Mazda 3 MPS - Extreme

Aussies' Mazda thats bonzer

By RacingPete / Thursday, 11 October 2007 / Loading comments

Australia, they don’t do things by halves: their spiders are more venomous; their sharks have more bite; and their Mazda 3 MPS has more grunt.

OK, that last one is new, but Mazda Australia Motorsport manager - Allan Horsley - has been playing with the already powerful 256bhp engine to create the ‘Extreme’. This front wheel drive hot hatch has been vamped up to produce 282bhp and 314lb ft and though no official figures are out it is expected to cut the current 0-60mph time from 6.1secs.

The suspension has also been ‘touched’ by Australian suspension guru Murray Coote and now sits 25mm lower on bigger 19-inch black alloys, connected to the road by 225/35 Dunlop tyres.

Inside and out this little beaut has been extreme-ified with black stripes, a black roof, a bigger rear spoiler and a standard two-inch exhaust on the outside. Inside the Aussies have gone to town with red on the leather seats and a flash across the dash.

The car is unfortunately only a concept shown at this week’s Sydney motor show, though never rule out Mazda Australia making it for real. Fair dinkum to them if they do.