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95-680: The Mazda MX-5 is a lightweight two-person sports car manufactured and marketed by Mazda with a front mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout . The convertible is marketed as the Mazda Roadster ( マツダ・ロードスター , Matsuda Rōdosutā ) or Eunos Roadster ( ユーノス・ロードスター , Yūnosu Rōdosutā ) in Japan, and as the Mazda Miata ( / m i ˈ ɑː t ə / ) in the United States, and formerly in Canada, where it

190-434: A Triumph Spitfire and Ferrari 488 Pista can be considered sports cars, despite vastly different levels of performance. Broader definitions of sports cars include cars "in which performance takes precedence over carrying capacity", or that emphasise the "thrill of driving" or are marketed "using the excitement of speed and the glamour of the (race)track" However, other people have more specific definitions, such as "must be

285-399: A controversial choice for a "purist" sports car. The Elan sold poorly and was discontinued after three years. The 1996 Lotus Elise , a mid-engined, rear-wheel drive roadster, was much more successful and remained in production until 2021. Roadsters enjoyed a resurgence in the mid-1990s, including the 1989-present Mazda MX-5 , the 1995-2002 BMW Z3 (succeeded by the 2002-2016 BMW Z4 ),

380-498: A curb weight under 1,100 kg (2,500 lb). Its longitudinal truss, marketed as the Powerplant Frame (PPF), provides a rigid connection between the engine and differential to minimize flex and improve balance. Some MX-5 models feature a limited-slip differential , traction control, and an anti-lock braking system . With an approximate 50:50 front/rear weight balance, the car has nearly neutral handling . Inducing oversteer

475-423: A fixed roof (which were previously considered grand tourers ). Attributing the definition of 'sports car' to any particular model can be controversial or the subject of debate among enthusiasts. Authors and experts have often contributed their ideas to capture a definition. Insurance companies have also attempted to use mathematical formulae to categorise sports cars, often charging more for insurance due to

570-399: A pressed-steel chassis, a gated 4-speed transmission, pushrod-actuated overhead inlet valves , a honeycomb radiator, low-tension magneto ignition , a long wheelbase, a low center of mass and a very effective suspension system. The overall result was a "safe and well-balanced machine" with a higher performance than any other contemporary production car. At the 1903 Gordon Bennett Cup ,

665-427: A production Simplex 60 hp was entered only due to a specially-built 90 hp racing car being destroyed in a fire; the 60 hp famously went on to win the race. The 1910 Austro-Daimler 27/80 is another early sports car which had success in motor racing. The 27/80 was designed by Ferdinand Porsche , who drove the car to victory in the 1910 Prince Henry Tour motor race. The Vauxhall and Austro-Daimler —like

760-646: A similar powertrain arrangement found in the Renault 21 and 25 – later becoming the basis for the Chrysler LH sedans produced until the 2004 model year. Today, Audi is the most prominent user of this mechanical layout, having used it since the 1950s in its predecessor companies DKW and Auto Union , and it can be found in its larger models from the A4 upward. The latest evolution of the format in Audi's MLB platform attempts to address

855-448: A slight increase in engine power, a refined interior design and the option of a six-speed manual transmission. In 2001, the model underwent revisions, the second generation boasted a slight increase in engine power, a more refined interior with an updated design, and a newly available six-speed manual transmission. In 2001, further revisions included slightly updated front and rear styling as well as variable-valve timing engine technology for

950-456: A sports car, the MX-5 is perfect. Nothing on the road will give you better value. Nothing will give you so much fun. The only reason I'm giving it five stars is because I can't give it fourteen. Lightly modified MX-5s are a popular choice for amateur circuit racing . They are the basis of many spec racing series around the world, including: Sports car A sports car is a type of car that

1045-552: A then total production of 531,890 units. The 250,000th MX-5 rolled out of the factory on November 9, 1992; the 500,000th, on February 8, 1999; the 750,000th, in March 2004; the 800,000th in January 2007, and the 900,000th in February 2011. On April 22, 2016, Mazda produced its one millionth MX-5. It was displayed in several cities, where the first 240 people present could sign it before it went to

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1140-476: A turbocharged version of the normal 1.8-liter engine, enabling a quarter-mile time of 15.2 seconds and a 0–97 km/h (0–60 mph) time of 6.7 seconds. Other Mazdaspeed specs include stiffer and shorter springs, Bilstein shocks, and larger 17-inch wheels. Taking design cues from the 2003 Mazda Ibuki concept car, the third-generation Mazda MX-5 was introduced in 2005 and was in production until 2015. This generation introduced Power Retractable Hard Top (PRHT),

