Car companies tend to like to make a big, official production of new vehicles, whether concepts or production models. But Mazda has always been known to do things a little differently, and the way it’s previewing its concepts for the SEMA show is no exception. Instead of issuing an official press release on its SEMA concepts, Mazda decided to preview its upcoming MX-5 Spyder and turbocharged 2 hatchback concepts through its Flickr page.
We have no solid, verified information on the tech specs of either model, although the caption underneath the Turbo2 concept simply states: “One of our most powerful turbocharged engines in our lightest platform. Nuff said!” Hmm…Could it be the Zoom-Zoom engineers somehow shoehorned the Mazdaspeed 3′s engine into the 2′s tiny engine compartment? Guess we’ll have to wait and see…
The Spyder, as you can see, appears to be an MX-5 lowered, and with what looks like a stretched canvas top over a stylized tonneau cover — much like the roof treatment used on the Porsche Boxster Spyder. Larger, performance-oriented brakes round out the changes we can gather from the exterior.
Few firm details have been released, but as they are, we’ll post the latest information here at Automobile Magazine.
**UPDATE**
We have now received more information about Mazda’s SEMA cars we weren’t privy to yesterday. Mazda confirmed our hunch that the Turbo2 indeed has the Mazdaspeed 3′s engine under the hood. For suspension upgrades, it gets an H&R coilover kit, along with Corksport sway bars. Wheels and tires are 17-inch OZ Racing rims wrapped in Yokohama Neova 215/40-17 tires. The gauge display is an AIM Pista MXL. The front brakes are upgraded with 13-inch Brembos custom-made for the car. Not unheard-of for a show car, the rears are, disappointingly, the stock drums.
The interior features Katzkin black and perforated yellow leather inserts, with yellow piping. Starwest provided the custom floormats.
The Spyder concept gets a Stratosphere White tri-coat paint job, and a custom convertible top developed in conjunction with Magna Car Top Systems of America, featuring Haartz Grenadine material.
Mechanical changes are not as extensive as the Turbo2, but still consist of some tasty hardware, including 17×8 Yokohama Advan RS wheels, with Yokohama AO48 225/45-17 tires. The suspension is beefed up with a Mazdaspeed coilover kit, and the front brakes are high-performance Brembos. The engine upgrades include a Racing Beat header, intake, and muffler. Mazda notes the concept is running on BP Iso-Butanol fuel. The stock lead-acid battery has been replaced with an ultra-compact and lightweight lithium-ion unit from Braille battery.
Source: Mazda
