AUSTRALIEN
MX-5 SE Enregistrement
MX-5 SP PROTOTYPE - Father to the MSM/RT/SE
For years the Miata/MX-5 community asked, hell even demanded, that Mazda provide their beloved little roadster with more power. It happened with the Protégé and Maxda3 so why not the most popular two seat open roadster in the world?
In order to test the market viability of such a vehicle Mazda Australia’s Motorsport Division, with permission from Headquarters in Japan, commissioned a turbo conversion developed by Melbourne based Prodrive Racing Australia.
The outgrowth was the MX-5 SP (Special Performance) a limited production model created exclusively for the Australian market in 2002. The offshoot of that model created primarily (but not exclusively) the Mazdaspeed Miata, known as the Roadster Turbo in Japan, the MX-5 SE in Australia and the MX-5 Turbo in New Zealand.
The SP project had two objectives:
○ To develop and produce the SP for retail sale
○ To compete at 2001 Targa Tasmania in road going trim
Now that's the lineage of this unique roadster but how did Prodrive actually develop the SP in the first place?
Building the car
To achieve this new level of power was a turbocharger kit installation, which included an intercooler, remapped engine ECU, a new air box and a new free-flow stainless steel exhaust system, devised by Mazda Motorsport's guru Allan Horsley, who previously served up the race-winning RX-7 SP (in 1995) and the Mazda 800 SP (in 1998).
Because the turbocharger and its associated plumbing weighs only about 29 kg (63 lbs) total, Horsley did not need to mess with braking or suspension set-ups and the clutch and gearbox were strong enough to cope with the 33 per cent increase in power and the 55 per cent increase in torque the turbo provided.
Developed by Mazda Motorsport, the first program that was submitted to Mazda made a lot more power but while it was still reliable and emission friendly, Mazda demanded an even more conservative program to make the car as "idiot-proof" as possible. This would allow the MX-5 SP to conservatively output approximately 33% more power and 55% more torque than the standard model.
Despite easily passing rigorous durability testing in controlled conditions, the team wanted to ensure it was ready for the real world. And so, the Mazda MX-5 SP prototype was entered into the gruelling, seven-day Targa Tasmania event with Murray Coote/ Anthony McLouglin behind the wheel.
“Experience has shown that there is no tougher place to test and prove mechanical systems than in the cut and thrust of competition” said Horsley who instructed Coote to drive the car “as hard as possible”.
PUT TO THE TEST - the race itself
Targa Tasmania is a gruelling tarmac-based rally event held on the island state of Tasmania, Australia, annually since 1992. With over 30 sections of road closed to the public and more than 2,000 kilometres of sealed roads and amazing landscapes to enjoy, Targa Tasmania is the Ultimate Tarmac Rally. The event takes its name from the Targa Florio, a similar former motoring event held on the island of Sicily. The 2001 Targa Tasmania was the tenth running of the Tarmac Rally event and saw the event extended to a six-day format to mark the decade milestone.
Race/Test results and outcomes
Coote and his MX-5 SP prototype did not disappoint, finishing in 20th position overall winning showroom class, exceeding all expectations and passing the final test with flying colors.
Thanks to team’s success in Tasmania, Prodrive proceeded to produce over a hundred units of the MX-5 SP for sale exclusively in Australia developing quite the reputation in the process.
The commercial success of the SP paved the way for the development of the Mazdaspeed Miata/Roadster Turbo/MX-5 SE (MSM/RT/SE) released in 2004, which was detuned in order to accommodate a larger market appeal.
What's happened to the prototype since the Targa Tasmania
After Targa Tasmania in 2001, Horsley had the turbo kit, manifold and plumbing removed and sent it to manufacturing for tooling the production SPs . He replaced it all with the factory gear. The car was advertised for sale without success by Penrith City Mazda for a few weeks after the Targa event.
The car was next seen in the Burswood Dome where Mazda PR Manager Brian Butterworth and Mazda WA, and MX-5 Club of WA members were invited for a catered function at the 2001 Perth Auto Expo. Brian gave a small speech outlining the focus of Mazda within the show and provided several updates under development. The most interesting of course was the SP Prototype competing in the Targa Tasmania.
It was eventually sold to its next owner at an auction in Sydney, who continued to campaign it at Targa Tasmania successfully for a few more years (unconfirmed).
The last known (and believed current) owner is located in Western Australia had this to say about his SP Prototype "I bought it off him in 2008 with about 32,000 kms on the clock. Make no mistake a lot of this has been hard driving but vast amounts of it was driving from Sydney to Tasmania and back each year.
When I got it here in WA I used it as my daily driver on NSW plates for two years. Driving a caged, harnessed, car all day was an awesome experience. It was a lot of fun spinning people out. I raced two or three seasons at the Speed Event Series (hill climbs and sprints) without great success. Nevertheless I had a blast and got it out of my system.
It was displayed at the WA MX-5 Club Whiteman Park Classic Car Show event in 2010.
In 2011 I took her off the road to install several modifications in order to compete. I got back on the road towards the end of 2011 and competed at a few rounds of SES in 2011/2012. Eventually I had her transferred to a WA rego (Dedicated Rally Car) and she is licensed as such now."
The car it is believed to still be in the ownership of this gentleman in Western Australia