1235-545: A two-seater or a 2+2 seater" or a car with two seats only. In the United Kingdom, early recorded usage of the "sports car" was in The Times newspaper in 1919. The first known use of the term in the United States was in 1928. Sports cars started to become popular during the 1920s. The term initially described two-seat roadsters (cars without a fixed roof), however, since the 1970s the term has also been used for cars with

1330-470: A variant featuring a folding hard top mechanism that does not encroach on trunk space. During its release, the third generation MX-5 received several accolades such as the 2005–2006 Car of the Year Japan Award and Car and Driver ' s 10Best list from 2006 to 2013. The fourth-generation Mazda MX-5 was unveiled in 2014 and has been in production since 2015. An updated model was introduced in 2019 and

1425-416: A wide steering angle to be achieved. A flexible rubber boot fitted to each joint retains grease and keeps out dirt and moisture. Where the differential is not located in the center line of the vehicle, an intermediate shaft can be fitted to maintain equal length drive shafts on each side. This keeps drive shaft angles equal on both sides and helps prevent steering irregularities and vibration. The outer end of

1520-449: Is an iconic sports car of the early 1960s, due to its attractive styling and claimed top speed of 241 km/h (150 mph). The E-type was produced for 14 years and was initially powered by a six-cylinder engine, followed by a V12 engine for the final generation. In 1962, the MG B introduced a new era of affordable lightweight four-cylinder roadsters. The MG B used a unibody construction and

1615-476: Is at one end of the vehicle. Car handling is not ideal, but usually predictable. In contrast with the front-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout (RWD), the FWD layout eliminates the need for a central tunnel or a higher chassis clearance to accommodate a driveshaft providing power to the rear wheels. Like the rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout (RR) and rear mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout (RMR) layouts, it places

1710-443: Is caused by differing drive shaft lengths which in turn results in different incident angles at the joints of the driveshaft. The farther these joints are articulate, the less effective they are at delivering torque to the wheels. In front wheel drive vehicles, the drive shafts transfer the drive directly from the differential to the front wheels. A short inner stub shaft is splined to the differential side gear and an outer stub shaft

1805-466: Is designed with an emphasis on dynamic performance, such as handling , acceleration, top speed, the thrill of driving, and racing capability. Sports cars originated in Europe in the early 1910s and are currently produced by many manufacturers around the world. Definitions of sports cars often relate to how the car design is optimised for dynamic performance, without any specific minimum requirements; both

1900-479: Is easy and controllable, making the MX-5 a popular choice for amateur and stock racing, autocross, and club racing. In 1976, Bob Hall , a journalist at Motor Trend magazine who was an expert in Japanese cars and fluent in the language, met Kenichi Yamamoto and Gai Arai, head of Research and Development at Mazda. Yamamoto and Gai Arai asked Hall what kind of car Mazda should make in the future: I babbled [...] how

1995-406: Is notable for using a three-seat layout, where the front row consists of a centrally-located driver's seat. The location of the engine and driven wheels significantly influence the handling characteristics of a car and are therefore crucial in the design of a sports car. Traditionally, most sports cars have used rear-wheel drive with the engine either located at the front ( FR layout ) or in

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2090-510: Is now marketed as the MX-5 but is still commonly referred to as Miata . Manufactured at Mazda's Hiroshima plant , the MX-5 debuted in 1989 at the Chicago Auto Show and was created under the design credo Jinba ittai ( 人馬一体 ) , meaning "oneness of horse and rider". Noted for its small, light, balanced and minimalist design, the MX-5 has been called a successor to 1950s and '60s Italian and British roadster sports cars. The Lotus Elan

2185-430: Is splined to the front wheel hub. Each stub shaft has a yoke, or housing, to accommodate a universal joint , at each end of a connecting intermediate shaft. Universal joints let the shaft keep rotating while allowing for changes due to suspension movement, such as shaft length and horizontal angle, and shaft angle as the steering turns. Constant-velocity universal joints are normally used to transfer power smoothly between

2280-489: Is visually identical to the pre-update model; the engine was upgraded to 135 kW (181 hp) and a dual-mass flywheel introduced to the powertrain in the manual transmission. The 2024 version received some minor tweaks. The ND generation introduced a Retractable Fastback (RF) variant that features a rigid roof and buttresses that give the silhouette a more coupé-like appearance than the soft top convertible. The fourth generation MX-5 has received several accolades such as

