A freshened MX-5 Miata for 2009 was announced this week at the Paris show. This is the same basic car as has been on the market for the past 4 years, with minor improvements and a new nose and tail. A notable improvement is the Recaro seat option - which hopefully will make it to North America (Federal regulations permitting). The rest of the changes fall under the heading of "continuous improvement" in the best Japanese tradition.
However - the Miata still doesn't have a real engine: while the manual transmission version finally receives a forged crankshaft this year (yikes, imagine that!>, the engine still doesn't make any real power. And Mazda's recent excuse as to why the 2.3 Turbo engine (the location of the high-pressure pump for the direct injection system would need to be moved) won't be offered is a really lousy lie. It won't be offered because it would then put the RX-8 in the grave, and they can't have that with the flagship. Especially with yet another new oil burner revised rotary engine coming in a couple of years (does anybody really care?). So the Miata will stay as it is: a great chassis... with a ho-hum engine.
Mazda Press Release follows:
1
The Freshened Mazda MX-5
The facelift MX-5 embodies the purest form of Zoom-Zoom. With evolved sensory
qualities, it continues to deliver the unchanging value of "Jinba-Ittai"despite the
changing world. Marking its 20th anniversary next year, the new MX-5 offers a "lots of
fun" driving experience underpinned by the untiring passion of Mazda’s engineers
since 1989.
Updates at a Glance
Newly evolved look that’s functional and instantly recognizable, as Mazda, and as MX-5
•
Exterior styling with greater dynamism & athleticism, which contributes to superior aerodynamics
•
Strongly emphasized a premium identity in the look and feel of the Roadster Coupe
More enhanced “Fun” to enable the driver to enjoy the full potential of the engine performance
•
500 rpm higher rev limit and the raised engine speed at max power
•
Introduced a forged crankshaft, fully floating pistons and newly designed valve springs
•
Sportier engine sound that responds more crisply to accelerator inputs
•
Surge tank rigidity optimization, new forged crankshaft and ISE , Induction Sound Enhancer (for 6MT)
Smoother shifting feel with brisk and high-quality steering feel
•
With 6MT, the meshing surfaces of the 1st–4th triple-cone synchronizers are now
carbon coated, and the 3rd–4th synchronizer diameter has been increased.
•
Linear & sporty 6AT that’s newly available for Europe incorporates two new control
technologies, Direct Activematic (DAM) and Active Adaptive Shift (AAS).
•
A lower front roll centre and retuned suspension make the car’s response to steering
inputs more linear and enable the driver to precisely trace desired lines. The yaw and
roll also feel more natural, producing a higher-quality ride
2
Improved quietness
•
Roadster Coupe cockpit road noise with the roof closed is 2.1dB lower than before.
Improvements include urethane filling in the front suspension member and damping
material in the front roof section.
•
Quietness is further promoted in the Roadster Coupe and soft-top version by stiffer
door modules and by newly added reinforcements on the No. 2 crossmember.
Real driving enthusiasts appreciate a wide variety of performance cars.. .so I'll take a break my my near-constant streeam of Camaro and Mustang news this week to relay you to the JDM Insider site for a report on the Cosworth supercharging kit for the Miata (er, MX-5). It's nearly ready for sale and with 210 horses at the rear wheels it promises to transform the otherwise slow Miata into a real performance car. With excellent handling already built into the Miata, and with additional handling upgrades readily available, this kit looks to be the finishing touch to a very capable car. With the top down, this could be almost as much fun to drive as an S2000 - but with far more torque. And the weight of the new folding-metal hardtop option would be easily offset by all this newfound torque. Hmmm.......
Big question: will an engine-driven supercharger on a high compression naturally-aspirated engine utilizing air-to-water intercooling stay cool enough for track days in extreme climates such as Texas? Most cars with this type of add-on equipment don't... so lot's more data is needed.
Best Motorings are one of the greatest aspects of the hobby for Japanese car enthusiasts, but also one of the most frustrating. Why? Because it's been almost impossible to get original copies of them, and even harder to get them when they come out in Japan.
