Rumors | CorkSport Mazda Performance Blog

February 2, 2015December 18, 2017

Mazda said WHAT about the Rotary in 2017? Also, the 2016 MX-5

With more and more information circulating about the new Rotary and MX-5 Miata, we’ve compiled everything you need to know about these two beauties.

Rotary 2017

Mazda has been pretty tight-lipped about the next Rotary. In fact, just a few months ago, we heard a few sources claim that the Rotary wasn’t in development at all, or at least was no longer being focused on. Well, hope has been renewed! This news is thrilling, and it honestly lines up perfectly with what we published back in August: What Mazda Said That Will Have You Saying, “Take My Money!”

So what’s the excitement? Well, according to an article posted here, Mazda Kiyoshi Fijiwara (Managing Executive Officer) recently was referenced stating that they should be coming out with a new Rotary in 2017 at the Tokyo Motor show. Mazda is pretty big into anniversaries, and this just reaffirms our hunch they’ll use the 50-year anniversary of their first commercially available Rotary to release a new one. They did it with the 25th anniversary of the Miata MX-5, so why not the Rotary?

This is exciting news, and the best part is, they say it should have close to 300hp!

In case you can’t read Japanese, see the (slightly modified) Google Translation below:

Kiyoshi Fujiwara, the Mazda Managing Executive Officer, at the event in Spain was saying that the company is thought to publish a new car equipped with a rotary engine at the Tokyo Motor Show in 2017.

2017: It’s a memorable year. The world’s first commercially-available car equipped with a rotary engine “Cosmo Sports” appeared 50 years earlier. The name of the new car is unknown. As specs become realities, it is clear the “RX-7” engine should come near the order of 300hp.

2016 MX-5 Miata Only Gets 155hp

In other news, the engine is officially confirmed at 155hp and 148 ft/lbs of torque for the next generation MX-5. Though this might seem underwhelming, we still have high hopes. The three reasons for these hope are as follows:

Reason 1:

2015 Miata: 2,619 lbs, divided by 167 hp = 15.68 lbs per Horsepower

2016 Miata: 2,200 (estimated) lbs, divided by 155hp = 14.19 lbs per Horsepower

It’s only an estimate, but the next Gen MX-5 would have to weigh over 2,400 lbs in order to have a worse power-to-weight ratio than the current model.

Reason 2:

Mazda knows more than ever that everyone wants a faster and higher horsepower car. This knowledge, and the fact that they don’t currently produce, and have not announced, plans to introduce a single Mazdaspeed variant of any of their cars, gives us hope. You might think that makes no sense, but consider it: Doesn’t all their silence about the next Mazdaspeed seem strange? How can a company that has the most vehicles racing in the World on any given weekend NOT have a Mazdaspeed? Secrets.

Mazda has been parading around their Super20 Miata since 2012—a roughly 250 horsepower supercharged Miata that’s received incredible press and reviews. Of course, it isn’t available for public sale. So why does Mazda continue to tease us? Why produce these totally reachable cars that people want without actually producing them for sale? It could just be for publicity, but our bet is also that Mazda has secretly been working on the next Mazdaspeed, and it will be an Mx-5. If we’re right…. we would guess everyone will receive a good confirmation of the next Mazdaspeed MX-5 soon.

Reason 3:

The MX-5 is the pinnacle of Mazdas to modify. More people are modifying their Miata/MX-5 than probably all other Mazdas combined. What does this mean? Turbos, Intakes, Exhausts, Suspension, Bodykits, Lighting: There are so many mods!! Mazda knows people love to modify their cars. If they don’t do it themselves, they know their customers will, which is why we have a feeling that with a few small tweaks, we’ll have this next MX-5 purring and putting out an extra 20-40 horsepower in no time.

Check out The Jalopnik article on the Miata and it’s 155HP: HERE.

January 6, 2015January 6, 2015

New Mazdaspeeds? You Heard it Here First!

Motortrend recently published this Article in their magazine. If you can see it, the article states that Mazda is planning a Mazdaspeed 3 in 2016, they list the details that have been floating around for months, 2.5L Skyactiv, Turbo, 300hp, AWD….. tell us something new!

We just want to point out that this is old news. In fact we even quoted Motortrend quoting their “source” back at the start of November saying the exact same thing!

Check out the post that is almost word for word the same article:

https://www.corksport.com/blog/lets-do-this-mazda-mazda-6-coupe-cx-3-mazdaspeed-2016/

As if that wasn’t enough, we also pointed out in August an article found a few places on the internet about a MS3 in 2017.

https://www.corksport.com/blog/mazdaspeed-3-coming-in-2017-with-awd/

In the article we say: “According to Ryan Beene at Autonews.com the next Mazdaspeed is planned for 2017.”

We also discuss the likelihood of AWD which we had previously pointed out in November of 2013! That’s over a year ago!

See that one here: https://www.corksport.com/blog/will-there-be-a-new-mazdaspeed-3-with-all-wheel-drive/

Now before you get upset that we are just pointing fingers and saying “we said it first” I hope you realize that this is actually a good thing! The more that we share a rumor, and so does other reputable sources like Jalopnik, Motortrend, AutoNews and more, the more credibility it gets! I doubt that the rumors of AWD, 300hp and it being a MS3 are that unlikely when it seems everyone is reporting on them.

So, more props to you MotorTrend! We are right there with you and look forward to 2016, 2017 and all the new cars Mazda brings us!

Zoom-Zoom

November 24, 2014August 1, 2023

3 Myths About What’s Under the Hood of Your Mazdaspeed 3

So you drive a Speed 3 eh? You probably think you are the shiz-at with your FoMoCo powered wagon…, but don’t worry bro I’m here to set a few myths straight.