2375-511: The Audi RS 2 Avant . Ford Europe withdrew from the sports car market at the end of 1986 when the Capri was discontinued after a production run of nearly two decades. There was no direct successor, as Ford was concentrating on higher-performance versions of its hatchback and saloon models at the time. In 1989, a new generation of Lotus Elan roadster was released which used a front-wheel drive layout,

2470-534: The BMW 303 , Citroën Traction Avant and Fiat 508 — offered similar handling and comfort to the more expensive sports cars. Powerful, reliable, and economical (although softly suspended) American saloons began to be imported to Europe in significant numbers. Sports car ownership was increased through models such as the Austin 7 and Wolseley Hornet six , however many of these sports cars did not offer any performance upgrades over

2565-601: The Bentley Speed Six (1928-1930), with the former famously described by Bugatti's founder as "the fastest lorry in the world". Between the Great Depression and the World War II the pre-war era was a period of decline in importance for sports car manufacturers, although the period was not devoid of advances, for example streamlining . Cheap, light-weight family sedans with independent front suspension— such as

2660-509: The Jensen FF became the first sports car to use all-wheel drive . The Ford Capri is a 2+2 coupe that was produced from 1968 to 1986 and intended to be a smaller European equivalent of the Ford Mustang. A main rival to the Capri was Opel Manta , which was produced from 1970 to 1988. The 1973-1978 Lancia Stratos was a mid-engined two-seat coupe that was powered by a Ferrari V6 engine. This

2755-451: The rear mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout . The first round of judging the competing designs was held in April 1984, with designs presented on paper only. The mid-engined car appeared to offer favorable qualities, although it was known at the time that such a layout would struggle to meet the noise, vibration, and harshness ( NVH ) requirements of the project. It was only at the second round of

2850-695: The "transmission-in-sump" layout included the Datsun 100A (Cherry) and various applications of the PSA-Renault X-Type engine such as the Peugeot 104 and Renault 14 . The 1955 Suzuki Suzulight also introduced a front engine with a transversely installed two-stroke twin-cylinder engine (using DKW technology) in a city car / kei car application, based on the German Lloyd LP400 . Dante Giacosa 's Autobianchi Primula of 1964, Fiat 128 and Fiat 127 , put

2945-511: The 1.8-liter engine, which now made 106 kW (142 hp). Updated models have since been known as NB2, while the earlier versions are referred to as NB1. While various special editions continued to be introduced throughout the entire NB production run, the Mazdaspeed MX-5 is distinctive for being the only MX-5 to be turbocharged at the factory. The Mazdaspeed variant, built for the model years 2004 and 2005, made 133 kW (178 hp) from

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3040-403: The 1905 Isotta Fraschini Tipo D, the 1906 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost , the 1908 Delage , the 1910 Bugatti Type 13 , and the 1912 DFP 12/15 . Early motor racing events included the 1903 Paris–Madrid race , the 1905-1907 Herkomer Trophy, the 1908-1911 Prince Henry Tour and the 1911–present Monte Carlo Rally . The Prince Henry Tours (which were similar to modern car rallies) were among

3135-486: The 1921 Coppa Florio . Another approach— such as that used by Morris Garages— was to convert touring cars into sports cars. The first 24 Hours of Le Mans race for sports cars was held in 1923, although the two-seat sports cars only competed in the smallest class, with the majority of cars entered being four-seat fast touring cars. "This race, together with the Tourist Trophy Series of Races , organised after

3230-404: The 1948 Ferrari 166 S . A new concept altogether was the modern Gran Turismo class from Italy, which was in effect unknown before the war: sustained high-speed motoring from relatively modest engine size and compact closed or berlinetta coachwork. The 1947 Maserati A6 1500 two-seat berlinetta was the first production model from Maserati. In Germany, the motor industry was devastated by

3325-495: The 1980 Deutsche Rennsport Meisterschaft and Giro d'Italia automobilistico marathon. The Montecarlo was a basis for the silhouette racing car , Lancia Rally 037 . In the 1970s, turbocharging began to be adopted by sports cars, such as the BMW 2002 Turbo in 1973, the first Porsche 911 Turbo in 1975, and the Saab 99 Turbo in 1978. Turbocharging became increasingly popular in the 1980s, from relatively affordable coupes such as

3420-452: The 1980–1986 Renault Fuego and 1992–1996 Rover 220 Coupé Turbo , to expensive supercars such as the 1984-1987 Ferrari 288 GTO and 1987-1992 Ferrari F40 . In the late 1980s and early 1990s, several manufacturers developed supercars that competed for production car top speed records . These cars included the 1986–1993 Porsche 959 , 1991–1995 Bugatti EB 110 , 1992–1994 Jaguar XJ220 and 1993–998 McLaren F1 . The 1980-1995 Audi Quattro

