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The car is said to get an even sportier chassis than the road-going version. Photo Gallery
The 20th anniversary of the Mazda MX-5 has thrown up something special as a celebration.
The Superlight is an extreme show machine which shows how much is left in the world's favourite sports car. The stripped down and funked-up MX-5 does without a roof, and any cabin luxuries, as it becomes a road racer well beyond the brief of the original design.
The Superlight concept comes as a complete surprise, even to the top man at Mazda Australia, and was not even built at MX-5 centre in Japan. Instead, it is the product of Mazda Europe and was created at the company's European design centre at Oberursel in Germany.
"I have to admit I knew nothing about it," says Doug Dickson, managing director of Mazda Australia. "But it looks like a fantastic little car. I'd have one in my driveway tomorrow."
That is unlikely to happen because the body modifications to the MX-5 Superlight mean it would never pass the Australian Design Rules which apply to any car sold here.
The Superlight will be unveiled next month at the Frankfurt Motor Show when Mazda will give details of the changes which it says have made significant improvements to everything from performance and handling to fuel economy and CO2 emissions.
Dickson believes there is no chance of it going into full-scale production. "It's not something we could do. I'd have to say that if it was something Mazda was going to do globally then we would have been consulted. It's not something we're looking at or considering. But it looks very nice. Very nice indeed."
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