Mazdaspeed 3
 

I posted this on the "other" board also.

Don't know if anyone posted this but, I was just reading January's issue of Money Magazine and they have a little article about the upcoming Mazdaspeed Miata. In the article they also mention the upcoming Mazdaspeed 3. They say it is expected in early 2005 with at least 200HP turbo motor or possibly a 240HP version if Mazda decides to offer AWD. It will then be followed by the Mazdaspeed 6. Sounds cool.

I wouldn't put much weight on that article...print articles have such a lead time that 90% of the info is old news by the time it hits the shelves. Also, from what we've heard from mazda corporate the Miata is supposed to be the last MS vehicle. The MS6 that everyone is talking has been debuted in concept form as an entirely different vehicle. I also remember hearing that the RX-8 will not get MS anything but body panels. They are saving their supercharged-1.5L renesis engine for the new RX7 in 2006.

Really! Supercharged instead of Turbo. Haven't heard that one. Interesting.

renesis is not turbo friendly. Also notice the increase in displacement from 1.3L to 1.5L They claim 300whp is very possible. Sure it doesn't sound like much when compared to the almost 400hp Cobra, but think about how nice the RX8 is with only 237hp.....adding an extra 63hp and pulling the powerband back down some will do wonders for everbodys favorite "no-torque wonder rocket!"

i dont know if i like the idea of a supercharged rotary...they lack torque to begin with, and the supercharger itself robs torque with parasitic drag on the engine...why is the renesis not "turbo friendly"?...FI is FI whether it's driven by the crank or the exhaust, the difference is there is no parasitic drag with a turbo, plus upping boost is a lot easier...also there was no Mazdaspeed 6, even in concept form. It was the MPS 6, which stands for Mazda Performance Series....there is a strong possibility for a MPS 3 also, whether or not it makes it into production is in question though...expect to see some sort of factory performance version of the 3 regardless...They made the MP3 and the MSP and it did wonders for the model's image.

The MS RX8 is out in Japan and does include performance upgrades. www.rotarynews.com

Also, there has not been any factual information on the next RX7. All have been rumors so far.

Unless the RX-7 is going to replace the Miata, there is no way that it will be in production in the U.S. Dealerships are having trouble selling the RX-8 even with the outstanding performance and low price. There is no need for another RX series. I do hope that the Miata does get a rotary engine. Even with the current Renesis, the car would be a rocket.