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Mazda Makes (Helps) the World Go Round

With Mazda getting ready to end production of the RX-8, it seemed fitting to take a look back in history to see just how the rotary powered Mazda faired in the US nearly 30 years ago. The newspaper article on the right is from the Thursday, March 1st, 1973 edition of the Toledo, Ohio paper; The Blade.

With the introduction of the 1975 EPA air-pollution standards, came required catalytic converters and unleaded gasoline. While some US car manufacturers struggled to meet the strict (for the time) standards, Mazda was decades ahead. Maybe so far as to say that the US auto makers were trying to insinuate that the Japanese based Mazda was somehow cheating the system.

In continuing with the rotary history lesson, the article below is from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (June 29th, 1973). While some auto makers were having trouble with detonation due to the newly introduced unleaded gasoline, the rotary powered Mazda showed no signs of weakness in part to the limited number of moving parts and overall simplicity of the rotary engine design.

After having such a long history with rotary engines, will Mazda finally say goodbye to the rotary engine? Will we see an RX-7 inspired vehicle from Mazda in the near future?

In more recent rotary inspired news, last weekend, three race teams (SpeedSource, Dempsey Racing, and Team Sahlen) raced with special logos on the sides of their vehicles promoting donations to the American Red Cross to help fund the Japan Earthquake Tsunami Relief Fund. The Mazda Foundation also made a #150,000 donation.

If you would like to donate $10 to the Red Cross Japan relief efforts, simply text REDCROSS to 90999.

– Jake

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Jolly Green Mazda

Last October, Mazda put out a press release revealing that they will be introducing a new direction for the company labeled “Skyactiv” technology. The several year transition will start with a new engine and transmission. The new drivetrains are expected to put out 15% more power and improve fuel economy by about the same (20% increase in both for the diesel version). The basic idea behind the technology is to significantly decrease weight and internal friction (two of the main inefficiencies with internal combustion engine driven vehicles).

SkyActiv Engine

The next two components to roll out are strictly weight saving measures and come from a redesign of the body and chassis to save 8% and 14% in weight respectively, all while increasing rigidity. Finally, Mazda is concentrating on aerodynamics to ensure a sleek design that will help improve fuel economy.

Chassis and drivetrain lightening

Now you might be thinking that an increase in fuel economy will take all of the “fun” out of the fun to drive Mazda. This is not the case. In a more recent update, a senior executive at Mazda said that they are committed to green technology, but most importantly, to driver enjoyment.

Want to keep up with all of the latest news and developments from Mazda? Sign up for the digital Zoom Zoom Magazine. It’s completely free and will keep you to date on new technologies, Mazda Motorsports, and even help you find a local club or event to meet up at. Just go to www.zoomzoommag.com and click the button shown below. You can email it to yourself, or a friend and even browse past issues.

SkyActiv Engine

– Jake

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PRESS RELEASE: CorkSport License Plate Relocation Kit (1st Gen MS3/MZ3)

CorkSport’s license plate relocation bracket offers 2004-09 Mazda 3 and 2007-09 MazdaSpeed 3 owners the option of mounting their front license plate offset towards the passenger’s side of the vehicle.

The license plate relocation bracket uses the stock tow hook threads on the front bumper and creates a mounting bracket for your front license plate. There is no drilling or cutting required.

Features:
The license plate relocation bracket comes with a smoked lexan plate frame with our new CS logo milled into the front. The lexan plate offers the strength and impact resistance of our previous generation aluminum plate, with the flexibility of plastic. It also comes with all necessary mounting hardware including 4 tamper resistant cap screws with locking bit to resist theft of your plate and relocation bracket. Also, relocating the front license plate to the side allows for better airflow to your engine, radiator and front mount intercooler (if applicable). The new location does not block the fog lights and requires no drilling or cutting. The kit is also compatible with our CorkSport license plate frame when you inevitably want to install one.

Testing:
As with all of our products at CorkSport, we’d prefer to invest our time into testing and validation of design rather than requiring our customers to do so. Our License plate relocation kit has been installed and thoroughly tested on several of our personal vehicles to ensure correct fitment and functionality.

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What’s a Meebo?

Several months ago we put up an instant chat screen on our web page for people to contact us. If you have not seen it, take a look at the picture below from our main page. The chat is available in all locations of our web page at the bottom left of the screen.

Meebo

If you look at the box and it shows “CorkSport is online” give it a try. There are 3 fields which you can use in Meebo. The top box is the chat history. It shows the conversation between you and CorkSport. The second box is where you enter you text which we receive on our end and is displayed on the chat history box. The last box is where you can enter your name. Meebo automatically assigns a random name but you can change it to something more personal if you like.

Meebo

We have Meebo running during our normal business hours. Please note if you do enter a chat and we are not online we will not receive your message.

The nicest feature of Meebo is the ability for customers to have a conversation with us which can start and stop without a phone call. If you are in a location where a telephone call is not possible but you can access our web page you can ask us questions about our products.

– Derrick

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PRESS RELEASE: CorkSport Front Strut Bar for the 2010-2011 MazdaSpeed 3

CorkSport Front Strut Tower Bar for the 2010+ MazdaSpeed 3

CorkSport’s Front Strut Tower Bar for the 2010+ MazdaSpeed 3 is a direct bolt-on Aluminum brace that stiffens up the front-end of your vehicle. The bar is made from polished aircraft grade 6061 aluminum and utilizes stock mounting locations. The brace is optimized using an extruded and CNC bent cross member with laser cut mounting plates for a precise fit.

The bar installs in under one half hour and only requires the removal and reinstallation of six (6) 14mm hex head bolts.

Features:
The CorkSport Front Strut Tower Bar utilizes the factory strut mounting locations to maximize the effectivness of the bar. The bar features a polished aluminum design with our CorkSport Logo located on the top side of the bar (can be removed if desired). The one-piece design maximizes the stiffness of the bar and ensures easy installation. Custom anodization or powdercoating can also be done upon request to match other parts in your engine bay.

Our one-piece strut tower bar design has been proven effective to reduce slalom times when tested at a local autocross event. (https://www.corksport.com/PDFs/Shock_Tower_Brace.pdf ).

Testing:
The CorkSport Front Stut Tower Bar has gone through several iterations of design and has been tested on our own vehicle to ensure fit, form, and function. The bar increases stiffness and reduces chassis flex in the front end of the vehicle by tying load points together (strut towers).