If manually folding the MX-5’s cloth soft-top doesn’t rock your boat, then Mazda has the perfect solution: another edition of their popular roadster, the RF.
It’s still the MX-5, but this one comes with a power-folding top that transforms it, at the push of a button, in either a fastback coupe or an open Targa convertible. We’re talking, of course, about the MX-5 Miata RF, which is Mazda answer to a posher, no-nonsense, driver-oriented two-seater.
It takes only 12 seconds to transform the Miata RF from an open-top car into a coupe, thanks to the intricate roof concept. Mazda recently showcased how the mechanism works in a video, and by the looks of it, the rig looks similar to Porsche’s solution (seen on the 991 Targa) – although more simplified.
The roof-opening sequence can be performed at speeds up to ~10 km/h (6.2 mph), and it fits in the same exact space that the regular soft-top does. Moreover, the mechanism doesn’t spoil the vehicle’s weight balance (since it’s based on the regular variant), nor the interior space.
Pretty cool, huh? If you want one, you’ll have to form an orderly queue, because the RF is selling like hotcakes right now. With the launch-edition already sold-out in the U.S., there are still plenty of Club and Grand Touring models left, starting from $31,555 for the manual version.