Superlight Mazda MX-5 concept revealed

by Vijay Pattni

Mazda has gone all Back to the Future with this – the stunning new Mazda MX-5 Superlight show car.

A concept version of the world’s best selling roadster, the Superlight MX-5 is a one-off concept car designed by Mazda boffins at their German studio.

No details have been released, but our pictures reveal a roofless roadster echoing the 1950s racing cars made famous by the likes of Sir Stirling Moss and Juan Manuel Fangio – and even echoes the £700,000 Mercedes-Benz SLR Stirling Moss edition.

Click below to view our image gallery:

Mazda says the Superlight version “takes the lightweight technology that Mazda is famous for to a new level” – meaning this will be a hardened road rocket.

The Japanese carmaker has hinted that the chassis will combine “sporty” driving settings for “pure roadster fun”, thanks to improved driving performance, handling, fuel economy and CO2 emissions.

Could this mean a new hybrid or electric roadster MX-5? We’ve long thought where the MX-5 could go from here – it’s getting more weight and power all the time. The Superlight could herald a return to a lightweight, low-powered sportscar.

The original Mazda MX-5 launched in 1989 and has gone through three revisions, turning 20 years old this year.

The new Mazda MX-5 Superlight will be officially unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show on 15 September 2009 – stay tuned with Auto Trader for more updates.

Check out the Mercedes-Benz SLR Stirling Moss edition:

Video: watch the Mazda Furai concept in action