Myth #1: “Elevendy” gears.

First, don’t be fooled by Mr. Diesel; you do not have “elevendy” gears begging to be double-clutched from stop light to stop light.

So give that lefty pedal a break and stick (pun intended) with 1^st through 6^th…throw a little R&R in there if you must.

Myth #2: The “black hole”.

Second, there is not a black hole hiding under your hood sucking all your money away. You may tell you girlfriend that, but come on seriously?

There’s a hunk of metal under there that you keep attaching more expensive hunks of metal to, but if your “black hole” excuse is working then you got yourself a real keeper… If not… check out financing.

Myth #3: Your “mating call emitter”.

Lastly, the hunk of metal (I mean black hole) does not have a “mating call emitter” attached to it, I promise. Red lights are not the green light to shoot for the redline of your hunk of metal and it will not draw the attention of the potential mate, at least not the attention you are seeking.

BUT, if that does happen to attract a potential mate, then you already know the black hole excuse will work flawlessly.

Thats all for now.

Zoom-Zoom

-Barrett@Corksport.com

November 21, 2014

The End of the Mazda Rotary RX

R.I.P Mazda RX Rotary

We received some sad news a few days ago about the much loved Rotary RX-7, RX-8 and other RX series. The official word according to the Mazda CEO Masamichi Kogai is that “we don’t have that kind of vehicle in our future product plan.” when asked about a future RX.

Honestly I’d love to pontificate about this more, but there isn’t much to say. It sounds like the final word from the current CEO. When pushed further he gave some reasoning that honestly makes perfect sense, “If you increase the number of segments, then the resources we can allocate to each will decline and that will prevent us from developing truly good products.” Also stated was the fact that “It’s difficult for us at present to further expand our lineup. The company is still in the process of improving its financial structure. We want to focus our limited resources on the Skyactiv products that we have today”

Though this probably makes the most sense from a stability standpoint, it certainly doesn’t make us excited or want to say “Zoom-Zoom”. What happened to the Mazda passion? All that racing knowledge and development? Did they just give up on pushing the bar? Honestly, I don’t think so, I just think they are changing focus. The Rotary is off the board in the foreseeable future, but that doesn’t mean their current lineup won’t see some improvements…. after all, what about that Mazdaspeed 3 and MX-5?

Nonetheless, let us all take a moment of silence and mourn the passing of the RX series, for now.

Cheers

Spencer@CorkSport

Written by Spencer Carson. Spencer is a car enthusiast and Mazda fan at heart. Whether enjoying the power of a modified Mazdaspeed 3, or driving top down in his 1992 MX5, he always enjoys getting behind the wheel. As much as Spencer loves driving, he loves helping out other Mazda owners even more. Whether helping at a local install day or heading to a car meet across the country, he loves chatting about Mazda and giving advice on how to get more Zoom-Zoom out of any car.

November 5, 2014December 18, 2017

Let’s Do This, Mazda: Mazda 6 Coupe, CX-3, & Mazdaspeed 2016

Let’s keep this simple. You want the juice, the news, the lowdown, the gossip on everything Mazda….

Well good news! We have some great rumors for you here, and a little dose of truth. Let’s take a dive.

Mazda CX-3

First up, the Mazda CX-3. This lightweight, compact crossover should be going toe to toe with the Nissan Juke and other compact SUVs. Rumor has it that it should be powered by the 2.0L SkyActiv, likely the same one in the Mazda3. To be clear, this little gem won’t have to be waited on for very long. The CX-3 is set to release next spring, and better yet, debuting at the LA Auto Show in less than a month. Yep, we should have our hands on this guy sooner than later!

2016 Mazdaspeed

Then again, you probably didn’t come here for news on a compact crossover that has killer gas mileage, room, and the practicality of a sedan/suv/compact car blended into one. You’re probably here for this: the 2016 Mazdaspeed. Though there still aren’t any confirmed dates or models, we keep getting “insider rumors”. According to Motortrend and their “insider”:

“What gets added to the lineup in addition to those cars is the interesting bit… the company plans to focus heavily on development of niche products, or in other words, special editions.”

Special editions? Sounds like Mazdaspeeds to me! Any other “special editions” you can think of? Nope. I’m sold. Motortrend also states that a 2016 Mazda 6 Coupe will be released (see their rendering below).

Hatchbacks

As exciting as a coupe is, we tend to be bigger fans of Hatchbacks, specifically hatchback Mazdaspeed 3’s. So what does Motortrend think we have in store?

“Another important niche model is also planned for 2016: the much-anticipated Mazdaspeed3. This hot hatch will employ a 2.5-liter Skyactiv G turbocharged gasoline engine pumping out more than 300 hp and incorporating a new lightweight all-wheel drive system. To add even more spice to the company’s lineup, we can also expect to see Mazdaspeed versions of the Mazda2 and Mazda6.”

Wait, what? Mazdaspeed 3, Mazdaspeed 2, and Mazdaspeed 6? I’m all ears.

But will it happen? Looking at Mazda’s past, they certainly have touched most of their smaller cars with the hand of Mazdaspeed. Protege, MX-5, the 3 and the 6 all have been turboed and “Mazdaspeedified” before, so doing the 3 and 6 again is a no brainer…

But the 2? I think it’s highly possible. Most likely, the Mazda MX-5 will get a Mazdaspeed version before any of the other cars, and then they’ll dump the same engine in the new Mazda 2. Why not?

Whatever Mazda decides to do, we’re pumped. Looking at the models they have cranked out in the past 2 years have been impressive and we are very excited for more models and specifically their “niche…special editions”.

Zoom-Zoom

-Spencer@CorkSport

Sources: Jalopnik | MotorTrend