Photo: Sugar Chow on artstation.com
Currently in its fourth generation, the MX-5 can be had either as a soft-top coupe or as a retractable fastback. The third generation had a folding hardtop, and the one before it was offered with a hardtop in limited numbers. As fate would have it, Mazda never offered the MX-5 as a shooting brake, even though rendering artists have associated this body style with the Japanese sports car for one too many years now.
Sugar Chow is one of them, and his digital reinterpretation of the MX-5 shooting brake has the unmistakable aura of the BMW Z3 M Coupe – the so-called Clown Shoe. Furthered by seven-spoke alloys wrapped in low-profile tires from Yokohama, the car also features a rear window, rear wiper, and a pair of side mirrors.
The latter, however, aren’t located on the A-pillars or doors but on the front fenders of the MX-5 because that used to be a thing in Japan until 1983. Speaking of Japan, the MX-5 is exclusively produced in the Land of the Rising Sun but Sugar Chow has rendered the shooting brake with the steering wheel on the left side.
On closer inspection, we can also spot four titanium-like exhaust pipes sticking out from underneath the rear bumper. The color of the bodywork, on the other hand, appears to be Machine Gray Metallic. This finish is available as a $300 optional extra in the United States, and no, those unnaturally colorful reflections are not exactly realistic.
About the reason Mazda has never made a business case for a shooting brake, the MX-5 with a body style like this would be on the heavier side of lightweight sports cars. The entry-level Sport trim for the U.S. market tips the scales at 2,341 pounds, translating to more than 200 pounds over the first-generation model from 1989.
On the other hand, the near-perfect weight distribution of the soft-top convertible would change to a little more than 50 percent over the rear axle if Mazda were to develop a shooting brake. More weight over the back of the car is good for sideways thrills and spills, but then again, the skinny tires of the MX-5 are more than adequate for kicking the tail out with relative ease.
The latter, however, aren’t located on the A-pillars or doors but on the front fenders of the MX-5 because that used to be a thing in Japan until 1983. Speaking of Japan, the MX-5 is exclusively produced in the Land of the Rising Sun but Sugar Chow has rendered the shooting brake with the steering wheel on the left side.
On closer inspection, we can also spot four titanium-like exhaust pipes sticking out from underneath the rear bumper. The color of the bodywork, on the other hand, appears to be Machine Gray Metallic. This finish is available as a $300 optional extra in the United States, and no, those unnaturally colorful reflections are not exactly realistic.
About the reason Mazda has never made a business case for a shooting brake, the MX-5 with a body style like this would be on the heavier side of lightweight sports cars. The entry-level Sport trim for the U.S. market tips the scales at 2,341 pounds, translating to more than 200 pounds over the first-generation model from 1989.
On the other hand, the near-perfect weight distribution of the soft-top convertible would change to a little more than 50 percent over the rear axle if Mazda were to develop a shooting brake. More weight over the back of the car is good for sideways thrills and spills, but then again, the skinny tires of the MX-5 are more than adequate for kicking the tail out with relative ease.
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