In reply to mad_machine:
No, not at all. I loved my Turbo FC, and it was as fast and a whole lot cheaper than an FD.
In reply to mad_machine:
No, not at all. I loved my Turbo FC, and it was as fast and a whole lot cheaper than an FD.
My goal for one day is to own one of every generation of Rx-7. 
92CelicaHalfTrac wrote: In this thread, many people whose ideal engine is a Cummins.
Negative, I drive one every day and can't wait to get out of it. I much prefer an L Twin. Or a V Four.
92CelicaHalfTrac wrote:Ian F wrote:Ford never owned Mazda. Ford also has nothing to do with the MX5 platform. You're being confusing.friedgreencorrado wrote:I'm pretty sure that's what kreb meant. I've been wondering this for years... a higher price-point coupe based on the MX5 platform seems like a no-brainer... That Mazda/Ford haven't expanded the use of the MX5 platform is a real head-scratcher.kreb wrote: Why the heck don't they use the Miata platform, dolly it up, and put a hardtop on it with the Renesis? Voila! A new RX7 with minimalized development costs.And put that coupe top on some of them.When Ford owned both Mazda and Volvo, I had dreams of a new P1800-ish car based on the MX5 as well, similar to how the Mazda 3 and S40 are/were platform kin. The wankle is a tough question... I think Mazda has been sub-consciously associated with the engine for ages, but I also agree its inherent drawbacks will always be a limiting factor. I'd be curious if they could increase sales by offering it in stand-alone kit-form similar to the GM E-Rod engines.
Ahem. Ford did include the MX5 in their worldwide sales numbers to help with the CAFE standards. 
Curmudgeon wrote:92CelicaHalfTrac wrote:Ahem. Ford did include the MX5 in their worldwide sales numbers to help with the CAFE standards.Ian F wrote:Ford never owned Mazda. Ford also has nothing to do with the MX5 platform. You're being confusing.friedgreencorrado wrote:I'm pretty sure that's what kreb meant. I've been wondering this for years... a higher price-point coupe based on the MX5 platform seems like a no-brainer... That Mazda/Ford haven't expanded the use of the MX5 platform is a real head-scratcher.kreb wrote: Why the heck don't they use the Miata platform, dolly it up, and put a hardtop on it with the Renesis? Voila! A new RX7 with minimalized development costs.And put that coupe top on some of them.
That sounds.... fraudulent.
I went looking for the report on the Googles with no luck, but it's out there somewhere. Since Ford has a stake in Mazda, it's considered part of the corporate fleet. Similarly, Mazda could use Ford's numbers as well. I should have said 'US sales numbers' instead of 'worldwide', BTW.
So a 3% stake is enough to claim it? Wow.
92CelicaHalfTrac wrote:Curmudgeon wrote:That sounds.... fraudulent.92CelicaHalfTrac wrote:Ahem. Ford did include the MX5 in their worldwide sales numbers to help with the CAFE standards.Ian F wrote:Ford never owned Mazda. Ford also has nothing to do with the MX5 platform. You're being confusing.friedgreencorrado wrote:I'm pretty sure that's what kreb meant. I've been wondering this for years... a higher price-point coupe based on the MX5 platform seems like a no-brainer... That Mazda/Ford haven't expanded the use of the MX5 platform is a real head-scratcher.kreb wrote: Why the heck don't they use the Miata platform, dolly it up, and put a hardtop on it with the Renesis? Voila! A new RX7 with minimalized development costs.And put that coupe top on some of them.
Off topic, but at one point a Mustang got caught during EPA testing because when the hood light was on they had the engine run under a different, much more mild tune, to make it pass emissions. EPA testing is done with the hood open.
In reply to tuna55:
I've not heard about such shenanigans. Interesting.
Ford owned 33.9% of Mazda at one point. That is a huge stake. Huge.
Otto Maddox wrote: Ford owned 33.9% of Mazda at one point. That is a huge stake. Huge.
Yep, but that was quite some time ago, certainly before the NC MX-5 was released.
In reply to tuna55:
tuna- that was actually a cadillac. For sure, not part of the Lore of Mistakes with the EPA. Those mistakes, and corrections for them, last forever. I can assure you that.
(they also got caught for the a/c running difference, but that's another story).
BTW, to all the amount F owned of Mazda was not controlling interest based on US rules, but according to Japanese rules, it was the largest single share holder amount, and therefore put control of the chairman in Ford's hands. It's why Mark Fields was president for a while.
Lasted for over 10 years of that amount.
As for sharing... it went (and still goes) deep. Very deep.
Besides the engines that were and are shared (will for quite a few more years, as far as I can tell), there has been considerable chassis sharing. To the point where a 3.0l Duratec was installed into an last gen RX7 to see if there was product potential. We can see where that went....
Mazda was given a lot of leeway in their products- noting how small production the similar, but different, and RX and MX cars are/were. And I know there were a lot of locals who wanted a Ford/Mercury/or Lincoln badge on a Miata- it was not going to die.
You can blame Ford for a lot of stuff. But realize that the MX5/ RX7 and 8 all happened under Ford's management. So good stuff came, too.
(FWIW, Ford started buying part of Mazda way back in the 70's, and have been sharing platforms/engine ever since.)
In reply to alfadriver:
Cadillac, huh? I still can't remember where I heard that story. Still unsurprising. Clever, though.
I'd be very interested to hear more mistakes, but this is not the place.
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