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Xcar tries to figure out what makes the Miata so great

Over the past 25 years and 3 model generations, the Mazda MX-5 Miata has shown that you don't have to be the best to be a massive success. The little, Japanese roadster has never been the absolute peak of automotive performance, but it's precise handling, good reliability and frugal running costs have helped make it a star. Autoblog recently tried to give you the experience of driving one on video, and now Xcar Films has made its own in an attempt to show what makes this droptop an icon.
As Xcar puts it, the Miata isn't the world's best sports car, but it is the world's favorite. When they were originally designing the roadster, Mazda's engineers took everything that made British droptops from the '60s great, and junked all of the stuff that made them a terror to own. The result was a car that would start up everyday with no fuss and get drivers wherever they needed to go with a huge grin on their face.
The fourth-generation Miata is imminently on the way for its September 3 unveiling, and the very early rumors indicate that Mazda doesn't plan to rock the boat too much with the latest one. It supposedly rides on a longer wheelbase and wider track but with the weight trimmed by over 200 pounds. Check out Xcar's video for a primer on MX-5 history and why the automotive world loves this little roadster.

Fiat version of Mazda MX-5 Miata to be called 124 Spider

Fiat has a definite use for its recent US trademark on the 124 Spider name, and it's something that should make many performance fans quite happy. FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne confirmed to Auto Express that the Italian brand's future roadster would bear the classic name. Auto Express reportedly asked Marchionne directly about the convertible at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show. The CEO said: "Do we want to do it now?" After another executive verified the name, Marchionne responded: "There you go – a world class premiere right in this room!" Autoblog reached out to Fiat Brand communications boss in the US Ariel Gavilan for more information, and he verified the story. Gavilan said that brand head Olivier Francois confirmed the 124 Spider name to international media during a briefing in Geneva. FCA isn't going quite so far as officially confirming that the 124 Spider shares a platform with the latest Mazda MX-5 Miata, but that's almost a certainty. The two automakers jointly developed the chassis, and the original plan was for it to underpin an Alfa Romeo. However, Marchionne didn't want an Alfa assembled outside of Italy. Fiat even hinted at this possible change as far back as the corporation's five-year plan last summer. Insiders tell Auto Express that the 124 Spider reportedly carries retro-inspired style, and hopefully, that means the roadster evokes the look of the original 124 Sport Spider (pictured above) by Pininfarina. Fiat allegedly is also aiming for a weight less than 2,205 pounds, and the engine range is likely comprised of versions of the brand's 1.4-liter turbo. The mill already pumps out 160 horsepower and 183 pound-feet of torque in the Fiat 500 Abarth in the US. According to Auto Express, Fiat and Mazda have an agreement to launch the Miata in 2015 and the 124 Spider in 2016. A hotter Abarth version could come along eventually, too. Related Video:

Goodwood Festival of Speed celebrating Mazda this year [w/video]

Mazda gets to wear the crown and sash as the doubly honored marque for the Goodwood Festival of Speed this year. The Japanese brand will be the focus of the Central Feature, the sculpture that sits outside Goodwood House, and its race cars will be the focus on the lawn, where there will be at least one representative from "every era of Mazda's motor sport achievement." The theme for this year's event is "Flat-out and fearless: racing on the edge." The showcase, of course, will be the 700-horsepower, rotary-engined 787B that won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1991. It will run up the 1.6-mile Hillclimb while a Mazda challenger from the World Rally Championship runs the Forest Rally Stage, joining Andros Trophy ice racing and sportscar racing Mazdas. The festival happens from June 25-28 this year, and there's a press release with more details down below the video recap from 2014 and Mazda 787B Le Mans lap. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Le Mans-winning 787B to headline fantastic Mazda line-up at FoS 2015 Feb 18, 2015 -- Mazda is the only Japanese manufacturer to have won the world's most prestigious motor race – the Le Mans 24 Hours – and the victorious rotary-engined 787B, with its distinctive sound, is certain to be a crowd favourite as it winds its way up Goodwood's iconic 1.16-mile Hillclimb at the Festival of Speed this year. The 787B is part of a fabulous collection of racing and road machines that will be brought to the Festival by Mazda, in the year in which the company is also being honoured by the iconic Central Feature outside Goodwood House. Further motor sport success has been achieved in touring cars, the World Rally Championship, Andros Trophy ice racing and sportscar competition in the USA – in which Mazda's pioneering SKYACTIV-D turbodiesel technology is breaking new ground currently. In fact, every era of Mazda's motor sport achievement will be marked by some incredible competition cars both on the Hillclimb and the Forest Rally Stage as we celebrate the FoS theme 'Flat-out and fearless; racing on the edge'. The Moving Motor Show on June 25, will also showcase many of the key models from Mazda's current range.