3515-497: The 1990s, all-wheel drive has become more common in sports cars. All-wheel drive offers better acceleration and favorable handling characteristics (especially in slippery conditions), but is often heavier and more mechanically complex than traditional layouts. Examples of all-wheel drive sports cars are the Lamborghini Huracan , Bugatti Veyron , and Nissan GT-R . Rear engine layouts are not typical for sports cars, with

3610-413: The 1995-2002 MG F , the 1996–present Porsche Boxster and the 1998–present Audi TT . Front-engine, front-wheel-drive layout Historically, this designation was used regardless of whether the entire engine was behind the front axle line. In recent times, the manufacturers of some cars have added to the designation with the term front-mid which describes a car in which the engine is in front of

3705-786: The 2015-2016 Car of the Year Japan Award, the 2016 World Car of the Year Award, Car and Driver ' s 10Best list from 2016 to 2019, and the Red Dot Best of the Best Award in Product Design 2017. In addition, the car is the basis for the Fiat 124 Spider and Abarth 124 Spider . In 2000, the Guinness Book of World Records declared the MX-5 the best-selling two-seat sports car in history, with

3800-457: The Cord L-29 was not ideal; the driven wheels did not carry a large enough proportion of weight for good traction and handling. The 1934 Citroën Traction Avant solved the weight distribution issue by placing the transmission at the front of the car with the differential between it and the engine. Combined with the car's low slung unibody design, this resulted in handling which was remarkable for

3895-405: The MX-5 as the most important sports car built during the previous 25 years. As production continues and generations are added, the core idea, dimensions and basic technology remain, with technological advancements added with each revised version, while adhering to the original goals that led to its creation. In 2009, English automotive critic Jeremy Clarkson wrote: The fact is that if you want

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3990-460: The Mercedes Simplex 60 hp— were production fast touring cars. The 1912 Hispano-Suiza Alfonso XIII is also considered one of the earliest sports cars, as it was a "purpose built, high performance, two-seater production automobile". The model was named after King Alfonso XIII of Spain , a patron of the car's chief designer and an enthusiast for the marque. Other early sports cars include

4085-568: The US. Most European and Japanese manufacturers switched to front wheel drive for the majority of their cars in the 1960s and 1970s, the last to change being VW, Ford of Europe, and General Motors (Vauxhall - UK and Opel - Germany). Toyota was the last Japanese company to switch in the early 1980s. BMW , focused on luxury vehicles, however retained the rear-wheel-drive layout in even their smaller cars, though their MINI marque are FWD. There are four different arrangements for this basic layout, depending on

4180-407: The [...] simple, bugs-in-the-teeth, wind-in-the-hair, classically-British sports car doesn't exist any more. I told Mr. Yamamoto that somebody should build one [...] inexpensive roadster. In 1981, Hall moved to a product planning position with Mazda USA and again met Yamamoto, now chairman of Mazda Motors, who remembered their conversation about a roadster and in 1982 gave Hall the go-ahead to research

4275-410: The all-wheel-drive quattro system in the high performance Jensen FF and Audi Quattro road cars. Early cars using the FWD layout include the 1925 Alvis, 1929 Cord L-29 , 1931 DKW F1 , the 1948 Citroën 2CV , 1949 Saab 92 , the 1957 Trabant P50 , and the 1959 Mini . In the 1980s, the traction and packaging advantages of this layout caused many compact and mid-sized vehicle makers to adopt it in

4370-479: The car appeared during the next year or two, all conforming to the same basic design and earning for themselves a reputation second to none for fast and reliable travel. The 60-h.p. cars were announced late in 1902. The cars were possessed of a very real performance superior to anything else which could be bought at the time... and the model achieved an almost invincible position among the fast cars of its day. The Sports Car: Development and Design The basis for

4465-707: The competition in August 1984, when full-scale clay models were presented, that the Duo 101 won the competition and was selected as the basis for what would become the MX-5. The Duo 101, so named as either a soft top or hardtop could be used, incorporated many key stylistic cues inspired by the Lotus Elan , a 1960s roadster, including the door handles, tail lamps and grille opening as well as engine appearance and center console layout. International Automotive Design (IAD) in Worthing , England,

4560-400: The components. The inner universal can be a plunge or tripod type joint. The tripod is splined to the intermediate shaft and held by a circlip. A ball, supported on needle roller bearings, is fitted to each post of the tripod, and these slide in a trunion inside the yoke. This caters for changes in shaft length and horizontal angle. The drive is transferred through the trunion and balls to rotate

