The Mazdaspeed Miata in the North America, Roadster Turbo in Japan or MX-5 SE in Australia were the only turbo versions of the MX-5 produced in the Mazda factory in Japan.
Interestingly, it was Australia who did it first, and inspired Mazda head office in Japan to build them for the rest of the globe.
The MX-5 SP (Special Performance) was a limited production model created exclusively for the Australian market in 2002. Mazda Australia’s Motorsport Division, with permission from Headquarters in Japan, commissioned a turbo conversion developed by Melbourne based Prodrive. At the time Ford owned a large share in Mazda and already had motorsport links with Prodrive in Australia.
The SP model is little known outside of Australia, and probably deserves more recognition as it's unlikely the arguably more glamorous Mazdaspeed Miata / Roadster Turbo would have followed without it.
To learn more about this very unique model click here. check it out here.
