All-new Mazda MX-5 teased

Well the chassis is at least, along with 25th Anniversary edition of current car

The MX-5 may well be a Japanese evocation of classic European sports cars but the heart and soul of it was conceived in America and the car made its debut Stateside 25 years ago. That was Chicago but Mazda has waited for the New York show to unveil its 25th Anniversary Edition MX-5 and it's ... red.

Given its world record status (940,000 cars and counting) and place in the hearts of many you might have hoped this fairly significant milestone would have been marked with something a little more involved. Something, perhaps, like the super lightweight Speedster created to mark the 20th anniversary. Sadly not, the 25th Anniversary Edition being little more than the usual run-out template of one-off paint scheme, some gunmetal alloys and 'off white' leather to finish off a spruced up interior.

Well it is a nice shade of red at least

So much for that then.

Given the MX-5 team is heads down working on an all-new fourth generation car maybe they simply didn't have the time for anything more involved. And New York is also the first real hint of what to expect, the new car's chassis on show for the first time. And, thankfully, showing Mazda is sticking with what it knows for the fundamentals.

So we've got a twin-cam four-cylinder engine behind the front axle, a manual gearbox, a torque-tube style beam linking it to the rear differential and double wishbone suspension all round. Exactly like all MX-5s that have gone before. This is a good thing.There's more encouraging news too. Mazda is claiming an overall weight saving of 100kg compared with the existing car and the engine is mounted lower and further back than before for improved centre of gravity. Given the existing hardtopped Roadster Coupe weighs in at an already svelte 1,230kg including driver that bodes very well indeed.

We'd hope for more than a pimped interior...

It gets better too, Mazda confirming the new MX-5 will be based around its Skyactiv engine principle which rejects downsizing and turbos and instead uses unusually high compression ratios and other innovations to keep the flag flying for revvy normally aspirated engines. It's the first time a Skyactiv engine has been used in a rear-drive format but if we were to take a punt on it being a version of the 175hp 2.0-litre from the Mazda 3 we'd be happy with that.

"The original concept behind the MX-5 was so simple; to offer the pure joy of a lightweight sports car that moves precisely as the driver intends," says Mazda's head board member Takashi Yamanouchi. " While responding to increasing safety and environmental requirements, over the 25 years since its launch we have had to continually reinvent the MX-5 - far beyond simple evolution - in order to stay true to that original ideal. The history of the MX-5 is one of changing everything in order to stay the same. A history of innovating in order to preserve the ideal."

And if that means we can have all we like about the MX-5, just lighter, more efficient and better balanced than before then it sounds like there's little to fear and much to look forward to with the new car.

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