Wednesday 23rd March 2011

Mazda MX-5 GT: Lightest, Fastest MX-5 Yet

...Unfortunately, it's not a road car - but you can go and watch it race

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This is the new Mazda MX-5 GT, the fastest, lightest Mazda-produced MX-5 ever. Unfortunately, it's also the company's new entry for this year's Britcar MSA British Endurance Championship, so you won't be seeing it on the road anytime soon.

Which is a shame because with an all-in weight of just 850kg, its 275bhp 2.0-litre motor allows it to get to 60mph in just 3.0secs and on to 160mph via a six-speed sequential paddle-operated gearbox.

Jota Sport, the race engineering team that will run the cars in the 2011 series, took 400 hours to build the shell - and ended up with one 17 times stronger than required by the FIA.

As well as the usual safety tweaks required for a car to go racing, Jota and Mazda have added carbon doors, Polycarbonate windows and a shell dipped in acid to help keep weight down, while a lowered engine helps to improve the handling.

The Britcar MSA British Endurance Championship is run over nine races from March to November, including a race at Spa Francorchamps, but the first race is a three-hour endurance race at Silverstone this Saturday (26 March), starting at 3.00pm.

The Mazda MX-5 GT car, prepared by Tunbridge Wells-based Jota Sport features the mandatory FIA approved safety equipment including a roll cage, race seats and harness, external electric cut-off and fire extinguisher, safety catches on the bonnet and boot lids, competition steering wheel and alloy wheels, while the running gear, rear axle, gearbox and engine have been modified to enhance performance.

 

[liamsp]

Please do a road going version!

[James Dean]

17 times stronger, eh?

[Crusoe]

Impressive weight saving over the standard car, hate to think what it would have cost them though.

[MetalFoot]

It looks like a Mazda mx-5 landed on a caterham

They should definately make some kind of road adaptation though, looks like alot of fun.

Edited by MetalFoot on Wednesday 23 March 12:49

[MagicalTrevor]

Now THAT looks like a lot of fun.

Please, please, please make a road going version!

[CypherP]

liamsp said:

Please do a road going version!

Yes please!!!

[Oddball RS]

They will do a road going version, standard car in green!

[JonnyFive]

That is far, far too cool.

Want one.

[GTEYE]

Still a hairdresser's motor....

[MetalFoot]

Edited by MetalFoot on Wednesday 23 March 12:48

[TheRoadWarrior]

PH said:

all-in weight of just 850kg, its 275bhp 2.0-litre motor allows it to get to 60mph in just 3.0secs

What are the standard 2.0L car's vital stats? 275bhp sounds good- although I guess it'd be a bit too 'peaky' for a road car.

I bet its a great drive on track!

[Ryvita]

GTEYE said:

Still a hairdresser's motor....

If so, then I want to have my hair cut by that hairdresser.

I imagine it would involve having hair bitten off by specially trained sharks while sat in a chair strapped to the top of a fighter jet.

[steve_n]

Do they only race when it's dry?

Sounds like they will be very fun to drive and quick too.

[Hellbound]

They're not going to make a production GT version because they'd sell too many. This way, they get to build fewer cars. It's a great business model! :|

[I Am Milk]

Want one.

[JonnyFive]

TheRoadWarrior said:

PH said:

all-in weight of just 850kg, its 275bhp 2.0-litre motor allows it to get to 60mph in just 3.0secs

What are the standard 2.0L car's vital stats? 275bhp sounds good- although I guess it'd be a bit too 'peaky' for a road car.

I bet its a great drive on track!

2.0
0-60mph 7.6s
157bhp

[appletonn]

850kg??!!!

If they could do a road version at 950kg and 240bhp, that'd be great fun?

[garrykiller]

give us an on the road verson!

[liamsp]

Ryvita said:

If so, then I want to have my hair cut by that hairdresser.

I imagine it would involve having hair bitten off by specially trained sharks while sat in a chair strapped to the top of a fighter jet.

[LocoBlade]

James Dean said:

17 times stronger, eh?

Thats what I was thinking, sounds a very vague statement to make. If its a torsional stiffness requirement then I could understand it more, not sure if that's a measured variable for this championship but I guess that would make more sense.