To commemorate the 25th anniversary of the introduction of the MX-5 at the Chicago Auto Show Mazda will today (April 16) unveil a special edition at the New York International Auto Show. Imaginatively called the Mazda MX-5 25th Anniversary Edition, the special edition is based upon the 2.0-litre 160hp Roadster Coupé model and is available with either six-speed manual or automatic transmissions.
Painted exclusively in Soul Red Metallic (the same shade used on the Mazda6), the Anniversary model also gets a Brilliant Black painted roof, A-pillars and mirror caps. Off-white leather is used inside for both the seats and the door trim while the dashboard is finished in Piano Black decorative trim. Seventeen-inch Dark Gunmetal alloy wheels are included as standard, as too are uprated Bilstein dampers.
Anything else?
In addition to the anniversary model Mazda will also bring a new SkyActiv chassis to New York. This is not just any SkyActiv chassis though; it is the one that will underpin the next generation MX-5. Displayed with its engine in place (though no information on that unit has yet been revealed) the new chassis is more compact than before and over 100kg lighter than that of the current MX-5.
Mazda says that due to its size, engineers have been able to shift the engine closer to the middle of the car, meaning a front-mid configuration. The centre of gravity is also said to be lower than in any previous MX-5, which can only mean good things for how it drives.