The Mazda MX-5 Spyder concept was introduced at the 2015 SEMA show in Las Vegas. The car was one of a pair of roadster concepts on display, each powered by the 2.0 SkyActiv-G engine and taking the MX-5 in very different styling directions.
The two cars share the same theme of lightweight open-air performance. The silver Spyder concept uses a window-less, bikini style, fabric roof with two rear attachment points. Speedster does away with the roof altogether. Both cars are examples of taking the idea of lightweight performance to extremes, whilst keeping a sense of their vintage roadster ancestry.
The MX-5 Spyder was said to be a more sophisticated interpretation of the classic roadster. With the traditional soft top removed, a bikini style top was developed by American Sunroof Corporation using fabric supplied by Haartz. This roof attaches at the rear to two mounting points and covers a unique rear deck trim piece.
The exterior is fitted with the same aero kit as the Speedster, only this time it is made of carbon fibre. The rear skirt blends well with a unique centre exit tailpipe design. Spyder also gets a colour coded Mazdaspeed bootlid spoiler. The front mesh grille is another bespoke part, it has some smart integrated foglights which are reminiscent of the Super20 concept from a few years back.
The side repeaters have been replaced with another unique design that extend back across the front wing. The body is painted in a special shade called Mercury Silver. This was chosen to accentuate the curves and angles of the body and was a really good choice. If you're not a fan of the Ceramic colour, you'll be pleased to see the ND in a proper silver for the first time.
The car has been lowered a little from standard using adjustable coilovers and sits on 17" 8J ET42 Yokohama Advan RS II alloy wheels. The tyres are also by Yokohama, they're the Advan A048 size 225/45/17. Like the Speedster, the front brakes are upgraded to Brembo four piston calipers, likely the same optional kit as available on the USA Club spec models.
The interior has been retrimmed in Spinneybeck's “PRIMA” natural leather, and the standard seats have been restyled with a vintage look in brown leather to match the roof. It's quite a nice colour combination which makes Spyder one of the best concepts I've seen for a while.
Four years earlier Mazda created another Spyder for the 2011 SEMA show. This concept was based on the 3rd generation MX-5 and hinted at how the upcoming facelift would look. It featured many similar parts to the 2015 version, such as 17" Advan wheels and Brembo brakes. You can read more about the NC Spyder concept here.
2011 MX-5 Spyder Concept