Horsepower isn?t everything ? at least, that?s how Mazda engineers see the forest for the trees with regards to the MX-5 Miata.
Chatting with David Coleman, Mazda?s lead development engineer for the North American-spec Miata, Road and Track says Mazda?s primary focus is on making the Miata lighter ? not adding extra power.
?A turbocharger really doesn?t fit in with the ethos of the car,? Coleman said. ?There?s plenty of room to try and make the car lighter and better that way.?
What exactly those changes entail remain to be seen; Coleman wasn?t particularly specific, only saying that keeping weight down will be on the table for the next little while ? using the right technology at the most reasonable costs.
?It could be that we just figure out a way to make all the cars lighter,? he said. ?Next time you see a facelift, it could come with a haircut and a shave, too.?
Besides, a Miata with a turbocharger and a bit of extra power already exists. It?s called the Fiat 124 Spider.
http://driving.ca/mazda/mx-5/auto-news/news/mazda-engineers-pushing-to-build-a-lighter-mx-5-miata
Chatting with David Coleman, Mazda?s lead development engineer for the North American-spec Miata, Road and Track says Mazda?s primary focus is on making the Miata lighter ? not adding extra power.
?A turbocharger really doesn?t fit in with the ethos of the car,? Coleman said. ?There?s plenty of room to try and make the car lighter and better that way.?
What exactly those changes entail remain to be seen; Coleman wasn?t particularly specific, only saying that keeping weight down will be on the table for the next little while ? using the right technology at the most reasonable costs.
?It could be that we just figure out a way to make all the cars lighter,? he said. ?Next time you see a facelift, it could come with a haircut and a shave, too.?
Besides, a Miata with a turbocharger and a bit of extra power already exists. It?s called the Fiat 124 Spider.
http://driving.ca/mazda/mx-5/auto-news/news/mazda-engineers-pushing-to-build-a-lighter-mx-5-miata
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