1988 Mazda Rx-7 Convertible One Owner 24961 Miles Documented Loaded Leather Ac on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Buy a Fiat 124 Spider Abarth, get a free day of driving school

We know the Mazda MX-5 Miata and the Fiat 124 Spider are basically the same car underneath. As we pointed out in our first drive of the 124 Spider, the two cater to different drivers, so it can be tough to choose a favorite. FCA has made deciding between the two sports cars a little harder, as it will offer Abarth owners a free day of high-performance driving instruction with their cars. Anyone buying or leasing a new Fiat 124 Spider Abarth or a Fiat 500 Abarth will get a free, one-day class at the Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving in Phoenix. Bundling driving school with brand-new performance cars isn't unheard of – Dodge and Bondurant recently announced a similar program for the Viper – but it is quite rare for vehicles priced below $30,000. The free session will include instructor-led skid, autocross, slalom, and team rally cross activities, in addition to hot laps. While the one-day course is included for free, travel, food, and hotel expenses aren't covered. Fiat-less people can also join in on the fun buy purchasing the Abarth experience separately. Bondurant one-day classes cost at least a grand, which makes the Fiat price of $0 a good deal as long as you can get yourself there relatively cheaply. But is this enough for drivers to choose the 124 Spider Abarth over an MX-5 Club? This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Related Video: Featured Gallery Bob Bondurant Fiat 124 Spider Abarth Related Gallery 2017 Fiat 124 Spider: First Drive View 30 Photos News Source: FCAImage Credit: FCA Fiat Mazda Convertible Performance fiat 124 spider abarth

Mazdaspeed3 concept tipped for Frankfurt debut

The last quarter of 2015 could be a big one for Mazda as a report has emerged from Australia claiming that the company will come to the Frankfurt Motor Show in September with a near-production concept of the third-generation Mazdaspeed3, while a second-generation CX-9 will be shown a few months later in Los Angeles. Motoring.com.au ran the initial report, and although the news seems plausible, the outlet doesn't provide sources for either piece of news. Likewise, our friends at Mazda USA refused to comment on "speculation." Speculation it may be, but it's surely tantalizing considering the recent popularity of both the hot hatch and three-row crossover segments. According to the Aussies, the concept Speed3 will quickly evolve into a production model, which will launch alongside a mid-cycle refresh for the current 3. A turbocharged 2.5-liter will spit out 295 horsepower, and could have all-wheel drive. Even if only the front axle is doing the work, the MS3 will easily be able to stand toe-to-toe with hotter half of the segment based on output alone. As for the more mundane offerings, Motoring reports the long-in-the-tooth CX-9 will get a replacement in LA, although it doesn't offer much in the way of details beyond that. It should be interesting to see how the company's Skyactiv philosophy will be implemented on such a large vehicle. Perhaps the biggest surprise from the Australian report, though, are the outlet's reports on the CX-7, which will return sporting a third row of seats after its larger sibling debuts. That'd give Mazda a versatile lineup of four crossovers, with the sub-compact CX-3, the compact CX-5, the midsize, seven-passenger CX-7 and the fullsize CX-9. As we weren't able to confirm any of this with Mazda, we'd still warn that this news should be ingested with grains of salt. Still, it looks like the company could be set to make some waves in the first two shows of the upcoming auto show season.

Road & Track to take Miata on million-mile march

Road & Track has taken on a Miata project. One hell of a project, if we're honest. You see, the Miata in question, a 1989 example in Mariner Blue, isn't a high-mileage Mazda that the publication intends to fix up, or make race-worthy, or try to flip or give away to a reader or something. No, it's a rather typical well-used NA, with a hefty 325,000 miles on the clock to-date that the staff plans on driving until the six-digit odo reads all zeros again. One million miles or bust (or both, most likely).
Procured for the bargain-basement price of $1,600, complete with seat covers that "really do look like muppet pelts" (according to Zach Bowman) and a bondo-filled love tap on the nose, the NA Miata actually looks like just the sort of fun-machine that a real driving enthusiast would pick up to get some cheap thrills in. The R&T team already has some interesting plans for the Miata, including a potential run up Pikes Peak and loaning it out to readers (or perhaps your author...). Click through to read all about it.