Any thoughts on the Mazda MX-5 RF (retractable fastback) ?
 

Can't wait to see this in person...

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What do you think?

Looks good but my concern would be the same at the new 911 Targa, thats looks like a hugely complex open/close mechanism that is just begging for long term problems.

Good looking ride! You will be sans kids soon... Next DD?

That could very well be my next sports car. I've become very intrigued with Miata's since buying a track oriented one last year. It left a hell of an impression on me only driving it a couple of times before stashing in my brothers storage space. Super fun to drive and not stupid fast. Economical to maintain and easy to keep on the track. I can't wait to get it in my garage.

I'd really like to see them put the 2.5L (and its 30 extra hp) in the MX5.

I like this view a lot. I'm thinking it'll look great in Mazda's Soul Red.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1461211371.jpg

I love it. Could very well replace my Lotus next year. Like others I wish it had more ponies though.

I bet the sales are disappointing. Too bad it is not a real fastback, I bet the aerodynamics are pretty crappy. It is reportedly 100# heavier than the rag top. I suspect they want to offer a retractable hardtop, but there was not enough room for it to fold. 100# may not seem like much, but it is a fairly big percentage increase. I wonder if it is significantly stiffer, I would guess it is not. I like the looks of it much more than the regular convertible, but it is not a car I would have much interest in purchasing. Do you suppose would be okay to take on a track without adding a rollbar? Again, probably not, and I can't imagine being able to add a roll bar to that.

I like it, but would live it even more if that was a hard top.

Thinking about it more, if I bought this it would be an "extra" car. I would likely never drive it in winter and rarely in rain. With that I think the hardtop might be sort of pointless for me given the extra weight, loss of trunk space, and higher center of gravity.

It does look super cool though.

It looks great, but modern soft tops are so good I doubt there are any practical benefits.

I saw an interview with someone from Mazda who said it's not stiffer. Because the MX5 is designed from the ground up to be a convertible, it already has a very stiff body. The hardtop/sail structure don't add any rigidity.

I'm just not a convertible fan. This, I wouldn't mind. On the rare occasions I would open the top, I'd imagine much less wind in the cabin with the targa-like arrangement. But, I wouldn't feel like a dork having a convertible with the top up on nice days either.

I am sure it would be a lot of fun and it is great to look at. The Miata in any form does not have much hp unless you go turbo, supercharge or install a V8. The stock Miata is a ton of fun in any form with base hp without getting pulled over by the police.

Don't forget the ND gets good gas mileage and 0-60 in 6 seconds. Pretty good for a small displacement motor.

Pretty hard to beat my early Miata with hard top and soft top.

I easily move the hard top on/off by myself, and I like the simplicity of it. The new fastback looks pretty good, but I'd rather have a manually-removable targa top than all the electric gizmos that add complexity and weight.

They make a removable fastback hardtop for the old Miata... I liked it but $$$.

Looks more aerodynamic than the factory model.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1461249295.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1461249312.jpg

Why the complicated mechanism? Seems to me a manually removable targa top would be lighter, cheaper and less prone to break or leak.

I'm in the "looks cool, but would never buy one" camp.

I'm thinking the proportions are wrong. Looks awkward to my eye.

I just looked at pictures of it folding and had the same thought... that is a lot of work just to pop off a targa top that could be removed in a minute by hand.

Im going to make a lot of money fixing those. Just like Boxster tops.

It's a Mazda, and it is Japanese, so it will just work. I like it, but I don't like the limited side view.

I am maxed out on Targas right now, as I got tired of waiting for the new ND and bought a kick butt SC Targa instead. Then my wife bought me an X19, and I just gave up.