4655-411: The development of performance cars such as the 1910 Vauxhall Prince Henry , 1910 Sunbeam 12/16 , 1910 Talbot 25 hp , 1910 Straker-Squire 15 hp and 1913 Star 15.9 hp . Following the halt in sports car production caused by World War I , Europe returned to manufacturing automobiles from around 1920. It was around this time that the term 'Sports Car' began to appear in the motor catalogues, although

4750-400: The early 1920s, the cost to produce a racing car was not significantly higher than a road car, therefore several manufacturers used the design from the current year's racing car for the next year's sports car. For example, the 1921 Ballot 2LS based on the racing car that finished third at the 1921 French Grand Prix. The Benz 28/95PS was also a successful racing car, with victories including

4845-423: The engine and transmission in a 'side-by-side' arrangement with power being transmitted between the two via a heavy-duty chain, and a specially designed intermediate driveshaft that passed under the engine sump. This family has the distinction of being the highest engine capacity (8.2 L) front-wheel-drive vehicles ever built. The Saab 99 and “classic” Saab 900 also used a similar arrangement. The Eagle Premier used

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4940-403: The engine over the drive wheels, improving traction in many applications. As the steered wheels are also the driven wheels, FWD cars are generally considered superior to RWD cars in conditions in which there is low traction such as snow, mud, gravel or wet tarmac. When hill climbing in low-traction conditions RR is considered the best two-wheel-drive layout, primarily due to the shift of weight to

5035-452: The era. Renault is the most recent user of this format - having used it on the Renault 4 , and the first generation Renault 5 , but it has since fallen out of favor since it encroaches into the interior space. The 1946 Panhard Dyna X , designed by Jean-Albert Grégoire , had the engine longitudinally in front of the front wheels, with the transmission behind the engine and the differential at

5130-463: The exact origin of the name is not known. The decade that followed became known as the vintage era and featured rapid technical advances over the preceding Brass Era cars . Engine performance benefited from the abandonment of " tax horsepower " (where vehicles were taxed based on bore and number of cylinders, rather than actual power output) and the introduction of leaded fuel , which increased power by allowing for higher compression ratios . In

5225-496: The final design, the project was moved to Japan for engineering and production details. By 1989, with a definitive model name now chosen, the MX-5 was ready to be introduced to the world as a true lightweight sports car, weighing just 940 kg (2,070 lb). Although Mazda's concept was for the MX-5 to be an inexpensive sports car, at introduction the design met strong demand, with many dealers placing customers on pre-order lists and several dealers across North America increasing

5320-467: The first supercars . Other significant European models of the 1960s and 1970s which might be considered supercars today are the Ferrari 250 GTO (1962-1964), Ferrari 250 GT Lusso (1963-1964), Ferrari 275 GTB/4 (1966-1968), Maserati Ghibli (1967-1973), Ferrari Daytona (1968-1973), Dino 246 (1969-1974), De Tomaso Pantera (1971-1993), Ferrari 308 GTB (1975-1980) and BMW M1 (1978-1981). In 1966,

5415-516: The first World War by the R.A.C. , appealed to the public imagination and offered to the manufacturers of the more sporting cars an excellent opportunity for boosting sales of their products." The classic Italian road races— the Targa Florio , and the Mille Miglia (first held in 1927)— also captured the public's imagination. By 1925, the higher profits available for four-seater cars resulted in

5510-467: The idea further. At this time Hall hired designer Mark Jordan to join the newly formed Mazda design studio in Southern California. There, Hall and Jordan collaborated on the parameters of the initial image, proportion and visualization of the "light-weight sports" concept. In 1983, the idea turned concept was approved under the "Offline 55" program, an internal Mazda initiative that sought to change

5605-799: The inherent risk of performance driving. There is no fixed distinction between sports cars and other categories of performance cars, such as muscle cars and grand tourers , with some cars being members of several categories. Traditionally, the most common layout for sports cars was a roadster (a two-seat car without a fixed roof). However, there are also several examples of early sports cars with four seats. Sports cars are not usually intended to transport more than two adult occupants regularly, so most modern sports cars are generally two-seat or 2+2 layout (two smaller rear seats for children or occasional adult use). Larger cars with more spacious rear-seat accommodation are usually considered sports sedans rather than sports cars. The 1993-1998 McLaren F1

5700-556: The late 1920s were AC Cars , Alfa Romeo , Alvis , Amilcar , Bignan and Samson, Chenard-Walcker , Delage , Hispano-Suiza , Hotchkiss , Mercedes-Benz and Nazzaro . Two cars from the Vintage Era that would influence sports cars for many years were the Austin Seven and MG M-type "Midget". Successful sports cars from Bentley during this era were the Bentley 3 Litre (1921-1929) and

