84 Mazda Rx7 Gls Low Miles Very Clean Rotary Eng Leather Manual Trans New Tires on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Mazda6 GX Grand-Am racer goes where no diesel sedan has gone before

There has never been a four-door diesel sedan in the Grand-Am series, until now: The blunt, bewinged grille of the Mazda6 GX has blown right through that wall. It's said that racing improves the breed, but usually the breed has gone on sale when the racing begins. One of the unusual aspects of the Mazda6 GX, on the other hand, is that while the diesel won't go on sale to the public until later this year, it will already have tasted racing blood by the end of the day. That kind of reversal is more likely found with super coupes like the Lexus LFA and Honda NSX.
Mazda has taken class wins at Daytona's 24-hour race a whopping 23 times since 1975, most recently in 2010 with the RX-8 in the GT class. This year the Hiroshima company decided to show off its SkyActiv technology, then turned things up to eleven by opting for its SkyActiv-D instead of the more conventional SkyActiv-G gas engine to run in the new GX class. It will be joined by competitors like the Lotus Evora and Porsche Cayman in the class, nevertheless, at 2.4 liters, it's the smallest engine on the grid.
Time has not been a friend, either - Mazda said that the first five SkyActiv-D engines off the production line went to Speed Source in Coral Springs, Florida, the company that preps Mazda's race vehicles. Still, race driver Jonathan Baumarito on the #70 car said that although the engine's been on the dyno since February of last year, it's only been in the car for about a month and there have been only a couple of test days.

eBay Find of the Day: 1990 Mazda Miata with just 27 original miles

Some cars have low mileage, and others have close to no miles at all. This 1990 Mazda Miata, currently listed on eBay Motors and located in Kingman, Arizona, falls into the latter category with only 27 miles on the odometer, according to the seller. But we have to wonder: how did one of the best-driving, most influential sports cars of the past two decades sit without being driven for 24 years? Consider it the seller's loss on this one.
The seller says he bought the car with 20 miles on it, and explains 6.9 miles were added when the car was towed home on a car dolly. It was never registered. Furthermore, the seller says the car didn't come with a set of keys, so he had to have a set made. Though the paint is clean and shiny, the Miata didn't escape minor cosmetic damage over the years, with scratches on the hood, the trunk and the factory hardtop that is included with the car. The front, right fender has a small dent as well, which can be seen in a picture. The seller says the car was stored in a building with windows, so the paint is faded a bit in some places. It's missing its antenna and the battery, and the only non-original parts on the car are the windshield wipers. The clear-title car comes with all paperwork, according to the seller, but, besides the owners manual, he didn't specify what other documentation would be included.
With bidding currently at $10,300 and the reserve not met, this Miata definitely isn't the deal of the century, and we have to question where the value is in this one. The way we see it, it's hard to justify the money if it can't be driven as-is (come on, no battery?), has questionable history, isn't rare and sat in storage for its whole existence. The "weather cracked" tires are probably just the first rubber parts on the car that need to be replaced before it can be driven, but at least the spark plugs were removed and the cylinders were filled with Marvel Mystery Oil prior to storage, which helps to prevent rust and corrosion from forming in the engine.

Fiat version of Mazda MX-5 Miata to be called 124 Spider

Fiat has a definite use for its recent US trademark on the 124 Spider name, and it's something that should make many performance fans quite happy. FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne confirmed to Auto Express that the Italian brand's future roadster would bear the classic name. Auto Express reportedly asked Marchionne directly about the convertible at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show. The CEO said: "Do we want to do it now?" After another executive verified the name, Marchionne responded: "There you go – a world class premiere right in this room!" Autoblog reached out to Fiat Brand communications boss in the US Ariel Gavilan for more information, and he verified the story. Gavilan said that brand head Olivier Francois confirmed the 124 Spider name to international media during a briefing in Geneva. FCA isn't going quite so far as officially confirming that the 124 Spider shares a platform with the latest Mazda MX-5 Miata, but that's almost a certainty. The two automakers jointly developed the chassis, and the original plan was for it to underpin an Alfa Romeo. However, Marchionne didn't want an Alfa assembled outside of Italy. Fiat even hinted at this possible change as far back as the corporation's five-year plan last summer. Insiders tell Auto Express that the 124 Spider reportedly carries retro-inspired style, and hopefully, that means the roadster evokes the look of the original 124 Sport Spider (pictured above) by Pininfarina. Fiat allegedly is also aiming for a weight less than 2,205 pounds, and the engine range is likely comprised of versions of the brand's 1.4-liter turbo. The mill already pumps out 160 horsepower and 183 pound-feet of torque in the Fiat 500 Abarth in the US. According to Auto Express, Fiat and Mazda have an agreement to launch the Miata in 2015 and the 124 Spider in 2016. A hotter Abarth version could come along eventually, too. Related Video: