For example, prospective owners can look forward to an updated version of the Kenwood audio system that distinguished the MP3. The latter are 7.0-by-17-inch aluminum alloys from RacingHart, wearing Z-rated 215/45 Bridgestone Potenza RE040 tires.Īs with the MP3, there are other, uh, augmentations to set the Mazdaspeed edition apart from the more proletarian Protegés. The five-speed manual transmission is unchanged, but Mazda installed heavier (24 millimeters versus 22mm stock) half-shafts and a Tochigi Fuji Sangyo KK Super limited-slip differential to send uniform thrust to both front wheels. Harnessing a power boost of this magnitude required upgrades to the drivetrain and suspension. The net gain of all the foregoing: 170 horsepower (versus 140 for the MP3, 130 for the base version of the 2.0-liter DOHC 16-valve four) and 155 pound-feet of torque (versus the MP3's 142, 135 base). By limiting boost to a maximum of 6.9 psi, Callaway and Mazda were able to avoid making changes to the engine's internals, although a new catalytic converter was required. A revised Visteon engine-management program increases fuel flow.

To keep costs down, Callaway sorted through the Mazda parts bin and borrowed an air-to-air intercooler employed in a European turbo-diesel Protegé, as well as a higher-capacity radiator. Callaway Cars, making its debut deal with an Asian manufacturer, was tapped to add turbocharging to the Protegé's powertrain.Ĭallaway adapted a Garrett T25 ball-bearing turbo with an integral waste gate for the project, developing a unique turbine housing for this application. Although the cast of characters is essentially the same - Mazda, Racing Beat, RacingHart, and Kenwood - there's one new player on the team this time around. So here's the sequel, and this time the kid packs knockout power. We compared it to 'an aspiring welterweight fighter with all the moves but no punch.' And it prevailed despite a serious shortage of horsepower. The result was the MP3, a brilliant blend of supple ride and athletic handling that emerged as the winner of a five-car hot-compact free-for-all ( 'Budget Banditos,' November 2001). A little over a year ago, Mazda took its first cut at this project, enlisting the services of Racing Beat, the longtime Mazda tuning shop, to handle suspension development. However, the truth is we've seen this hot-rod-Protegé movie before, albeit at slower speed. In our most recent econobox comparison test ( 'Little Cars 6.1,' June 2000), a Protegé ES took home the Oscar and has since been updated: more refinement, better handling, more power. Given the foregoing, Mazda could have no more logical starting point than the Protegé, an entry-level compact sedan that also happens to be among the best in its class. It's called Mazdaspeed, and if it turns out to be a profit center, à la Toyota Racing Development, well, so much the better. It's conceived to demonstrate Mazda's commitment to fun-to-drive, and also to help establish a new performance subsidiary that will sell stuff to young owners who want their cars to stand out from the herd. If zoom-zoom is going to have credibility, some of the other Mazdas gotta get some zoom, too. It's equally clear the Miata can't sustain this image building all by itself. That's what the zoom-zoom ad campaign is all about. It's no secret that Mazda wants to be perceived as a purveyor of vehicles that stimulate the driver gratification glands a little more than competing products.

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