5795-412: The location of the engine, which is the heaviest component of the drivetrain. The earliest front wheel drive cars were mid-engine, front-wheel-drive layout (MF). The engine was mounted longitudinally (fore-and-aft, or north–south) behind the wheels, with the transmission ahead of the engine and differential at the very front of the car. With the engine so far back, the weight distribution of such cars as

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5890-483: The long-standing drawback of uneven weight distribution. This is done by packaging the differential in front of the clutch, allowing the axle line to be further forward in relation to the rear face of the engine block. The first popular transverse engined FWD cars were the DKW 'Front' made from 1931, which had a twin cylinder two-stroke engine. Saab copied this design on their first car, the 1949 Saab 92 . The Trabant in 1957

5985-477: The market at that time. This arrangement continued also on the second-generation Tercel, until 1987, the third generation received a new, transversely mounted engine. Other front-wheel-drive Toyota models, such as Camry , and Corolla , had transversely mounted engines from the beginning on. The 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado (along with its sister model the Cadillac Eldorado ) used a novel arrangement which had

6080-507: The mass-produced cars upon which they were based. The highest selling sports car company of the 1930s was Morris Garages , who produced 'MG Midget' models of the M-Type , J-Type , P-Type and T-Type . The K3 version of the K-Type Magnette was a successful racing car, achieving success in the Mille Miglia , Tourist Trophy and 24 Hours of Le Mans . The Bugatti Type 57 (1934-1940)

6175-526: The middle of the vehicle ( MR layout ). Examples of FR layout sports cars include the Caterham 7 , Mazda MX-5 , and the Dodge Viper . Examples of MR layout sports cars are the Ferrari 488 , Ford GT , and Toyota MR2 . To avoid a front-heavy weight distribution , many FR layout sports cars are designed so that the engine is located further back in the engine bay, as close to the firewall as possible. Since

6270-577: The next destination. The MX-5 has won numerous awards, including Wheels Magazine ' s Car of the Year for 1989, 2005 and 2016; Sports Car International ' s "best sports car of the 1990s" and "ten best sports cars of all time"; 2005–2006 Car of the Year Japan ; and 2005 Australian Car of the Year. The MX-5 has also made Car and Driver magazine's annual 10 Best list 17 times. In their December 2009 issue, Grassroots Motorsports magazine named

6365-783: The notable exception of the Porsche 911 . The front-wheel drive layout with the engine at the front ( FF layout ) is generally the most common for cars, but it is not as common among traditional sports cars. Nonetheless, the FF layout is used by sport compacts and hot hatches such as the Mazdaspeed3 . Sports cars with an FF layout include the Fiat Barchetta , Saab Sonett , or Opel Tigra . The ancestor of all high-performance cars had its origin in Germany. The 28-h.p. Cannstatt-Daimler racing car of 1899

6460-418: The passenger compartment but behind the front axle. The engine positions of most pre– World-War-II cars are front-mid or on the front axle . This layout is the most traditional form and remains a popular, practical design. The engine, which takes up a great deal of space, is packaged in a location passengers and luggage typically would not use. The main deficit is weight distribution —the heaviest component

6555-451: The philosophy of achieving performance through minimizing weight and has been rated as one of the top 10 sports cars of the 1960s. The Elan featured fibreglass bodies, a backbone chassis, and overhead camshaft engines. A different style of roadster was the AC Cobra , released in 1962, which was fitted with V8 engines up to 7.0 L (427 cu in) in size by Shelby . The Porsche 911

6650-423: The production of two-seat sports cars being limited to smaller manufacturers such as Aston-Martin (350 Astons built from 1921 to 1939) and Frazer-Nash (323 cars built from 1924 to 1939). Then by the late 1920s, the cost of producing racing cars (especially Grand Prix cars) escalated, causing more manufacturers to produce cars for the growing sports car market instead. Significant manufacturers of sports cars in

6745-570: The rear of the assembly. This arrangement, used by Panhard until 1967, potentially had a weight distribution problem analogous to that of the Cord L29 mentioned above. However, the Panhard's air-cooled flat twin engine was very light, and mounted low down with a low centre of gravity reducing the effect. The air-cooled flat twin engine of the Citroën 2CV was also mounted very low, in front of the front wheels, with

