Car enthusiasts in North America receive a special gift as the MAZDASPEED MX-5 Miata."MAZDASPEED is the name given to the best of the best Mazda vehicles" said Jim O'Sullivan, president and CEO of Mazda North American Operations. "With MAZDASPEED MX-5 Miata, we took a renowned sports car and further enhanced its performance with carefully selected modifications, all the while remaining true to Miata's famed spirit."

1998 - 2005 MAZDASPEED MX-5 Miata

Specifications
  • Make: Array
  • Model: 1998 - 2005 MAZDASPEED MX-5 Miata
  • Engine/Motor: 1.8L Inline-4
  • Horsepower: 178@6000
  • Torque: 4500
Bound to reinvigorate the roadster marketplace with a new level of performance and style at an unbeatable price point, MAZDASPEED MX-5 Miata comes fully equipped priced at $25,500 with cloth interior and $26,200 with leather, thousands less than a BMW Z4 and with nearly the same horsepower.

Fitted with a single-scroll turbocharger with 7.25 psi maximum boost and an air-to-air intercooler, the 1.8-liter, four-cylinder engine now makes 178 horsepower at 6000 rpm and 166 lb-ft of torque at 4500 rpm, 25 and 33 percent more respectively than the normally aspirated Miata. To handle the extra power from the turbocharging system, the engine block is modified to accommodate the oil line for the turbo, the cooling system receives an increased radiator core volume with increased coolant capacity, the six-speed manual transmission, clutch and pressure plate, driveshaft and differential all have been optimized, and a Denso tube-fin air-to-air intercooler added. The piston shapes have also been modified to increase displacement volume in the cylinders and handle the extra fuel-air mixture provided by the turbocharger.

Keeping the MAZDASPEED MX-5 Miata cool as its turbocharged engine blazes are two additional oil cooler plate pieces, allowing the oil more time to cool before it recycles through the engine. Harder rubber is also used for the engine and differential mountings to account for increased torque and avoid flexing and wearing due to more extreme temperature changes under the hood.

These precise engine modifications, combined with a short-throw, six-speed gearbox with improved gear durability and MAZDASPEED sport-tuned and lowered suspension, makes for an amazingly quick and agile car. The already-able Miata chassis gets dropped 7mm in ride height through the use of red-painted, shorter springs with increased spring rates. Silver-painted, MAZDASPEED-tuned Bilstein dampers soak up vibration while larger front and rear stabilizer bars and a silver-painted front strut tower brace increase chassis rigidity and improve road-holding capability.

Mazda engineers meticulously tuned the suspension to get the most out of the turbocharged powerplant, deftly handling the brute power sent through the Bosch torque-sensing limited slip differential to the 17-inch Racing Hart aluminum alloy wheels shod with Toyo Proxes R28 205/40R17 80W high-performance tires (the first time a Miata has been offered with a 17-inch wheel and tire package). MAZDASPEED MX-5 Miata also receives a quicker steering ratio since the rack stroke was reduced more than 7mm from Miata’s. All four corners receive silver-painted brake calipers and ABS.