1993 Mazda Rx-7 Touring Coupe 2-door 1.3l on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Long Road Racing will build you the Miata that Mazda won't

One of the frustrating things about new cars today is that many features are exclusive to this trim level, or that package. Even the enthusiast-friendly Miata has many restrictions how you can configure one, which can make choosing one a bit tricky. You can't have the cheapest one or the leather-clad one with a limited slip differential, for example. And adding aftermarket parts on your own runs the risk of voiding your warranty. Long Road Racing, however, has a possible solution for creating the ideal, warranty-covered Miata. You may not be familiar with Long Road Racing, but you probably heard about one of its most-publicized products, the MX-5 Cup car. The car was developed by Mazda with the intention of creating a global spec series, and Mazda reports that about 140 of the cars have been sold so far. Every single one of those cars went to Long Road Racing to be specced out for racing before reaching their customers. So the company is familiar with the car, and has applied its expertise to its "Ultimate MX-5" program. The way the program works is, once you've purchased a 2016 or 2017 Miata, you can send it to the company to have it customized to your needs. The company has an extensive list of parts to choose from, all of which have been selected by the company to work well together. But if you need something outside of its offerings, or just need help choosing from the list, you can get in touch with the company to discuss how best to achieve your goals. Long Road Racing will also customize any trim level of Miata, and can even create a Miata Mazda didn't offer. For instance, you could have a Grand Touring with the leather interior, but also with the limited-slip differential and Brembo brakes from the Club model. All of these parts are fully warrantied by Long Road Racing for the length of the OEM warranty, and they don't void the factory warranty. We had the opportunity to try out a car customized by Long Road Racing at the M1 Concourse track in Pontiac, Mich. The car was there to sample alongside some of the MX-5 Cup cars as well as several of Mazda's stock road cars to drive on course. The road-going Long car started as a Grand Touring model, and it retains its heated leather seats and automatic climate control.

Buy a Fiat 124 Spider Abarth, get a free day of driving school

We know the Mazda MX-5 Miata and the Fiat 124 Spider are basically the same car underneath. As we pointed out in our first drive of the 124 Spider, the two cater to different drivers, so it can be tough to choose a favorite. FCA has made deciding between the two sports cars a little harder, as it will offer Abarth owners a free day of high-performance driving instruction with their cars. Anyone buying or leasing a new Fiat 124 Spider Abarth or a Fiat 500 Abarth will get a free, one-day class at the Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving in Phoenix. Bundling driving school with brand-new performance cars isn't unheard of – Dodge and Bondurant recently announced a similar program for the Viper – but it is quite rare for vehicles priced below $30,000. The free session will include instructor-led skid, autocross, slalom, and team rally cross activities, in addition to hot laps. While the one-day course is included for free, travel, food, and hotel expenses aren't covered. Fiat-less people can also join in on the fun buy purchasing the Abarth experience separately. Bondurant one-day classes cost at least a grand, which makes the Fiat price of $0 a good deal as long as you can get yourself there relatively cheaply. But is this enough for drivers to choose the 124 Spider Abarth over an MX-5 Club? This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Related Video: Featured Gallery Bob Bondurant Fiat 124 Spider Abarth Related Gallery 2017 Fiat 124 Spider: First Drive View 30 Photos News Source: FCAImage Credit: FCA Fiat Mazda Convertible Performance fiat 124 spider abarth

The 2018 Mazda6 also snags top IIHS safety rating

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety is one of two organizations that issues important safety ratings. To get to IIHS's Top Safety Pick rating level, the 2018 Mazda6 not only had to ace a bunch of difficult crash tests, it also must have headlights that meet a strict test as well. Its stablemate, the CX-5 crossover just received the even higher Top Safety Pick+ rating. Both must be equipped with optional adaptive headlights to achieve these ratings. The rationale is, many crashes happen at dusk or in the dark, and an outsized number on unlit roads. While almost all modern headlights outperform the dim, unfocused sealed beams of the past, IIHS says that government regulations aren't doing a good enough job of ensuring real-world performance. Adaptive headlights turn with the front wheels, helping out a lot in IIHS's tests on illumination in sharp and gradual curves. Related: How the 2018 Mazda6 stacks up to its competitors in the midsize sedan segment The Adaptive Front-Lighting System is only available in the Grand Touring Reserve and Signature trim levels, meaning that you'll have to upgrade to those fancy versions to get it. It'd be nice if Mazda allowed even lower-trim buyers to add this as a stand-alone option, but for now that's not how it works. Fancy, safer headlights or no, we love the new Mazda6, especially the turbocharged version. It's one of the most fun sedans around. And, according to IIHS, now one of the safest. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.