There’s something wonderful about taking car and distilling it down to the very essence of what makes it great to begin with. Do that to a Cadillac Seville, you get a velour sofa. Do it to a GT-R, you get a robot with rocket boots. Do it to the new Miata, and you get this: the Miata Club Edition.
Here’s what Mazda has just told us the Club Edition will have:
The MX-5 Club heightens performance with trim-level exclusive:
17-inch gunmetal alloy wheels wrapped in 205/45R17 tires
Limited-slip differential when equipped with SKYACTIV-MT
Bilstein shocks when equipped with SKYACTIV-MT
Shock tower brace when equipped with SKYACTIV-MT Front air dam and rear lip spoilers
So, wheels, limited-slip diff, uprated suspension with tower brace — sounds pretty great. What else, press release?
Also available for the MX-5 Club is a package that equips the roadster with forged lightweight BBS 17-inch wheels, Brembo front brakes and functional aerodynamic side sill extensions and rear bumper skirt that were previewed at the Chicago Auto Show and on the MX-5 Global Cup race car.
Sure, stopping’s important, too, so that makes sense. How about a quote from someone important. Got one of those for me?
“MX-5 is the heart and soul of Mazda, serving as a beacon for the rest of our lineup with its fun-to-drive dynamics, design and technologies,” said Jim O’Sullivan, president and CEO, MNAO. “Jinba Ittai—oneness between driver and machine—defines the MX-5. It’s a philosophy that has led every decision we’ve made toward bringing the MX-5 back to the basics that made drivers fall in love with it 26 years ago when the first generation debuted.”
Great, great.
Okay, so, not really a huge surprise here — Mazda’s taken the MX-5 and given it some sensible performance parts to make it more fun and more suited to competitive driving. Power’s still at a very reasonable 155 HP — I think that seems just about right for the car, for most of us mortals.
Styling differences appear to be limited to the aero side still extensions and maybe the scale of your smile as you drive like a loon.
I am a bit disappointed there wasn’t some significant weight-loss program. In fact, I’d almost rather have seen some slightly over-dramatic and faintly absurd weight saving ploys like fabric door pulls or something over this list of electronic gadgets the Club has:
Standard equipment on MX-5 Club models includes MAZDA CONNECT™ infotainment system with a seven-inch color touchscreen display and multi-function commander control, HD and SiriusXM Satellite Radio, two USB ports, piano black side mirrors and seatback bars and a nine-speaker Bose audio system with headrest speakers.
... but I guess that’s part of having a track car you can use every day.
Pricing over the base Miata price of $24, 915 has not yet been announced.
Damn, this looks like a lot of fun.