yusho Supercharged Concept at the Hockenheim-Ring

Proving that the MX-5 Yusho, which we first laid eyes on at the Auto Mobil International Show (AMI) in June, is much more than a static concept, Mazda presented the supercharged model at the 'Zoom-Zoom Xperience' test-drive event at the Hockenheim-Ring earlier this month.

A professional driver for the Japanese brand took participants for a spin in the MX-5 Yusho, which is named after the Japanese word for "Victory".

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Mazda Announces Refreshed 2013 MX-5 for European Market

Less than a week after the presentation of the 2013 model year MX-5 Roadster in Japan, Mazda has lifted the veils off the European model that will make its debut at the Paris Motor Show in September before going on sale later in the fall.

The European MX-5 in both soft-top and retractable hard-top guises sports more or less the same changes as its JDM sibling with the front of the roadster model adopting a more aggressive front bumper design that houses a reshaped front grille and fog-lamp surrounds.

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