Mazda MX-5 Superlight

Mazda have designed and built a special one-off show car to be exhibited at Frankfurt this week. Celebrating the heritage of the MX-5 roadster, the “MX-5 Superlight version is a pure, uncompromising two-seat sportscar designed to be affordable to just about anyone”.

Created at Mazda’s European R&D centre in Oberursel, the MX-5 Superlight is intended to strengthen the link between driver and car. This is accomplished by keeping the vehicle weight well below the 1000 kg threshold and taking full advantage of its open-top format.

The MX-5 Superlight does away with the windshield, retractable top and frame of its road going sibling, enabling the driver to experience their surroundings unhindered by the niceties of wind-protection. The designers have added new roll-over bars contributing to its looks and aerodynamic efficiency, whilst reducing turbulence around the heads of the passengers.

The MX-5’s aluminum bonnet is replaced by a sheet made of lightweight carbon fibre that is both lighter and longer than the original item making the passengers seem like they are sitting further back in the car.

The interior of the MX-5 lightweight is stripped of creature comforts but features racing bucket seats made of ultra-lightweight carbon fibre. Colour-coordinated four-point seat-belts hold the driver and passenger firmly in their seats. Like a race car, the MX-5 Superlight version has an ignition button in the centre of the dashboard, along with two emergency kill buttons for immediate fuel and electricity cut-off.

Apparently this show car is fully drivable, although there are no plans to produce it in ‘volume’ in the near future. Under the bonnet is the familiar 1.8-litre four-cylinder engine paired to a five-speed manual transmission, however an aluminum Mazdaspeed cold air intake is added together with sports exhaust to provide the Superlight with its own unique sound.

Four-piston, fixed-caliper brakes with perforated discs are fitted, which increase the MX-5’s track by 50mm. A specially tuned chassis with Bilstein coil-over suspension and Eibach roll-bars give the body of the MX-5 Superlight a ground clearance that’s 30 mm lower than the production MX-5 and more in keeping with it’s track-oriented nature.

Mazda insist that the Superlight is just a concept car which coincides with the MX-5’s 20th birthday this year, but we don’t suppose it would do any harm if you emailed Mazda and register your support for a proper production version.