Coming straight from the 2016 NY Auto Show, where it debuted two months ago, the Mazda MX-5 RF will make its European premiere at the 2016 Goodwood Festival of Speed, in June.
The latest adaptation of the popular sports car shares most of its Kodo design language with the soft-top convertible and has the same dimensions, except for the height, which has increased by 5 mm (0.20 in).
Opening and closing its Targa-style roof is made at the touch of a button and takes 12 seconds. It can be operated at speeds up to 10 km/h (6 mph) and doesn’t affect the luggage space, which continues to remain at 130 liters (4.59 cubic feet), as the soft-top.
“With the all-new Mazda MX-5 RF, we freed ourselves from traditional ways of thinking and took on fresh challenges to create something new. Our aim was a convertible sports car with gorgeous fastback lines when the roof is closed and an exhilarating feeling when open“, said Nobuhiro Yamamoto, the MX-5’s Programme Manager.
Mazda’s MX-5 RF, whose name stands for Retractable Fastback, has re-tuned suspension and steering, promising to deliver a more refined ride, and also comes with sound-absorbing headliner in the roof panels and special insulation to counter rear wheel noise.
In Europe, it will retain the 1.5-liter and 2.0-liter engines as its soft-top sibling, while in North America, it will be offered only with the larger four-banger mill. Visitors at the 2016 Goodwood Festival of Speed will get to see it live between June 23 and 26, in Chichester, England, approximately 100 km (62 miles) southwest of London.
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