Mazda MX-5 Speedster and Spyder concepts unveiled ahead of SEMA debut



SEMA is currently abuzz with hype as all the titans of the industry descent upon the sandy desert plains of Vegas. This year, Mazda has decided to bring out a couple of really snazzy party tricks in the form of the MX-5. SEMA is typically the one place on the planet where imaginations run wild and free when it comes to customisation. Mazda couldn’t just show up at the world’s largest specialty automotive product and tuning trade show with a couple of store-bought Miatas, could they?

As we’ve seen from the BMW stands, lightweight seems to be all the rage right now and Mazda jumped onto the bandwagon with a couple of lightweight concepts that, if we’re completely honest, haven’t yet stopped drooling over. The concepts we see here are in two guises – a Speedster and Spyder.2015-Mazda-MX5-Concepts-SEMA-Las-Vegas-6

The engineers sought inspiration from classic vintage roadsters for the Spyder concept that features a bikini-type rag top holstered in place by a carbon fibre aero kit and a Mercury Silver exterior finish. The lightweight theme keeps on going with a set of lightweight 17-inch Yokohama ADVAN Racing RS II wheels. The interior and trimming is decked out in Spinneybeck PRIMA natural hide. The result of all this weight saving brings the car’s kerb weight down to just 1,043 kg. If you think that’s featherweight, you’ve yet to clap eyes with the Speedster.

We’ve all heard of the term ‘Chop-top‘ but we’ve an uncanny suspicion that Mazda may have take the term way too seriously with the Speedster. Say what you will, but the bottom-line is that the Speedster is simply drop-dead-gorgeous. The concept does away with a windscreen and in its place is a deflector for an ol-school wind-in-the-hair sports car experience. Mazda took its weight-cutting passion to extremes with carbon fibre doors and seats as well as custom 16-inch RAYS 57 Extreme Gram Lights wheels.2015-Mazda-MX5-Concepts-SEMA-Las-Vegas-1

The Speedster tips the scales at only 943kg, and is also 30mm lower than the production MX-5 thanks to an adjustable coilover suspension. Powering the Speedster is the same mill in the bikini-top concept which makes for a brilliant power-to-weight ratio. That being said, these two Mazda MX-5s are in a class of their on, one that even Floyd Mayweather Jr. would find hard to contend with.


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