Two decades ago, Mazda Europe engineers secretly installed a 2.5-liter V6 Mazda MX-5and found a few problems.
Christian Schultze, Head of Research and Operations at Mazda Europe, revealed this AutoRAI.nl The company’s European engineers built a prototype MX-5 with a 2.5-liter V6.
Although Mr. Schultze does not mention which generation of MX-5 the V6 was installed in, we assume that it was the third generation NC-MX-5 that went into production in 2005.
The NC is the largest MX-5 to date, but engineers found accommodating the V6 problematic as “the engine did not fit well under the hood (because it was simply too tall and the result was not visually appealing”).
According to Mr. Schultze, the driving experience was “definitely interesting.” There is no information as to which version of the K-series V6 was used, but it was likely a Euro variant used in the earlier 626, MX-6 and Xedos 9/Eunos 800 models, rated at around 125kW and 216Nm.
For reference, the 2.0-litre MX-5 at the time had 125kW and 190Nm.
The MX-5 V6 was not an officially sanctioned project, but rather something that Mazda’s European engineers did “in their spare time.”
Although this venture was unsuccessful, previous Skunkworks programs have found their way into showrooms.
While the main reasons for the MX-5’s existence are its balance, agility and driving pleasure regardless of speed, there has always been a quiet but consistent drumbeat for increased performance.
In the early 2000s, Mazda briefly responded to this call with a pair of second-generation turbocharged “NB” MX-5s. The first was the Australian-developed SP, which increased the power of the 1.8-litre engine from 109kW/168Nm to 150kW/280Nm and was sold locally in limited quantities.
A few years later there was a globally available Mazdaspeed model – known as the SE in Australia – with a 133kW/226Nm engine that traded performance for affordability.
MORE: Explore the Mazda MX-5 showroom