6840-399: The rear wheels under acceleration, while unloading the front wheels and sharply reducing their grip, effectively capping the amount of power which could realistically be utilized; in addition, the high power of high-performance cars can result in torque steer . Electronic traction control can avoid wheel-spin but largely negates the benefit of extra power. This was a reason for the adoption of

6935-411: The rear wheels when climbing. The cornering ability of an FWD vehicle is generally better, because the engine is placed over the steered wheels. However, as the driven wheels have the additional demands of steering, if a vehicle accelerates quickly, less grip is available for cornering, which can result in understeer . High-performance vehicles rarely use the FWD layout because weight is transferred to

7030-399: The shaft. The outer universal joint allows greater angular changes but not changes in shaft length. It is normally a ball and cage type with an inner race splined to the intermediate shaft. An outer race is formed in the yoke. The cage retains the balls in location in grooves in both races. The balls transfer the drive from the shaft to the hub and allow for changes in horizontal angle and for

7125-545: The sporting events of the period, bringing renown to successful entrants. The Prince Henry Tours started the evolution of reasonably large and technically advanced production sports cars. In England, the development of sporting cars was inhibited by the Motor Car Act 1903 , which imposed a speed limit of 20 mph (32 km/h) on all public roads. This led to the 1907 opening of the Brooklands motor circuit , which inspired

7220-408: The sports car is traced to the early 20th century touring cars and roadsters , and the term 'sports car' would not be coined until after World War One. A car considered to be "a sports-car years ahead of its time" is the 1903 Mercedes Simplex 60 hp , described at the time as a fast touring car and designed by Wilhelm Maybach and Paul Daimler . The Mercedes included pioneering features such as

7315-476: The sports car, but also the most important and diverse technical developments [and] very rapid and genuine improvement in the qualities of every modern production car; assisted by new design and manufacturing techniques a consistently higher level of handling properties has been achieved." In Italy, a small but wealthy market segment allowed for the manufacture of a limited number of high-performance models directly allied to contemporary Grand Prix machines, such as

7410-628: The transmission behind the axle line and the differential between the two. This became quite popular; cars using this layout included the German Ford Taunus 12M and the Lancia Flavia and Fulvia . This is the standard configuration of Audi and Subaru front-wheel-drive vehicles. In 1979, Toyota introduced and launched their first front-wheel-drive car, the Tercel , and it had its engine longitudinally mounted, unlike most other front-wheel-drive cars on

7505-465: The transmission on one side of the transversely mounted engine, and doubled back the drivetrain to put the differential just behind the transmission, but offset to one side. Hence the driveshafts to the wheels are longer on one side than the other. This located the weight just a bit in front of the wheels. It is this system which dominates worldwide at present. Front-wheel-drive vehicles tend to suffer from torque steer under heavy acceleration. This

7600-419: The vehicle markup. The first generation MX-5 was introduced in 1989 and was in production until 1997. Upon its release, the car won numerous accolades such as Automobile Magazine 's 1990 Automobile of the Year and Car and Driver ' s 10Best list from 1990 to 1992. It initially featured a 1.6 L (98 cu in) inline-four engine making 116 horsepower; in late 1993, a larger 1.8-liter engine

7695-473: The war, but a small number of manufacturers returned it to prominence. In 1948, the Porsche 356 was released as the debut model from Porsche. The significance of the Porsche 356 and its successors was described in 1957 as "future historians must see them as among the most important of mid-century production cars". The 1954 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL is another significant car from this era. The 1961 Jaguar E-Type

7790-566: The way new models were developed. Thus, under head of project Masakatsu, the concept development was turned into a competition between the Mazda design teams in Tokyo and California. The California team proposed a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout , codenamed Duo 101, in line with the British roadster ancestry, but their Japanese counterparts favored the more common front-engine, front-wheel-drive layout or

7885-415: Was a pioneering all-wheel drive sports car. The 1995 Porsche 911 Turbo (993) saw the 911 Turbo model switch to all-wheel drive, a drivetrain layout that the model uses to this day. The BMW M3 was released in 1986 and has been produced for every generation since. The 1993-1996 Mercedes-Benz W124 E36 AMG was the mass-produced AMG model. Audi's equivalent division, called "RS", was launched in 1994 with

7980-521: Was also one of the only cars to have a transverse mounted engine, being a sort of DKW successor. This was a novelty, especially for a car being made in a communist country. Issigonis 's Mini of 1959 and related cars such as the Maxi , Austin 1100/1300 and Allegro had the four-cylinder inline water-cooled engine transversely mounted. The transmission was located in the sump below the crankshaft, with power transmitted by transfer gears. Other models that used

