It’s no secret that the Mazda MX-5 is undoubtedly a legend in the roadster world, with more than a million models produced since its debut at the Chicago Auto Show back in 1989. A fourth generation came to be for the 2014 model year, and now Mazda is announcing the first special-edition model derived from the fourth-gen model. Dubbed the Mazda MX-5 Icon, it is based on the SE-L Nav trim level and will make its public debut on June 24th at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

The MX-5 will be displayed as part of a package deal that also includes the European debut of the Mazda MX-5 RF the first appearance the MX-5 Speedster and Spyder concept cars outside of U.S. Borders. To add a bit of celebratory spark to the event, Mazda is also showcasing its one-millionth production MX-5 at the same time. Needless to say, it’s going to be a pretty big party for Mazda at Goodwood and, if you’re in the region, you’ll be disappointed if you miss the MX-5 Icon’s official public debut.

Jeremy Thomson, the Managing Director of Mazda Motors in the U.K., said, “We are delighted that U.K. MX-5 fans will get to see both the Icon special edition and the all-new Mazda MX-5 RF at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. With over 120,000 sales since its launch in 1990, the U.K. has played a huge part in the MX-5 success story, and the Icon follows a long tradition of special edition MX-5s that allow customers to have a stand out vehicle which is truly affordable." Thomson continued saying, "And I’m really excited about the all-new Mazda MX-5 RF, this is a car that offers something new and I’m sure it will attract even more people to the MX-5 family, which is why I’d encourage anyone interest in the RF to pre-order early, as based on dealer feedback after its launch at the New York Motor Show, we envisage that demand will outstrip supply when the car goes on sale next year."

With that said, the Icon boasts a number of features that makes it stand out in the crowd. It’s the fourth car to wear the ICON badge after three other special editions from 2000, 2005, and 2007, and will only be produced to the tune of 600 examples.

Continue reading to learn more about the Mazda MX-5 Icon Special Edition.

2016 Mazda MX-5 Icon Special Edition

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  • Model: 2016 Mazda MX-5 Icon Special Edition
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What makes the Mazda MX-5 Icon Special Edition special

There’s no denying that the MX-5 is already pretty unique in its own right, so how do you build on that without going overboard? Mazda started off with a standard MX-5 SE-L Nav with a 1.5-liter SKYACTIV-G engine that delivers 129 horsepower and 111 pound-feet of torque through a six-speed manual transmission. It is offered in one of two standard exterior paint finishes: Meteor Grey Mica or Crystal White Pearlescent. The wing mirrors, rear spoiler, front lip, and side stripe decals are all finished in Soul Red Metallic, which really stands out as a strong accenting feature against both of the standard paint finishes. Adding to the look and rounding out the exterior is a set of 16-inch alloy wheels finished in Gunmetal.

It doesn’t look like Mazda did too much to the interior of this MX-5 Icon, and we don’t have any images to make our own observations. According to the press release that comes ahead of the car’s official debut, the only notable interior upgrade is the addition of black leather seats. The car does receive new rear parking sensors, dusk sensing exterior lights, and rain-sensing wipers, so there are some comfort features added there, but don’t expect much else inside. I wouldn’t be surprised if Mazda through a little extra red accenting into the cabin, you know, to match the exterior theme, but we’ll have to wait until the car debuts to know that for sure.

As the story goes, there don’t appear to be any drivetrain updates to speak of. Then again, if Mazda were interested in building a model that was fast, it would have started off with the 155-horsepower 2.0-liter, but it went with the 1.5-liter instead. With that said, this model is all about looks and not performance, and that’s Okay because it’s a limited-edition show car, right? If you’re interested in getting your hands on one of these limited-run models, you’ll want to jump on the wagon quickly. It goes on sale on August 1st of this year and will likely sell out rather quickly.

Mazda MX-5

There is just something about the Mazda MX-5 that makes it so desirable. It’s a tuner boy favorite because of its light weight, rear-wheel drive nature, not to mention the fact that the car is easily modified, and aftermarket performance parts have always been cheap and readily available. The new-gen model that went on sale for the 2016 model year. It is offered in the U.S. with a 155-horsepower 2.0-liter engine that pumps out 148 pound-feet of torque through a six-speed manual gearbox. Over in Japan, however, it only comes with a 1.5-liter model that delivers 129 horsepower and 11 pound-feet of torque. The MX-5 is offered in a number of trim levels that range anywhere between $24,915 and $30,065. The official “Launch Editions” were a bit pricier, coming in at $30,195 or $31,270, depending on the model.

Read our full review on the Mazda MX-5 here.