“Simplify, then add lightness” was the guiding principle set forth by Lotus founder Colin Chapman, and his company has (mostly) adhered to that philosophy ever since. But 21-years-ago, Mazda took a page from Chapman’s book when it introduced the first MX-5 Miata. Here was lightweight, open-top sports car in the spirit of British roadsters from the 1960s and 1970s, except it had functional electronics and didn’t burn through all its oil in a week. It also happened to be incredibly fun to drive, even well below the national speed limit.
For the new ND MX-5 Miata, Mazda has rediscovered these values. At 2,332 pounds, the new Miata is over 100 pounds lighter than the car it replaces, but, crucially, that weight is equally distributed evenly between the front and rear axles — a fact that Mazda proves in the video, in which a Miata is wheeled onto a giant aluminum fulcrum and balanced perfectly. (Sure, a set of electronic wheel scales could have been used, but that wouldn’t have been nearly as impressive.)
The new Miata uses Mazda’s Kodo design language, which looks absolutely fantastic. A 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine sends 155 horsepower and 148 pound-feet of torque to the rear wheels. It should be showing up on dealer lots any day now, and pricing starts at $24,915. We’ll hopefully be getting behind the wheel soon for a full test.
2016 Mazda MX-5 Has A Perfect 50/50 Weight Ratio: Video originally appeared on topspeed.com on Friday, 29 May 2015 15:00 EST.
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