The Mazda MX-5 RF Kuro SEMA Concept Is a Meaner and Sportier Targa Miata
Mazda also manages to shed even more weight off the MX-5 Speedster concept.
It's hard to think of ways to make a new Mazda Miata more fun, but, if you dig deep enough, there are ways to push its boundaries. For example, you can shed weight from the roadster, and swap suspension bits for improved grip. The concepts Mazda is showing off at SEMA, the MX-5 RF Kuro and an updated MX-5 Speedster concept, were designed around on those ideas.
The new MX-5 RF Kuro, built off the targa-top MX-5 RF, is a semi-matte black Miata with suspension and brake hardware from the MX-5 Global Cup race car. The roadster uses adjustable Multimatic dampers and Hyper Coil springs which likely eliminate some of the laughable body roll that drivers experience in the road-going MX-5, and also borrows Brembo dual-piston front brake calipers from the racer as well.
“As we move our brand in a direction we call ‘Mazda Premium,’ we want to embrace our longstanding motorsports heritage and reach forward with breathtaking designs like the MX-5 RF," said Mazda design leader Ken Saward in a press release.
The MX-5 Speedster concept, which we first saw at SEMA in 2015, is the roofless, windshield-less, lightweight ND-generation Miata that lives to make the world a happier place. Since last year's debut, the Speedster shed 100 extra pounds from the original count of 2,080 pounds. Mazda achieved this by swapping gauges for a digital screen, removing extra clutter from behind its dashboard, using lighter brake calipers and rotors, and employs a battery that's 20 pounds lighter.
Mazda touted in its press release that both of the concept cars shown use Mazda motorsport parts that can be bought direct from the automaker's racing website.
