Nother CarGuy

The hard-top Miata is getting ready for its market launch and Mazda will mark the occasion with a limited ‘Launch Edition’ offered in the US market.  After the model’s universal appraisal  at the last New York Auto Show , Mazda will offer the exact same specification of that show car in the first 1,000 copies. That means that the 2017 Mazda MX-5 RF Launch Edition will be finished in  Machine Grey Metallic with a black roof panel over an Auburn Nappa leather interior trim . The rest of the specs are based on the Grand Touring trim level, with Mazda only offering one option to prospective customers between a six-speed manual or a six-speed automatic gearbox.  This special edition is destined for Mazda’s most loyal customers. The company will initially open up the preorders to a select group of customers who will be notified via email. Mazda will give them a specific window of time to preorder the RF Launch Edition before ordering opens to the general public.  “...

Mazda is raising the bar, or rather the top, in the compact sports car segment with the unveiling of the  new MX-5 RF , which stands for ‘Retractable Fastback’, on the eve of  the New York Auto Show .  For the second generation of their retractable hardtop model, Mazda chose  a very different solution, as whereas the previous PRHT (Power Retractable Hard Top) turned into a fully open roadster, the RF gets an intricate targa top mechanism with a removable middle section and a retractable rear window.  It’s very similar to the system  Porsche is using on their latest 911 Targa , as at the touch of a button and in 12 seconds at speeds of up to 6mph or 10km/h, the rear section lifts up and swallows the middle part of the roof, stowing it right behind the rear seats, which is also were the retractable back window slides down. As a result, the MX-5 RF offers the same (limited) luggage space of 130 liters as the soft top roadster model.  With the top in pl...