In case you're not familiar with Best Motoring, it's a monthly Japanese "car magazine" - in video form. The emphasis is on performance cars. There is usually a "battle" comparing several cars on a roadrace track. There is also testing on winding roads, on the Touge course, with drifting, and on occasion special tests such as a notable 0-300 KPH test. All the latest Japanese performance cars are tested, and occasionally they are tested against similar performance cars from Europe and North America. There is extensive in-car multiple-camera video and analysis; it's very clear which cars work better and why.
It comes in DVD form only, and that's one problem: it's region code is not compatible with 99.9%of DVD players sold in North America. DVDs worldwide are not all compatible, each geographic region has it's own "region code" and players sold in those regions can only play DVDs of the same region. So, if you want to play a DVD from Japan, you need to buy a region-free DVD player. That's not hard to do, nor is it expensive: you can get one from JList.com here in the United States. By coincidence, I bought a $30 dollar DVD player in my local food store that was unlocked. You can also find sites on the web showing how to unlock some models of players.
The drivers speak in Japanese, most of the text is in Japanese, but the performance numbers and most of the specs are all in English. Have patience and you'll learn a lot about your favorite cars.l
I've made it easier for my readers to get the real Best Motorings, as well as other videos such as Option and Hot Version as well as a large selection of Japanese magazines and books. Look at the top of my site for an Amazon store button and follow the link:
See my links for the items relevant to your particular area of interest
Read my special "how to" section about how to order on the Japanese website of Amazon (with screen-by-screen examples)
Follow the links to order.
Amazon makes it easy for you by handling the transaction - ordering is the same process as it is with any other Amazon site in the world.
Start your collection today! In my collection, I've got over 40 Best Motorings going back 10 years, as well as a large sampling of Option, Hot Version, and a number of special edition videos. My first Best Motoring was from 1998, which featured a 0-300 KPH battle of several tuner cars including Supras and GT-Rs. It was won by an 800-HP GT-R. Needless to say, I was hooked.
Speaking of the Monster Miata, here's another view of an authentic Monster with the Ford diff added.
If you are buying a Monster, having this part is the sure way to get both durability and a reasonable RPM. The original Miata or RX-7 gears are in the 4:1 range, and that kind of gearing with the Ford T-5 (whether it's 3.27 or 2.95 first) is silly.
The diff is available in 7.5 or 8.8" size, aluminum or iron casing, and with or without a limited slip. The variations occur depending on donor car: SVT Mustang Cobra (IRS), Lincoln Mark-VIII, Cougar, or Thunderbird.
It's also available in aluminum 3.783:1 8.8" form brand new from the Ford racing parts catalog.
Here's a variation on the same theme: a V-8 Miata with a Z3-knockoff body. This car is on eBay right now... follow the link above.
It's in the same vein as a Monster Miata, but is not an authentic Monster. It was converted in the same way, then a custom one-off Z3-type body was added. The result is as you see below.
The good news is that it appears to be well built (I'd want to look at the fiberglass attachment points). It's also got the all-important Ford 8.8 IRS differential ( http://www.drivingenthusiast.net/sec-blog/2007/10/20.html#a2237 ), although IMHO the 3.73 gears are ridiculous. The bad news is that the tires are tiny... when they came up with the fiberglass body why didn't they add some room for appropriate-width tires? And don't even mention brakes.
In any case, this is unique and would make a fun ride. And while BMW's original Z3 ugly duckling was originally as slow as a stone, this one certainly is not.
![A picture named 7fdd1b1df73e4380e23efce54f5f23f13c511edd[1].jpg](http://www.drivingenthusiast.net/sec-blog/images/2008/07/23/7fdd1b1df73e4380e23efce54f5f23f13c511edd[1].jpg)
Spotted in California near the Mazda Design headquarters.
Best Motorings are one of the greatest aspects of the hobby for Japanese car enthusiasts, but also one of the most frustrating. Why? Because it's been almost impossible to get original copies of them, and even harder to get them when they come out in Japan.
