Quite fitting for Las Vegas, where the SEMA show is held, Mazda have stripped out the MX-5 to create two wonderfully desirable concept cars. The MX-5 was one of the most fun cars I’ve ever driven, you can read the review here. What Mazda has done only makes me want to drive these even more.

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First up is the MX-5 Spyder. Because the folding soft top has been ditched in favour for a “bikini-top” cover, the Spyder weighs 13kg less (now 1043kg) than the standard 2.0-litre MX-5. The rear deck and shiny silver paint are also unique to the Spyder. It also features 17-inch wheels and some of the exterior trim is finished in carbon fibre. The Spyder is a more traditional take on the roadster recipe, there’s hand-stitched leather inside.

The Speedster is the more extreme of the two. Weight saving is the dish of the day here with the 113kg removed from the standard car. Most notable is the absence of a windscreen. In its place is a subtle wind deflector to save the drive from getting the same Jeremy-Clarkson-in-an-Ariel-Atom look. Other weight saving measures include carbon fibre doors and seats.

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More than just weight saving, the Speedster has a more focused set up than the Spyder. It sits on 16-inch Rays alloys, there’s a central exhaust by Racing Beat, and the adjustable suspension is 30mm lower than standard.

You’ll also notice the Speedster is finished in, to my eyes, a beautiful shade of blue. The Speedster profile wouldn’t be complete without distinctive buttresses and the Speedster’s are ‘at one’ with the roll over hoops. There’s no roof for the Speedster, not even a temporary one. Some might see this as a roofless, windscreen-less MX-5 but all I can see is a mini-SLR Stirling Moss.

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In keeping with SEMA rules, the concept cars were made with aftermarket and conceptual parts. There’s no indication on whether Mazda will produce either one of them but we can hope and beg we’ll see a MX-5 Speedster limited run near the end of its life cycle. Fingers crossed.

Concepts like these, as well as the RX-Concept we saw at the Tokyo Motor Show, show the amount of fun Mazda’s engineers and designers have. Mazda are quickly becoming one of my favourite manufacturers at the moment.

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Ken Saito
Words cannot begin to describe how much I love cars but it's worth a try. Grew up obsessed with them and want to pursue a career writing about them. Anything from small city cars to the most exotic of supercars will catch my attention.

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