Of course there’s a new Mazda MX-5 special edition

The Mazda MX-5 special edition is one of the car world’s greatest traditions. If a month were ever to pass without Mazda spraying shinier paint and sticking more special badges on its little roadster, it really would be time to head for the bunker and cower: the end of the world would surely be nigh.

The latest is the Sport Black, conspicuous by its lack of, y’know, being black. Available exclusively in ‘Eternal Blue Mica’, it comes with black detailing (phew) and leather seats as standard. So as well its baked-in specialness, you also save about a grand over speccing a standard car to similar levels.

It’s based on the MX-5 RF – the neat little folding hard-top Five – and only with the more powerful 158bhp 2.0-litre engine. That’s fine, as it’s the one you want anyway, coming as it does with a standard limited-slip differential for extra handling goodness.

The price for all this specialness? A Sport Black will cost you £25,695, which is still pretty cheap when it comes to rear-wheel-drive sports cars: the special edition Fiat 124 Spider S Design costs more while possessing an old-school soft top and less power.

Mazda will show off the RF Sport Black at an MX-5 owner’s club meeting at Goodwood this weekend. Head along and see if you can spot an MX-5 in attendance that’s not a special edition…