8075-671: Was an unusual arrangement for a car used to compete in rallying, nonetheless it was very successful and won the World Rally Championship in 1974 , 1975 , and 1976 . The Lancia Montecarlo was produced from 1975 to 1981 and is a mid-engine two-seater, available as a coupé or a targa-top. It was sold as Lancia Scorpion in the USA. Its racing variant, Montecarlo Turbo, won the 1979 World Championship for Makes in its division and overall for 1980 World Championship for Makes and 1981 World Endurance Championship for Makes . Montecarlo also won

8170-609: Was another significant sports car of the pre-war era and is now among the most valuable cars in the world. The T57 was successful in sports car races, including winning the 1937 24 Hours of Le Mans and 1939 24 Hours of Le Mans . Another successful Bugatti sports car was the Bugatti Type 55 (1932-1935), which was based on the Type 51 Grand Prix racing car. The decade following the Second World War saw an "immense growth of interest in

8265-507: Was changed to P729 as it moved into the production phase, under head of program Toshihiko Hirai. The task of constructing five engineering mules (more developed prototypes) was again allocated to IAD, which also conducted the first front and rear crash tests on the P729. While Tom Matano , Mark Jordan, Wu-huang Chin ( 秦無荒 , also on the RX-7 team), Norman Garrett, and Koichi Hayashi ( 林 浩一 ) worked on

8360-447: Was commissioned to develop a running prototype, codenamed V705. It was built with a fiberglass body, a 1.4 L (85 cu in) engine from a Mazda Familia and components from a variety of early Mazda models. The V705 was completed in August 1985 and taken to the US where it rolled on the roads around Santa Barbara, California and got positive reactions. The project received final approval on 18 January 1986. The model's codename

8455-631: Was launched when small roadsters had almost disappeared from the market, with the Alfa Romeo Spider as one of the few comparable models still in production, though at a significantly higher price. That left the Mazda as the spiritual successor to the MG B , Triumph TR7 , Triumph Spitfire , and Fiat Spider . The MX-5 was introduced in February 1989 at the Chicago Auto Show. The first generation MX-5 sold 228,961 units between 1989 and 1997. The lightweight, unibody MX-5 has responsive handling and

8550-454: Was made standard in most markets. The MX-5 was designed with inspiration from the Lotus Elan , and features such as pop-up headlights, unique to the NA model, and slim chrome door handles pay homage to the famous British roadster. To keep the weight and price down, base models were not equipped with power steering, air conditioning, a sound system, and had steel wheels. A five-speed manual transmission

8645-619: Was produced until 1980. Other successful lightweight roadsters include the Triumph Spitfire (1962-1980) and the Alfa Romeo Spider (1966-1993). The Fiat X1/9 (1972-1989) was unusual for its use of a mid-engine design in an affordable roadster model. A late entrant to the affordable roadster market was the 1975 Triumph TR7 , however by the late 1970s the demand for this style of car was in decline, resulting in production ceasing in 1982. The original Lotus Elan (1962-1975) two-seat coupe and roadster models are an early commercial success for

8740-662: Was released in 1964 and has remained in production since. The 911 is notable for its use of the uncommon rear-engine design and the use of a flat-six engine . Another successful rear-engine sports car was the original Alpine A110 (1961-1977), which was a successful rally car during the Group 4 era. In 1965, the BMW New Class Coupes were released, leading to the BMW 6 Series which remains in production to this day. The Lamborghini Miura (1966) and Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale (1967) mid-engined high-performance cars are often cited as

8835-413: Was standard, with the option of a four-speed automatic also available. The second generation MX-5 was unveiled in 1997 and put on sale in 1998 for the 1999 model year. While it kept the same proportions of its predecessor, its most noticeable change was the removal of the retractable headlamps , which were eliminated in the face of more stringent pedestrian safety tests. The NB model of the MX-5 featured

8930-502: Was used as a design benchmark. Each generation is designated by a two-letter code beginning with the first generation NA . The second generation ( NB ) launched in 1998 for MY 1999, followed by the third generation ( NC ) in 2005 for MY 2006, and the fourth generation ( ND ) in 2015 for MY 2016. More than 1 million MX-5s have been sold, making it the best-selling two-seat convertible sports car in history. The name miata derives from Old High German for "reward". The original MX-5

9025-417: Was without a doubt the first attempt to give real performance to a road car. Many of its features, such as a honeycomb radiator and gate gear change, were continued on the much improved version which Paul Daimler designed in 1899-1900. This was of course the famous Mercedes. It also laid down standards of chassis design which were to be followed, almost unthinkingly, for the next thirty years. Several variants of

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