What's all this then?
This is one of the coolest things we've seen in a while. Mazda had said that it was going to bring a hard-top MX-5 to the New York Auto Show, but we just thought it would be like the last MX-5 Roadster-Coupe - a light plastic roof that was basically the same size and shape as the soft-top.
It isn't. In fact, Mazda seems to have taken a major leaf out of Porsche's playbook and designed a 911 Targa-style roof that has the sweet tang of the seventies about it. The central section of the 'Retractable Fastback' folds away, rather dramatically, as the whole rear of the car lifts up to allow it to stow (it can do this at up to 6mph). The rear pillars and screen remain in place, allowing Mazda to make the whole car look much smarter than other folding hard tops - in fact we'd go so far as to say that this might be the best-looking MX-5 yet.
Mazda says that the roof doesn't cut into boot space and that the RF has the same 130-litre luggage volume as the standard car. It gets the same 1.5- or 2.0-litre engines too, but will be available with an optional automatic gearbox that, as yet, you can't have on the soft-top.
It'll also get this gorgeous 'machine grey' paint finish, which Mazda says 'gives the impression that the vehicle's body was sculpted from a solid block of steel.'
No word on prices or performance, but sales will start later this year.
Neil Briscoe - 23 Mar 2016