Toyota, Mazda may be developing hot rod variants of GR 86, MX-5

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• A stern-looking Mazda MX-5 was recently spotted testing in Germany
• Mazda has produced a turbocharged MX-5 in the past
• Toyota may bring a boosted GR 86 to market down the road

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Eagle-eyed gearheads hanging out at the Nürburgring have spied what appears to be a hotted-up version of the sporty Mazda MX-5 tearing around the 20+ kilometre racetrack. Posted a few days ago to Instagram and credited to users TopMiata and RollendeReporter, the car wears styling cues very similar to those which appeared on the Spirit Racing Prototype. The car also popped up on Youtube in the background of video being captured of a Mustang GTD spending time at the ‘Ring, appearing at roughly the 3:50 mark near a pit exit.

This is probably as close as we will get to a spiritual (pun intended) successor of the late Mazdaspeed MX-5, a car referred to by fans as the MSM and produced for just a couple of model years about two decades ago. That car was limited to roughly 5,500 copies, thanks in no small part to an assembly plant fire that caused production to be cut short. For example, only 300 were officially earmarked for the Canadian market for the 2004 model year with its turbocharged 1.8L engine.

Does the car spotted at the Nürburgring portend an MSM revival? One can hope. For the 2024 model year, Mazda did heave a number of improvements at the MX-5 including tweaked styling, a new limited-slip diff, and a new steering rack. It presently makes 181 horsepower from a perky 2.0L engine.

Elsewhere in the sports car universe, talking heads from a car rag in Japan are reporting Toyota is planning to launch a new GR 86 coupe in about four years, creating a new machine without engineering help from Subaru. According to the muse, the machine will be powered by a 1.6L turbocharged powertrain with a measure of electrification. This is not unprecedented, as the GR Corolla is fuelled by a three-cylinder engine with such specs.

We will hasten to note the calendar year of 2028 is a long spell away, so any rumours involving that timeframe should be taken with a hefty grain of salt. Still, we know that – even after the reshuffling of gearhead Akio Toyoda into a new role – that Toyota remains keen to be known for fun and exciting cars instead of the just run-of-the-mill family whips. Keeping one eye on the GR 86 is certainly a way to accomplish that goal.

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