Mazda says the annual SEMA show gives its designers the opportunity to “let their imaginations run wild.” That’s not exactly the case for the MX-5 Miata Speedster Evolution concept for this year’s show, which is simply a new version of the same Speedster concept Mazda showed at SEMA last year. Even still, we’re okay with it, because the Speedster’s cool factor hasn’t worn off yet.
The 2015 version of the Speedster was already an extreme interpretation of the small rear-wheel-drive roadster. It weighed just over 2000 pounds and did away with the standard Miata‘s windshield and softtop in favor of a small air deflector and a tonneau cover behind the front seats. But Mazda decided that the Speedster hadn’t gone far enough and went back to the drawing board to cut even more weight.
For this new version, Mazda replaced the instrument cluster with a digital display, exchanged the stock battery for a lightweight lithium-ion battery weighing just 4.5 pounds, and swapped out the Brembo front brakes for the lighter brakes from the base-model MX-5. The result is an additional 100 pounds cut out of the Speedster, meaning that the Speedster Evolution dips under 2000 pounds and undercuts the already lightweight MX-5 Miata softtop by 350 pounds.
Beyond the additional lightweight treatment, the Speedster Evolution also wears a new paint scheme, called White Ether. BFGoodrich racing slicks wrap 17-inch Rays wheels finished in an attractive charcoal color. Other mechanical upgrades such as a Racing Beat exhaust and the adjustable suspension from the MX-5 Cup car continue from last year. So does our love for this wild variation on the Miata.
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