There is still a lot of uncertainty regarding the differentiation that’s going to be engineered into the upcoming Mazda MX-5 and Alfa Romeo Spider, two cars currently being developed in Japan.
It’s pretty straightforward to suspect that the running gear and chassis will be pretty much the same, whereas the styling will be obviously very different between the two.
Another issue is that of powerplants; we assume Mazda will use its new generation Skyactive units and transmissions, but what about Alfa?
The people over at Car&Driver magazine suggest that power for the Japanese-bred Italian might come from the very familiar 1.4-liter MultiAir turbo engine used in a variety of Fiat and Chrysler-badged vehicles (plus Alfa’s own Giulietta and MiTo).
The publication quotes inside sources that say the engine can be longitudinally mounted and will most likely come with a manual gearbox, though flappy-paddles will be an unquestionable option. It can most likely be tuned to safely produce in excess of 200 hp, if the application demands it.
Note: Early test mule for the next generation Alfa Romeo Spider and Mazda MX-5 pictured
By Andrei Nedelea
PHOTO GALLERY
