In the company’s own words, the 'Reliability Index' uses a “complex formula” that includes factors such as the number a car breaks down and its repair costs, for more than 450 models.
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The updated MX-5, which made its debut in September’s Paris Auto Show, goes on sale in Europe as of now. Available in both soft- and retractable hard-top versions named Roadster and Roadster Coupe respectively, it sports a more aggressively styled front bumper with a new grille and fog lamp bezels.
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The UK-based company has added two new versions for the 2005-onwards MX-5s, aka Mk3/3.5, with 1.8- and 2.0-liter engines.
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After the announcement, Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne said that he is open to discussions for a much deeper collaboration with the Hiroshima-based manufacturer, as his company “will continue to look at bilateral arrangements”.
Only a few days later, Fiat Chairman John Elkann said the Italian carmaker has no plans to buy a stake in Mazda during a shareholders meeting.
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The donor vehicle that the Catfish is based on is none other than the Mazda MX-5, also known as Miata and Roadster (only 1st/NA and 2nd/NB generation models from 1989 to 2005 can be used for its construction). The Japanese carmaker's open top, two-seater model was chosen because of its perfect 50:50 weight distribution, simple and light yet effective construction and affordability.
Being on the Guinness Book of Records as the best-selling two-seat sports car ever means that there are many used and reasonably priced examples to choose from: the Miata / MX-5 that was used for the first Catfish prototype cost a mere US$800 (€610).
More than two decades after the last rotary win in La Sarthe, the MX-5 is currently in its third generation (NC) and BBR is still producing tuning packages for the world’s best-selling two-seater car in history.
BBR has now announced a new, normally aspirated package for the third generation MX-5, which was produced from 2005 onwards.
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In a recent interview with UK magazine What Car?, Mazda designer Akira Tamatani told of more upcoming available options for the newest roadster in order “to help a customer’s relationship with the car.”
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The MX-5 GT4 is the track only version of the standard MX-5. Developed in partnership with Jota Sport, the special edition pays homage to the overall success of the GT4 racer in the Avon Tyres British GT Championship.
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Adding to the many comparisons made by all sorts of online and print publications from all four corners of the world over the past few months is a new review by Jack Baruth from The Truth About Cars.
This time, it’s a track test duel between the 200hp Scion FR-S, the more potent but heavier 274hp Hyundai Genesis 2.0 Turbo and the less powerful but lighter 167hp Mazda MX-5.
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In the video, Wilson talks about the past, the present and the future of the company that became famous for stuffing a Ford Mustang-sourced 5.0-liter V8 into the engine compartment of the Mazda MX-5 roadster (see another V8 powered Miata here).
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A professional driver for the Japanese brand took participants for a spin in the MX-5 Yusho, which is named after the Japanese word for "Victory".
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The European MX-5 in both soft-top and retractable hard-top guises sports more or less the same changes as its JDM sibling with the front of the roadster model adopting a more aggressive front bumper design that houses a reshaped front grille and fog-lamp surrounds.
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We suspect that if not all, most of the changes on the JDM model will be applied on the international market versions before the end of the year.
The second facelift for the third-generation MX-5 since its debut in 2005 brings a redesigned face with a new bumper sporting a larger front grille opening with a more curved upper part, new front fog lamp housings, a front chin spoiler plus black headlamp bezels for the soft-top and chrome bezels for the hard-top model.
In addition, the refreshed roadster model gains a pedestrian protection system in the guise of an Active Bonnet, which raises the rear end of the hood in the event of an accident to absorb the energy of impact and reduce the severity of head injuries in collisions involving pedestrians.
Already on the market since 2005 having received a mild makeover in 2008, Mazda now wants to give the MX-5 NC another extension to life with a second facelift, which has been revealed through a leaked Japanese brochure that made its way online.
The photo scans from the JDM brochure show that the MX-5 with the codename NC3 gains a newly designed front bumper sporting a five-point grille with a more curved upper part and re-shaped fog-lamp surrounds, plus black bezels for the headlamps.
The new concept model has been inspired by Mazda’s MX-5 GT race programme with the automaker stating that its debut at Goodwood is "to test customer reaction to a high performance version of the iconic sportscar."
Built by race specialists Jota Sport, the MX-5 GT is based on the hardtop Roadster Coupe model with its styling partially resembling the MX-5 Super20 displayed at last year's SEMA show in Las Vegas.
It is finished in a deep orange hue with contrasting black details including the hard top, wheel arches, mirrors and the lower sections of the car.
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Mazda surprised show-goers with a far more intriguing proposal in the form of the MX-5 Yusho prototype, named after the Japanese word for "Victory".
The matte white paint together with the 17-inch anthracite gray alloy wheels wrapped around in semi-slick Toyo Proxes R888 tires size 215/45 R17, lowered suspension, boot lid spoiler and the carbon-fiber rear diffuser housing the centrally mounted twin tailpipes tell only part of the story.
The real magic occurs under the bonnet with the heavily fettled 2.0-liter MZR four cylinder petrol engine gaining a supercharger system, an intercooler, special Cosworth pistons and connecting rods, a custom exhaust system and reprogrammed software.
The new MX-5 Senshu was revealed at the at the 2012 Auto Mobil International show (AMI) in Leipzig, Germany. The special edition model gets its name from a Japanese word meaning "player", according to Mazda.
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