Page 2 of 2 FirstFirst 12
Results 16 to 21 of 21

Thread: M-Coupe, M-Speedster, The Miata Club Racer and Other Mazda "Legends"

  1. #16
    Admin / Pit Boss / Miataholic Phatmiata's Avatar
    Drives
    Kirin the '93LE Roadster #1073
    Location
    NEW Tampa > OLD Tampa
    Join Date
    Apr 1994
    Posts
    33,605
    Thanks Given
    13,678
    Thanked 9,518 Times in 4,641 Posts
    If you look closely, they did actually use one design the M-Coupe and applied it onto the production models of the NB.

  2. #17
    1,000 rpm - releasing the clutch m00se's Avatar
    Drives
    BRG '94 NA8T, mariner blue '91 stored
    Location
    Frankfurt, Germany
    Join Date
    Jan 2012
    Posts
    98
    Thanks Given
    9
    Thanked 71 Times in 43 Posts
    Rocker panel and rounded door edge?

  3. The Following User Says Thank You to m00se For This Useful Post:

    Phatmiata (05-16-2014)

  4. #18
    2,000 rpm - light wheelspin, no bog here!
    Drives
    1996 Montego Blue
    Join Date
    Jan 2012
    Posts
    336
    Thanks Given
    9
    Thanked 357 Times in 149 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by RotorNutFD3S View Post
    I sort of doubt the M Coupe had anything to do with the FD as it wasn't deceased until 2002. It was only discontinued in the US after MY95.

    FWIW, all of the older articles I've read stated that the M Coupe was a concept car approved by Mazda to show what the NA would look like without the drop-top. Most rumors stated that Mazda marketing decided that it wouldn't sell well at the time.
    This coupe was put together by Mazda North America as an internal project. Mazda Japan built more serious coupe styling study in 1990-91. MNAO also did an earlier coupe. Mazda NA also did an early coupe concept. There was no need to build the M-Coupe to show Mazda what a Roadster coupe would look like, they already knew.









    Pretty obvious in side profile that the America coupe treatment was not the origin of the production coupe.

    Early American attempt, years before the M-Coupe.




    Everything you've said just paraphrases what Miata.net says on the subject, written by someone 10+ years ago who didn't know the F010 even existed. Brian Long quotes Tom Matano who stressed the M-Coupe was only ever a styling exercise; there was never an intention to use it for marketing a coupe idea, thats just something the media made up. In a similar vein, the Monoposto and Superlight only ever existed to provide something interesting to look at a show.

    The F010 was a project ordered by Shigenori Fukada. Note, the two different sides.

    Someone translate this;




  5. The Following User Says Thank You to roadsternut For This Useful Post:

    etikoner (05-16-2014)

  6. #19
    Super Moderator RotorNutFD3S's Avatar
    Drives
    '99 Brilliant Black Turbo
    Location
    Newnan, GA
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Posts
    1,885
    Thanks Given
    2,464
    Thanked 1,473 Times in 698 Posts
    Then there was no need to build another coupe for a show car when the FD left the US. They apparently already had plenty of coupes to choose from.
    Interesting info though.
    I've got a lot less horsepower - luckily they are Japanese horses - usually in better shape and more motivated.

  7. #20
    2,000 rpm - light wheelspin, no bog here!
    Drives
    1996 Montego Blue
    Join Date
    Jan 2012
    Posts
    336
    Thanks Given
    9
    Thanked 357 Times in 149 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by RotorNutFD3S View Post
    Then there was no need to build another coupe for a show car when the FD left the US. They apparently already had plenty of coupes to choose from.
    Interesting info though.
    Well, F010 was not a show grade car; the left side looked different from the right side. It was also a Canadian spec car and therefore could not be imported into the US. The M2-1008; not sure any survived (Mazda only has a sole replica left); that was Japanese spec, and of course could not be imported into the US. The M-Coupe used a road registered US spec car.

    The F010 had a pretty rough interior





    Rough fibreglassing



    I think the M-Coupe should be looked at not as a Mazda Motors project (as far as I know, its never been exhibited outside of North America) but as a MNAO project. In the same way, the MX5 Superlight is really a Mazda Europe showcar project, and also irrelevant to the MX5 story. The Superlight started out (allegedly) as an unregistered red 1.8 base spec MX5 that had fell off the transporter.




    When it comes to show cars, Mazda is a master of smoke and mirrors. Did anyone really think they were going to launch a 2.0 IRTB'd NB (MX5 MPS concept), or a FM-supercharged NC (the Yusho) or a throttle-bodied' NC (the GT; the GT that is on sale is nothing like the cars the press tested).

  8. #21
    Ninja Messiah kung fu jesus's Avatar
    Drives
    1999 White
    Location
    Atlanta, GA
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Posts
    15,852
    Thanks Given
    2,791
    Thanked 7,202 Times in 3,433 Posts
    One of the times I have seen the yellow NA prototype, I saw some stress cracks in the paint/body where the B pillar meets the fender. These styling and concept prototypes are meant as exercises and typically used to promote the model they are based off of.

Page 2 of 2 FirstFirst 12

Tags for this Thread

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •