Mazda MX-5 Club Edition headed for New York Auto Show

Mazda will be presenting a new version of the MX-5 roadster at the New York Auto Show next month, called the MX-5 Club. Without giving much out, the Japanese car maker hints that the MX-5 Club is the most aggressive road-going iteration of the company’s fourth-generation iconic roadster.

To us, this translates to a hardcore, track-ready MX-5 with enhanced engine performance and sharper chassis, much like the MX-5 Cup car (pictured above) that will race in a new one-model Global Cup series starting 2016.

Launched in 2014, the all-new Mazda MX-5 is the most compact of any generation MX-5 so far and is more than 100kg lighter than the model it replaces, thanks to lightweight construction. Power comes from either a 1.5-litre or 2.0-litre petrol engine. Both six-speed manual or 6-speed automatic transmission are offered in the roadster’s classic front-midship engine, rear-wheel drive layout with near perfect 50:50 front-rear weight distribution.

Shorter than the first-generation MX-5 unveiled in 1989, yet wider than the outgoing model and with its engine lower and farther back in its chassis, the new MX-5 is designed to deliver maximum driving enjoyment. The MX-5 Club aims to amplify that experience, harking back to the early lightweight sports cars that inspired it.