FIRST LOOK: Rotary-Engine Mazda Previews Next RX-7

we're here at Mazda's top level Design Studio in Hiroshima in Japan to take a look at A New Concept car called the iconic SP and it looks a bit like that pretty isn't it and as far as concept cars go the iconic SP looks kind of tantalizingly close to being real it's not made of titanium rain blades or hydraform from recycled Dolphins anyway it's just a classic two- seat sports car with some really rather excellent lines this is the best kind of concept the one that doesn't take very much decoding Mazda launched this car along with an updated MX5 and everyone sort of assumed that it was a nextg roadster and although there's definitely a kind of greatest hits of Mazda's styling going on and that's not a bad thing the iconic SP is either a super Slinky MX5 alike or a nod to the RX7 so is it this or this at first when I saw the pictures I was thinking MX5 but now that I'm stood next to it I'm thinking it's the RX7 mainly because it's longer lower and wider and more powerful than any MX5 you can think of oh yeah and it's got a rotary engine yes it's not that kind of rotary because all is not as it seems there's definitely a rotary engine in there but it's a two rotor system that acts as a generator for a fully EV drivetrain so this is essentially an electric car with an ice engine to give it powerups an ice engine that Mazda says can run on a variety of sustainable fuels as ever with most things with batteries and Motors it'll be pretty powerful but slightly heavy than you expect power is quoted at 365 brake horsepower weight at 1,450 kg so it'll be fast but not silly but that kind of power plant is also scalable so you can upssize it for more powerful cars by adding more powerful Motors and sizing up the generator engine the rotary motor sits in the front for perfect 50/50 weight distribution and with that kind of power output it probably doesn't need dual motors so there'll be a single unit packaged in the rear and that's all aimed at what Mazda calls excellent driving performance and fun to driess this is all good news but there is an addition to the electric package because this car has vehicle to load capability so you could use it as a mobile battery when you go camping or indeed it could run your house in the event of a power outage oops I just like the way it sits it's not concept car challenging I don't have to get used to it or hear the story behind it before it makes sense it just looks good classic proportions a cracking color simple details there are lovely wide crisp front wings that stretch over Arrow Wheels with carbon looking inserts a beautiful shape to the windows here and then again this wave of rear Arch that flows back into a very neat rear but even there again we get a Twist on the Mazda theme of twin round rear lights and these kind of infinity symbol shapes even the Venturi down there is super simple and simple is a theme that continues on the inside just have a look at how paired back that interior is compared to some of the digital theme parks that we used to this is Back to Basics in a big way it's really simple basically there's a small digital driver's display and a touchcreen in the middle then this small steering wheel with some paddles behind it now they could either be for I don't know a fake gearbox or for brake regeneration and then on the center console you've got some sliders that pick your gear that's the gearbox everything is just really kind of simple and neat I have also noticed that there appears to be blue cordoy on the seats which means that cordoy is definitely making a comeback yes of course if you dig a a little bit deeper everything is sustainable and recycled so there's biomaterial here and there and flax derived this and that but actually what stands out is the Simplicity and to find out a little bit more about why the iconic SP looks the way it does we decided to ask the fell that designed it Masashi nakama designed by rotary engine for Des [Music] it's not what Mazda has included here but what it's left out that's made this car Stand Out weirdly the company kind of had to have a little bit of a shakeup and produce something genuinely exciting again to get itself going and I think the I conic SP is exactly that car even with its really strange rotary electric drivetrain but if you think that does sound weird don't forget it already exists in the mx30 Rev this is just that on steroids it's funny but during the EV Revolution quite a few car company bosses are addressing the worry that cars are starting to become Transport Solutions rather than passionate items Masahiro Morrow president and CEO of the Mazda Motor Corporation said at Mazda we are all determined and committed to delivering vehicles that bring joy and happiness to all because we have an unwavering belief that a great car can enrich its drivers and owners life the iconic SP is a dream but a dream will work hard to launch and I think he's right but you do have to get people to actually want the cars in the first place and good cars only become great when you get Form and Function together in one package so tell us what you think is the iconic SP son of RX7 or NextGen MX5 and is it as pretty as I actually think it is

Channel: Top Gear

Views: 848,560

Keywords: Top Gear, mazda rx7, mazda rx9, rotary engine, mazda rotary engine, mazda miata, mazda ev, mazda rx 8, mazda rx8, mazda 787b, rotary engines, new rotary engine, hydrogen engine, electric motors, mazda cars, mazda rx, mazda rx 7, mazda rx-7, mazda 2024, mazda rx7 fc, mazda rx9 review, car review, new car, mazda 6, mazda cx 30, mazda 3, mazda cx 5, yt:cc=on

Id: mxc-moAbid8

Length: 8min 4sec (484 seconds)

Published: Sun Feb 18 2024