The fastest Mazda Miata ever built has taken center stage at the 2025 Tokyo Auto Salon. Built and named after Mazda’s racing division, the Mazda Spirit Racing MX-5 12R is a mean little roadster that clocks with almost 200 horses.
For the Mazda faithful who live outside of Japan, the MX-5 12R will remain a fever dream, as the car will only be released in the Japanese carmaker’s home market. And to make things more interesting, or painful, Mazda will only be making 200 units.
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The engines on those 200 units will be assembled by hand, giving another layer of care and precision to the most powerful engine ever made for an MX-5. Speaking of the engine, it is a Spirit Racing-tuned 2.0-liter Skyactiv-G four cyclinder that pumps out a whopping 197hp. For comparison, the standard 2025 MX-5 pushes 181 horses.
The MX-5 12R is then equipped with a special body kit that features a Fujitsubo exhaust and height-adjustable Bilstein dampers. The exterior and interior of the MX-5 12R are also designed with subtle red accents and Spirt Racing decals, to complement its unique ‘Aero Grey’ paint job. The roadster will also only be offered in with a soft-top.
Around each corner, Rays TE37 wheels have been selected to keep weight at a minimum, and the front pair have also been affixed with Brembo brakes.
The steering wheel, gearshift, and center console have all been outfitted with Alcantara, while Recaro supplied the seats. That gearshift controls a six-speed manual transmission, and that will be the only gearbox that the car will be offered in.
A similarly designed, commercial version of the MX-5 12R, the Spirit Racing Roadster, will also be made available this year, to come out in other markets. Although it won’t feature that Spirt Racing-tuned engine and that modified exhaust.
A decade into its life, the ND MX-5 is more exciting than ever.
