The Mazda MX-5 RF (Retractable Fastback) is on the way, with sales kicking off on March 4 2017 with the launch edition – although all 500 cars we’ll get here in the UK have already sold out.
The MX-5 RF launch edition in our pictures costs from £28,995 and gets a two-tone roof, BBS alloy wheels, black door mirrors and a black rear spoiler. The 2.0-litre petrol-powered special edition also gets the safety Pack, Alcantara trim and Recaro seats as standard. However, the entry-level 1.5-litre SE-L Nav from the standard range costs from £22,195.
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Two engines will be available for the RF, with the 1.5-litre cars available from may 2017 – and the trim structure follows that of the convertible MX-5 closely, as 2.0-litre cars still get the larger wheels and limited-slip differential as standard. An automatic version will also be offered. The least expensive 2.0-litre model is also the SE-L Nav, from £23,095. sport Nav models, which get upgraded suspension, start from £24,795.
The RF, which was first revealed at the new York motor Show, follows the previous-generation Mazda MX-5 folding hardtop version, which accounted for up to 80% of all MX-5s sold by the time the Mk3 edition of the automobile was phased out in 2014. However, it takes a much more radical method than its predecessor, with a complex mechanism that’s similar in principle to the set-up used by Porsche on the latest 911 Targa.
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“We started work on this automobile eight years ago,” Nobuhiro Yamamoto, Program manager of MX-5, told car Express. “We had the soft-top and this version in mind ideal from the start.”
