For decades, Mazda has been known for quick cars that inspire exhilaration for their drivers. Their motto is literally “Zoom-Zoom.” Mazda debuted two concept cars at the annual Tokyo Auto Salon show in January 2024 as part of a new sub-brand: Mazda Spirit Racing. Dubbed the Spirit Racing RS and the Spirit Racing 3, these cars immediately got people talking. As an automotive and history buff, though, it got me thinking as much about Mazda’s performance past as its future.
Mazda is far from the first automaker to have a high-performance sub-brand in the 21st century. Ford Performance, BMW M, Toyota GR, Mercedes-Benz AMG, and Audi Sport are some of the well-known performance names. Some people may not realize, though, that this isn’t Mazda’s first entry in the game. It’s better to think of Mazda Spirit Racing as the latest chapter in the company’s performance story. Let’s look at Mazda’s history of racing-inspired cars and how they tie into the ongoing Mazda Spirit Racing launch.
Mazdaspeed: Champions of the Track
The story of MSR begins with a name that Mazda initially didn’t even own. In 1967, Takayoshi Ohashi was running Mazda Auto Tokyo, the largest Mazda dealer in Japan. Inspired by the new Cosmo 110S two-seater featuring the first rotary engine in a production vehicle, Ohashi started a racing team to showcase the car’s and engine’s potential. Dubbed Mazda Sports Corner, the team debuted at the 1968 Marathon de la Route endurance on the 14.1-mile Nürburgring North Loop circuit. It stunned almost everyone by finishing fourth overall after 84 hours of competition.
Soon, the team was running a full circuit of worldwide events with factory support, adapting new Mazda models like the R100, RX-2, and RX-3 as they were released. The unveiling of the Mazda RX-7 in 1978 was the start of Mazda Sports Corner’s peak. The team’s name changed to Mazdaspeed when the team moved its shop to Hiroshima in 1983. Through the 1980s, Mazdaspeed piled up 100 IMSA class wins in 12 years. Then, in 1991, Mazdaspeed became the first Japanese nameplate to win the overall at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, leading to the FIA almost immediately outlawing their prized rotary engine.
Because of this, Mazdaspeed shifted its focus to grassroots sports car events and started developing aftermarket parts and accessories. Mazda officially took over Mazdaspeed in 1999 and began developing street cars based on its racing technology. A special edition MX-5 came to Japan in 2001 under the Mazdaspeed name, and the first standalone Mazdaspeed machine was the Protégé in 2003. In between, though not officially under the Mazdaspeed umbrella, Mazda released the limited-edition RX-7 Spirit R as part of the legendary vehicle’s final model year. Limited to 1,500 units, it had accouterments such as Recaro lightweight bucket seats, ventilated disc brakes, BBS 17-inch wheels, and soft-coated interior panels to be the ultimate 25th-anniversary swan song.
The RX-8, Mazdaspeed3, Mazdaspeed6, and Mazdaspeed Miata soon followed as street-legal performance cars. However, the final Mazdaspeed vehicle left factories in 2013 as the company sought to reposition itself as more of a luxury brand (though it didn’t publicly acknowledge Mazdaspeed’s passing until 2020.) On top of this, Mazda Motorsports discontinued its Road to Indy program after 2018, then announced it would end its IMSA SportsCar Championship prototype program following the 2021 season. The whispers were loud that we might never see a true Mazda performance car again.
The Super Taikyu Series: The Unofficial Spirit Racing Launch
Just when people were losing hope, it was suddenly restored. The 2021 finale of the Super Taikyu Japanese endurance series saw Mazda show up with a biodiesel-powered factory Mazda2 in the ST-Q class. This car had a Skyactiv-D 1.5 diesel engine that ran on fuel derived from microalgae fats and cooking oil. It wasn’t a one-off appearance, either. Mazda announced it would run the full 2022 Super Taikyu schedule.
While ostensibly a demonstration of its efforts to achieve carbon neutrality, the biofuel Mazda2 showed that Mazda wasn’t done being innovative in the high-performance sector. For the 2022 season, they entered the Mazda2 concept car and a Mazda MX-5 Miata roadster powered by traditional gasoline. The 2022 season-ending event saw Mazda take the next step with the Mazda3 Bio Concept based on the hatchback, bringing biodiesel to one of its most popular cars ever built. Furthermore, the effort has been given a name: Mazda Spirit Racing.
The year 2023 saw their Super Taikyu efforts take the next step, running the Mazda3 Bio Concept and gas-powered MX-5 in the ST-Q class plus a carbon-neutral fuel MX-5 in the ST-5 class. Gamers got treated to the racing version of the Mazda3 as well in an update to Gran Turismo 7. Now, the Mazda Spirit Racing name comes to the street. Shortly after the Tokyo Auto Salon announcement, the division started official operations in February 2024.
MSR Concept Cars: Looking at a Spectacular Feature
Despite the buzz, MSR details are still relatively scarce. There isn’t even an official release date yet for the first vehicles. We do know that, unsurprisingly, the two concept cars showcased in January are based on the cars that currently compete in Super Taikyu. The Spirit Racing RS is being built on the e-fuel MX-5 Miata, and the Spirit Racing 3 takes its ancestry from the venerable Mazda3.
Beyond this, Mazda has stated the division’s mission is to make track-focused editions of well-known vehicles, including modifications to the body, suspension, and brakes. Ikuo Maeda is also the current leader of the MSR division. Maeda was previously the design director for all of Mazda and headed the team that created the RX-8. It runs in the family, as Maeda’s father, Matasaburo, was the chief designer for the original RX-7. Not only that, but Ikuo Maeda doesn’t just design cars. He’s one of the drivers for both the team’s entries in the Super Taikyu Series. Knowing such a person is spearheading the MSR effort is a boost of confidence.
There are a few other details worth mentioning. Forbes reported the MSR concept Miata was littered with cool performance features, including Brembo brake calipers, Bridgestone Potenza tires on Ray’s alloy wheels, sport-inspired front and rear splitters, and side skirts. The Recaro bucket seats that graced the RX-7 Spirit R have returned complete with racing harness belts, and it was even fitted with racing-style parachutes to slow down faster. Goodwood Road & Racing said the Spirit Racing 3 also had aggressive bodywork like a large roof spoiler and that both cars had sleek Alcantara upholstery.
Finally, in July 2024, Instagrammer @rollendreporter posted a photo of a partially camouflaged Miata testing at Nürburgring. The image indicated a lower suspension than a regular Miata and aero kit, including multiple front spoilers and a rear valance. The poster proposed that it was a 35th-anniversary edition. However, the testing car had Bridgestone tires and Ray’s wheels just like the Spirit Racing RS prototype, leading me to believe it’s the same car. Mazda indirectly confirmed these suspicions when they announced that a 35th-anniversary Miata would be available before the year’s end while remaining mum on the status of the Spirit Racing RS.
Anticipating the Official Arrival of Mazda Spirit Racing
Again, there hasn’t been a lot of concrete information about the Mazda Spirit Racing division since January. Neither car has a release date, nor has Mazda said anything about what the powertrain might entail. For now, me and my fellow car geeks can only wonder. Regardless, it’s awesome to see that Mazda has brought back its high-performance drive seemingly out of nowhere instead of fading into the sunset. It looks like Mazda’s spirit will live into the future, and that’s worth a “Zoom-Zoom.”
