Few companies are making pure, timelessly beautiful sports cars any more. The Mazda Iconic SP might be the very last one that uses gasoline, if it gets made. A few more details about it have surfaced, and it seems like Mazda engineers are stopping just short of telling us that it’s green-lit.
Speaking with Motor Trend, Mazda Chief Technical Officer Ryuichi Umeshita emphatically that the car will not be a replacement for a Miata. It will be larger than the Roadster. “You can expect Iconic SP will be a good successor for RX-7,” Umeshita said.
The concept was shown as driven by batteries with a dual-rotor rotary engine acting as a range extender. The rotary would use gasoline to recharge the battery, but not drive the car directly. However, Umeshita revealed to Motor Trend that there may also be a version where the rotary engine is in fact the primary form of motivation.
As for the name, Umeshita says that it “is not a successor to an existing model.” It could revive a nameplate, the most obvious being an RX-something, but he says it could also be something new. “There is very little possibility that we will name it Cosmo,” he states.
It could debut as early as 2026, but there’s still that pesky “business case” that Mazda needs to justify the expense. If that case is made, the Iconic SP could hit the market before the fifth-generation Miata, which is still, according to the article, “still a few years out”. Masashi Nakayama, Mazda’s design head, told Motor Trend that it will keep the ND’s size but its shape will be influenced by the Iconic SP. Umeshita reassures that when the NE arrives, it will come with a manual transmission option. Together, the NE and Iconic SP (if it happens) will fill different niches in a two-sports car lineup.
Fingers crossed. Again, offer it with a Wankel driving the rears with three pedals or don’t bother. I think I speak for a majority.
Unfortunately, the majority speaks a lot, especially on internet. But when comes the time to put the money where their mouth is there are always excuses and things to criticize (it’s too heavy, it’s not like the previous model, it’s not like my fantasies about it are, etc). The same majority who will come back 25 years later to complain about how crazy the secondhand market got and cry about why more were not sold back in the days. It may not be your personal case, but that’s what the “majority” is all about.
As much as I love the FD RX7 and find this Icon SP achingly beautiful, the return of a rotary engine has been touted so many times that I just no longer have any interest in it whatsoever. Put a straight 6 in that bodyshape while retaining the driving ability of the MX5 but in a more refined, grown up and GT style and I’m sold. The money is ready Mazda,
A straight six engine powering the rear wheels through a manual transmission would close the last third of the Datsun Z/Mazda RX7 loop nicely. 1, 2, 3. Iconic sports cars, all.
“SP” designated the last iteration of the RX3 (in the U.S., anyway), and also a stripped-down racing version of the FD RX7. Keeping the “SP” on this car closes that loop as well.
I think you are correct the model is likely to have the straight six as the mainstream offering. I also think they want to offer a rotary engined limited edition as a final tribute to an engine they alone proved could work as a production unit. I hope both options become reality.
A Mazda rotary sounds great but it will need to have some impressive performance numbers to offset the low MPG it is likely to have compared to potential competitors. Assuming a price north of $50K competitors would include the next generation Supra, Porsche Cayman, Nissan Z, Mustang, and BMW M2. A tall task to make a business case as the sales volumes for all of them is pretty darn low.
Respectfully, I don’t think MPG is a huge concern for many in the market for this kind of machine–rotary enthusiasts even less so. The resurgence of manuals and diminishing luster of EVs seems to point toward an actual market for a hyper-niche halo car, especially if the platform can be shared with a higher-volume Toyota product.
I really think they shouldnt be so stuck up on making their coupe a rotary.. just make the damn thing with existing mazda engines. Base model could use 2.5L, then 2.5L turbo and 6 cylinder from cx-60. It doesnt have to be a rotary. Just make a 2+2 coupe based off Mazda MX-5, a new RX-8 but without rotary woes if you will…