When a car uses a battery called a 'Braille GreenLite G20' that's made of lithium and weighs just two kilos, you know the commitment to the lightweight cause is absolute. That's the case for the Mazda MX-5 Speedster Evolution SEMA concept, more details of which have now been released.
Can we just have both of them? Please?
Last week
Mazda declared the Evo was a sub-2,000lb (907kg) car, the weight now confirmed as 1,980lbs or 898kg. How has this been done? From last year's MX-5 Speedster, the Mazda Design Americas team took out what was left of the dash, replaced the conventional dials with a digital display and put lighter front discs and calipers on as well as the lighter battery. Note as well the centre-exit exhaust, which is almost always guaranteed to make a car look better. The tyre used is a 225/45 R17 BF Goodrich g-Force Rival R1 (snappy), as found on the MX-5 Global Cup car. Of the Speedster Evo, Design Manager Ken Saward says it represents "lightweight engineering and pure driving joy", while also adding that, in future, the team might "see if there is anywhere else we could take out weight."
The RF Kuro is described as adopting much of the Cup car technology but in a "much more street-focused package." It has that car's adjustable suspension (with Multimatic dampers and Hyper Coil springs) and its Brembo dual piston front brake calipers. Again it uses a centre-exit exhaust, this OpenFlash Performance system said to reduce weight and add between six and seven horsepower. Every little helps!
While production versions of both are very unlikely, Mazda says both vehicles were built using Mazda Motorsport parts that "Mazda autocross and racecar drivers can purchase". The link to Mazda's motorsport and parts page is here; don't get too carried away now!