New Year, New Classic Mazda Newsletter

Hello Central Florida Mazda Fans,

Welcome to the new Classic Mazda Newsletter. We are starting the new year off with a new layout and a new site for you to keep up with what's good in the Central Florida Mazda scene at: News.ClassicMazda.com.

We also have a new email address for our newsletter, so drag this email into your Primary inbox if you wanna make sure you get everything. See the GIF at the bottom for you visual learners.

Here's what to expect from us every month:

1. Upcoming events

2. Our take on Mazda news

3. Updates on the local racing scene

4. Highlights from local car meets (w/ a healthy dose of FOMO)

Enough housekeeping, let's get into it.

In this month's issue:

• Classic Mazda Race Exhibition

• SCCA Trackside CX-50s for Corner Marshals

• MX-30: EV => Rotary powered Plug-In Hybrid

• CX-90 unboxing video

• 3D Printing a cheap MX-5 Miata Hardtop

In case you didn't already know, the MX-5 Cup race starts January 26th in Daytona. Rounds 1 & 2 this weekend mark the start of the 2023 MX-5 Cup race season. You keep asking us when the Race Exhibition will be and we finally have a date!

The 15th Annual Race Exhibition will be on February 18th

For those of you that haven't been, it's a big event we do every year to celebrate the kickoff of the MX-5 Cup race season. There will be a car meet, race cars, pro drivers, food trucks, live music, a photo booth, and Japanese snacks.

Plus, we heard you, and we are happy to announce that the racing simulator is going to make its long-awaited return this year.

We will have 2 racing simulators at the event, so bring a friend (or nemesis?) to race.

In case you haven't been yet, check out last year's highlight reel below to see what you missed out on. The Japanese snacks were a hit last year and the Mochi was sooo good. Banana, Strawberry, and Melon flavored Japanese rice cakes for the uninitiated.

Oh, and if all that wasn't enough, we are going to be revealing a new showroom piece at the event. What could it be?

We are so pumped at the store to see all of you at the Race Exhibition. The event page just went live and we have more info on our website. The first 300 people to RSVP will also receive a free gift bag. So get on it.

Classic Mazda Partners with Local SCCA Region 🏁

If you are going to the MX-5 Cup races or any of the Rolex 24 races this weekend at Daytona, you might see these beauties track-side. We outfitted two CX-50's for track-side assistance and are providing them to the Central FL Region Sports Car Club of America (SCCA)

There will be 200 SCCA volunteers at Daytona for the weekend races and 150 at 12 hours of Sebring in March. SCCA volunteers and Corner Marshal workers help make racing events like the MX-5 Cup and Rolex 24 affordable, safe, and fun for all of us to enjoy. So if you see them at the race, say thank you for all they have done to support both professional and grassroots racing in Central Florida.

Oh, and If you get close enough to the support vehicles, scan the QR code on the passenger rear quarter panel to find out more about SCCA Volunteers and why we support Corner Marshals. Or you could just click the link. (:

Mazda Rotary Engine Is Coming Back on an MX-30 Plug-In-Hybrid 🔌

The iconic Rotary engine works differently than the standard piston and cylinder reciprocating engine used in most vehicles today. The Rotary engine was invented by Felix Wankel and can best be visualized as a "spinning Dorito." The unique design allows for twice as many power strokes per revolution. The result: pure power. Not to mention a nice sound and a cult following of RX-7 and RX-8 fans. You know who you are.

However, the Rotary design typically suffers from high emissions, poor fuel economy, and a heat dissipation problem that leads to a shorter lifespan than a typical reciprocating engine. Think less than 100k miles.

RX-7 and RX-8's that are driven at a constant speed on the highway have been known to have significantly better reliability, fuel efficiency and lifespan. The Rotary benefits greatly from running at a consistent, high RPM.

That is why the Rotary range extender engine in the 2023 MX-30 R-EV Plug-In Hybrid will be used to charge the battery of the vehicle. Not to provide power to the wheels. This will allow it to operate at a consistent rate, producing a lot of power to recharge the vehicle without adding significant weight, which is a factor that has plagued Plug-in Hybrids that use a bulky piston and cylinder ICE.

The First-ever Mazda CX-90: Unboxed 📦

Let's face it, it is gonna be hard to fit the whole family in your Miata. But Mazda has you covered with a 3-row SUV that you will actually want to drive. 'Hang on kids,' the 2024 Mazda CX-90 will have a 3.3L Turbocharged inline-six with 340 hp and 369 pound-feet of torque.

There will also be a plug-in hybrid option available with a 2.5L inline 4 clocking in at 323 hp.

You Can Now 3D Print a Cheap Mazda MX-5 Miata Hardtop 🖨️

Remember when 3D printers were all the rage and Mazda still made the Rotary-powered RX-8? Yes, it really has been that long.

Well turns out we aren't 3D printing cars yet, but between the Rotary engine video above and this 3D-printed MX-5 Miata hardtop for $30 in plastic, maybe we aren't too far off, right? Ok, so the plastic is only used to print a negative mold which then requires fiberglass, epoxy, Bondo, and an acrylic window, but all in, $360.

That is still a lot cheaper than a $1,500 fiberglass top or a $2,500 OEM top. The project was designed by Xavier Lipscomb and the files needed to print the 44-piece negative are available for $100 on etsy.

So dust off your old Prusa and grab the Resin out of your garage, we got work to do.

Check out the original Reddit post below by user InfinityMiata.

🗞️ More News

• Mazda Designed LED Turn Signals That Emulate The Human Heartbeat 🫀

• New Patent Hints the Next Mazda 3 Sedan Could be a FWD EV 🔋

📅 Upcoming Events

• 1/26 to 1/29 - Rolex 24 @ Daytona International Speedway

• 1/26 - MX-5 Cup Race Round 1 @ Daytona International Speedway

• 1/27 - MX-5 Cup Race Round 2 @ Daytona International Speedway

• 1/30 - Orlando Roadster Miatas Meet @ Ace Cafe Orlando

• 2/18 - Annual Race Exhibition @ Classic Mazda

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