2006 Mazda Mx-5 Miata on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Mazda RT24-P brings KODO style to the Rolex 24 at Daytona

In addition to its new CX-5 crossover, Mazda revealed its new racecar, the RT24-P, at the Los Angeles Auto Show. The car has been designed for the Daytona Prototype international (DPi) class in IMSA's WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and will make its racing debut at the Rolex 24 at Daytona. It was designed using Mazda's KODO design language, which the brand has so successfully applied to its road-going cars. The racer's relation to Mazda's production cars is made obvious by the small five-point grille at the tip of the RT24-P's nose. While plenty of credit needs to go to the stylists and aerodynamicists at Mazda and Multimatic, one of the companies Mazda partnered with on the car, some of the credit needs to go to IMSA's new DPi rules for 2017. The new DPi class is very similar to the LMP2 class that it competes with in the WeatherTech series, with some noteworthy differences. The DPi class allows manufacturers to create unique bodies and engine packages for one of the four chassis available. The LMP2 class requires competitors to use the chassis companies' bodies, and are restricted to one engine package. View 14 Photos As for the powertrain, the Mazda RT24-P uses a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder that puts out roughly 600 horsepower. Mazda used the same engine in its P2-class race car last season. Mazda's body and engine will ride atop a chassis developed by Riley Technologies and Multimatic. You may remember that latter company as the one that developed the awesome spool valve shocks on the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2. The RT24-P will be campaigned by Speedsource, a company that has been racing Mazdas in American endurance racing for years, including last year's P2 cars. Considering Mazda's success in making such a cool race car, we're excited to see what other manufacturers do with the extra design freedom of the DPi class. Both Chevrolet and Ford competed last year in the WeatherTech prototype class with Daytona Prototype-style cars, and Honda competed with an LMP-style racer. Depending on what other makes decide, this year's WeatherTech line-up could have some nifty designs. Related Video: Related Gallery 2017 Mazda RT24-P race car View 9 Photos News Source: Mazda, IMSAImage Credit: Live photos copyright 2016 Drew Phillips / Autoblog Motorsports LA Auto Show Mazda Racing Vehicles Videos Original Video 2016 LA Auto Show

First batch of 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miatas lands in US [w/video]

Have you been patiently awaiting the arrival of the all-new 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata? Then we're glad to report that your patience has paid off. In fact, even if you haven't been so patient, we're still glad to report that the wait is finally over, as the first batch of the new Japanese roadsters has arrived on American soil. The initial batch of several hundred MX-5s arrived at the port of San Diego from the factory in Hiroshima on board the Phoenix Leader, a 636-foot vehicle carrier ship registered in Panama and operated by Japanese shipping giant NYK Lines. The vehicles are currently being processed at the SoCal port, with deliveries to commence "in the next several weeks," according to Mazda in the brief statement below. The fourth-generation Miata, designated generation ND, mad its global debut at the Paris Motor Show, and its US debut at the LA Auto Show. Production commenced in Japan this past March. The new roadster arrives in US showrooms with a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine (the smaller 1.5 kept away from these shores), a six-speed manual (replacing the previous five-cogger), a folding soft roof (no retractable hard top this time), and a starting MSRP of $24,915 (plus an $820 destination charge). That, of course, is for the base Sport model, with higher-spec Club and Grand Touring trims also on offer. Along with the images above, you can watch footage of the vehicles driving off the ship in the video below. Might we recommend, however, muting the cheesy soundtrack and playing something more suitable over it instead. Neil Diamond's (Coming to) America ought to do the trick... today! This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Mazda Welcomes the First Shipment of All-New 2016 MX-5s Mazda North American Operations today welcomed the first shipment of the all-new 2016 MX-5s. They will begin their port processing procedures and deliveries will follow in the next several weeks. Featured Gallery 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata: US Arrival Mazda Convertible Performance mazda mx-5 san diego port

'Ringbanana' Miata is improbable 9-minute Nurburgring car

The combination of being inexpensive, capable, reliable, and friendly to all skill levels makes the Mazda Miata one of the world's most popular platforms for motorsports, but the roadsters aren't exactly rocketships. What would it take to lap a ratty, first-gen example around the Nurburgring Nordschleife in less than nine minutes? We're not exactly sure, but the Ringbanana team intends to discover the answer. The project is the type of thing that gets dreamed up after a few too many pilsners: buy the cheapest running Miata available and put as little money necessary into the roadster to make it capable around the 'Ring. As the Best-Motoring-inspired intro explains, the Mazda is largely stock other than some Fulda performance tires, possibly aftermarket springs, and a stripped interior. The video above shows the baseline test, and the convertible manages a 9:21.8 circuit, which doesn't seem too bad as a start. The video below goes into far more detail about the project's genesis and its goal. Plus, the two hosts are quite entertaining when replying to the comments from the original clip. We wish them the best of luck and look forward to following along on Facebook to see what it takes to get the Ringbanana below nine minutes. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.