Mazda MX-5: 25th Anniversary Edition

The only reason we have reached such a landmark is thanks to the MX-5 fans around the world that have enjoyed every day with this car. This long history means both customers and Mazda, as drivers and manufacturer, have shared a passion for the lightweight sports car and nurtured the dream together for a quarter-century. It is to these fans, the true stars of this 25-year love story between cars and people, that Mazda dedicate the MX-5 25th Anniversary Edition.

This anniversary model was created to express our sincere gratitude to the millions of MX-5 enthusiasts around the world, and as such Mazda spared no effort in creating the very best MX-5 yet, the culmination of everything we have learnt about open-top lightweight sports cars over the past 25 years.

Lightweight engine parts selected for balance

The anniversary edition’s most special feature – even more remarkable since it cannot be seen – is the detail in the engine. Meticulous attention was paid to the weight and balance of the engine’s moving parts. Needless to say components such as the pistons, connecting rods and flywheel are preferably lightweight with low inertia, and the original tolerance of these components is set extremely fine. But even within these fine tolerances the engineers selected the best of the best, choosing only the lightest, best balanced parts for inclusion in the engine. The result is an engine that revs even more freely, delivering extraordinary response and acceleration as well as a deeply satisfying engine note.

Distinctive colour combination

Distinctive colour combination of Soul Red Premium Metallic and Brilliant Black Soul Red Metallic was specially adopted as the body colour for the MX-5 25th Anniversary Edition. To date, this colour has only been used for the Mazda6 mid-size sedan, CX-5 compact SUV and Mazda3 compact car and it is a colour that symbolizes Mazda’s passion in the pursuit of driving pleasure. To create a striking colour contrast, the A pillars are first painted in Brilliant Black and then masked by hand before the body paint is applied. This is just one example of the passion and attention to detail that Mazda has devoted to this special 25th anniversary model.

Hand-crafted attention to detail

The instrument panel has a specially-made decoration panel that features delicate, hand painted Piano Black gradation on a red base. Because this finish is hand-crafted, the texture of the panel varies slightly from vehicle to vehicle. In addition, throughout the cockpit a variety of special items such as off-white leather seats that contrast with the Soul Red body colour and red top-stitching celebrate the 25th anniversary.

2015 MX-5 25th

Anniversary Edition’s special features:

• Pistons, connecting

rods and flywheel which are carefully selected for the best balance

• Soul Red Metallic body colour

• Brilliant Black roof, A-pillars, seatback bar garnish, door mirrors

• Black front combination lamp bezels

• 25th anniversary badge (with serial number)

• Off-white leather seats and door trim (with 25th anniversary logo and contrast red stitching).

• Piano Black steering wheel spokes

• Genuine leather steering wheel cover, manual transmission shift lever boot, parking brake lever handle and armrests which make effective use of contrast red stitching

• Hand-painted red decoration panel

• Stainless steel scuff plate (with 25th anniversary logo)

• Satin-chrome finished louver rings, meter rings and inner door handles

• Aluminum pedals

• Bridgestone® Potenza RE05A 205/45R17 84W tires and 17-inch Dark Gunmetal aluminum alloy wheels

• Bilstein dampers (manual-transmission model only)

Out of the one thousand MX-5 25th Anniversary Edition units produced, four were allocated to South Africa and these found home with four loyal Mazda owners.

Innovate in order to preserve The New York International Auto Show 2014 was the world premiere of the next-generation Mazda MX-5’s bare chassis. Although it is still in the development stage, this chassis with its front midship-engine layout and rear-wheel-drive configuration shows the direction of the new model. The principals of keeping of the vehicle lightweight, 50:50 front-rear weight distribution and low yaw inertia moment stay the same, but there is plenty that Mazda is planning to change.

Times have changed drastically during the MX-5’s 25-year history. Each successive model of the past three generations has seen slight increases in size and weight in response to social requirements as people’s awareness of safety and the environment increase. But today, demands for safety and environmental performance are exponentially higher. However, Mazda firmly believes that even while meeting these demands, the fun of being one with the car—the exhilaration felt by any driver on any kind of road, which to Mazda is the fundamental attribute of the lightweight sports car—must be maintained. To do this, Mazda considers it essential to realize a different kind of innovation that goes way beyond mere product refinement. This is clearly summed up by the maxim that indicates the direction of the next model— Innovate in order to preserve.

It goes without say that incorporating SKYACTIV Technology was essential to meet stringent environmental and safety performance requirements while keeping the model lightweight. But beyond simple technological enhancements, Mazda also aimed to further increase the car’s appeal to human sensitivity – to realize the ultimate in Jinba Ittai exhilaration and satisfaction.

The coming model is entirely all new and incorporates all the latest advancements in Mazda’s SKYACTIV Technology. The bare chassis on display showed that while realizing the most compact configuration of any generation of the MX-5, the engine is located closer to the vehicle’s center and the vehicle’s center of gravity is lower than that of any generation to date. In addition, the development team has set a goal of reducing weight by more than 100kg while still achieving the highest standards of body rigidity and collision safety performance.

Yet while the technology changes and progresses, Mazda has an unwavering determination to keep the MX-5 faithful to its roots—to offer the driver the unrivalled pleasure of feeling completely at one with the car. To achieve this with the new SKYACTIV-CHASSIS, engineers are painstakingly researching the optimum position for the driver as one of the development goals of ‘Innovate in order to preserve.’ In this way Mazda is aiming to further evolve its signature Jinba Ittai driving experience and surpass the car’s heritage. One look at the bare chassis fires the mind’s eye to imagine what the new MX-5 will be like, as well as anticipate the extraordinary driving pleasure and ‘lots of fun’ this new lightweight sports car will bring into the owner’s life.