Mazda's Sports Car Heritage
Listen to the Mazda MX-5 and you'll hear a reassuring growl, a lively deep-throated rumble that's found in all true sports cars.
It's no surprise the Mazda MX-5 has the sound of a racing car. Mazda is a company with a proud heritage in sports car design and racing: this passion for high performance vehicles being demonstrated is abundance in the roadster on sale today.
But let's turn the clock back to 1967 and the introduction of the Mazda Cosmo Sport. A classic design, the Cosmo Sport was the first car powered by the unique rotary engine and an early indication of Mazda's sports car aspirations and credentials. The following year,1968, the car and the engine were both severely tested as Mazda entered motorsport for the first time with the gruelling 84-hour Marathon de la Route in Nurburgring. Finishing a credible fourth, the Mazda sports car had well and truly arrived. The world stood up and took notice.
Further races followed in the years to come, with a particularly remarkable performance in the 1976 24-hour Daytona. An American Mazda dealer called Ray Walle drove his Cosmo from his showroom in New Jersey to Daytona, entered the race - and won - and then motored home in the same car. Only minor safety modifications were made to the car for the race, further proof of how Mazda's sports car essence is evident in every Mazda vehicle.
In the intervening years, our efforts with sports cars focused on something very special - the Mazda rotary engine. Itself a remarkable feat of engineering, the world watched on in amazement in the 1980's as we demonstrated something we've always done - we dared to be different.
In 1983 when Mazda designers began work on a lightweight sports car concept, inspired by the Lotus Elan. This in itself was a bold move as no other manufacturer saw potential in developing a two-seater roadster. Some even believed Mazda's move to be foolhardy. They would be proved wrong in a very big way.
In 1985 the first prototype was developed then in 1989 the Mazda MX-5 was unveiled to the world at the Chicago Motorshow to widespread praise. Fundamental to the design was the Japanese concept of Jinba Ittai, which loosely translates as horse and rider being at one, or the connection between man and machine. It's a feeling known to anyone who has driven a Mazda MX-5.
In 1991, Mazda won the world famous Le Mans 24-hour endurance race with the Mazda 787B. This startling result was a testament to the design ingenuity and engineering of the Mazda team - qualities which flow through the development of Mazda's modern sports cars today with the Mazda MX-5 and the Mazda RX-8.
Today Mazda sells more sports cars in the UK than any other manufacturer. It's simple really: we make cars that are fun to drive and as a result people love to drive them - with a grin from ear to ear.